I hated it. The whole lesson was uncomfortable with the mistress' unwavering gaze locked onto me. As soon as she greeted me personally, green and blue robes alike redoubled their efforts to impress me.

"My family owns the…

No doubt you've heard of the…

I could share some of my vast…

You could have all of the…

We have a lot of connections to…"

I was hit hard and fast by a barrage of offers from almost everyone. It turned out that a lot of the people in attendance were daughters of merchants or lesser nobles, they saw my connection to the mistress as a valuable asset. Since I hadn't allied with anyone and didn't talk about myself, some remembered my distaste for cruelty and tried to appeal to me with acts of kindness or virtue.

"You know I recently gave away a small plot of land to a peasant. The depth of his gratitude was payment enough."

A green robe said.

"What's your opinion of the dwell? Or better yet, the slums?"

I retorted.

"The dwell lets people live in the safety of the city walls for cheap. There are jobs and loads of craftsmen looking for apprentices. It's not ideal but it's better than living in the middle of nowhere right?"

It was like we saw two different realities.

"And the slums? The place where the bladeless people gather to rot. What about them?"

She started to sweat a little and cobbled together an opinion.

"It's sad. But what can you do?"

I couldn't bring myself to be angry at her. I was just disappointed. If I had an Animus-Blade, if the head priest hadn't shown me the slums first-hand, if I hadn't helped the people and imagined a future where that was my life, I would have thought just like her. It's not her fault, it's the world's fault for not educating her. A piece of my conviction finally gained shape and solidified:

Rule of Guilt.

Those who did not know about the evils or injustices were innocent.

Those who heard about them but did nothing were blameless.

But those who had seen them close enough to touch and still chose to turn a blind eye, or those who embraced them, were guilty.

It wasn't complete, it didn't cover a lot. But of this one aspect, I was certain. People who ignored issues didn't solve anything but at least they weren't actively contributing to the problem. I had found where I drew my line in the grey gradient of guilt. I could think of tens of edge cases right off the top of my head and probably hundreds if I put my mind to it but I needed to see more of the world to refine my conviction.

I looked at the green-robed girl and said,

"Have you ever been to the slums? Have you ever thought about what it would be like to live as they do?"

She shook her head, more nervous than ever.

"Get someone to escort you down there sometime. I want you to see how 'Sad' it really is."

She left me alone in a hurry and the other learners in earshot followed suit. Unfortunately, I could see that the Mistress had heard as well. Did I say too much? She gave me that same crescent eyed smile that preceded her dethorning analogy. Was it an attempt to unnerve me? If so, it was working wonders as I tried to remember if I let anything slip by accident.

As the lessons continued I started to wither under the Mistress's gaze. We covered how to deal with drunkards, the correct way to receive and handle change and how to address people of different standings. When the class ended I stayed seated as everyone got up to leave. I had hoped that the Mistress would leave with them but instead, she beckoned me to the front and the fat woman left with the crowd. As I got closer I wondered if I was strong enough to take the Mistress down but in the end, I decided that I probably wasn't. I didn't think it was worth the kids' punishment to find out for certain.

"What an impassioned response Little Rose, your heart is filled to bursting with compassion for the worthless."

So far it seemed like she just wanted to make fun of me but she soon became more serious,

"I have a bunch of news for you. First things first, your mommy came to see you!"

I couldn't bear the conflicting emotions that were brought up with that news. I wanted to see her again but I was afraid of what she might say.

"Don't worry I turned her away for you."

"WHAT!?"

"Yes, she came right here and I said that you were better off without her wasn't that ni–"

I froze mid punch as the numb sensation gripped my body. I wasn't even aware that I had tried to attack her until I was paralysed.

"I adore that about you. When push comes to shove you're a fighter and I love a good struggle. I've got an event planned for you in two days, it's going to be the highlight of your life. I'm very thorough, you know. I like to plan and harvest information. You can't stay at the top very long if you don't seek total control."

To my surprise, I felt the paralysis release.

"I know about your fake dream."

Those words alone were enough to chill my blood. She stood up and paced around me looking at me with hungry eyes.

"So I got to digging around. You claimed to have the same type of Animus-blade as your father. You know, it's not often that parent and child have the same weapon type but it happens. You have so much compassion for the bladeless filth and their mongrel offspring. It's not looking too good for you right now, is it?"

My time was up already, I was only here for about a month and a half and I had already blown my cover. I tried to speak but my mouth was bone dry no matter how much I swallowed.

"Speechless? You're too young and inexperienced, I bet you were so confident every step of the way. Little did you know, the only person you were fooling was yourself."

She laughed at my expense but what could I say or do in response?

"You know it's surprising how much children are willing to say for a handful of candy. For your information, your escape plans are terrible. You know the kitchen staff clean those carts after each use and I wouldn't recommend the fall from a shattered and jagged window."

I was back to square one. No, it was closer to tripping at the start of a race. I had come so far and endured so much was there really nothing I could do? Was escape just a far off dream? The mistress called Olma in and she took me away for training. As I was led through the rooms and halls I decided that I would try my best. I was out of options, If my cover was blown and the kids were in jeopardy there was no need to hold back. I'd ruin whatever event she had planned and be the distraction for the children's escape.