The children of the slums

I wave goodbye to Daisy as I head down the latch into the underground. The slums were often overlooked by the nobility. Nobody knew this existed. Hell, I wouldn't have even known this existed if Crystalia hadn't nearly been kidnapped at 15. I never wrote this inside the novel in detail, but the slums were a terribly poor section of the capital. I slide down the ladder and jump into the putrid streets. The smell of mold and rotting trash clings onto my lungs until I reach the area.

"Mistress Lily!!" The children gasp.

"Shh," I hold a finger to my lips. "Solace please double lock the doors. Dia barricade the windows for me please. Beam please-"

"Double locked!"

"Barricaded!"

"Line up for sanitization!" Beam holds up the magic dust.

The children clean their hands with a homemade hand sanitizer, and I finally open the picnic bag.

"I brought bread today since that was all I could smuggle without the staff being suspicious of me," I mumble. "I cast a preservation spell on these so they should last you for around five to ten days."

The children each grab a bread and beam. "Thank you, Mistress Lily!"

I smile. "Bon Appetite."

The children dig in and I clean the filter for their water. A variety of filters had been set up around the slums by them over the weeks, and the water for the slums was mostly purified now. The central purifier was still in their lodgings disguised behind a bunch of broken cardboard boxes. I cast the magic for the month, and the water of the slums seems to become more clear.

"Mistress Lily when will your next visit be?" Solaire speaks up.

A golden-haired, golden-eyed boy. Someone who could easily be mistaken as a noble child but ended up abandoned in the slums. No one's quite sure about which family he's from, but he never cared. A ruthless boy, a boy who's trained to kill. A boy that I use to spread propaganda. A blessed of the sun.

"Yeah! You didn't come last week even though Dahlia came to give us food..." Dia mumbles.

Dia, a blessed of the dark. I had trained her in her magic and now she's able to shift into a shadow at will. A black-eyed girl with brown hair. A girl who was the shadow herself.

"I'm sorry darling," I smile. "You know I'm of noble descent. My parents had me attend my debutante."

"Ah! Dahlia snuck us in to see you in the dress!" Beam grins.

"You were so pretty!" Selena smiled. "Can I get a ball like that one day?"

"I'll host our own party when I take over the estate." I smile. "You all would look incredible in outfits that the nobles wear."

I hear a crash and then five knocks in rhythm.

"Please stay still," I smile. "I will be casting darkness."

The children huddle together with the bread and I turn them invisible. I open the barricaded door, and a familiar teen throws a peace sign.

"Lily!"

"Good evening Caladium," I smile. "Hurry up. The children are already eating,"

"You arrived early today," The male hums.

"Yes," I lock the door and he helps me barricade it with the wood. He casts a quick spell on the barricade and I release the darkness.

"Cal!"

"Calla!" Dia jumps into his arms with a grin.

"Hello, Dia darling," The male smiles. "Are you all still hungry? I managed to sneak some pastry,"

Dia thinks before Solaire speaks up. "I have something to report!"

I pull the boy closer to me and check his bruises. "I told you to stop going to the pub for information..."

"But I managed to get information! Prince Tea has been meeting with duchess rose." I heal Solaire's bruises and sigh.

"Tea and rose huh..."

"On that note," Beam hands me a document. "I got it from a Magellan staff. I don't know if it's real or not, but I sensed duplication magic."

I smile. "Come over here Beam darling. I don't know if you're hurt or not."

Beam sits in my lap as I hand the papers to the children. "Please scan that for me, darling. I need to know if there was false magic involved."

Helena stares at the paper with her eyes and shakes her head. "it's not the original copy but I think it should be real."

"Beam please head back to check this week and then I'll get you out into my estate." I smile.

"Mistress Lily when am I being transferred?" Herrace mumbles.

"You won't be transferred," Caladium smile. "I'm planning on turning the slums into an underground empire."

"...what?"

"You all are going to be in charge," Caladium nods. "Of course that's when you all turn older."

"That's too much of a risk," I sigh. "The children are already doing enough."

"But you should know that a prince is planning a revolution for the throne." Caladium mumbles.

"It's either the seventh prince or the first prince," I mumble. "If the seventh prince siezes the title then there's a big chance that the slums are finally going to be improved. Perhaps food will be handed out or relief funds will finally exist."

"The slums here are usually where criminals rest," Solace mumbles. "There's no use saving us."

"You all are incredible for gathering and spreading information," I grin. "Plenty of nobles would want to use you all. If say one of the princes gain you all as his backup, then he has no problem gaining the support of the citizens."

Caladium flinches and I notice the necklace he's wearing. Ah, he didn't hide it that well today.

"Stay still Cal," I tuck his necklace into his shirt.

"I forgot to ask," Dia mumbles in Caladium's arms. "When will we be able to see you two's faces?"

"Once Caladium shows his," I smile. "Besides, you all know what I look like without the disguise."

"They do?" Caladium sighs. "How lucky of them."

"Yeah!"

"Mistress Lily is incredibly pretty!"

"She has-" Dia feels her throat grow ragged and her voice doesn't come out. I pour her a cup of water and have her drink slowly.

"You can't say any of my facial features," I smile. "Please refrain from dehydrating yourselves."

Dia nods and gulps down the water.

"Then I shall get going," I smile. "Please tap twice on Herrace's palm if you need me. Three times if it's urgent."

"Thank you Mistress Lily!"

"I'll bring you guys some books with the food next time I visit," I shift outside the door and head back onto my carriage.

"How were the children?"

"Lovely," I smile. "Lovely like they have always been"

I can see why Crystalia took them in now. Half out of greed, half out of interest, but it was really out of sympathy and a small hope that they would live better. And maybe... Crystalia had hoped that they would be free from their fate.