Records of the Weakest Emperor

Chapter 121: No Stone Unturned

A few hours earlier.

Cecilia and Charlotte spent the entire day studying the materials that Calvin gave to them. Usually, study materials for the poor were written in wooden slabs carved using a wood with a sharp edge.

This method worked quite well, but it was troublesome to do and the end result was often disappointing.

To make sure that the learning environment of both mother and daughter was suitable.

Calvin went to do the extra mile and bought dozens of yellowed paper pages along with a low-quality ink that may not be enough for record-keeping but sure was sufficient for recording study materials for the two.

At first, Cecilia was excited at the prospects of studying but as time passed on.

She eventually realized that studying was incredibly droll and boring. She started protesting, not even a few hours into the studying for she couldn't count from 10 to 20. She now knew how to count from one to ten. But from 10 to 20, she was still struggling.

Charlotte fared better even though her materials were far harder than Cecilia.

Well, the reason why she wasn't struggling as much as her daughter was that she already knew the basics and could count from one to any number.

The only problem that Charlotte had was apart from basic arithmetic, she knew nothing.

Calvin wanted to teach her some high-school maths at first, but then he decided that they had to be practical.

After realizing that the accountants and clerks of banks in Las Felipinas only wanted their employees to know how to trial balance and the other basics of accounting as well as some arithmetic.

Calvin decided to skip some of the fundamentals of math and directly gave the lessons that she could almost immediately use if she needed a job.

Jobs were abundant in Ashmelion.

But the people that have the skills needed for the jobs were often non-existent.

In other words, so long as Charlotte could grasp these lessons then she should be able to use it in the future.

When both mother and daughter woke up the next day, it was already late. Ashmelion was a city that never sleeps, so its residents knew to ignore the rowdy crowd whenever they wanted to sleep.

But despite this habit instilled in every resident of Ashmelion.

Charlotte was still rudely awakened by the sounds of hawkers, arguments, and shouts from outside.

She groggily rubbed her eyes awake and noticed that Cecilia was still asleep.

"This girl..." Charlotte softly whispered.

She's too cute when she's asleep, but she's like a monster when she's studying...

Charlotte couldn't help but inwardly laugh remembering Cecilia's crocodile tears and tantrums yesterday. But when she remembered that Calvin was the one who gave them those study materials in the first place, Charlotte felt complicated.

Those dozens of papers, as well as that bottle of ink and that quill, should cost at least several dozens of Joselian pesos. Just what kind of a man he was to spend such a huge amount of money that a normal worker may not be able to earn in a few months?

Charlotte thought hard and long, but she still couldn't find the answer to her questions. It didn't make sense for her that someone was that altruistic without wishing for something in exchange.

She had already experienced a lot of betrayals that it wasn't easy for Charlotte to trust anyone anymore.

But when she remembered that sincere look in his eyes...

Charlotte for some reason couldn't doubt his intentions. At that moment, she thought to herself that this man...

Calvin... Wasn't here to hurt them.

Instead, he was here to help them get out of this nightmare of a place and improve their overall lifestyle.

But why?

Does he really not have any ulterior motives?

Charlotte stared at the dilapidated ceiling of the hut.

Her eyes landed on her thin and emaciated body.

Then, what came afterwards was a sigh.

It was impossible... she thought.

Turning to look at Cecilia, she woke her up and said, "It's already too late, yet you're still sleeping? Are you planning on becoming a pig? Did you already forget what I said that people who wake up in the afternoon are pigs? If you don't want to become a pig, then wake up early!"

Upon being rudely awakened, Cecilia almost immediately puffed her cheeks and glared at her mother, "I'll become a pig if I wake up in the afternoon? Does that mean that Mommy is also a pig?"

Charlotte's cheeks almost immediately blushed out of embarrassment.

It was completely unexpected for her to be reverse swooped by her daughter.

Not knowing how to retaliate, Charlotte could only glare at the little girl and said, "Since you're going too far that you're even bullying your mother like this. I hope you're ready for another bout of nonstop studying later... Hmmph!"

She crossed her arms in front of her cheeks and Cecilia revealed a heartbroken look.

"Mommy... You're a bully!" Cecilia replied and then she rushed down the bunk bed. She was about to report to her daddy Calvin that she was being bullied by Charlotte, but when she jumped off the bed, she found out that Calvin wasn't on her bed.

"Mommy... Where is daddy?" Cecilia seemed to have forgotten her grievance with her mother as she raised her head and stared teary-eyed at Charlotte, "Where did daddy go? Did he disappear again? Is he not coming back? Why is he not here?"

Charlotte didn't know what to say.

She jumped off the bed and went to console her daughter, "Cecilia... I've always told you not to jump into conclusions so casually, all right?"

"Jumping into conclusions will get you into trouble. I don't know where your daddy went, but do you really think that he will leave such a cute and beautiful young lass like you? Of course, he won't!"

"He won't be able to resist coming back for our... our cute lass, Cecilia..." Charlotte pampered Cecilia with sweet nothings, but she suddenly froze in the middle of her sentence.

Fortunately, she managed to recover from her reverie as she continued with her sentence and even stretched her hand out to rub Cecilia's head affectionately.

"Mkay... I'll believe you, mommy... But I hope you're not lying to me again, okay? Cecilia isn't a child anymore! I'll be heartbroken if I knew that you lied to me again! Daddy will be back, you said, so remember your words, okay? Daddy will be back!" Cecilia repeatedly nodded her head and stared at Charlotte with determined eyes.

Charlotte felt immense guilt. To be honest, she had no idea if Calvin would even return to their house. She knew that since he practically had no responsibility nor accountability to them, he could just disappear and never appear in their lives again the moment he wanted to.

It has only been less than a week since Calvin came to their life, but Cecilia was already this attached to him.

What would happen if he disappeared?

Won't the young lass be heartbroken?

Charlotte didn't want that to happen.

She didn't want to see that scene at all costs.

But...

Charlotte felt conflicted.

She bit her lips until it went pale, but Cecilia's words awakened her from her trance.

"Mommy... I'm hungry!"

"Oh..."

Charlotte turned to look at her and smiled, "Okay... I'll go and buy some food outside. Remember to keep the locks closed and never open the doors for strangers, okay?"

"And the password, don't forget about it! Unless you recognize that it's daddy's voice, never open the doors for anyone if they do not know the password, all right?"

"Yes, mommy! I won't!"

"Okay, that's a good girl! For now, I want you to do the homework that I have given you earlier... If you managed to complete it before I return, then I will reward you with an ice cream tomorrow!"

Charlotte encouraged.

"An ice cream?! Yaaay! Mommy go buy me fried rice outside!" Cecilia urged.

Charlotte smiled and nodded, "If that is what you want, then today is a fried rice day!" She declared and the little girl instantly became motivated to do her work. Charlotte woke towards the makeshift kitchen and took a chew stick near the stone countertop.

After washing her face with a little bit of water.

She took the fragrant chew stick and started chewing on it.

The people of Ashmelion, particularly in the poorer districts such as the Northern Borough often didn't practice basic hygiene. But despite the fact that the place was filthy and disgusting, they still knew how to take care of their teeth.

With a diet composed of hardtacks, beef jerky, and black bread... These residents knew that they had to keep their teeth strong and sturdy so they could keep on eating these foods. Toothbrush and toothpaste didn't exist in the world of Las Felipinas, so the residents of this world had to make do with salt and chew sticks.

Chew sticks came from a fragrant tree known as the Tree of Humot.

The people of Las Felipinas believed that the cause of diseases was bad and disgusting smells, so they almost always used fragrant; good smelling herbs and flowers plastered across the inner linings of their clothes to protect themselves from diseases.

The chew stick that Charlotte was chewing on to clean her teeth weren't particularly high-quality, but it did its job. It was questionable if it could indeed clean a person's mouth, but it sure could make their breath smell like flowers and menthol.

Charlotte was soon done with her morning routine and she then went out of the small hut.

Noticing that Grandma Elsa wasn't on her bed, she closed the doors shut and ordered Cecilia to lock the doors from the inside. Then, after making sure that everything was in place and she didn't forget anything...

Charlotte proceeded to the wet market.

She kept her pouch full of money as close to her body as possible. The petty thieves and the rogues in this particular district had hands that were too deft and swift for her dulled reflexes. She could instantly lose all the money that Calvin gave to her the moment she let her guard down.

But her excessive defensive measures caught the attention of those with sharp eyes.

One rogue, in particular, let out an evil smirk noticing Charlotte's jittery movements. After confirming that Charlotte indeed bought several cans of ice cream along with three bowls of chicken soup from the wet market at the Southern Borough.

The rogue licked his lips and disappeared into a nearby alleyway.

Back in Hampaslupa Street at the Northern Borough.

Cecilia was humming a popular tune among the kids as she played with her quill. She was doing her homework, but it was obvious that her focus wasn't on her work.

"Eating... Eating... I will eat..."

"Chicken, Ice Cream, and anything..."

"Pork, Gizzard, and intestines..."

"I won't eat them since I find them disgusting..."

Cecilia sang these lyrics as she wrote numbers into the piece of paper in front of her.

Soon...

A knock came at the door.

Cecilia almost immediately stood up.

Her eyes glittered with excitement as she rushed towards the door, "Mommy! Is that you?!"

She was about to open the locks of the door when she suddenly froze.

"Mommy...?" She said.

No response came from behind the doors.

She immediately grew suspicious.

"Who are you? Is that you, mommy?" She asked once more.

This time, there was a response "No, this is not your mommy, Cecilia... I'm the landlord!

"Your mother told me to fetch you since she ran into trouble. She wanted me to make sure that you are all right. She'll come back late, so she's worried. Can you open the door? I just want to make sure that you are okay..."

Cecilia jolted.

Mommy ran into trouble?!

Panic filled Cecilia's mind as the quill that she held in her hand fell onto the ground.

She stretched her hand out and was about to unlock the doors when she stopped...

No... I can't...

Mommy told me that I should never open these doors to anyone unless they know the password!

Cecilia's eyes shone, "Uncle Landlord... Can you tell me the password?" She said in a tone of voice filled with anticipation. The moment she confirmed the password, she would immediately open the doors so she could go to her mother that supposedly got into trouble.

"Password...?"

The voice that came from behind the door seemed to be astonished, "There's a password? She didn't tell me that there's a password. I'm sorry, Cecilia, but I don't know. Just believe me, okay? Do you want your mother to be there alone without anyone to help her? She'll be bullied by others!"

"Do you want that to happen?"

"No, right?"

"Then, open the door..."

"I'll bring you to her..."

Cecilia gnashed her teeth.

The person behind the door was clearly their landlord. Their landlord was the owner of their house, so he should be someone that she could trust!

At that moment, Cecilia made a decision.

She unlocked the doors and the moment that it was opened.

The landlord appeared in front of her with a vicious smirk on his face.

"Good job, Cecilia... You're such a good girl..."

Smack!

The landlord sent a slap on Cecilia's cheeks, sending the little girl flying towards the side.

He then turned to look at his lackeys standing behind him, "Search the house! That bitch should have a lot of money! To be able to buy ice cream and chicken every day... She must be loaded!"

The lackeys squeezed into the small hut and started their search.

They left no stone unturned.