Chapter hundred and fifty two.

Eva's POV.

I balanced the tray of hot, well-packaged food in my hands while two maids followed behind, each carrying their share of trays. Nicklaus had been training seriously with the new warrior recruits for the past three days, and I’d taken it upon myself to ensure he and the others had proper meals. He’d never asked, but I knew how he got when he was focused, he’d forget to eat, rest, or even breathe if someone didn’t remind him.

We were almost at the training hall when a soft sniffle made me stop. It came again... a child’s cry, soft and shaky, like someone trying not to be heard but too overwhelmed to manage it. I turned slightly and looked to the corner of the path where the sound was coming from, and that’s when I saw her.

A little girl, probably no more than six or seven, was crouched beside the hedge, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her dusty brown dress was wrinkled, and her cheeks were stained with dried tears. She was trying to wipe her face with the edge of