Gazing back at them, I give them a nod, hoping they would get the message and leave me alone.
“You did not answer me. What family are you from?” The same male repeats.
“Patas, leave it,” another murmurs in a low voice.
“What? This prick thinks he’s better than us, doesn’t he?” He says angrily and before I know what’s happening, a blast of energy hits me in my foot.
I yelp in pain, while the others burst into laughter.
Pressing my lips together, I square my shoulders and stand up to leave. The last thing I want is a conflict when I am supposed to avoid all trouble.
“What? No answer? Nothing?” Patas asks mockingly.
Can they not find another person to mess with? Why did they have to set their eyes on me?
I mutter a curse under my breath as I scan the courtyard for another isolated spot. But just as I move further away from them, the first male, Patas shouts.
“What did you say? Do not be a coward and say it to my fucking face!”
Another blast of energy burns off the hem of my coat. I startle, and my hands immediately seek to put out the fire.
It is the only coat I own, and with the cold weather setting in, I cannot afford to lose it.
“Look at him.”
“So pathetic.”
They continue to talk about me, and from the corner of my eye, I can see Patas’ smug expression.
But my desperate attempts to salvage my coat are not lost on them.
“He’s probably from an impoverished family. That is why he would not talk,” Patas snickers.
The others readily agree.
I walk faster, this time towards of the crowd in an attempt to lose them.
The last thing I need is to draw attention to myself. My mother still does not know I am applying to be a public servant, and if she gets wind of it before I get a position, she might use her influence to ensure I never get one.
Wading through a couple of groups of people, I reach the center of the courtyard, and I breathe out a sigh of relief when I cannot see the three males around.
I glance down at my coat, my lips flattening in annoyance when I see the extent of the burn. It is still wearable, but it will not provide as much protection as before. There is a tear running up to my waist, and some of the wool filling of the coat has already been burnt off.
Damn it.
With no spiritual energy whatsoever, I cannot regulate my body temperature as well as others do.
Winters in Tartareia are extremely rough for most people, but especially for mortals—and despite my heritage, I am closer to one than I am to an immortal.
If I am to start my position soon, then I will need a new coat.
It was fine before, when I did not go out at all. My house has heating wards, so I do not need to worry about that at least.
I close my eyes briefly as I do a short calculation of my budget.
Although my father left me some money, it’s been over almost two thousand years since he passed. Even with me stretching that money as much as I could, it was bound to run out.
I was planning to buy a volume of theAdventures of Hippo, my favorite novel. It was why I wanted to go out to the mortal district to seek it out. But I suppose I will have to postpone that now and instead invest in a new coat.
