His lifeless eyes regarded the house in front of him during the night, that was the difference, regardless of anything that could circumvent a life, whenever he entered this door, the world would no longer be chaotic.


    His mother was already inside, finishing cleaning up, the house was rather pristine, with little furniture; nothing much more than a table and two chairs, not much more than a few pans and nts, folks and knives.


    Not much more than a pair of beds in the same room.


    Yet that seemed to be enoughpared to what the outside world had to offer. That could protect them from the cold rain and sometimes scorching sun.


    Constantine''s body was battered, his clothes, however, particrly his shirt, wasn''t that torn apart... his cheek swollen, obviously having gone through a fight, things were so much different a few yearster after he had started drawing and believing that he could win his life that way, by selling art.


    Things had changed, reality dawned and perhaps it did nothing more than to make him understand the struggles of the woman before him, what she had gone through during the time he was still allowed to be ''innocent''.


    His hand held a small bag filled with coins, the conclusion of the day, or perhaps a few days of effort.


    "Who did this to you?" The silver-haired beauty asked with a deep frown, her gaze concealing distress. Her hair was no longer as pristine, her attire no longer as clean and tidy, it seems she wore it for a few days, there weren''t many so she had to take care of her clothes, something she had fiercely engraved in him by now.


    "It was just a fight, mother. Here..." His hand presented the small pouch with money, she took it with a frown, opened and when she saw the amount of money inside, gasped a little, biting her lips for whatever reason and throwing him a re.


    "This is a lot more money than you should give me..."


    "It is for the house and also for food..." He answered, closing the door and entering. Having now secured his space in this house, he took a seat.


    "Even for food-" She continued, not to finish.


    "Just take it."


    "... Okay. Wash your hands." Her gaze contained reluctance, but aware that she wouldn''t gain much more by questioning, she stopped.


    The ''boy'' in front of him, that fourteen years old boy, wasn''t quite so anymore... contrary to what she expected he had truly held his words, helped her with their joint economy, allowing her to think about their hygiene and also clothing... she didn''t know how he did it, perhaps now she does after a particr incident, but in the end, their rtionship had transformed into that of an awkward realm.


    Deep inside she knew this ''boy'' was the man of the house, the one that would shoo thieves away, would bring back money for the house just as she did, he wouldn''t cook but he certainly tried, just... he wasn''t that good at it.


    She could no longer forcefully extract words out of his mouth, exnations or perhaps even apologies, they weren''t at that level.


    Now there was equality.


    When the food was ready, Isabe ced her son''s dish on the table and they ate together in silence, a rather ostentatious dish, but she considered and always taught him that if both of them killed their backs to survive, at least they''d do so in quality and hence, despite not having a noble status, their status wasn''t low.


    If anything, any perception that the citizens of this town might have of her was categorically her fault, a widow wasn''t a nice status to have, especially one with a child that''s already grown and also has a reputation of a troublemaker, she didn''t need any husband and the fact that men shooed her away was a certain plus.


    Sadly, it allowed perverts deranged thoughts about her figure... thoughts that thankfully didn''te to fruition due to Constantine''s reputation. Sadly, he was merely a fourteen years old boy, even if a gangster of sorts, still young.


    The silence broke off when she deemed it necessary to tell him something that was making her anxious, one of the many issues that arose today.


    "Constantine, I won''t be working soon." She said, gauging his reaction.


    "Why?" Aside from merely rising his eyebrow, the boy carried on eating.


    "I was fired."


    "Why...?" He asked again.


    "I had a fight with one of the other girls that work there, I think you know her, Briane." When thedy mentioned that particr name, her re entuated deeper.


    "Ah... she."


    "So you do know her... I beat her up badly." It was said like an achievement.


    "I have sold her my art before..." He didn''t dwell further, and she frowned, heavily.


    "Constantine, how are you making this money?"


    "The guys and I are just hunting around and selling some leather, mother, that''s all... what is it with the questioning?" He frowned, surprising her with his attitude, as expected... this was no longer the cute boy that would always do what she said.


    She made sure of that, and now bore the consequences of this indifferent rtionship, before they could continue, however, something happened, an incident that she expected but hoped wouldn''t happen.


    *BAANG!*


    Someone knocked on the door, heavily, several times.


    "Open the door, bitch!"


    "..." The moment Constantine heard that threatening voice, he furrowed his brows heavily and dropped his wooden fork, this person hadn''t even entered and he was already calling his mother that word, it was a taboo word.


    "Who is that?"


    "It must be Briane''s husband, let me-"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I will go."


    Despite her outward gantry, fear clouded her mind, especially if Constantine was going to involve himself, by the time she proposed herself to reject, he was already opening the door lock.


    "Constantine!"


    The boy opened the door only to see a man towering above him, not with an athleticplexion but certainly not a weakling either, he knew who this man was -not in a good way- but the man didn''t know him for sure, at least not as an acquainted.


    "Who are you and what do you want?" He asked threateningly only to be shoved aside by the man who entered the house as if he owned it.


    "Get out my way brat!"


    "Hey listen! who do you think you are to pummel my wife''s face?!" He walked in and faced the standing beauty, giving her entire body an analysis, indeed, thisdy is as ravishing as the rumours said dirt? no one in this town wasn''t dirt.


    This was the empire''s shithole.


    "She can''t even protect herself and you have toe? you... a manes to harass ady?!" She retorted heavily, but her words had little effect especially when she had already detected that gaze that disgusted her so much, the same gaze Constantine''s father ''the noble'' had... as if she wouldn''t know the conclusion of that gaze.


    "Lady? now that I think about it, you''re indeed a finedy." He gazed at her with a dubious expression that made her shiver in disgust, meanwhile, Constantine went to the kitchen to take something, certainly, the boy knew how all of this would end, and he wouldn''t ce himself in a disadvantageous position when he was already weaker than the man in question.


    The man came closer, too close in fact, she had to retreat against the table.


    "I can end you right now, no one is going to protect you, Isabe... I originally wanted to kick you and your son a bit but, that would be a waste... how hrious, if you didn''t have that little shit of a son, how many would be queuing to get in your skirt, had he been born a fine youngdy instead... hehe~" The man''s gaze reached the pinnacle of disgust an evil and once her son was insulted, just like with his wife, she wouldn''t tolerate it.


    "Shut up!"


    *SLAP!*


    She pped the man''s cheek, sadly, that was hardly any deterrent, he took her wrists and licked his lips, pinning her to the table, apparently she had just given him an excuse to act.


    "I don''t really care about the brat, I can make your life easier, Briane doesn''t need to know... what we''re going to do, I''ll give you the money, just be a good girl alright, and I won''t hurt your son, you care about him don''t you!?" He pressed his head against her chest while Isabe struggled with tears in her eyes, cursing this weakness.


    "Get off!"


    *BAANGG!!*


    That was when a heavy object impacted against the man''s head, sprawling blood, liquor and pieces of broken ss all over.


    Isabe gasped, she didn''t even know they had alcohol in this house.


    "You scummy brat!" The man cursed and staggered while Isabe rposed herself, Constantine, however, went for the kill.


    The man still dizzy, nted a fist square in the iing Constantine''s face, sending him tumbling against the wall with a bloodied nose. It was then that Isabe, enraged, took a bouquet of flowers that were in a bottle and smashed it against the man''s head, preferably in the spot where hisceration was, creating further damage.


    An onset for Constantine to nt the broken bottle into his abdomen, producing a pained shriek and more blood toe out, sending him to the ground.


    The bottle went in and out, once, twice, thrice... as if he was hunting for leather, he didn''t stop until the person stopped moving and all of this was witnessed by Isabe with disbelief.


    "Stop! you''re going to kill him!"


    Isabe pulled her rabid son when she saw the man was no longer moving, hopefully, unconscious by some miracle of the gods, sadly... that wasn''t the case.


    Constantine panted and calmed down, the image of that man pinning down his mother, what had previously been wrath, had swiftly turned into insanity.


    "Release me." He ''ordered'' to her, coldly.


    Isabe shivered and did as he said, in this situation of vulnerability, what else could she do.


    Moving to the body, he pressed his finger against his vein and... nothing, he was dead.


    Without saying another word, Constantine went to the door and saw that everything was dark outside, then proceeded to take some sheets that they used for their bed and envelope the body then with a lot of struggle, he tried to put the body on top of his shoulder, unfruitfully.


    "..." Isabe couldn''t believe how natural it was for him to do all this, she bit her lips harshly and walked towards him, producing a frown in her son''s gaze.


    "Why can''t we draw the body?" She thought it would be easier... this was a grown man even between the two of them he was bound to be heavy.


    "If we draw it, it is going to leave a trail of blood that we won''t be able to see during the night, but... the guards will in the morning. We have to clean all trails that might lead here... hopefully, no one will see them."


    Her lips shivered so much at his words, his lengthy exnation of a crime.


    It indicated experience.


    "I will assist you, where?" All she could do was support her son, if they were discovered, it would be terrible.


    "The forest."