Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 310 - 22 Pansy and Mimosa_1

Chapter 310: Chapter 22 Pansy and Mimosa_1

"The feeling of someone else picking up the tab is the most wonderful thing in the world," Catherine said, her black hair damp and cascading over her shoulders. She wore a thin silk robe, lounging lethargically in a soft chair next to the fireplace. One hand supported her head while the other held a glass of delicately fragrant red wine. Under her silk robe, her straight legs playfully peeked out from under the hem of her robe, revealing a light tawny skin that glowed faintly in the flickering firelight. Catherine closed her eyes halfway, inhaling the scent of the wine with an expression of pure bliss. "What a life, to while away the afternoon like a regular noblewoman, waiting for the evening ball to begin."

"Really?" Vivian, who had just bathed, sat opposite Catherine, wrapped in a towel. Her thin limbs and gaunt shoulders were exposed, making her look no different from a dried corpse. On the inside of Vivian’s right thigh and knee were two coin-sized wounds from their days of horseback travel. Through the broken skin on her knee, the white joint can be faintly seen. Despite this, Vivian carried on nonchalantly, applying the contents of a small porcelain jar that contained medical balm to her own wounds. At Catherine’s sigh, Vivian looked up and said, "I don’t think ordinary noblewomen would keep a small sword at their waist while wearing their nightgown, or keep emergency medkits tied to their thighs even when bathing. Most importantly, they definitely wouldn’t have a twenty-kilogram metal shield next to them instead of dolls, jewelry, and flowers. So, is this your new jewelry? It’s quite novel."

"Vivian, I think you’ve been hanging out with Lina too much," Catherine replied. She made a face as if the wine had suddenly tasted worse. "Could you let me indulge in the atmosphere a little longer?"

"Give it up, sis," Vivian said as she expertly bandaged her wounds. "I suspect you’re never going to be able to leave these things behind in your life. Even when you retire like Rachel and the others in a few decades, I doubt you’ll ever break these habits."

"Sigh." Catherine let out a defeated sigh, rising from her seat to place her unfinished wine on a side table, and walked over to Vivian. "Being too realistic isn’t always a good thing."

"As a mage and scholar, accepting reality is a fundamental skill." Vivian looked up at Catherine and gave her a sweet smile, before laying down in her recliner. "Could you please help with this?"

Catherine lifted a corner of Vivian’s towel, revealing two more wounds on her buttocks, each slightly larger than a coin. Catherine’s hand, holding a jar of ointment, trembled slightly as she gently stroked the skin around the wounds. "These wounds are larger than before."

"No worries, sometimes they’re big, sometimes they’re small. It’s common." Vivian responded dismissively. "Just apply some ointment and it’ll be fine."

"Do you think I’m stupid? Can’t I tell the difference between external wear and tear and internal wear and tear? These are the hardest type of wounds to heal, being worn away by your bones on the inside. I hope Lina gets here soon." Even though she knew Vivian couldn’t feel it, Catherine gave her a firm slap on the buttocks before carefully lifting the skin around the wounds with her little finger and delicately pouring the healing potion inside.

"Thanks, sis." Vivian hopped off the recliner to test her movements, gave Catherine a tight hug, and planted a big kiss on Catherine’s cheek.

"Back off, you’re all slimy." Catherine wiped her cheek heavily, grinning despite herself. "How about we take a walk outside?"

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Vivian asked, "I’m quite interested, but I think you might..."

"To tell the truth, I was very curious at first, but after hearing about this place on the ride, my interest has dissipated." Catherine opened the window to let the cold breeze in and dispel the smell of medicine, but quickly returned to the warmth of the fireplace. "Although it looks like a paradise for tourists, when I think of the blood and death hidden behind all the glamour, I find it hard to get excited. However, it might be helpful for our mission if we go out and familiarize ourselves with the environment."

"Then let’s go, change your clothes quickly." Vivian couldn’t hide her excitement and started laughing uncontrollably. "I’ve been waiting for you to say that for hours."

"You rascal." Catherine opened her closet and started taking out her armor. "I knew where you wanted to go. I was surprised you managed to hold back and not ask to go explore immediately when we were in the carriage."

"We have to prioritize our mission." Vivian said as she quickly changed into her outdoor robe. Her body, painful to look at without clothing, was once again completely masked under the long, thick cloth. "Rare medicines, unique materials, powerful magic items; it’s a sacred place that every mage dreams of. Hurry up, sis, I can hardly wait."

Catherine shot Vivian a glance before pressing a button on the side of the room. "What’s this button?" Vivian asked, watching Catherine’s actions curiously. "I didn’t notice it before."

"It’s to call someone to hit you." Catherine replied as she adjusted her armor. "Go stand in the corner and behave. Don’t mess with me."

As she was speaking, one of the room’s side doors opened and two maids, clothed in the inn’s uniform, entered. The inn room was a suite, with an entry hall leading to a room containing a full-metal safe for guests to store their luggage and valuables. To the right of the hall was the utility room, meant for wealthy visitors who had brought their own servants to the City of Innocence. Beyond the hall was the living room where Catherine and Vivian were presently staying, which was designed for daily use and guest reception. There was a door on the side of the living room that led to a room for personal maids to stand by, which had a smaller door that connected to the outside. Further in was the bedroom, with an attached bathroom.

"We’re going out for a bit, to the Ninth District. You both should prepare as well," Catherine ordered casually. "I’ve already informed Swin through the Resonance Crystal. You two should wait outside, and notify us when the carriage arrives."

"Yes." The maids answered in unison. The short-haired one quickly ran out through the main entrance, while the long-haired one started to help Catherine adjust her armor quite naturally. Catherine spread her arms, enjoying the professional dressing service being provided by her maid. Only after the long-haired maid finished organizing did Catherine herself do the final check.

"Very good." Catherine nodded in satisfaction, looking at her long-haired maid, she asked, "By the way, I haven’t asked your names yet."

"I am Pansy." The long-haired maid answered with her head lowered. "The short-haired one is my sister, Mimosa."

"Eh, I was asking for your names." Catherine chuckled, "Not your code-names."

"These are our real names, full names." The long-haired maid responded.

"I apologize, Pansy." Catherine immediately understood. She could guess that these were not names given by parents, clearly indicative of the young girls’ troubled pasts. "You two are sisters?"

"Yes, real sisters." Pansy replied, "We are twins. Because we look very similar, we intentionally cut our hair in different styles. After starting work here, we also purposely wore different makeup to differentiate ourselves."

"That is a good method." Catherine said with a smile, "But, I am a bit curious, how did you get into the City of Innocence? You both are so young, what unforgivable sin could you have committed?"

"We were born here." Pansy spoke with a professional smile, calmly: "Our mother must have been a resident here."

"Must have been?" Catherine asked.

"Yes, when we were five, um, maybe four, we were too young to have a very accurate sense of time, let’s just say five. Our mother died when we were about five." Pansy talked about her deceased parents without any apparent sadness, and continued as if nothing had happened. "She rarely spoke to us when she was alive, so we don’t know if she had always been here, or even if she really was our mother."

"Well, that truly is..." Catherine slowly shook her head, "How did she die?"

"She died from overeating." Pansy’s smile became a little stiff, but she answered truthfully: "I think she had been hungry for several days, Mimosa and I had been hungry for several days too. Then she somehow managed to steal a large piece of beef, a really big one. Fearful that others might find out and kill us for it, she cooked all of the meat. She gave us a little and ate the rest on her own because she couldn’t resist her hunger. Dehydrated, she drank a lot of water, and died that night from overeating."

"This, this, this..." Catherine didn’t know how to respond, so she changed the topic, "Although it’s risky to live here, it should not lead to starvation."

"We were born in the First District." Pansy finally showed some typical emotions for someone her age, she spoke in a somewhat troubled tone: "It’s the alley district, different from the other places. Those who live there are people who are disabled, sick, on the run, or women like our mother who were partially insane. There were probably about ten thousand people living in that area, most of them were useless, struggling to stay alive and barely managing to avoid starvation and death each day. Sometimes people would kill each other just for a piece of bread. Thankfully, Mimosa and I were chosen by the owner of this place when we were ten years old, we were lucky to be able to leave. Otherwise, we would probably end up just like them."

"Why didn’t you go to another district?" Vivian asked in confusion, "Did anyone stop you?"

"No one stopped us, but the people there have nothing, no strong organizations to back them. They can’t do anything themselves, they’d still starve to death in other districts. Better to stay in the alley district, where at least they had a place to live." Pansy laughed bitter-sweetly, "Though there are a few small organizations in the alley district, they only dare to exploit the people in there, they dare not go out, let alone make a profit."

"Wait a minute." Something suddenly occurred to Catherine, "You said you and your sister grew up in the alley district? You should be very familiar with it then, right?"

"Of course, I have full confidence on that point." Pansy nodded.

Catherine was about to say something when Mimosa opened the door of the room, "The carriage is here."(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)