Chapter 37 - Interlude - Change of Heart
Lia was born a commoner. Her mother worked in a brothel, and her father did not exist. If one did, only her mother knew, and she never spoke of him.
Growing up in poverty, Lia learned lessons no aristocrat ever bothered with. She gained the skill of detecting lust in eyes, greed in a merchant's smile, and wicked intentions lurking behind affable gestures.
By the time she was ten, she had already decided the world ran on self-interest. The poor clawed for scraps while the rich clawed for indulgence. Men clawed for women, and women clawed for their lives.
Lia had seen drunkards beating her mother. She had seen nobles tossing coins for a night. She had seen soldiers boasting of honor while ripping her mother's skirt. To Lia, men were nothing more but lustful beasts with superficial masks.
