Winter evenings were full of contrasts – some cozy and warm, others bitter and cold.
And this evening, the latter seemed to have won its turn.
The cold had somehow seeped through her layered jacket, making Celine shiver as she shoveled the snow covering the path from the brothel veranda to the garden.
Celine hated shoveling duty, but what could she do? It wasn't as though she could skip her duties – that would only earn her punishment.
Whenever Zarah or Iris had shoveling duty, the other would always help. But Celine could never ask either of them for assistance. Whatever existed between them was not friendship, but animosity.
It was mostly her own fault that their relationship had turned so strained. If Celine had not ratted the girls out during the escape, maybe she wouldn't be on shoveling duty right now – and maybe the three of them would still be friends.
Celine shook her head. She didn't regret her actions. She didn't regret being rude to them, and she definitely didn't want to be friends with them.
She was superior to them – or at least she thought she was. It was true that Zarah surpassed her in archery and herbalism, and knew two more languages than she did. And Iris, on the other hand, had swordsmanship skills on par with Imperial soldiers, as Jennifer had once said while praising her.
But surely they weren't that much better than her, were they? She could sew exceptionally well, and her own skills were excellent. So she must be better than those two – they had tried to escape, after all.
'To be honest… they had made sure the other girls escaped…' Celine thought as she pushed the shovel with more force than necessary.
Who was she kidding? They had stayed back on purpose. They were smarter than her – Celine would never admit that foul thought aloud. Ever.
Her hands had started to sting from pushing the shovel harder than necessary. She paused and brought them in front of her mouth, blowing into them as she rubbed them together.
They had turned numb and cold, like frozen meat.
Celine took a deep breath and blew into her hands once more before continuing to clear the path.
At times like this, loneliness seemed to climb up Celine's neck and tighten its grip on her emotions. She missed Clara – the only one she had ever somewhat gotten along with. But Clara had escaped three years ago.
It was because of Zarah and Iris that the other girls had managed to escape.
'Damn them!' Celine cursed inwardly.
As she took a step forward, her foot slipped on the ice scattered across the ground, and she lurched forward.
She had been expecting to fall face-first into the frozen ground, but someone caught her by the shoulders.
Celine looked up and saw that the new girl – Melody – was holding onto her firmly.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
'Why is she here?' Celine wondered as she straightened and pushed Melody's hands away.
Melody looked at Celine, trying to check for injuries, but Celine pushed her away again.
"What is it? What do you need?" Celine asked, her tone harsher than necessary.
Melody smiled sweetly at her. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you are okay," she replied, folding her arms over her chest in an attempt to ward off the cold.
Celine looked at Melody for a moment before turning away and gripping the shovel again.
"I'm fine… thank you."
The last part was whispered so quietly that if Melody hadn't been paying attention, she wouldn't have heard it.
Melody's lips curved into a satisfied smirk. She quickly schooled her expression back to normal before Celine could notice.
"Is there another shovel?" Melody asked.
Celine jerked her chin toward the corner. "Over there."
Melody quietly grabbed the shovel and stepped beside her, helping to clear the path.
After they finished clearing the snow, they sat on the veranda with warm tea.
Steam curled like a fox's tail around Melody as she lifted her cup and brought it to her lips, taking a slow sip.
"So… you're not close with the other two?" Melody asked.
Celine stiffened, her grip on the teacup tightening as its warmth seeped into her palms.
"Close to them? I'd rather be buried in the snow than be friends with those two who tried to escape," she replied, her tone dripping with venom.
Melody arched an eyebrow in curiosity.
"They tried to escape?" she asked innocently.
That was all it took.
Celine began talking – about how Zarah and Iris had planned the escape after a noble-blooded girl was bought by the Madam, how they had helped seventeen girls flee that night while choosing to stay behind.
Melody listened quietly.
'I was right. Those two are definitely smarter than this one.'
She gave Celine a discreet once-over.
'Looks like I'll have to keep an eye on them… through her.'
A faint smirk tugged at her lips as she lifted her cup and took another sip of tea.
"What are you thinking, Zar?" Iris asked as she snapped her fingers in front of Zarah's face. "You've been staring at the wall for about ten minutes now."
Zarah sighed, glancing around the room to ensure they were truly alone before replying. "Iree, we should better keep an eye on Melody."
Her tone was far more serious than usual.
Iris raised an eyebrow.
"You said she was trained to kill the Empress – and the Empress isn't in the brothel," Iris teased. "You're worrying over nothing. Jia escaped. Melody can't exactly summon the Sterling Duchy's archers to kill Her Majesty in the future, now."
"But she'll find another way. I'm sure of it," Zarah countered as she got up from her bed and began pacing the dormitory.
Iris rolled her eyes at her overthinking friend. "And what way would that be? Pray tell."
Zarah shot her a deadpan look. "Iree, be serious."
"I am serious. You're just being a worrywart," Iris replied, standing up and stretching her arms.
Zarah suddenly halted mid-step, a thought forming in her mind.
"Melody may try to keep tabs on us through Celine," she said, as if arriving at a revelation.
"That-" Iris began, then paused as she processed it. "Is actually a possibility."
Zarah exhaled deeply. "We'll have to be careful about what we say around Celine."
"But what if we're suspecting her over nothing?" Iris asked.
"It's Celine. Even if it's nothing, she'll still try to get us in trouble. And if Melody does try using her, she won't be able to affect us," Zarah stated matter of factly.
Iris nodded. "Fair enough."
What followed was exactly what Zarah had predicted.
Though the four girls lived in the same dormitory and followed the same routine, Melody used Celine to quietly keep tabs on Zarah and Iris outside of lessons and the shared bedroom.
Melody herself never pried. She kept her innocent facade perfectly intact – but Zarah and Iris knew better than to trust it.
And just like that – through petty fights and even pettier arguments – three years slipped by. The girls turned eighteen and came of age.