The Duchess walked down the stairs with Baek following close behind she spotted her two maids sitting in a corner eating and smiled at them and the guest before heading to the kitchen, she peeped in quickly and the beast woman looked up at her all she did was cock her head and left going outside and into her carriage, it didn't take long for her friend to enter and sit across from her, the elf looked at the beast woman with a ferocious look making her gulp.

"Why did you lie to me?" she asked in a flat tone that was void of any feelings.

The beast woman's eyes seemed to search hers before she shook her head "I'v no knowledge of what you speak."

The elf huffed and looked out the window for the carriage " Today when we were in the kitchen finishing off the cakes, I asked you if the half ling was being treated with the same care the other children got and you looked me in my face and told me yes, so I want to know why you lied to me." Her eyes scanned her friend as she turned her head away with a sigh, that told her that she wasn't accusing her friend falsely so she pushed her "tell me why."

The beast woman shook her head and let out a small laugh "he was just a half breed and every time you sent word to me, you would ask about him, it was annoying and after all these summers I still can't figure out why you care so much for the filthy things so I just told you what you wanted to hear and gave it what it deserved."

The Elf suddenly felt very empty inside was she really friends with a person like this, she sighed and looked out the window "you know I thought you were different, I mean I never really thought you liked them but I didn't think you hated them either, I should have known. At least now I know why Hide always said to show him my friends and he'll tell me who I am, and the sad part is, little Sin is but an innocent child who has no control over his life and you're taking advantage of it, cruel and vindictive Chao-xing, that's what you are."

The carriage lapsed into silence as the two women stared out the opposite windows, the elf was in a sullen mood she had just lost the person she called her best friend for the past twenty something years, there was no way their old relationship would go back to the way it was so it was best to break it, she let out another sigh before looking back at the beast woman " when I leave tonight I'm taking him and Da-ye with me, and I assume you were using him to do chores and the like, I'll make arrangements for a male slave to take his place, you just need to make sure they are well fed and clothed because if you don't at least they can complain."

The beast woman nodded "you can leave." was the last thing the house mother heard before leaving the carriage, she knew that child was going to bring her trouble she just didn't think it was going to be so soon or like this, she should have sold the child to the slavers when she had the chance.

*

The sun was close to setting when the Duchess had decided it was time to leave she had finished writing out the documents and placing her signature so the new parents would be able to leave with their children, each one looking so happy to have a family, for the sake of it she had made a document for Da-ye who was going to the capital to become her sister's apprentice and one for little Sin saying that she had taken him into her care.

She walked over to Da-ye who had a smile on her face as she was wishing the children that weren't chosen good bye, she looked over at the beast child that had a forlorn look marring his handsome features, she smiled, to bad little one that your mother wouldn't approve of you dating the elven girl, you might bring more rotten half breeds into the world and poison us all.

She shook her head at the mocking thought and then headed inside, she smiled up at one of her maids that was carrying the half ling who was still asleep, it made her wonder just how tired the little thing was for him to sleep for so long , she looked at the other maid that came down empty handed and arched her brow, the leaf elf stopped and bowed her head "sorry my Lady but madam Huang said that the child held no belongings." the Duchess felt a shot of anger in her but let out a deep sigh and turned to leave.

She watched as Beak came walking out with two cases both belonging to Da-ye, at least she was properly cared for, she watched and he stowed them away before coming to stand by her side, then she wished all her guest and their new children well and watched them leave, she gave one last look at the house behind her where the beast woman was standing in the door, her head snapped away and she ushered Da-ye and the maids into the carriage before climbing in herself, when she was seated she collected little Sin and held him against her swearing to make things better for him.

------

For the first time in a long time Sin awoke in comfort, he blinked his green eyes open and turned on his back expecting to come face to face with the tin iron, instead he was looking up at a high white ceiling, he rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times before looking back at the ceiling, his eyes widened and his body shot forward, was he dreaming?

His eyes widened when he saw that he was sleeping on a very large bed in the even larger room, the bed was a light shade of brown and he had the softest white sheets he had ever felt covering him, he looked around the room the walls painted in a baby blue, the room held various large white dressers and one vanity one wall held windows going from end to end, he slowly slid off the bed and made a weird sound when his feet touch a silky soft white rug that covered the entire floor of the room.

He was tempted to just lay down on the floor and never move again, but when he looked down he saw that he was in what looked like a long white shirt that fell to his ankles, he looked around one last time and spotted a door, he slowly walked over and gripped the gold handle pulling the door open, he peeped his head out and saw a long white hall and across from him sat a light wooden door, he walked across the hall and pushed the door open.

The room was similar to his except for the walls being painted in a soft pink, he peeped inside and saw someone sleeping in the bed, he walked in as quietly as he could and looked at the face to see it was Da-ye who was still fast asleep, for a moment he wondered where they were and if the rest of the children were here too, he didn't want them to be, he hated them and wanted to be as far away from them as possible and having them come here would ruin it for him.

He gave Da-ye one last look before going out the room, he fallowed along the hall until he came to a stairs and had to hold on to the wall as he slowly made his way down,

when he reached the bottom he was met with tall brown walls, a shiny thing was hanging from the ceiling and big pictures of elves were hanging from the walls, he looked both sides and then spun around before heading the way he was facing, he also smelt something nice coming from that direction.

He followed the sent until he came to large double doors, he pushed it open and walked in to see several elves moving around the kitchen that was maybe three times the size of the one at the house making something, he walked further in the room and felt someones hand on his shoulder making him jump and turn around to look up at the smiling face of the man he had met yesterday, the one that was in the weird shinning clothes.

This time he was standing there in a white shirt and black pants his feet bare, he stooped down and looked at the child with the bright green eyes who his Lady was very fond of, he couldn't believe his Lady when she said the child had already survived for seven years, he looked as if he was less than those, lacking strongly in both height and weight.

He looked at the child's swirling green eyes that held flecks of gold and his hair that was so black it looked blue in a certain light hung just below his shoulders, he watched as his short pointed ears twitch every few moments, he wondered what else he was mixed with, he knew it was some kind of beast but couldn't pick up on the sent, was it one of the small beast men that were hardly seen and thought to have gone extinct that would explain the child's height but he highly doubted it, even if that was the case he should have still pulled a bit from his elven heritage.

Sin looked at the man when he shook his head and then let out a strange sound when he was suddenly lifted off the ground, the man walked over to the counter and picked up a large bun handing it to him "you must be hungry, you had slept through the night and didn't even eat lunch, so this should do for now until breakfast." the child tilted his head and he could see the question on his face, did the half ling not understand him?

"It's food, you eat it." he took a piece of the bun and placed it in his mouth chewing it slowly the child seemed to understand what he was saying now and brought the bun to his faces giving it a sniff, his eyes widened when he saw the scales that flashed on the child's neck before he literally dove into his food, the child eat with the ferociousness of a starving dog and it left him feeling a bit sick to his stomach, was he really treated that badly?

He set the half ling down on his feet, the child put the last of the red meat bun in his mouth and went on to lick his lips and suckle his fingers when he was finished he looked up at the elf expectantly, the man scratched the back of his head and reluctantly handed him another one, to his surprise the child ran out of the room, he turned and tried to follow him but the child had already vanished out of his sight, did he think he was going to take it away?

Sin ran down the hall and ducked under the nearest table, he looked around to make sure no one was following him before he bit into the bun and made a sound of delight, he remembered a time one of the older boys had given him a bun that tasted just like this one, and when he had eaten it the boy gave him another one, as he bit in to it he was suddenly knocked onto his back and hit in his stomach multiple times, it was enough to make him vomit up the bun along with the little broth he had drank in the early morning, while the boy looked on and laughed at him.

If the elf were to hit him like that he would probably loose more than his stomach, he didn't like the pain that came with it, he quickly finished the bun and licked his lips before sucking his fingers clean and didn't come out from under the table until he heard Da-ye calling for him, she always called him little one so he would know her voice anywhere he heard it.