"Do you need something, young lady?" Anette asks as she stands near the door of my room.
I called for her specifically since I am about to do something that only she can help me with.
"I need you to help me wrap myself up with bandages." I tell her as I put on the very same cloak she gave me when we went to Lady Elizabeth's mansion. "I'm going out."
"Again?" Clasping both her hands to her chest, she gives off a very concerned look.
"Yes Anette, again. But this time I want to go alone." I walk towards her and hold her hands.
"B-but..." She stutters, ready to let out a flood of worry.
"No buts." I cut her off. "I just want to get some fresh air, that's all. I can take care of myself."
It was true that I wanted to get a hold of fresh air. Fresh air that was only made possible because of the weird spectacle I caused days ago. I truly want to breathe from all the strange occurrences- the appearance of a dazzling stranger whom I failed to ask why he came to see me, weird people that arrived from the capital who were acting too oddly for me not to notice, my negligence of a father who has finally invited me to dinner only for the reason that we had something to talk about.
Even so, I am also curious to see changes finally coming in the East, even if they were just small ones. One small step at a time and we'll definitely get there. The mother from my past life would remind me too often than needed.
"Will you really be alright, young lady?" Anette asks, stopping me as I recalled all the weird events that had happened lately.
"Yes, I will be. Plus, because of our little outing last time, I finally know my way around the streets, kind of." I smile to ease her nervousness, though it doesn't seem to work.
"Okay, I will go get some bandages." The maid sighs, admittance to defeat. "But promise me first that you will not go too far, that you will be back before sun down. And be careful."
It was only a little after noon and she's giving me the right time suitable for a stroll, not too long and not too short.
"I will." I say as I finally let go of her hands. "Thank you."
She nods and then scurries away to get what I asked for.
***
Anette has escorted me until the back gate of the mansion. She used her ways to allow me to pass through to the back door unnoticed by the other servants.
"I'll be back." I say as I put on the hood of the cloak before turning away.
"Please be careful, young lady." Anette reminds me for the twentieth time today.
I just wave my hand without looking back as I walk towards the city.
It didn't take me long to notice the aroma of rose petals in the air the further I went into the city. It was a bright day and the sky was clear. The perfect day for a little walk, except that I had to go incognito and do my best not to stand out. Not to mention, the stuffiness I feel from the bandages.
I pass several people repairing their shops, ready to go back to business. One had already put up a stand filled with different kinds of steaming bread, obviously still fresh from the oven. As I walk past it, my stomach grumbles. I stop and grab my stomach, realizing that I was not able to take my lunch as I was so adamant about going out.
"You must be very hungry, little girl." I turn to the owner of the stand, a man in his forties. "Here, this one's on me."
He offers a paper bag filled with a loaf of bread. Making sure not to be accused suspiciously because of my shady attire, I lower my head as I take the grace from his hands. Then I hesitate.
"But why? I do not have anything. I won't be able to pay you back." I say as I do my best not to look at him in the eye.
Hearing my statement, the owner of the stand laughs.
"Nor am I expecting for one, little girl. Things are finally looking bright around here. There is no more reason for us to stay hungry all the time." He says cheerfully.
"I suppose so." I say as I hugged the bag of bread to my body. To show gratitude I bow to the kind owner. "May the goddess bestow your business with a many blessings in the future."
I turn my back and proceed to walk. I catch him say a few words before I get far from his stand.
"So she might, little girl, so she might."
While chewing on the bread, I walk and walk as I take in the lively scenery before me. Everything and everyone might still be on the process of rising back up but things are not what they seem to be before. I pass a group of men sitting down and having a conversation about the East. I meant to walk slowly so I would be able to hear.
"The soil is looking good out in our farmers' fields. Seeds are sprouting and the animals are back to health." A man says as he chugs a bottle of water.
"I've heard. It won't be long until we will have the raw materials to get the businesses back in shape." The other remarked, wiping off the sweat from his face. They might be taking a rest from doing labor. A woman arrives and brings them food.
"There's also news of merchants interested in coming back to trade." She says as she sets the food on the table between the conversing men.
"Really now, ten years ago they leave us on our own accord and now as soon as they hear that the East is finally recovering they come back crawling and asking for trade deals, what scums." Another man spat to the ground, showing his disgust.
I didn't want to stay for long and decided to leave the place. Being caught for eavesdropping was the last thing I wanted to happen.
I folded the now empty paper bag and tucked it inside the inner pocket of my cloak. I was gazing at the fully-bloomed roses in varied colors placed at the side of the streets when I noticed some children playing with a ball just a few feet beside me. I watch them with a sense of longing of my own childhood- which definitely wasn't a happy one. Then I remember, the owner of this body didn't have one either.
One child tosses the ball to the other but he fails to catch it. The child chases after the ball until it rolls off to the center of the street. Wait, no. That's dangerous! As if confirming my fear, a carriage with a totally unknowing driver is speeding towards the direction of the child who was still about to pick up his toy.
I run towards him, hoping that I might still be able to make it. The carriage was already drawing very close. I throw my body towards the child impulsively. We roll to the other side of the street, barely missing the carriage for an inch.
We were now lying on cold stone as I hugged the little boy. I loosen my grip and look at him.
"Are you okay?"
The boy, now realizing what had just happened, started to tremble in fear. Still, he nods.
I decide to help ourselves up and pat off the dirt in our clothes.
"Thank you for saving me, miss." He says while holding in tears.
I slouch a little to measure with his height.
"It's alright to cry if you're scared, you know." I tell him as I pat his back gently.
Before he even had the chance to answer his playmates from earlier had already come for him, along with all the other people. I stand properly to face them. It was only at that moment that I failed to realize my mistake. The hood from my cloak was pulled down when I saved the little boy earlier and I was not able to put it back. My bandaged face was now bare for all the people to see.
"Are you okay, Vinny?" His playmate asks from a distance.
"Yes, this miss here saved my life." The boy informed them and held my hand. His subtle gesture calms my panic.
Right then, the people surrounding us gradually added in numbers. I can hear them whispering about me.
"What happened here?" A lady asks.
"I just saw that girl save that young boy from being run over by a carriage." Answered a woman.
And so began the wave of talks.
"I remember that odd getup from six days ago. That's her."
"Her? You mean the one who stopped the fire and healed the people?"
"Yes, there's no doubt. The only one capable of spinning perithia here is the one and only daughter of the duke."
I just stood there, unable to move. A woman aggressively yanks the young boy's hand from mine.
"Stay away from her." Her eyes flared and cautious, she looks at me as if I was someone dangerous.
"She saved my life, mother." The child says as he is being dragged to the crowd.
"I don't care what she did, that girl's the reason your father died of hunger." Despite what his mother said, he still gave me an apologetic look. I just smile in return.
"That's right. It's her fault we had to suffer for ten years."
"She ruined our lives."
"The girl basically brought destruction upon the East."
"Look at her, wearing bandages. Afraid you'd catch our commoner spores, girly?"
No, you don't understand! You don't get it! I want to defend myself but my voice won't come out. A rush of fear overcomes my body as I take in their horrible, disgusted and leering gazes. I have to get out of here. I put on my hood and decide to make a run for it. But before I could take more than three steps, a huge muscled man had already blocked the way. I step backward, seeing his hand tossing a stone up and down. He smirks before talking.
"You're not running anywhere, girl." His eyes look at all the people surrounding me and then back at myself.
I take some steps backwards, putting distance between me and the scary man.
"What are you all waiting for? Stone her!"
What? Is he crazy? Does he really believe the people would pick on a helpless girl just for revenge? For a moment, no one makes a sound. Then a woman with a stone in her hand steps forward.
"She has to pay for everything we've been through over the last ten years." She raises her hand, aiming towards me. "Throw stones at her, just enough for her to feel a little bit of pain."
"I doubt a little would even be enough." The man grins.
Somewhere among the crowd, my eyes land upon the shop owner who had offered me bread earlier. Even he was wearing the same scornful look as everyone else. He opens his mouth to speak.
"What we're about to do to you will never measure up to what you did to us common folk." Hearing him say that, my heart sinks.