"All right now we're even! You helped me last night from chasing people and now I've helped you escape"
"We parted till here!"
Arthur said parting words and left.
After a few steps away, Arthur briefly turned around. Lifting his hand, he waved briefly towards Cecile. His handsome face had a bright smile.
Cecile could see his blue eyes glistening beautifully under the sun.
Now the weather was sunny again. A group of gray-black clouds had left. Let the delightful blue sky showed off. Together with a group of white cloud like cotton. They looked pleasant to the eye.
Lifting her hand, Cecile returned the man's wave with a sincere smile on her face. She tried to act in the same friendly manner as at their first meeting at the night of the year-end festival.
After all, it might be that this man was the first friend she ever had besides her cousin Anne.
Although only from an unexpected meeting, a very short introduction and even if it was only just for a moment and left.
Arthur turned around then and continued his steps. Until slowly the tall and sturdy posture drowned in the crowd of people.
Cecile grabbed her bag over her shoulder and returned to continue her escape. She firmly believed that a group of Zeath tribe security members were still rotating around over here looking for her.
Suddenly a rumbling sound came from her stomach. She hadn't had breakfast and the bread that Arthur gave her was left in the inn room.
In the end, Cecile decided to find a small shop or bakery nearby while continuing her escape.
Joined the market crowd and crammed in the crowd of people. Cecile continued to circulate her views to find places that sell food.
Most of the surrounding stalls selling fresh vegetables and other raw materials. Stepping further inside, Cecile found stalls selling women's clothing and accessories.
For a long time she walked, Cecile did not find a place that selling food. Actually she was really starving. She had never eaten late before, so it would be very difficult to adapt to this situation.
And she also hadn't walked for hours like this. Under the sun, her exhausted-looking face was pale with sweat dots.
In the end Cecile chose to squat in an empty alley and take a short break there.
The alley was narrow and a little shabby. Lots of trash scattered there. Cecile could inhale an unpleasant aroma that slightly annoyed her sense of smell. She also pinched her pointed nose because she could not stand it.
Her face looked up to the sky. Contemplating the charming blue and white painting up there. A swarm of white clouds in the various shapes that seemed compatible with the blue sky.
The sun would soon be at its peak. Right now the light wasn't too hot to burn her skin. But it would be upright soon and it would be very hot.
"Until when do I keep running away like this?" She muttered then.
Perhaps Anne was right, for a home girl like herself who seemed to have little experience of the outside world definitely would not adapt to this situation easily.
"Ha..ha ... the girl in this painting looks beautiful"
"What's the payoff if we find the girl?"
"Ah if I fuck the reward! If I meet her, then all I want to do is enjoy her body"
"Ha ha.."
Cecile found a group of men heading to the alley where she was resting.
Some of them were fat with bald heads and some were thin and tall like pole.
They had a bottle of liquor in their hands. One of them was holding a piece of yellow paper while viewing it with interest.
There also those who were swinging a bag filled with coins with a satisfied look on their faces.
They seemed to be talking about something and laughing. Cecile had caught some of words of their conversation and could not cover up her fear.
Actually she was just wary of something like this, but now she was dealing with it instead.
Trying to stay calm, Cecile slowly got up. Holding her breath, she slowly stepped step by step to escape from the place.
Every step she took was extremely smooth, trying to avoid making the slightest sound.
Krak!
But who would have thought that she would accidentally step on a bunch of pebbles.
"Who is there?"
And in the end her efforts ended in vain. She got caught.
Currently Cecile felt like crying out loud. This morning she was about to get caught. Then she failed to find a place to buy some food and now she was caught up with this bunch of rude people.
"Wow, it turns out to be a little girl!" Exclaimed a man who was big and bald.
Then the fat man chuckled.
"Hehe.."
"Girl..what are you doing in our area? Want to invite us to play hem?" It was a short man with a pot belly talking.
Cecile could see the look on his face looking at her full of lust. Cecile frantically shook her head, then stepped back.
"He..he..he..girl come on come here" That sounded playful and sickening.
"No need to be afraid, we will treat you gently." Very lewd and Cecile wanted to throw up.
"Just a second!"
Exclaimed a thin man with a height like a pole. He held the yellow paper in his hand, glanced at her then glanced back at the yellow paper. Instantly his eyes widened in disbelief.
"She is the girl in the painting" He said then with a look of surprise. He pointed at the poster in his hand in disbelief.
"What? So she is the girl we just talked about" Said another. They were just as surprised to hear that.
"He..he .. our luck is very good"
And that group of perverted people getting closer towards her. Some of them threw wine bottles on the ground, broke their necks and then stared lustfully at Cecile.
Without thinking further. Cecile immediately ran. It didn't matter what route she took. Right now all she thought about was getting out of this dirty alley and away from that bunch of perverted people.
And those people didn't just let her go. They quickly chased after Cecile who had moved away.
Cecile kept running and felt panic. But slowly she adjusted her emotions to calm down. Her heart was beating fast and her breath was panting heavily.
Didn't want to give up easily. Cecile put all her strength to run even harder. Until finally she managed to go further from the chase of the gang of pervert successfully got out of the alley.
Didn't stop there, Cecile still kept running. Because she knew they still hadn't stopped chasing her.
After circling from path to path. Finally she managed to infiltrate the centre of the market crowd.
One group of people felt very angry about failing to get what they wanted. They couldn't possibly catch the girl in the crowd of people. As a form of dissatisfaction, they finally shouted to reveal the girl's identity.
"Everyone look over there!"
Their loud scream managed to steal the limelight. And stopped the activities of sellers and buyers.
The market suddenly fell silent. Thousands of pairs of eyes immediately focused on what they were pointing at.
"It is the daughter of the Zeath chieftain in the scattered paintings."
"She is the girl whose paintings were scattered all over the land of Whitackrest."
"Whoever brings it home to the chief of the Zeath tribe will get three thousand pieces of gold."
"If you don't believe it, look at the painting poster!"
Cecile felt her knees weaken. Stop running, she bent slightly with her hands pressed to her knees. She was breathing hard.
They the criminals had revealed her identity. Now she had became the centre of people's attention.
In fact, Cecile just found out that her father had spread posters of her face all over the land of Whitackrest. In exchange for three thousand gold coins for those who managed to bring her home.
It was of no small value. Those in simple circles would definitely be eyeing this.
Cecile didn't think her father was struggling so hard to find her again. There was a sense of emotion that ran into her heart. Cecile realised that her authoritarian father really loves her.
But even so Cecile refused to go home now. She might come home after finding someone she loves. Then that someone would be introduced to her father.
However Cecile rejected to be engaged to Edwin. After all that man was her cousin's first love. In addition, she also refused to be with someone she did not love.
"That's right! It's the girl in the poster." Exclaimed one of the market crowd.
"Let's catch her!"
"Three thousand coins of gold? Ah that was me building castle in the air! But now it feels real right before my eyes"
And just as those people started invading her. A group of people in black and brown furred cloaks splitting the centre of the market crowd.
Suddenly Cecile felt someone's warm breath, caressing her face. And it felt a little familiar.
Turning to the side, Cecile was surprised. Her brown eyes continued to meet the gaze of crystal blue eyes.
It was...
"We just split up and meet again so soon!"
___