Chapter 470: Unlucky encounter
Ariel stopped by the bakery to pick up some bread, just as Claire had instructed. The small shop was unusually crowded, and she ended up waiting much longer than she’d planned.
As she stood in line, her mind wandered back to what the seamstress had said about the nobles visiting town. Why would nobles, especially from the capital would have any interest in their little village? Even the Duke and Duchess of Vesper rarely made appearances here.
In the past two years, Ariel could count the number of times she’d seen the Duchess on one hand. The townsfolk always grew giddy with excitement whenever she visited. Duchess Rebecca, with her kind smile and ginger hair, was beloved by the people. It was a shame she hadn’t yet had a child despite years of marriage.
Still, Rebecca was young. There was time.
Ariel herself was already of marriageable age, though Claire had never once brought up the idea of her getting married. That, in hindsight, was a little strange. She hadn’t thought about it until now.
The bakery buzzed with chatter about the performance scheduled for that night. Ariel’s curiosity only grew. She wondered if Claire would want to attend it might be something special.
"Tell your mother I asked after her!" the baker’s daughter called out cheerfully as Ariel finally left the shop.
Ariel was still waving goodbye when the door swung shut behind her and she walked straight into someone.
The acrid stench of alcohol and vomit hit her first.
She stumbled back, and her basket slipped from her hands, spilling its contents across the dusty street. "I’m so sorry," she said quickly, not even looking up as she dropped to her knees to gather the fallen bread.
As she dusted off the loaves, a rough, slurred voice growled, "Watch where you’re going, witch."
Her eyes flicked upward. A drunk man glared down at her, swaying slightly as he took another gulp from the bottle clutched in his hand. It wasn’t even midday.