LightReader

Chapter 127 - Chapter 127: Dust and Dignity

From a distance, the village seemed idyllic—mud-brick homes nestled among tufts of green, smoke rising lazily from chimneys. But as Sharath rode closer, the illusion peeled away like old paint.

The river was a thin, dark ribbon, filled more with refuse than water. A young girl knelt beside it, rinsing vegetables while trying to shield them from the oily scum. Nearby, a mother cradled a feverish infant, her face set in grim determination as flies swarmed.

The stench of uncollected waste and stagnation clung to everything.

An old man, sitting beside a broken cart, looked up as Sharath passed.

"They said a prince would come to save us," he said hoarsely. "But no one did."

Sharath opened his mouth, then closed it.

What answer could he give?

More Chapters