Chapter 84: The Town’s Drunk
That question brought attention on us like none before. I had to freeze in my step as I stared at the man who had spoken. His words rang louder in my ears than they ought to have, slicing through the hum of the crowd like a knife.
I cocked my head at him unsure of what to do and I instinctively shuffled backwards when the man drew closer just as people pressed forward, some were even craning their necks forward from their store to get a better look at me.
The man seemed harmless while displaying his roughened hands wearing worn-out patched clothing alongside his toughened fieldworker features. A farmer, by all accounts. It is amusing to think about how I faced down thugs with my drawn swords yet found it so terrifying to meet an ordinary farmer. Panic overwhelmed me at this moment. His words revealed his power but his power did not stem from his position. Words that could expose me.
I searched my brain trying to look for what I could say, but the words slipped through my fingers like smoke. My breath caught as people filled in closer, the gazes keener, their whispers growing louder. Even Eddie, normally quick with his overeager replies seemed to understand the gravity of the moment and wisely kept his mouth shut.
Just when I tried to look for what to say, Heather suddenly stepped forward and released a laughter one that was filled with disbelief. "Have you lost your damn mind?" She asked, "The princess? Are you drunk? Where in your right mind will you see the princess? She doesn’t step outside of the manor where she is!"
The man frowned just as rippled of agreement went round the crowd but it would seem that the man wasn’t having it. "Then who is she?"
"My cousin!" Heather responded without missing a beat.
The man’s gaze narrowed as he stepped forward, his gaze eyeing me warily. "Well she looks to clean to be a commoner!" He said his gaze flicking over me taking in every detail, resting on my face to my clothes and down to the quality of my boots and the way I held myself.
"And you look to drunk to be playing judge right about now!" Heather retorted with a sharp tone, "Besides, this is my cousin from the city_" Heather said before she turned to look at me with what I would call boredom, "She just likes to believe that she is a noble born sometimes, fussing about her appearance and trying to look clean. But then, I suggest she did succeed in looking the part today, almost fooled me myself you know." Heather said and the crowd chuckled at that, a wave of agreement spreading through them. The crowd’s tension began to soften up but the man still looked doubtful.