Chapter 19: Marketplace Mischief
The marketplace was pristine. Almost too pristine. The goods were laid out on perfectly arranged tables, their colours vibrant beneath the afternoon sun.
Everywhere I looked, people were engaged in hearty conversations, laughter echoing as they carried their groceries home.
No heated haggling. No desperate bargaining. No tension.
It was all so manicured.
Well, that was about to change.
"Scarlette?" I turned—only to find her gone.
Of course, she’d wandered off. Whether she was the Queen of Hearts and Ruin or just Scarlette, she was the same. Up to her usual shenanigans.
A quick scan of the marketplace, and—ah. There she was, at a stall. Buying a chicken. A live one.
Because of course she was.
But I had other plans.
My gaze landed on a stall where rows of fish were lined up in perfect symmetry. The vendor’s cheerful hum mixed with the marketplace chatter as she spoke to a few other Light Fairies buying from her. A friendly fishmonger, the perfect gossipmonger. I rubbed my hands together, anticipation building.
Let the rumor begin.