Chapter 132: Entertainment street
The carriage started to move, the horse’s hooves steadily making their way through the snow. It was controlled by a young coach boy a few years older than Abrielle. Inside the old, stuffy carriage that had a thick smell of alcohol from the old barrels.
They started to change their outfit, which was a bit inconvenient for Abrielle, but they made it work. The carriage was stopped for a bit at the gates where the carriage was inspected. Abrielle was hiding deep inside with only Zoltana sticking out.
"I am hitching a free ride off the Island." She said confidently; seeing nothing wrong with a maid taking a free ride, the carriage was cleared to leave. The ride was super bumpy, Abrielle also threw up her guts but held herself.
"Just bear a bit for tonight," Zoltana urged her, sensing the princess’s distress. "I can manage," Abrielle assured her despite the sick feeling she had inside. It felt like the carriage would fall apart any second from now and the pungent scent of old wine wasn’t helping much.
She curled up in a spot hugging her legs as she leaned against the wall. She tried to relax but it was extremely hard.
The carriage made a couple of stops before it made its way from the palace gates, and soon later, it rode through the forest separating the palace from the rest of the island. From a distance, wolves’ howls could be heard.
After what felt like forever for Abrielle, they successfully crossed from the island to the mainland, which was more bubbling at night compared to the island. The carriage stopped in a very business entertainment street filled with pubs and brothels, the best place to find sketchy people.
"Let’s get down," Zoltana instructed Abrielle. The back door opened and the coach boy stood outside. Abrielle was surprised to see how tall the boy was; his facial features were not very distinct, but at least pleasing to the eyes. He had dark chestnut hair and dark eyes which seemed out of place for the freckles on his cheeks.
To be safe, Abrielle had a scarf covering her face, as wearing the image-altering mask would be more suspicious. Cedric was the only one who could comfortably wear a mask in the public eye without a special occasion.
The boy gave Abrielle his hand which she accepted to get down from the carriage. There were faint sparks as their skin touched, which gave Abrielle the urge to instantly withdraw her hand, but his grip tightened. "We don’t have all night." He said in a firm voice.
"Let’s go, your Highness. Alex is a good friend of mine." Zoltana urged Abrielle. Abrielle ignored the weird sparks, it might be due to the fact she was freezing and his hand was very warm.
Zoltana hopped off the carriage. "You could not even help me out." She snapped at Alex who let go of Abrielle’s hand and gave Zoltana a lazy look that made her nervously chuckle. "I guess I was pushing my luck, but you keep your distance, Alex. She is a married woman." Zoltana teased, pushing Alex away.