I became a cannon fodder villain. If I want to survive, I must take care of my baby first.

According to the laws at the time, anyone involved in the slave trade would be severely punished, but the methods used by the nobles were a hundred times more cruel.

They whipped Marianne severely and hung her on the city gate in the sun for three whole days, without giving her water or food. The girl's tender body could not withstand such torture, and her life was slipping away rapidly.

Mr. Sanger tried his best to save Marian, but he also had to face various punishments, such as deprivation of property and torture. If he endured all this, Marian and the father and daughter of the Sanger family would all die tragically on the streets.

Whether to sacrifice Marian to save Sanger and his daughter, or the three of them to suffer and die together, the result is self-evident.

"I'm sorry, my dear girl, I can't protect you." Master Sanger accepted the nobles' proposal in great pain and agreed to let Marian go to the battlefield.

Marian is a good girl. In the past few months of living together, Mr. Sanger has already regarded her as his own daughter.

I can only blame myself for being incompetent. I have a huge fortune but don't even have the ability to protect my family.

"It's okay, uncle. For Belinda, I'm willing to join the war." Marian was lowered from the city wall. Even though she was covered in wounds, she still smiled and said goodbye to Master Sanger and headed for the border battlefield.

The war was extremely brutal. Thirty thousand people fought a fierce battle with the dragon, and in the end no more than two thousand people came back alive.

Corpses were scattered all over the ground, and thousands of bones were dried up.

The scene on the border battlefield of the Kingdom of Aslan was like a hell on earth.

Without exception, Marianne died in that battle.

Perhaps she was unwilling to die like this, her strong obsession and dark magic turned Marianne's will into that of the undead.

She didn't remember who she was, nor did she know where to go. She was like a lonely soul, wandering around.

Marianne came to a banquet hall in a daze. When she saw Lycoris radiata covered in mud and falsely accused of theft, she seemed to remember herself being hung on the city gate, and she almost subconsciously reached out to help.

After that, Marian seemed to feel her own obsession, her figure gradually became clearer, and her consciousness was no longer confused. When she came to her senses, she was already standing at the door of the luxurious yet rustic mansion.

Belinda had recovered by then. She stood in the moonlight, crying sadly, feeling sad about the departure of her best friend.

Just then she saw Marianne.

"Oh my God, is it really you?" Belinda almost subconsciously flew to Marianne, ecstatic: "I can't believe it, you actually came back!"

Marianne missed Belinda just as much and wanted to hug her tightly, kiss her face, and wipe away her tears.

But she couldn't do it.

Marianne's body just passed through Belinda.

Marianne did not survive, but her obsession brought back her soul.

"It's okay, I'm glad you're back." Although she felt a little disappointed, for Belinda, seeing Marian again was already a miracle.

She comforted herself that things would get better.

This is indeed the case. Marianne was just an insignificant ghost at the beginning, but later she became more concrete, with her figure becoming clearer and clearer, just like a normal person.

She could eat fine meals, wear beautiful clothes and elaborate make-up as before, and make tea for Belinda.

But this is not a good sign.

The reason why the dead can survive in this world is due to a pure will.

If you are unable to get rid of the regrets of this life, the longer you stay in this world, the easier it is to be polluted.

As the days passed, as a ghost, Marianne not only feared the sun, but her body also began to change into that of an evil spirit.

Her body was covered with pustules and dirty blood was flowing all over her. Even the look in her eyes when she looked at Belinda was like a wolf finding its prey.

Everything that Marianne touched turned into a pool of pus. Her will became evil and terrifying, with only killing and destruction in her mind.

Belinda knew it was time to say goodbye.

"Marianne, do you have any wish?" she asked softly, trying to hold back her tears.

"I don't know." Marian herself didn't know what kind of obsession allowed her to hold on until now in the form of a soul.

She was often delirious and couldn't even remember why she didn't want to leave even when she died.

"If you don't know, don't think about it." Belinda said in a gentle tone: "No matter what the result is in the future, please remember that your name is Marian."

"My name is Marianne."

This was the first thing she thought of when she woke up in the Xingchenhua family castle.

This is all she could remember.

During this time of recounting her past, Marianne appeared calm, as if she had come to terms with her own death and accepted its tragic outcome.

But this wasn't how she should have ended.

A girl who had gone through so much hardship finally had a chance to take a breath and live a happy life, but in order not to implicate the Sang family, she resolutely decided to die.

"Miss Manjusawa, I don't understand, if life is born to suffer, why are we born into this world." A line of hot tears flowed down Marianne's almost transparent face.

On the battlefield, she saw too many people of the same age as her.

They are different from Marianne. Simply because they can use magic, they are cruelly sent to the border battlefield by their families in exchange for the abundant wealth in the hands of the nobles.

Everyone has been taught since childhood to be obedient and to put others first in everything.

They had clearly become timid and cowardly due to long-term oppression and had suffered untold hardships, but at moments of crisis they were forced to the front lines to die.

The abuse and humiliation by her adoptive parents did not make Marianne surrender, and being hung on the city wall in the sun did not make her despair.

Even when she was leaving for the border battlefield, Marianne was smiling at the thought of finally being able to repay the Sanger family.

But there are countless poor people in this world who live a miserable life like her.

Marianne couldn't help crying because of her pity for the tragic fate of others.

Because I have been through the darkest times, I don’t want anyone to end up like me.

But the more she saw the true nature of the world, the more disappointed she became.

Manjushage shook her head: "No one is born to suffer. Setbacks can make people grow, but when everyone's life is full of suffering, there is no doubt that the world is wrong."

"Everyone? Do people with a noble background like yours also have to suffer?" Marianne was stunned.

What is Manjushage’s identity? She is the daughter of a lord and is loved by her uncle, the king. It is no exaggeration to say that she is the most noble woman in the world.

It is unbearable to think that someone like her could suffer.

Manjushage smiled and said, "Like you, I was born in a chaotic era."

The "Great Riot" twenty years ago killed Marianne's parents, ruined her life, and also caused Manjushage to lose her mother at a young age.

She had experienced fleeing, starvation, and injury, and even witnessed her mother dying of a cold.

Marianne's experience is not an isolated case, but a common reflection of most people who have experienced that disaster.

Even though His Majesty the King has already quelled the disaster, the scars left behind will accompany them throughout their lives like a curse.

Even if the Lycoris radiata is bathed in the brightest sunshine, the haze in the heart still follows it like a shadow.

Because of this, no matter how troublesome it is, Manjushage will personally select suitable girls and bring them to the castle to end their miserable life in darkness.

She would arrange warm accommodation for these girls, so that they could enjoy delicious food and wear comfortable and beautiful clothes, and no longer be shrouded in the shadow of the past.

It’s a pity that Manjusaka’s energy is limited.

She can't help everyone.

Obviously, Marianne is one of them.

Coincidentally, Belinda seemed to have originally planned to send Marianne to the Sunset Moon Forest in the Great Wasteland to receive the baptism of the elves and purify her soul.

Somehow, he was sent to the castle.

"What a coincidence. When I was at my adoptive parents' house, I always admired Miss Manjushage and dreamed of becoming a maid in the castle. As a result, not only can I help you, but this dream has actually come true." After hearing what Manjushage said, Marianne smiled.

"It is our honor to welcome such a magical guest like you." Manjushage said sincerely.

There is no other person in the entire Kingdom of Aslan who can stay with ghosts for such a long time and act as if nothing happened.

Now that I think about it, Lycoris radiata had actually already noticed Marianne's peculiarity a long time ago, and it is even possible that she knew her identity from the beginning.

After all, clairvoyance is one of Lycoris's specialties. How could she not know that Marianne is a ghost?

Most likely he just couldn't bear to expose her after seeing her being carried out of the carriage covered in blood. After all, she was just a poor girl who couldn't bear to leave this world.

But then again, when Marianne first appeared in the castle, her condition should have been close to becoming a demon. How come the situation suddenly improved so much?