One Hundred Years As An Extra

I didn’t much like kids. Children had been rude and insufferable in her world. Her encounter with children had gone something like this in her world:

‘What kind of adult are you? I really wanted to have that! You otaku bastard.’

‘What did you just say? Come here, you punk. You are still wet behind the ears; how can you say such a thing!’

‘Are you happy that you beat an elementary school student and won? Huh? Are you happy?’

‘Yes! F*ck! I feel damn good! You’re dead, you bastard!’

If my friend hadn’t dragged me out, I would have slapped the child silly. But it was a long time ago. Another lifetime. We reached Jamie’s door. It was Jenny who opened it after we knocked. The first thing I noticed was how swollen her hand was.

“Oh, It’s the Countess!”

I curtseyed and smiled at Jenny. “Hello, Jenny. Is your father home?”

“Father is… sick.”

Jenny looked like she was about to break down and cry. Poor kid. She took care of everything around the house at such a young age but without the income of her father, they would starve. My heart sank. I patted Jenny on the head. It had only been a few days since Jamie collapsed. There was still hope.

“I’m here to look at your father. May I come in?”

Jenny let us in gratefully. She must not have heard rumors about me yet. People usually were wary of me entering their homes because they knew I was a drunkard and a gambler.

“Countess,” said Jenny, taking my hands. “Will my father get well soon?”

“Most likely,” I said and squeezed her hand to provide some assurance. I walked in slowly. Kaichen followed in silence. There were so many symptoms of alcoholism. Mood swings were the most common. Sometimes it causes the person to be violent. If Jamie had such a symptom, then the children would have no safe place.

My anger surged. The Momalhaut bastards! How dare they make my people suffer so much? All the frustration I had suppressed soared up in my heart. I looked at Jenny and calmed myself. Once I make sure my people are healthy, I am going to kill those bastards.

Acrab was my heaven and hell. It was home. No matter the trauma I held when it came to this place, it was my duty to protect these people. These were my people. I have to ensure their safety and their health. I am not the drunkard anymore. I am the leader of this place.

“Dalia,” called kaichen softly. He must have noticed I was getting worked up.

“Teacher, Acrab will be safe, right?” I asked, unsure.

“Yes.”

“Everyone will be okay, right?”

“Yes,” he answered so easily. It was easier said than done. But knowing that it was Kaichen who responded and knowing that he was never one for empty words, it calmed me down. He was powerful. Acrab would be okay. I had to believe that we would overcome.

“Father has been crying everyday through the fever,” said little Jenny. “He asks for mother.” Jenny was sobbing now. It wrenched my heart. These children must be so terrified seeing their only parent delirious. They had already lost their mother. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Jenny,” I said, ‘Listen to me. I will take care of it, alright? Everything will be okay.” Just as I found stability in Kaichen’s words, I tried to push some sense of hope onto Jenny with my words. I patted her on her head and told her to stay in the room with her younger brother.

I entered the room where Jamie had collapsed. I was relieved it was cleaner than Victor’s place. But I felt sad that Jenny must have worked hard to keep it this way. She was a little child herself who had taken up too much responsibility.

Jamie mumbled something, his face tear-stained. He was barely conscious. He didn’t seem to recognize people very well.

“Countess Alshine,” I introduced myself.

“C-countess…?”

I realized he wasn’t as oblivious about me as Jenny. He frowned. I did meet him often at the gambling place.

“I brought you some medicine,” I said. “It will help with your illness. Will you be able to drink it?”

“What… kind of medicine?”

“The kind that works on this illness. If you drink it, you will feel better.” I extended the vial towards him. Thankfully he accepted it and gulped it down. Kaichen extracted his blood and analyzed it.