Yara walked calmly to her bedroom. The house fell silent, and for a moment it felt as though a soft breeze brushed against her skin. She glanced at Asha, who sat quietly across the room, avoiding eye contact.
The two younger siblings were running around, playing, but as soon as they noticed Yara, they ran to her one of them offering her candy. Her chest tightened. Yara smiled faintly and nodded, her eyes glistening.
She went to her clothes, pulled them from the drawer, and placed them neatly into a bag. Asha remained silent.
Then, picking up her shoes, Yara walked calmly out of the house. But as she stepped onto the front porch, Zera ordered her to open her bag and have Darian inspect it for anything that didn't belong to her.
With a wide grin, Darian walked over and slowly pulled the bag from Yara's hands. He loosened the binding string and tossed it carelessly to the ground. Egen kept grinning while chatting with Walda about sports. Lode had already left.
When nothing suspicious was found, Darian returned the bag and sat beside Zera.
"Get your filthy face off my property," Zera barked, furrowing her brows. Yara quickly picked up her bag and left. Once outside in the compound, she took deep breaths and began the long trek to her friend's home, about half an hour away.
When she arrived and explained what had happened, her friend agreed to keep Yara's belongings but couldn't offer her shelter her mother refused to let Yara stay. Yara accepted it quietly.
"I'll come by later," she assured her friend.
Meanwhile, at the border, Phinehas was struggling to transport his materials across because of rebel attacks on the soldiers stationed there. Worried about when he'd reach Yara, he decided to abandon the goods temporarily and return to Laoni to warn her. But while lingering near the customs office, he caught sight of Eki the son of Aki, the man they had fought in the forest months before.
Phinehas flinched and turned away, hoping to avoid notice, but Eki had already recognized his silhouette.
Eki glanced at his father and smiled, signaling something with his finger. Aki nodded. As Phinehas moved into the busy market stalls near the customs post, Eki and his men quickened their pace, surrounding him.
Phinehas turned calmly and greeted Eki.
"Do I have something you're looking for?" he asked, his hands folded behind his back.
Eki grinned and stepped closer, the woody, spicy scent of Phinehas' clothes drifted toward Eki.
"That smells divine," Eki remarked. Phinehas didn't react.
"Where are you taking your goods? Who do you supply?" Eki asked, rubbing his neck and eyeing Phinehas suspiciously.
"Everything about him seems too polished for his age," Eki thought, narrowing his gaze on Phinehas's shoes.
"I have no idea what you're referring to," Phinehas replied evenly, pushing his notebook deeper into his tunic.
"Of course you're not here for nothing," Eki pressed, a thin smile curling on his lips. "You must be importing something."
"You're mistaken. Please excuse me," Phinehas said and turned to leave. Eki gestured for his men to stand down, and they all returned to the office where Aki waited, curious about his son's brief encounter.
"What was that about?" Aki asked, tapping his knee.
"The boy who fought me with Yara," Eki replied with a sly smile.
"You saw him?" Aki leaned forward.
"Yes. I'm sure he's smuggling fabrics for someone but who?" Eki sighed, crossing one leg over the other.
Aki's eyes widened in amusement.
"I doubt those two could manage something like that," Aki scoffed.
"Father," Eki said, "I've heard she recently renovated that Asiza family's house and bought them new furniture. She even paid off their debts to the loan sharks."
Aki raised his brows, covering his mouth with surprise.
"Are you sure? How did you find all this out?" he whispered.
Eki grinned, showing his teeth. "People always talk. It didn't take long to piece it together." He straightened his tunic and sat upright.
Soon after, the customs officer arrived and handed them their travel permits, allowing them to continue to the next town, where they had moved their business.
Phinehas's own request, made through a third party, was rejected. Thinking quickly, he boarded a carriage back to Laoni and urged the driver to go as fast as possible.
By noon, posters announcing Yara's exile were being plastered all over town. The reason was stated was indecency towards her own family and anyone who reported her sightings in laonk was promised a reward.
A few meters from the monastery road, The high priest returning from errands caught sight of one of the posters. His mouth fell open as his eyes widened. He stepped closer, reading it again, then shook his head.
"What has come over this woman and her household?" he murmured, striking his cane against the ground.
Villagers gathered around, whispering among themselves, but he heard nothing only the sound of the wind.
His thoughts flashed back to when Asha and Yara's father had visited him at the monastery years ago. They were young then, full of love and excitement, eagerly awaiting their first child.
"You shouldn't have brought this child into the world," he muttered again, a tear escaping down his cheek. He wiped it quickly.
Meanwhile, Yara, sensing unease and goosebumps rising on her skin, hurried between appointments with her suppliers, hoping to meet Asiza during his work break.
After walking for a few minutes, one of Asiza's friends rushed toward her, eyes darting around nervously.
"Use the back route between the shops," he whispered urgently. "They've set a trap for you."
"What trap?" Yara asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Keep your voice down," the young man warned. "Everyone's on the lookout for you."
Without hesitation, he grabbed Yara's hand and pulled her through a narrow corridor, pushing her into a small house as a group of commoners passed by, gossiping about Yara, the poster, and the rumor that she had seduced Aki.
Yara frowned, breathing heavily. The young man returned shortly and urged her to flee.
"Can you help me find Asiza first?" Yara pleaded.
He shook his head and gave a small, knowing laugh.
"All right but don't tell him anything. Just act normal."
He guided her quietly to where Asiza was resting a few meters from his workplace, leaning back on a wooden chair.