"Are these silver coins sufficient?" The lady inquired.
Charlotte returned her attention to the woman with a tiny grin after looking at her shawl, which she had used to gather the coins. You may come for the candles the day after tomorrow."
"That's a lot better." Before she and her horseman left the compound, the woman answered.
"Is this your niece?" She questioned when she spotted me, halting near me and looked down.
My clothing was filthy from the little play I had done, and I was a touch sloppy.
"My lady, she is." Charlotte spoke up.
"I had no idea you had additional family members." She is as lovely as you, and one may mistake her for your daughter." Before she walked away, the woman said.
Charlotte exhaled as the woman walked away and asked, "Seriously?" She inquired.
"I leave you alone, and this is the condition I find you in?" All filthy and sloppy?" Charlotte asked.
"You're really taking advantage of the fact that you're not at home where they keep an eye on you 24 hours a day, huh?" She inquired once more.
"I'm starving." I spoke up loud enough for her to hear me.
"We'll wash you first, then I'll make something quick for us to eat," she sighed again.
As I rose up from the ground and followed her inside, I nodded in agreement.
Inside was a little disorganized; there were candles everywhere, some lighted, some not, some packed in small wooden boxes, some in huge wooden boxes, and some yet unpacked.
Charlotte's money for the candles she had manufactured and the additional orders she had gotten were in the form of many leather, satin, and cotton silver bags on top of the table.
This candle operation appeared to be profitable for her. But what was so special about her candles that they all preferred to buy from her rather than the market vendors?
"Take your clothes off. I'll clean them afterwards." She gave the order as she poured warm water from the kettle over the fireplace into a basin.
I had seen and learnt that the fireplace in this house was constantly lit, and that there was always water boiling or warming up in a kettle.
Since she was a frequent tea drinker, I had seen her prepare tea using part of the water. With the number of visits she had today and the quantity of dirty cups on the table, it was obvious that she had also prepared them tea.
Keeping the water on the pot at all times seems to work well for her.
I removed my clothing as she instructed, and she cleaned me up as usual. She then baked buns with veggie stuffing inside. The veggies, which she had, of course, picked from her tiny vegetable patch behind the house.
After dining, I observed her count all of her silver pieces and store them in various leather bags.
Varying amounts were placed in various-looking bags. "Why are you doing that?" I inquired.
"Have you ever heard the expression "never put all your eggs in one basket?" In answer, she inquired. I agreed by nodding.
"That's why," she responded.
"Come on, help me clean up this mess, and we'll go for a little evening walk." She replied.
Charlotte's POV
I resolved to make things easier for her and treat her better when the gourds fell to the ground and shattered.
After all, she was a youngster who did not deserve my animosity.
It broke my heart to see her cry and plead for pity and for me not to punish her the previous day.
I'd had a horrible feeling about her parents ever since those gourds cracked, but I didn't want to leap to conclusions.
I had to wait for word from her parents about the palace conflict, which no one outside those walls was aware of.
I was the palace's chief supplier of candles, which is how I met the king and queen.
I received several orders from them and their royal court ministers once they learned about my major area of work and how various of my candles operated.
They paid me well and considered me to be trustworthy.
The truth is that the monarch was not as nice a person as many people imagined he was.
I couldn't count how many toxic candles he and several of his royal ministers had ordered from me.
The throne battle was not something that ordinary troops would assist in. Even the most powerful and ferocious forces would be unable to resolve the dispute.
With the primary law of burning any witch caught in the realm in effect, all prospects of assistance and victory was lost.
I was concerned about their safety.
I was concerned about Charmaine's future.
I worried about the kingdom's and its people's safety.
Even my candles couldn't assist this time, since the battles the king and his queen were fighting were beyond the scope of regular human power and skill.
My heart pounded with anxiety every time I considered what may have occurred during the royal couple's two days alone stay in the palace.
"Come on over and let me show you how to clean the dishes." I informed her. She leapt out of her seat and walked over to where I was sitting.
I washed the dishes in warm water, so the soap foamed up nicely.
"You apply these little clothes which we use in cleaning up the utensil, with soap, and rub them on the utensil to be cleaned. Rub until all food particles, debris, and oil are fully gone, then rinse with clean water." I explained as I demonstrated how to accomplish it.
She nodded in understanding.
I let her wash a bowl to see if she understood what I was saying, and she did an amazing job with her small hands.
We followed the sun down the horizontal, leaving a lovely trail of orangeish hue behind.
She was ecstatic, and the smile on her face demonstrated that, despite the luxury she had been showered with, she was a simpleton at heart.