Page 1 of Villainess's Redemption
Chapter 1
“Go to hell.”
“Evil woman!”
“Traitor!” A bundle of lettuce smacked me in the face but I quickly caught it before it could fall on the ground and put it in my basket hidden behind my cloak. The basket was already heavy with two potatoes, half of a beetroot, and some small carrots. I couldn’t say I disagreed with them.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little boy throwing an egg at me— I caught it. Not rotten, not cracked, and relatively clean. Nice. When life throws eggs make a hearty dinner.
I seriously didn’t understand these people. As thebanished,we were all in the same boat. All of us were here for one crime or another along with our unlucky family members. Shunned by the country we were all banished to the barren and cold northern border of Aetheria. But apparently, my crimes were so much worse that even criminals shunned me. It didn’t matter what crimes we committed; all of us were in the barren lands now. So, it really boggled my mind that these people would rather throw their precious food at me than throw rocks. Food was so precious that we even used it to barter, coins were useless.
I supposed I should feel honored that they hated me so much that they would throw food to insult me. It didn’t bother me though, I was used to it. In fact, I welcomed it if it meant more food for my family.
The first time it happened I cried all night. The second time it happened I cried till midnight. The third time it happened I collected all the food from the ground and made a stew while my tears brought some much-needed flavor to the dish.
As they say, the third time’s the charm. Such was the way of life here in the barren northern border. So, I always appreciated when the village folk would throw their vegetables at me.
“They should burn you on a stake!”
“Jump into the river and die!”
I wasn’t scared. For all their bark there wasn’t any bite. After all this village, along with a few others on the northern border was heavily militarized and one thing about soldiers was that they listened to their orders, no questions asked. They wouldn’t tolerate the criminals getting together and burning another criminal at the stake— lest they become curious.
looking at the few villagers who were insulting me, I let out a whimper as a stray tear rolled down my cheek. I had to keep up my act— that I was actually hurting from their display. If they realized I enjoyed their ‘gifts’, they might really end up throwing rocks.
I loved these dumb villagers.
I stealthily put the egg in my basket. Come on boy, throw me another. But sadly, nothing came. I supposed they were out of food items. I should quickly move away, lest they start throwing rocks.
I hunched over a little and quickly walked away from the busier part of the village. The village had no official name, like many other banished villages along the border. But people calledit Outlaw’s Den—only thebanishedlived here, serving their punishment.
I walked through the filthy, narrow streets of Outlaw’s Den, ignoring the stares and whispers of the few people who still followed me. My once-elegant gown was now tattered and stained after a year of living on the fringes, a far cry from the fine silks I’d worn in the past. When we were banished, we weren’t allowed to take anything else from our estate except for the clothes on our backs. The hood of my cloak did little to conceal my identity from those who knew me well enough, but it was better than nothing.
Mother had made another set of dresses for me from whatever fabric she could find. If it wasn’t for the banishment, I wouldn’t have known she had such a talent. Now she worked for the seamstress to earn whatever little she could. We all did. It was either work or die here. I had to learn how to cook to work at a tavern. It wasn’t much money, just enough to get by. Barely.
My house—could even call it that—was located in the outskirts of the village. The closest neighbor was ten minutes’ walk away. Nice and quiet. I snorted. To say we weren’t welcome here would be an understatement.
The shack that had become my home loomed ahead, its sagging roof and crooked walls a testament to the hardships I’d endured since my exile. The door creaked on its rusted hinges as I pushed it open, revealing a single room that served as both living and sleeping quarters for me and my family—whatever was left of it anyway. A meager fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering shadows on the dirt-stained walls.
We needed to get more firewood.Winter is nearly at our doorstep.
My mother sat hunched over a mending needle, her once-delicate hands now roughened by manual labor. “Mamma, look what I brought.”
She looked up at my entrance, her eyes filled with weariness that never went away after my father’s execution. “Ilyana,” she said wearily, “did you…?”
I held up my basket excitedly, which now contained a few vegetables and one egg, nothing rotting today. “Look, dinner’s sorted,” I said with a big smile.
Mother’s eyes, once bright and lively, were now clouded with sorrow. The past year had weighed heavily on her spirits.
My attempt at lightheartedness fell flat. This was our reality now - scrounging and scraping by in a village that despised our very existence.
Mother’s eyes flashed as she rose swiftly from her chair. Before I could react, she began raining light blows down upon me, punctuating each one with an admonishment.
“Ilyana! I told you not to do this!”smack
“Do you know how worried I was?”smack
Then, just as suddenly as her anger started, it ceased. Mother pulled me into a crushing embrace, her body shaking with sobs. She held me at arm’s length, frantically checking me for injuries.
