Emily's Family

They could not believe what had just happened. Emily's aunt and father believed that she was obligated to pay them back for taking care of her during her childhood, but her mother thought that it would be best to please her first. They were all disgusting in their motive of scamming money out of the girl, but they knew that the mother's way would be best. However, none of them expected the figurative slap to the face that Emily delivered. Despite the fact that it should have been one of the first things they thought of when they put this plan together two days ago.

Ever since the fall of Silver City, they split off from the main family, but they could still receive funds from the family and aid with their businesses which had their headquarters moved to nearby cities outside of the five cities region. However, the moment word spread that the main branch had fallen, rivals from all sides came after them like rabid wolves. Within a mere month, they were swallowed by debt and were barely getting by on the hidden stash that the mother had.

In the beginning, they had the choice to pay off their debts with her hidden stash and then work their way back up, but they kept putting it off until the stash was no longer enough. To make matters worse, when they realized that the stash had dwindled to the level where it was now insufficient to pay off their debts, the aunt drowned in alcohol and the father went out gambling to relieve himself. And it was obvious what would happen next.

Although the mother remained strong despite their difficulties, her little sister became a useless bar pet while her husband added more debt to their load.

"I'll make it back."

"Just one more."

"I'll win big this time."

It was the same story every time, but since she didn't want to become the next victim of domestic violence so the mother could only wear a wry smile as they fled many cities to escape debt collectors. Fortunately, her husband wasn't reckless enough to ask for money from her hidden stash, but in order to keep their family afloat, the mother had to become the provider. She seriously considered abandoning them several times a day, but when she remembered the glory days when her husband stood strong in the merchant world and her sister's social connections stretched far and wide, she always hesitated. However, eventually, they had to start selling the clothes off their back and even her precious wedding ring to stay together as a family.

There was no change in their situation when they settled in Paraj. Paraj had no 'slums', but where they lived was populated by similarly less fortunate citizens. The aunt remained drunk and listless, the father was still a gambing addict, and the mother remained the only one maintaining their lifestyle. Thankfully wages were higher in the city, but so were the cost of luxury goods so there wasn't much change in their financial situation. It was another day of stress for the mother when she was visited by a crafty middle-aged man, who she was used to facing back during their better days, while she was heading home from work.

Like a wild instinct, even though she hadn't interacted with this type of person in a while, she could immediately tell that this was a disguise. She couldn't deduce the true face behind this mask, but she knew there would be no benefit in exposing him so she kept her mouth shut and waited for him to start.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen. Who could have guessed that I would one day find a member of the influential Valet merchant family in such dire straits?"

The first thing that came out of his mouth was a taunt. The mother's irritation grew, but because she knew that this was just a preamble, she held herself back and stuck to glaring at him.

"Is that all?" she asked politely.

The middle-aged man was surprised by her tolerance, but only enough to make him chuckle. It would have made no difference to him if she fell for his taunt, but her sharp wit made her better suited for the purpose he had for her.

"No, I come with a piece of information that could help you rise from the ashes."

It was a perfect example of sounding too good to be true, but in her current situation, she couldn't be picky so she kept listening to him.

"What is it?"

"Pay close attention to the contestants of the Array Master Minor Ranking evaluation preliminaries that will be broadcast tomorrow. One of them may be familiar to you."

Without any background details the man's words were a bit vague, but the mother quickly realized the person who he was most likely to be referring to.

'An array master? Could it be her?'

The mother was about to ask for confirmation, but before she knew it, the man was gone like the wind. When she went back to the small house and told the rest of the family what happened, the other two had the same guess as her. They all thought of the same little girl.

"If we accept that man's words as true then that's the most likely answer," the father said in the rare state of being sober.

They hadn't paid much attention to what happened to her, but they still knew what profession she was being trained in. Even now, they didn't regret handing her over to the main family in exchange for a favour, since that was for the best at the time, so they were happy to know that they might be able to draw out more funds using her. They couldn't be certain, but proof would be available the next day so they waited in anticipation to see the successful daughter.

Fortunately, the mother could get off work early that day so she was able to catch the scene where Emily demonstrated her brilliance for all to see. Even if the middle-aged man hadn't informed her in advance, she was sure that she would have heard about it due to the commotion that she caused. When they saw her on the screen above the city, their hearts raced and their chests were filled with a certain feeling, but it wasn't pride or nostalgia. It wasn't even relief at seeing her again; they were just glad to finally find a new source of income. So naturally, when Emily met them again, she couldn't receive the treatment she expected. They cared way too much about themselves to care about her.

Even when the incident occurred at the restaurant, they placed the blame on her and nursed a grievance for the next day. The mother had a more objective view so she knew why Emily was upset, but she shared the opinion that she was being selfish and ungrateful so Emily had no allies among them. On the following day, they waited for her on the only road leading straight to the amphitheater as early as possible, ready to get an monetary apology out of this unfilial child. And so, how could they let the little golden goose walk away so easily?