Two lousy kids ran past Genevieve while slightly ruffling her clothes and she turned her head back to look at them playing as their voices filled the air, along with other kids. More than the voices and loud shouts of the children, the voices of the villagers and marketers advertising and calling for customers to buy what was on their table also filled the air altogether.
Yes, they were outside.
Eve couldn't convince Isabel enough. This was the day they were both looking forward to and she couldn't bring herself not to go. At least, she thought about it. Going now won't bring any harm since the people would be too busy to notice anything.
Turning her head back to the front, she saw the princess who dressed in a common cloth to disguise herself, hurrying over to a wall where a palace guard was putting a poster on. At first, Eve thought the guard would recognize the princess, but she saw that he was not really paying any attention to anyone rather than the job he was asked to do. After he was done, few of the villagers went to see what the poster was about and soon, their chats started to fill the air.
Eve went to pull Isabel away from the crowd and she could see her blushing. She was happy.
"See, I told you no one would recognize me," she said, feeling high of herself for disguising well.
"Still, you need to be careful," Eve told her as they resumed walking.
"I am being careful."
"Isabel—"
"Geez, fine! I know," Isabel said, not liking that she was being told what to do. Turning her head to the side, she called, "Eve, I thought you wanted this. Why not enjoy your life now that you are outside? You don't have to follow me around. Have your own fun, okay?" she said and held Eve's hand, tugging at it before releasing.
Eve thought about what she said. All her life, she has lived following rules that it has now become a part of her. She forgot how to live for herself.
Eve now stood alone in the midst of people walking and going about their day. Isabel already left her side and was at a familiar stall, sitting and talking to a woman. She could see the both of them smiling and talking. Eve recognized the woman. She was the reason Isabel always wanted to leave the premise of the palace. She couldn't understand their relationship but she loved the sight of it.
Deciding that she should explore and have fun, Eve inhaled the air with a smile laced on her lips and she moved her eyes around to watch the people. As she did, admiring everything, her eyes suddenly fell on a young man at the front, standing beside a stall and peeping at something or someone. Moving her eyes to follow what he could be looking at, she saw that there was no particular thing except for the princess.
Was he spying on the princess? Eve thought and she started to walk towards him.
When she got to his side, she moved her head to the side to look at Isabel and she looked at the young man who was secretly blushing as he watched her. Eve scoffed silently and she placed her hands behind her back before clearing her throat to gain his attention.
Jomei's body shook immediately, startled, and when he saw who was beside him, his face turned embarrassed immediately knowing that she had caught him spying. He straightened his back and also put his arms behind him as he looked down at her.
"I see you haven't changed at all," Eve said to him.
Jomei quirked his lips up and replied, "Same as you. Always creeping up behind me."
"That is because you keep spying on the princess."
"Who said I was?" Jomei quickly said, raising his eyes a bit.
Eve also raised her eyes, flaring it a little bit and she slowly lowered it to mutter to herself, "Shameless man."
"Huh? Did you just curse at me?" Jomei asked her.
"I did not," Eve answered and folded her arms across her chest before breaking into a smile.
Jomei is Eve's out-of-palace friend and they have known each other for six years now but they don't see each other frequently. They only see on occasions like this when she is privileged to be outside and other times, Jomei would see her when she is being sent on an errand.
Eve liked Jomei for his personality and because he didn't see her as a maid, but instead, a friend. But Eve knows his relationship with her was all because of the princess. He was trying to use her to get close to the princess and yet, since the six years of knowing him and his mission, he hasn't approached Isabel for once. He always stood afar and watched her. Isabel doesn't even know who he is or how he looks like but Eve had mentioned him on few occasions which she doubt Isabel would even remember.
Eve noticed he was holding a paper in his hand and she questioned him, "What is that?" She tried taking it from him but Jomei held his hand back and it was then she realized it was the poster the palace guards were posting on the wall.
"Tell me Eve," Jomei said, suddenly sounding and looking serious, "is it true that a man is taking the Princess lessons now?"
Eve gave a nod and set her lips into a thin line, wondering if she should tell him that she was the one receiving the lessons in place of the princess but she wanted to tease him a little.
She saw his face fell and she could tell he didn't like the fact that a man was now tutoring the princess.
"Did the princess say anything about him? Does she like his teaching? Or will she change him again just like the former governess? What about the name of the tutor? I need to know who he is so I can tell if he has good or bad intentions about the princess."
Eve let out a soft sigh. She couldn't keep hearing him rant and bombarding her with his questions so she said, "I cannot disclose the things happening inside the palace to you. They are strictly confidential."
"Eve, please," he said with pleading eyes.
Eve scoffed silently. "You seem to have all the time in the world, seeing how persistent you are on one thing. Anyway, if I were to talk about the new tutor, I would say he…he is…"
Eve blinked her eyes more than once. She was at a loss of words all of a sudden and she furrowed her brows, thinking about the tutor. She remembered what transpired between them on the first day of his lesson, but more than that, she had secretly admired his looks and sense of dressing. He stood out from the rest of the other people she has ever come across. Even yesterday when she had a proper view of what he looked like, she found herself staring at a point and she would quickly look away when he would turn his head to look at her. She wondered if he knew she was staring at him. It would be embarrassing.
"Eve?"
Hearing Jomei call her name, she snapped out of her thoughts immediately. "Huh?" she answered, hoping that he didn't catch on that she was lost in her own thoughts.
"Don't tell me if you don't want to," he said, looking disappointed. "I can get my information myself. Soon, you will be seeing me in the palace."
Eve brows pulled at him. "What will you be doing there?" she asked.
Jomei fixed his gaze up and said, "I can't reveal that to you. It's strictly confidential."
"Is it now?" she asked and after receiving a nod from him, she said, "I'll look forward to seeing you then. Right now, have fun staring at the princess beautiful face."
Jomei set his lips wide into a smile and half shut his eyes while nodding as he watched Eve walk away before focusing on what he was doing before.
Eve walked further to the other side while looking at all the goods that were displayed at every stall. She took her time in checking out some items and testing them on, like a hairpin, a knuckle ring, necklace and few other items like that while receiving comments from the market women, but in the end, she returned them all and made her way to another stall. When she was done checking out almost all the items there, she left the place and walked backwards, looking at all the places she had come and watching the people buying and those that walked the place. She ended up in an intersection absent-mindedly and it was then she heard the sound of horses galloping towards her direction and getting nearer. She turned her head swiftly to the direction and the smile on her lips fell immediately while her heart stopped when she saw several horses coming her way. And just when she thought it was too late for her to react, someone pulled her away from the road and she felt her body pinned against the wall as the person held her while the other hand was stretched out to protect her body from moving forward because the gap between the wall and where the horses passed was too close.
Eve didn't realize for how long she had held her breath and just stared in fear's grip until the horses passed and then she heard the person who saved her ask;
"Are you okay?"
She snapped out of the shock and she felt her body go numb instantly but the person was still holding her and it was when she moved her eyes to look at who it was did she realize who had just saved her.
Eve stared at the new tutor with slightly wide eyes and her lips parted a little. Hearing the little murmurs of the villagers, she quickly moved her head and saw them looking before they continued what they were doing.
Feeling the tutor's hand still holding her, she moved backwards, letting his hand release from her and she heard him ask again;
"Are you okay?"
Eve could hear the concern in his voice. He had just saved her from being trampled to her death and she was still shaken up with the incident. Her hand moved up to place it on her chest where her heart was and she could feel it pounding in her ribcage.
Instead of replying to his question, she lowered her head in a bow and thanked him.
"Thank you for saving me," she quickly said and moved her feet, leaving the place.
Moon turned and watch her leave with his brows pulled together. He was concerned at how the riders rode their horses recklessly. This was one thing that should have been pointed out and reported, but seeing the villagers not say anything about it made him reason that they must have gotten used to it or that they had no say on such things.
Turning his head back, he made to resume heading towards his relative's home as it was the reason he had come out, but then his eyes fell on the ground and he halted before lowering his body to pick something up.
Moon stared at the red bracelet which the lady had dropped and he looked at the design. It was irregular and old and he remembered the maid who had worn the same as a hair tie.