Chapter 2

“Aah! What are those filthy things? Get them away from Baby!”

Sheng Nuannuan let out a piercing shriek, her pretty face going white with terror.

Her eight brothers instinctively threw themselves in front of her.

Fabric tore several times, and bloody scratches appeared on the Sheng brothers’ faces.

The attack looked savage, but it was more noise than harm.

In the old days, the bats would already have been swarming them in a frenzy to drink their blood.

But after I put them to work as pollinators, driving them into the flowers every day to collect nectar and spread pollen, they lost all interest in human blood.

The workers who rushed over with large nets soon trapped them without much trouble.

Looking at the bats scrabbling across the ground, Sheng Nuannuan clutched her chest and retched.

“A bunch of dead rats! They’re disgusting. They’re not even one ten-thousandth as cute as Baby’s teddy bear.”

“Waaah! Baby wore a couture dress today, and now it’s ruined.”

The eldest Sheng brother covered his bleeding wound and bellowed at his men in a rage.

“Useless trash! You can’t even catch a few rats? Bring me a lighter. Burn every one of those filthy creatures!”

“Don’t you dare!”

I had remained beneath the shadow of the eaves, but I could bear no more. I stared straight at him.

“If you harm so much as a hair on one of those bats, my parents will make you pay.”

Mom and Dad had raised this colony for decades. The bats had long since become part of our family.

But the Shengs had numbers on their side. Why would they take me seriously?

My defiance drained away at once.

To my surprise, Sheng Nuannuan spoke up.

“Oh, don’t kill them.”

She twirled a lock of hair around one finger and tilted her head in thought.

“Princesses in castles always have animal friends. Cinderella had her little mice, so Baby needs little mouse friends too.”

Pinching her nose, she retreated two steps in disgust.

“But these little mice are so ugly. All that black doesn’t suit Baby’s taste at all.”

“No, no. They need a nice bath.”

At Sheng Nuannuan’s wave, several workers immediately brought over a basin of pink bleach.

“Baby is going to dye them a sweet, pretty pink.”

“No!”

I lunged forward to stop them, but the bodyguards pinned me down. I could only watch as they tossed the bats into the bleach one by one.

The bats beat their wings in despair, their struggles growing weaker and weaker.

At last, the final bat’s wings sank beneath the surface.

I wanted nothing more than to strangle that madwoman.

Sheng Nuannuan gave a theatrical sigh of regret and dabbed at nonexistent tears.

“Oh, what a shame. Baby didn’t even get to be friends with them yet.”

“Honestly, these little mice are much too fragile. They’re nothing like Baby’s strong teddy bear.”

Her eyes darted around as another idea seemed to occur to her. She pointed at me.

“A princess in a castle needs a personal maid as well as animal friends.”

“You’ll do. You’re a little rustic, but Baby can make do with you.”

The eldest Sheng brother gave a signal. Without a word, the bodyguards seized my arms and forced me into a pink maid’s uniform.

They even buckled a rhinestone-studded dog collar around my neck.

Sheng Nuannuan grabbed the leash and yanked hard, dragging me in front of her.

Her gaze settled on my exposed, porcelain-pale skin, and jealousy flickered in her eyes.

Then she produced a marker from nowhere and announced imperiously,

“Baby wants to draw. Don’t move.”

She scribbled all over my face, first drawing two crooked circles for eyes and then adding a pig’s snout.

“Hahaha! So ugly!”

Sheng Nuannuan doubled over laughing. Her eight brothers did not stop her; instead, they watched her with indulgent smiles.

The eldest brother slipped the black card into my apron pocket again and said condescendingly,

“Keep it. Making Nuannuan happy is a good deed. You’ve earned the money.”

I had been dragged through the sunlight, and by then my body was too weak to resist. I could only accept it.

Once she realized I would not fight back, Sheng Nuannuan lost interest after a few more strokes of the marker.

She tossed the pen aside with a bored sigh and yawned.

“Baby is tired from playing. It’s time for a nap.”

Then she pouted at each of her eight brothers in turn, demanding a nap-time kiss from every one of them.

When they were done, Sheng Nuannuan kicked me in the shin and commanded with her nose in the air,

“Where is Baby’s room? Hurry up and show the way, maid!”