I Reincarnated as the Villainess's Brother, and my Family may Fall to Ruin

Chapter 30: Going Against Fate

In the deepest and darkest parts of the country that seemed glorious and prosperous, the slums resided, away from public view.

As if they were a tumor on the "perfect" empire, the people there were looked at with disgust. As beggars ventured each day to "society" for a single scrap of food, they were often pushed away to the sidelines by the people who walked by. Some pitied them, but not many would go forward and interact with the people from there.

The slums were filled with many people. From criminals to people down on their luck, it was a dirty place that the light never shined on. The land was coarse and dry, and the only life there were the weeds that grew between the cracks on the stone ground. During the night, you could possibly find a noble soliciting a prostitute, or a man being left for dead after being robbed in an alleyway.

In this dark and dreary place, where it was a wonder how anyone survived, Michaelis was born.

His mother was an Animalia and he had no recollection of his father. He could only assume he was probably a human as his mother had to prostitute herself to earn a living.

Although discrimination against Animalia had lessened over the years, they were still not treated kindly. Unless they had a nice face, many would end up ignored or thrown to the side, and the ones that did have the former would be forced into a lifestyle like his mother.

He understood early on where he stood in the divide between the slums and "normal" society. Even within the slums, there was a clear line between him and everyone else.

Being an Animalia and a child of a prostitute, he was not treated well. It was a blessing if they just ignored him like other kids in the slums, but there were usually no days where he did not have bruises on him.

However, there was one person that allowed him to continue trying in this hellhole.

His mother.

She was someone that always tried to work hard for her son, even if he was only a burden in this lifestyle. She was blessed with being beautiful, but it was really only a curse, as she was secretly kidnapped from her Animalia village.

Sold to an underground black market slavery ring, she was in a foreign land that she knew nothing of. It took all her effort to just run away from that place, but by then, she had nowhere to go.

It was there she resided in the slums, the only place she could go to as an Animalia without a way to find her home.

Throwing away her dignity and pride, she did all she could to survive, hoping for the day she could save up money and find out how to get to her village. However, that day never came as the only news she had heard was of an Animalia village being burned down by an anti-Animalia group.

Despite all her struggles, she still kept a smile on her face, something Michaelis never understood.

"Mama, why are you smiling? Aren't you hurt?"

"When in a difficult situation, I find it better to smile, so I don't think too much about it."

She then petted his head with a gentle smile, his ears turning downward as he smiled from her warm touch.

"However, now that you're part of my life, every day is worth smiling for. Mika, one day I'm sure you'll also meet someone who will always make you smile, like me."

"Hmm... I don't know about that..."

He didn't believe what she said in the end, as he felt that she was already enough for him in this life. He doesn't need to find that "special person" as she was able to make him smile already.