Chapter 1: Child of Sin / Maria

“The heart has been covered with frost, cannot disobey.”

The morning sun shines brightly through layers of frost, bathing the entire Velsi beautiful mountain range in light. With her gorgeous long golden hair, the goddess of the sun slowly drops her arm, allowing all the sun silk strands caught between her fingers to fly away and merge in with heaven and earth. She lands on the ground from the skies, talking and making jokes with the other gods who had arrived early at the castle of the Mist king. They accepted their invitation to come here to witness a goddess beheaded on that particular platform, which is arranged around a relatively high stone platform on the east side of the castle.

Maria is holding a golden wine bottle in her hands and is taken aback by the powerful visitors who have gathered in front of her. This is the first time she has seen the gods that people still adore in the flesh with her own eyes. Their bodies emit a halo, and while no one is the same, they are all bright and attractive to the point of infatuation.

She has only recently arrived in this magnificent mountain range, having transformed from an ordinary human into a part of the mighty Velsi. As the only person in the past five hundred years who managed to reach the Divine Gate deep within the mountains, with a brave heart and unyielding temptations along the way, she was honored with a magical breath, became immortal, and started to enter the realm of the gods to serve.

Finally, the Mist god's representative chose her and brought her back to the Mist castle to serve as a maid, and a year has passed since that day.

“Maria!” Lizzie walks around to her side and slightly nudges her shoulder: “Don't stand there dumbfounded, butler Malina is checking in.”

Maria is startled. She looks at the maid who has reminded her with eyes that have not yet let go of her fascination for the gods. Lizzie is carrying a plate of fresh fruit, and her rosy white face is filled with worry.

“Sorry, I'm new here, so it's a little bit…” Maria drops her sentence and gives a silly smile. Lizzie simply sighs, her pale blue eyes moving to the left, indicating that she needs to get back to work.

This maid was once a human as well. She arrived here with three other people five hundred years ago. Lizzie is fascinated by newcomers like Maria, and she is constantly softly telling her not to make mistakes at work

“Hey… I have a query.” Maria struggles to keep up with Lizzie, whispering a question.

"What’s up...?" She doesn’t turn to face her, her gaze remaining fixed on the front.

"Who is this god, and what did he do? How terrible is it that the king has to invite other gods to witness this?"

Lizzie signals her to keep quiet by bringing her index finger to her lips. "We are servants,  had better not be curious about our master's intentions". She goes on, glancing to the side and bending near to her ear. "I heard the god who was executed used to be the king's wife."

While she is whispering, Maria sees two soldiers in shining white armor appear on the high platform. They draw their longswords from their scabbards, plunge them into the platform, and kneel on one knee to salute all the gods present below. The sun shining through the armor hit Maria's eyes, causing her to furrow her brows slightly.

Lizzie is silent for the rest of the conversation. She has now returned to her mission.

Maria begins to pour the wine carefully with some trepidation. When all 72 glasses had been filled, the protagonist of today's story appeared on the high stone platform.

While she is still staring at the goddess of sin, the sound of the housekeeper Malina's staff banging rings again, signaling to the servants that it is time to retreat. Maria lowers her head and steps back five steps before exiting the reception area.

"You can stand here and watch" Malina murmured hoarsely, her deep dark eyes staring at the neatly lined up servants. "And remember, while the ceremony is going on, please remain at peace."

Maria caught a glimpse of her dreadful stare, which remained fixed on her long after she had finished her sentence. Maria  still held the golden vase in her hands, pinching her fingers together to calm herself down. The servants in this castle are always terrified of Malina. The housekeeper is about two meters tall and always wields a staff carved from the wood of the Astir hill's trees, where people will come after death. Anyone who acted against her orders, she would use it to hit them and turn them to dust.

That's what she heard about Lizzie's warning by the oil lamp after a long stressful working day. Despite the fact that she has never witnessed the stick swinging up by her own eyes, Lizzie's stories are enough to give her goosebumps.

Maria's attention is drawn to the sound of iron chains jingling, drawing her back to reality. The goddess on the high stage is detained by two soldiers and forced to kneel, her white hair tangles and her hands covered in wounds. Her head is pressed down and held extremely violently, but no one can hear the scream of agony from her..

Then, the butler Melina slowly walks up to her place. Her back is straight, her face raised majestically and menacingly. Maria casts a gaze at the direction of the Mist King's seat. He is holding a newborn baby wrapped tightly in a warm towel and cherishing it as if it was a precious treasure while attentively watching Melina ascend the steps of the high platform with a calm expression on her face.

“He is the only son of the king.” Lizzie stood beside her, informing her about the baby on the Mist's arms. “He's had ten princesses before, only one prince until now. And you know what…?”

“Know what…?” Maria's heart is shaken by her mysterious expression.

"That child's mother is the sin waiting to be beheaded."

There was a moment of silence after Lizzie finished talking.

How awful must that goddess of evil's guilt be, that not even the title of prince's mother can save her?

Definitely intolerable. The gods are people of integrity that have their own rules and standards. Possibly that girl has already reached the king's limitation.

"Dammit Melissa, take your sentence," Melina approaches the protagonist, standing close to her and staring down at the gods who are watching. "Dear gods are presenting here. Today, I, the butler of the Mist castle, respectfully ask permission to speak on behalf of the Mist king to announce Melissa's crimes. My master used to adore the goddess of sin who was formerly one of his favorite imperial concubines. ​She bore him twin boys and girls, Prince Duncan and the eleventh princess Mavellin. It is a great blessing to have fulfilled the king's dream for a son. However, the pleasant day did not last long. This goddess of sin has been clouded by evil. When the twins were seven months old, she brutally murdered the little princess Mavellin who was still in the cradle and brought in her own child and human lover instead in order to disturb the royal blood and create a premise for lovers to embark on the path of fighting for status with the Mist King. Considering her actions were too barbaric, acting in an emotionless manner and having an attitude of wanting to overthrow the gods, which was opposed to Gods's morals, our Mist God decided to pronounce the death sentence."

Maria couldn't believe what her ears had just heard.

Killing her own son just to bring his stepchild into the royal family? It is a crime that even the world could not accept, let alone this holy Velsi mountain range.

The gods start whispering to each other. Some softly cross their arms and close their eyes to think, silently saying nothing. Melina places her hands in front of her stomach, watches for a while, and then continues. "Now then, Melissa, you are allowed to have the last word."

The goddess of sin still keeps her face down, as if she did not want to make any excuses for her sins. But just as Maria has that thought, she slowly breathes more deeply, to the point that her shoulders tremble.

 "My son…" Melissa whispers, "Duncan, it’s good to know that you are still alright." She looks at the baby in the king's arms and smiles in relief. But then, very quickly, that smile vanishes "And my daughter… Herbert. You promised not to harm her…"

"Melissa, you have no right to call our king's name." Melina's thin lips curled up in a scornful smile. "That cruel child will not appear here again. Now then, it's time to return to the dust."

"I want to see my daughter." The woman is choking up, hissing full of anger and pain. “Herbert! I want to meet my daughter. You made a pledge, you made a promise! You promised not to do anything to her…” She keeps repeating her words like a madman. Honestly, the king is indeed too lenient with her and her stepdaughter. To this day, she still hasn't felt sad for the tiny princess who was ruthlessly murdered by her, preferring instead to focus on the horrible species she exchanged for.

A knight slowly approached Melissa. Melina whirled around and took a few steps back when she realized what had happened. The goddess of sin doesn't seem to have received an answer from the king, so she began to resist and refused to stop, causing the two soldiers holding her to have a bit of difficulty.

She keeps screaming over and over again "I want to meet my daughter!"

Sometimes enraged, sometimes frantic, and eventually murmuring in despair with exhausted strength. Then, the knight finally draws his own sword, grasps the hilt with both hands, and slowly swings it.

With just one decisive slash, he cut off the concubine's messy head. But, Melissa, on the other hand, continues to send petitions to the king until the very last moment..

Her head falls onto the cold platform, fresh blood splashing all over the butler Melina's face. She remains very calm, pulls out a handkerchief and leisurely wipes it, then turns and walks away. The body of the goddess of guilt was dragged away by two soldiers so as not to smear the eyes of the guests sitting below.

"Honored guests!" Only then did the king of the Mist stand up, his hand slightly squeezing the baby in his lap to hold it tighter. He was tall, strong, with fair skin and a square face with a manly beard. When he spoke, the low tone that flowed out of his mouth made Mary's heart flutter. “This is a first-of-its-kind crime on our soil. That is why I invited you to come here today to see it with your own eyes. The crime was so terrible that no one could have imagined it. My daughter perished at the hands of her biological mother, and was replaced by a wicked one.” The sorrowful king frowned, expressing his sorrow for his deceased princess. That's right, no father can bear this kind of sorrow and pain.

"Herbert" The Moon goddess softly said "How will you deal with that child? Children are innocent".

"I'll return him to his own father and bring him down to earth." The king has a gloomy expression on his face. "You're absolutely right, Hylli. We are gods, and we must treat fairly. The blessing will never be given to the mistress again. He must also pay the price, but at the very least, the infant needs a family."

Alas, he's far too forgiving...

The atmosphere begins to become strangely quiet, each person has their own state, the gods remain mute and Maria silently stands in awe. Just only when Melina gives the servants orders to go inside and bring the main dishes to the table, the banquet officially starts 

"Maria, Lizzie" The housekeeper summoned her and her roommate as they were both working on the assembly line "Follow me" she said.

She and Lizzie  look at each other, but no one dares to ask a question out of curiosity; they could only lower their heads and do what Maria commanded.

Melina leads them out of the party area to a nearby room.

"Do you hear anything?"  She stops in front of the wooden door, takes a glance at them.

Maria is a little scared, subconsciously clutches the hem of her skirt hidden behind her apron. Just when she thinks that the housekeeper is about to reproach both of them, she hears a faint tiny cry.

It comes from within the confines of the room.

“Madam…” Lizzie whispers "Are there any kids in there...?"

Maria tries to confirm by pricking her ears. It is, indeed, a baby's cry.

Malina doesn't answer, directly pushing the door open and going inside first. “Come in here.” She speaks out, still in the same cold tone.

Maria and Lizzie inch their way through the wooden door. This room is strewn with dust and devoid of everything. It's filthy and even worse than her room. On the only table in the corner, a barely clad baby lays helplessly wailing without anything to keep the warmth. 

“Oh my god….” Lizzie utters a word of pain, then immediately runs over to see “Madam, this kid….”

Maria noticed her holding the staff tightly in her palm. Her deep black eyes seem to contain a few lines of thought.

"Maria, pick her up." She uses her other hand to prevent Lizzie from touching the baby, gestures to signal her. Maria is a bit dumbfounded, but recovers quite quickly. She timidly approaches, obediently following the housekeeper's orders.

"Excellent" She smiles contentedly. "How long have you been here, Maria?"

"It's been one year and six days, Madam..." She replied in fear, and didn't dare to look in Melina's eyes.

"Perfect!" She uttered an exclamation -“Now then, you take the baby, and Lizzie takes the lantern from the hanger by the door and follow me.”

The housekeeper decisively walks out of the room, leaving Maria and the sleeping infant in her lap and Lizzie perplexed not to understand what is going on.

"I'm not going to say it again" Her voice from outside startled them. They had to immediately hurry up.

Melina guides the two gently towards the castle's western area, where Maria had been warned from the moment she arrived. Unexpectedly, a novice like her could be personally taken inside this forbidden area on this day by the housekeeper.

“Madam, where are we… going?” Lizzie was worried as she noticed the fog growing thicker and denser. “The infant will catch a cold from the fog. She's dressed too shabbily."

"What do you pity him for?" Melina did not turn her head, still walking straight ahead. "It's the child of the god of sin, regardless of staying alive or dead."

Maria is taken aback by her statements. Her hands are trembling more and more, she's even on the verge of dropping the baby. “Madam… we're on our way to bring this baby down to earth, aren't we?”

Melina doesn't answer that question, the only thing that responds to her is the cold wind and the fog that grows thicker and thicker. 

Maria, however, already knew the answer in her heart.

Not as tolerant as the king said. They are trying to destroy this child, imprisoning him in the coldest part of the castle territory.

The child of sin, but as the Moon goddess said, she has no sin at all.

Why is it so cruel to such a small being? Is this the move of a god who is always respected by humans?

While Maria is astonished by the unexpected discoveries, Malina has since stopped stepping forward "You come up here, Lizzie."

While waiting for Lizzie to approach her with a lantern, she stretches out her right hand, raises it in front of her face, and mumbles something in her mouth.

Immediately, a green light flashed, accompanied by a symbol of six drops of water arranged in a hexagonal shape appearing in the air. Maria leaned over to observe, see the housekeeper clasping her hands, rotating the magic symbol clockwise. And then, when she let go of her fingers, the thick frost separated, revealing a tiny trail of path.

"Take the light and go first, Lizzie." Melina speaks up “This is a magical misty area, if you stray from this path you will be lost in here forever. Light the way carefully.”

Those words gave Maria goosebumps. She subconsciously looks down at her feet, trying to keep her steps neat and always keeping the housekeeper's heels in sight. Is it appropriate to imprison the infant in such a horrible space…? How can she survive? She will die…

As soon as Maria enters the path, the symbol of six drops of water suddenly turns into a beam of light, shooting straight towards her chest at a very high speed.

“Madam… Madam!” Maria screamed in terror. “That mark has penetrated my body!”

Melina stops walking and turns to look at her. Her gaunt high-cheeked face is still lifted with authority, her deep black pupils glancing down with indifference. “The seal has been appointed by the king, Maria. Whoever holds the child will be the one to stay and take care of her in this place forever.”

Maria’s heart seems to be broken into pieces.

Her tongue stiffened and her irises shrunk unintentionally from terror. Impossible…! She doesn’t want to stay in this hellish place for a thousand years. She has a promising future in the Velsi Mountains. How could she bury herself with the sinner's daughter in the fog for the rest of her life like that?

“Light your way, Lizzie.” That callous tall woman doesn't care about her at all, continues to give orders and keeps on her journey. Maria grits her teeth, with no other choice, she has to go. If she was too far away from the two of them, she would forever lose her way in this goddamn place.

Like the mist surrounded all the way, her mind is full of fears, empty and chaotic. Extreme despair invades every cell in her body. The only thing she can do is just follow in Melina's footsteps, keep going on, going on... 

Eventually, the trail gradually widened, and a campus appeared in front of them. There was a palace lying dormant in the middle of the fog, surrounded by gloom and death.

"Maria, you should consider this as your privilege." Finally, Melina spoke to her in a slightly softened tone. "This is a mission that only devoted people like you can complete. You must update this child's information daily. The king will never abandon you. Everyday, follow the path out; someone will feed you in exchange for a report; the more detailed, the better."

Privilege? Damn it! This is exactly trying to take advantage of an absent-minded newcomer like her to stay here with the baby.

“Go up the steps of the mansion's stairwell. Once you set foot on it, you will be alble to see this area clearly.” Melina said -  “Maria, your heart is covered with frost, cannot disobey.”

Maria is taken aback. At that moment, the baby in her arms also wakes up and begins to cry out in this bone-chilling atmosphere. Her frightened eyes progressively fade from her uncontrolled terror as she shuffles closer to the steps.

“I… I can’t do it…”

"What?" Melina grits her teeth and asks after hearing Maria’s mutter.

Maria's body is drenched in cold perspiration like a bath. She couldn't get close to the mansion's grounds, not even a little.

"I can't… I'm just a newcomer to the mountains. I'm afraid I won't be able to perform this tough duty that our king has assigned to me...."  She spins around, facing the housekeeper's deep eyes. "I would love to help him, but I know where I am, Madam. I fear that my clumsiness will jeopardize the king's magnificent plan. I don't want to be a burden."

Say it, whatever you say, Maria, it doesn't matter! You have to save your life. Let it all out, it's acceptable to be fake, it's okay to be crafty. Any words that could persuade this icy-faced lady had to be spoken.

"You don't need to think that far". Melina, on the other hand, remained unfazed. "You will not be able to stop our king since he has made his own decision. Just do your job here."

Maria shrinks her neck like a frightened turtle and shifts her gaze to Lizzie, who is holding a lantern. She's been silent for a short while, her lips purse as she looks at the infant and then at the tall housekeeper.

"Madam…" She finally utters a word - "I can attest to the fact that Maria is completely useless."

"Yes? Tell me."

" She has just been here for a year, still getting used to how the king's domain works. Every time she accomplishes something, it will absolutely become a disaster. The chief of the service department always chastises her on a daily basis since everything she hears goes in one ear and out the other, which is completely useless.

Oh deity of the Velsi range, come on and see…

Her friend, her senior, her kind-hearted roommate, now realizes she is destined to be imprisoned for the rest of her life as she has vented all of her frustrations.

"Judging by her working style, I realize that leaving her here to gather information on the child would be a constant nuisance for you, Madam." Lizzie doesn't care about Maria and just proceeds with her conversation - "The king definitely won't take positive action against you if she can't do her job. So….this important task is still fine; just leave it to me."

Her words have caused Melina to fall into thought.

She paces back and forth around the open courtyard, muttering something incoherent. After a long time, she finally stops what she is doing and taps her staff on the ground.

“If you want to take on the responsibility, then so be it.” Melina conveniently took the lantern from Lizzie's hand. "Maria, give her the baby."

Maria finally has a thorough grasp of how significant the situation could be.

She hurriedly handed the baby over to Lizzie. Then, Melina told her to take the lamp.

"Show me the way." She said, “And remember one thing. You have already inhaled the mist of magic. The talk in this area, let it stay here. If you utter even a single word outside, your entire breath will be swallowed up by the mist.”

Maria swallows her saliva nervously, nods her head obediently. Realizing the sincerity from her, the housekeeper then puts her hand on her chest and pulls out a green strip of light. She passes it on to Lizzie, then abruptly returns to the path.

Maria looks at her senior and is about to open her mouth to say something. However, she is stopped by Lizzie's signal. Lizzie coaxes the baby while shaking her face, hinting that she should get out of here before it's too late.

"Thank you..."  She couldn't do anything but quiver her lips. All the other feelings has to be swallowed down, unable to come out into words.

Lizzie's face is tense, and she only responds with a slight nod.

Maria walked forward, holding the lantern tightly, and took the initiative to go in front of the housekeeper. She has escaped, narrowly escaped from eternal imprisonment.

But the price for that is letting someone else make the sacrifice for her.

"Lizzie," Melina tapped her staff on the ground. Obviously, she still does not forget to leave her a saying in a deep voice before leaving - "The heart has been covered with frost, can not disobey."