A Diamond Amidst Filth

“...It… It isn’t a very interesting story…”

The twink flinched slightly upon hearing his full name. It had been a few years since anyone had called him that, and there was a certain sense of disconnect. He knew that Anoteros was referring to him, but Mala had a hard time truly associating himself with the name ‘Caille’.

“I am still interested in hearing it”

Edrick pushed. The information he knew was enough to get an idea, but he wanted to hear it–No, he wanted Mala to say it aloud, with his own mouth.

Although information about Mala was scarce, the place Shu was first able to track down his existence, alongside his first name, had made it plenty obvious what his identity was.

The Caille family was one of the four most prominent noble households within Leynlornd. This ranking excluded the great clans, which were simply in another category altogether.

Oie, Poule, Canard, and Caille–These were the names of the four great satellite cities, and also the names of the long-standing noble families ruling over them. These families were close to the crown. They were granted immense power and influence within their cities and surroundings, as well as some sizable influence overall throughout the country, but they were also closely monitored by the crown.

This arrangement had gone unbroken and unquestioned for a very long time. All four of these families were firm loyalists to the crown, but they naturally weren’t without their own internal issues.

About twenty years ago, give or take, the Caille family announced the birth of their first daughter–A girl they called Mala–But ever since that announcement, this Mala never made any public appearance, and there had been no word of illness or any other issues with her health. She was simply kept inside the residence for unclear reasons.

Most people completely forgot about her, and Shu only made a connection because her meticulous nature had pushed her to dig through past records, to the point of putting together her own records to be put to use for her master’s sake.

Naturally, the mysterious Mala Caille and the Mala before Edrick could be linked by a name, but that alone wasn’t enough. Mala wasn’t exactly a rare name, but the fact that the Mala that had been wandering with bandits had first made an appearance near Caille was certainly a big coincidence.

The next step for Shu had simply been to find out what the known Caille family members looked like, and by then, it was plenty obvious who the twink truly was…

“W-Well… When I was born, I guess they didn’t look too closely, or something was unusual, because everyone assumed I was a girl, but my parents quickly found out that wasn't the case, ahah… They kept me inside and forbade me from even going outside without proper supervision and with everything scheduled ahead of time…”

“Simply being mistaken about whether I was a girl or a boy was a small issue, but they suspected early on that the confusion may have been caused because I was a Foppoof. The family physician was certain that I wasn’t when I reached a certain age, but it didn’t change the fact that I looked like a girl in pretty much all aspects”

“It didn’t matter if I was a Foppoof or not. People would see it that way no matter what, and with people believing that I was a girl since my parents had never cleared things up… They were worried about anyone finding out the truth”

Mala cleared his throat.

“The Caille family has had a slight issue for a while. My parents were only having sons, but they wanted to have a daughter for a political marriage. I think they were hoping to gain a connection to the crown via a marriage with a prince… That’s why they were so quick to announce my birth, and also why they found themselves unwilling to tell the truth”

“Not only did they have ambitions, but the city of Caille is specialised in the extraction and export of stone, minerals, and all of that stuff. It is a very lucrative business, coupled with their high nobility title. Many were waiting for an opportunity to marry into the family as well, so… They were worried that if I appeared, I would have countless suitors after me, and that it would risk exposing my secret”

The twink looked down at his feet.

“I… I told you it wasn’t interesting… I eventually just ran away from home, and I’m pretty sure they’ve disowned me by now. I don’t think I have anything to offer… The mines of my family are great and all, but having me won’t help you…”

Edrick lifted the twink’s chin once more.

“How can you be so sure they’ve disowned you? Tell me, apart from keeping you hidden, did they treat you poorly?”

“N-No… They… Huh… They paid private instructors for me and all… And they were always generous even when I was a bit overbearing…”

“That’s what I thought. They have probably been worried sick since your disappearance. Can you imagine not being able to tell anyone their son disappeared because they have to maintain appearances for political reasons, lest the entire family legacy be stained because of what would be perceived as a lie?”

Anoteros clicked his tongue rhythmically.

“Silly, silly Mala… You’ve even mingled with bandits. That’s not fitting for a dandy little noble twink like yourself”

Mala didn’t immediately believe what Edrick was saying, but he was seriously considering it, and it was clearly having an effect.

“Mala. Look at me”

The twink looked up at the scion’s deep purple eyes.

“Become my maid, and I shall allow you to visit your family once more. Then… You can see for yourself whether they disowned you or have been awaiting your return”

“I… Why would you even offer me anything? I don’t have anything to negotiate with… I only have one option, and it is to do what you want, so why? Why would you bother with doing something for me?”

Edrick rubbed his chin in thought.

“Why, you ask? It’s pretty simple. I just do what I want to do, and today, I felt like being nice was what I wanted, so there you go. Tomorrow I might decide that the opposite is what I want to do, or I might decide to just take a day off. Who knows? If I only followed the same routine and same chain of thoughts every single day, I would grow weary and tired”

“...Besides, when it comes to my collection, I prefer to pick out the items carefully and in the way that will bring the best possible results… You are a soft flower, Mala. It wouldn’t do any of us any good if I were rough with you…”

Anoteros brushed his thumb across the twink’s lips.

“...So, what will it be, Mala?”