I Reincarnated as the Villainess and I Refuse to Follow the Plot

On the third day of our journey, we finally reached Glacius town. Calling it a town was generous. A small collection of maybe thirty homes crowded around a well. In the backdrop, golden fields rolled, catching the late morning sunlight.

People walked around eyeing the wagon as we approached. Some stopped to outright stare, while others continued about their business– peering at us from the corners of their eyes.

I can't stay here long. I thought, making sure my hair was still hidden under the hood. While not an outright flashy shade, the cleanliness of it – even after days of being unwashed– was a neon sign that I wasn't a commoner.

Stern came to a stop near an empty wagon, and turned his head to look at me. "You've reached your destination."

"Thanks for the ride." I climbed out the back, and walked around handing him the last to silver as promised.

He grunted in response and turned that wagon around– heading back the way we came.

I walked forward, glancing around to see where the wagon driver was at. Other than the people moving about, no one stood out as the obvious person.

"Excuse me." I said, approaching a woman carrying a load of laundry. "Could you tell me who drives the transportation out of here?"

"Hmph." She shifted the weight in her hands, raising it higher above her pregnant stomach. "The man you're looking for is probably drunk out-back his house." She motioned with her chin toward a ramshackle building that looked more like a shed. "Don't expect he's in any condition to talk to you, stranger. But you can try."

"Thanks." I offered a smile.

She just shrugged and walked away.

I turned and walked toward the building– which was much worse up close. The front door was bent, hanging in such a way that if a strong wind blew it would fall off. It only had two windows– one that was shattered and jagged.

If his house is like this, I'm worried about his driving skills.

As I reached the door, loud snores floated out from behind the building. I walked around it and looked down– seeing a dirty booted foot.

The foot– unsurprisingly– was attached to an equally dirty man. He lay slumped against the wall, shirt half off, and an empty bottle in his hand. The worst part about him was the smell– the scent was reminiscent of a brewery.

Is everyone that drives a wagon a drunkard?

"Sir." I nudged him with my foot. "Wake up. It's almost noon."

He grunted in his sleep– scratching his stomach.

"Sir," I tried again– nudging him a bit harder. "Are you going to sleep all day?"

The man grunted again– still fast asleep– and swatted the empty air where I had tapped him.

"What a pain." I bent over, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up!" I raised my voice– jerking him.

Again he grunted but refused to regain consciousness.

I stood up, tossing my hands on my hips. Do I need to drag him across the ground?

A laugh twinkled through the air, drawing my attention. I looked over my shoulder to see a girl– no more than ten– grinning.

"He's not gonna wake up like that." She walked over, kicking him hard with her foot.

The man grunted in pain– but somehow still kept snoring. "See?" She looked up at me, brown eyes sparkling. "He's always like this."

"Then how do you wake him up usually?"

"I'll show you." She began to walk away, motioning for me to follow.

I spared the drunk man one last look before following after her.

"Did you get here just now?" She asked conversationally as we cleared the shack. "Never saw you before."

"Yes." I nodded. "I'm not planning to stay long though."

"That makes sense." She laughed. "There's nothing here."

I didn't say anything– but she was right.

She came to a stop beside the well, lowering the bucket into the depths. "My name's Pama."

"I'm Cara. Nice to meet you, Pama."

"You're pretty." Pama grinned– showing crooked teeth. "Do you have a lot of boys after you? I bet you do. I only have one but that's because there's only ten of us kids around here."

"Oh?"

"Yeah and he keeps saying he's gonna marry me when I'm older." She snorted, tugging the bucket back out of the water. "I'm going to the capital when I'm of age. I don't wanna be here my whole life. Are you from the capital?" She grunted, detaching the bucket and shuffling back toward the shack.

"No." I lied, following behind her. "I can carry that-"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm strong enough to carry this. We kids aren't weak."

I laughed, unable to stop myself. She's adorable.

"What's so funny?" She asked, as we walked around the building. "I don't think I said a joke."

"It's nothing." I assured her. "I was thinking of something else."

"That makes sense." She shrugged, coming to a stop before the drunk man. "Now watch this, cuz it's the only way to wake this idiot up."

She tilted the bucket and tossed the water on the man.

"Dammit all." The man screamed, eyes popping open. "Pama, you monster." He sprang up, wobbling on his feet. "I told you to stop waking me up like that!"

"Someone's here to see you." Pama grinned.

"What?" He looked over at me, wincing and grabbing his head. "Urgh, my head is pounding." He squeezed his eyes shut– covering his face with his hands. "What do you want, woman? I don't know you and I never stole from you."

"Are you the wagon driver?" I asked.

"Maybe." He peeked through his fingers– eyes narrowed. "Who's asking."

"Stop being so rude." Pama snapped, kicking him in the shin.

The man yelped back, hoping on one foot. "That woman-"

"Her name's Cara." Pama cut him off. "I'm gonna tell your mama if you keep being rude."

"I'm not a kid." The man bit out, rubbing his wound. "Tell your mama whatever you want."

"Mama's gonna hit you again if I do." Pama tilted up her chin defiantly.

"Damn kid. Damn stranger. Damn headache." The man grumbled. "Fine, I'll be civil if you get me some water."

"Do you promise?" Pama asked, throwing her hands on her hips.

"I swear." He ruffled her hair– only to have her swat him away. "What can I do you for?" He asked, shaking the hand Pama had hit.

"I want to hire you to take me somewhere." I spoke up.

Pama looked between us, said she'd be back, and ran off.

"Everyone wants to go somewhere." He muttered. "When?"

"Today."

"No happening." He snorted, flopping back on the ground. "I got a splitting headache. I can't take you anywhere today."

"When can you then?"

"Um, tomorrow works." He laid back, stretching out his arms. "Six silver too. I ain't cheap."

"Four."

"Six or you can walk." He looked over at me. "Do you know how hard it is to get money around here? I can't afford to be cheap."

I wanted to argue with him– but there was no point to it. I needed to get out regardless of his steep price. He's probably going to blow it on alcohol.

"Fine. I'll give you six if we leave at dawn."

"That works." He yawned, closed his eyes, and began to snore.

Pama appeared minutes later, carrying a cup sloshing with water. "That dummy." She sighed, drinking the cup. "Did he agree to take you?"

"Yes. Tomorrow morning."

"O-kay. Well, I can show you around!" Pama smiled, motioning for me to follow. "Come on, Cara!"

I let out a breath and trailed after her.

It's not like I have anything else to do.

I was worried about riding in a wagon with the drunkard– but that was a tomorrow problem.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to foresee the real problem tomorrow would bring.