[God gave her one face, but she created another for herself.]
[How much pain and regret are hidden under that mask.]
On a certain day, a certain year, a certain month, in a remote village in the Dark Continent.
"Mommy! Look!" The child happily rushed into the house from outside, covered in mud, and soiled the floor of the cabin.
The woman did not blame her son, but turned around with a smile: "What's the matter, Sabo?"
"Happy birthday, Mommy!" The bunny boy raised what he was holding, and it turned out to be a rose.
It is a light blue rose with translucent petals. It is an extremely rare species. This kind of rose is called "aromatic" by the locals. Although it is very rare, like most of the vegetation in the Underdark, it has extremely strong vitality.
, no matter it is a violent storm, or a drought or flood, it will never let it bow its head and bend down, willing to be damaged.
The name of this illusory rose that looks fragile but is unexpectedly tenacious is also her name. Because she had no memory when she first came here, her husband gave her the name.
.
Fantine? What a perfect name.
"Thank you, Saab. This flower is beautiful." The woman smiled and said, "We will plant it in the backyard of our house. When spring comes next year, maybe we will have a beautiful flower garden in our backyard."
"Okay, Mommy!" The little rabbit, who was only a few years old at the time, smiled particularly brightly.
As a foreigner, she was originally not qualified to get a place in this village. It was because her husband accepted her that the people in the village reluctantly allowed her to stay. Now her husband has become a member of the orc alliance.
Soldiers were fighting on the front line, but the situation around them was getting more and more complicated. She couldn't help but feel a little worried. But her husband was a soldier after all, and he had the honor of a soldier--even if it was just an inconspicuous one--
-- can still bring benefits to the family. Her husband's efforts on the front line have allowed her and her children to have enough to eat, so that they will not starve to death, and have a roof to cover their heads, so that they will not be exposed to wind and rain, and experience hardships. Therefore, no matter it is
No matter how hard her life was, no matter how tiring the work in the village was, she could endure it.
But the good times didn't last long.
"You must be kidding me." She looked at the Khajiit officer intently, her face turned livid: "You can't do this. This is his house, our home, and you have no right to take it back!"
"His house, yes." The officer's face was cold, even cruel, like a real beast: "But it is not your and your son's house. He is already dead, and he died in an dishonorable way.
.Since he has no legal heir, his estate will be confiscated by the coalition forces, including this house."
"No!" she said anxiously, "I am his wife. Even if he does not have the right to inherit this house, his son Sabo should at least have the right to inherit this house, right? Are you kidding? Just confiscate our property casually?"
"Madam, there is no legal marriage certificate between you and him on the record. Your marriage is not recognized in the first place, and the child is even more of an [unplanned] product. At that time, we allowed you to give birth to a child, which was already the largest
There is a limit to tolerance, so don’t push it too far."
Her face became extremely ugly.
"...Is there really no way to keep this house?" She asked in a low voice: "Winter is coming soon. You know better than anyone else that if we, mother and son, were to leave the village and go to the wilderness,
We are certain to die."
The officer shook his head, but his lustful eyes fell on the groove on her chest from beginning to end.
"Unless------" the officer suddenly laughed ferociously.
"unless?"
"They do, indeed, have a plan to transform this place into a sanatorium for senior officers, so that officers who have just returned from the front can have a place to relax and unwind in just a few days. I can indeed think of it.
There is a way for you mother and son to stay here and continue to live as servants, but...how to say it? That depends on your luck."
The Khajiit officer suddenly pressed his palm on the woman's shoulder. His face showed a ferocious look, like a wild beast hunting prey: "Not bad, [Sophia's Blue Rose]. Even if it's just a rabbit, even if it's a Fang Clan (
In terms of the aesthetics of the tiger tribe), you can be regarded as a peerless beauty."
"Sir, sir?! What do you want to do? Please show some respect!" she exclaimed.
"Respect? For you who suddenly appeared here helpless, you and your children eat our precious food, drink our precious water, and occupy our precious land, but you are not willing to give anything -
----I didn't kick you out right away, I already respected you!" He pressed her on the table, with a fierce look in his eyes: "If you really want to stay here, at least make some contribution to the coalition and prove it.
You are someone worthy of staying!"
"Wait, what, what?! Stop! I'm going to call someone!"
"Then just scream." The tiger officer tore up the woman's shirt with a grin and put his hand on her breast: "Don't you know how the people in the village view you? Your son is in the room next to him.
Sleeping, what will his reaction be if he is woken up and sees you like this? I'm really looking forward to it."
Her expression became more solemn, because the other party's words were too correct and she had no way to refute them.
"Hey, hey, hey... let me play with you." The officer had already pressed his dirty body against hers. He hugged her tightly and licked her face with his tongue: "You will have a good time tonight."
Serve me. If the service is attentive enough, it doesn't matter if you stay here. I will report today's experience truthfully and let them know how wonderful you are. Then, maybe, they will seriously consider keeping you, mother and son.
people."
Tears blurred her eyes: "You guys... beasts...!"
"Yes, we are beasts. But what are you being kept in captivity by beasts?" Even if the other party is unwilling, the officer still presses on the woman with all his strength and kisses her: "Aren't you worse than beasts?"
?"
The days passed day by day. The child gradually understood something vaguely from a young and carefree child.
He originally didn't understand why some strange uncles would come to visit his home every once in a while and wouldn't leave until tomorrow morning. He seemed to understand now;
He originally didn't understand why the smell of sweat, blood, and a strange fishy smell from those uncles would linger on his mother the next morning. He seemed to understand now;
He originally didn't understand why his mother had been avoiding him and never dared to look at him, but now he understands.
Just as she didn't dare to look at him, he was also trying his best to avoid her. Otherwise, once he accidentally saw her staring at the hazy sky outside the window, all he would see was pain.
Time flies and everything decays.
This house gradually deteriorated over time, but it never received funding for repairs. Therefore, its appearance is full of cracks like an old house that has been weathered for decades.
The only thing that remains the same here is the small flowerbed behind the house and the roses that grow tenaciously in the flowerbed. The blue rose, called [aromatic hydrocarbon], even though it has been ravaged by wind and rain, still stands upright for its own shelter.
So it stands upright, and once a year, it blooms with stunningly beautiful flowers, adding a touch of melancholy light blue to this dark and shabby world.
Fantine.
His mother may not be as beautiful as he remembered, but now she is sitting there, looking thoughtfully at everything outside the window, with an old, tired and confused face, she is still the most beautiful woman in the world.
Nowadays, the most beautiful woman in the world has lost her legs and feet, and her eyesight has become increasingly invisible, but she still insists on taking care of the flowers and plants in the garden in the backyard of her house every day, taking care of the branches of her most beloved roses.
in Apple pie order.
She may have learned to live in harmony with despair, but he has not. He knows how risky it is to challenge despair, and he also knows that he is only a mortal, but he must do it.
[Bitch], [Slut], [Prostitute]. He tried hard to wipe away the insulting words written with chalk, charcoal, and paint near the flower bed, and looked at the words hidden in the distance.
He observed the hostile villagers, and then walked back to the house calmly. His mother's bad eyesight should have been a misfortune, but he secretly felt a little lucky, because at least, she could not see what the villagers wrote.
These vicious curses.
They don't understand anything.
"Mom, I have decided to join the coalition."
"Even you..."
"It's useless to stop it." The bunny boy said calmly: "I will win glory for our family...again. Then I will let you live a good life."
She turned her head and looked at her son with red eyes, as if she had seen through all the illusions in the world.
"If you think you are right, then go ahead, Sabo." She said, "Just, don't look back.
Mom is not a burden to you, and you don't need to do anything for her.
Just be yourself and live happily.
Don't live for others, live for yourself.
Parents have invested their whole lives in you, because we have no future and no hope, but you do.
You are our greatest glory, highest achievement, and most brilliant future.
so------
"
Her face gradually turned pale, and the world became darker and darker.
"If one day, we are all gone.
Please do it alone and live happily.
Please do it alone and live well.
That is my parents' biggest wish.
"
The boy blinked incomprehensibly, as if he was having a very long nightmare.
"What nonsense are you talking about, Mom?" He walked into his mother lovingly, stretched out his hand, and tried to touch her old face: "I will definitely take good care of you. You have paid so much for me,
I haven't had time to repay you yet.
Just wait, I will definitely work hard.
Just wait, as long as you work hard, you will be rewarded.
You have worked hard for so many years, and it is time to enjoy the blessings.
Happy days will definitely come...
...Pro?"
He stretched out his hand, but couldn't touch anything. What he touched was just a phantom, as thin as smoke.
His mother was smiling at him, but her image was getting weaker and weaker, and as the phantom gradually disappeared, it went away.
But that smile is as timeless as the blue rose that blooms every year.
"mom......?"
Sabo opened his eyes and found tears welling up in his eyes. He seemed to have had a very sad dream, but when he woke up, he couldn't remember what happened. He found himself lying on the sofa, but there was a pain in his lower abdomen.
It was a burning pain, accompanied by the dull feeling brought by the anesthetic, but it was still a burning pain.
"Are you awake?" Daniel sat on a tattered chair nearby, looking at Sabo intently.