She later found her younger sister.
But for her sister, she had nothing she could offer in exchange.
Audrey, who had once been naive and ignorant, was nothing but a pretty face.
She had volunteered to take her sister's place.
Her younger sister.
Beatings, hunger, and endless labor quickly wore away her arrogance and shame.
She learned to lower her head, kneel, and speak in the most humble tone.
Then came habit.
Yes, instead of continuing to be oppressed, it was repeated day after day, until she grew used to it.
She felt herself changing. It was the change time brought: numbness.
And her limits were constantly pushed back.
She had a weakness: Liliana, her younger sister.
Any punishment inflicted on Audrey would be doubled for Liliana.
Audrey learned absolute obedience, even putting on a show of it to spare her sister a little suffering.
Then she was rewarded with a little kindness, and her sister was moved to a better room to rest.
Ah, how wonderful.
A carrot in one hand, a stick in the other.
These lessons had already been used to educate children in noble households.
At that moment, applied to her, they proved just as effective.
She was also taken to the arena to fight and improve.
She didn't know. She couldn't think. She only followed orders.
She could read the slightest expression on her Master's face perfectly. Her work was impeccable: quiet, efficient, and without complaint.
But she could no longer understand herself.
At last, she began to encounter someone.
That person was a slave, a girl, not human—in fact, a Demi-human.
But she was full of defiance.
She had been born and raised in the Kingdom of Ivrea.
She wanted to rebel, to escape.
But everyone thought she was ridiculous.
That girl eventually died.