Althea's heavy steps raced, sending vibrations through the marble floor beneath her. Sweat dampened her skin, and right in front of her, a maid stood with hands on her hips, glaring at Althea with explosive fury.
"Where have you been all this time? Are you deaf? My work is piling up, and you vanished! Go to the market and buy the groceries. Lady Anna will be furious if her favorite food isn't on the table!" the maid shrieked, the veins on her neck bulging.
"I don't know the way."
"Idiot. Do you think I'm as stupid as you? Are you lying just because you're lazy? Don't be ridiculous. Go now. The carriage driver is waiting for you downstairs," she snapped, handing over a few coins before storming off. Her footsteps hammered against the floor as her mouth continued to complain. "That fat pig. She must eat too much, making the food run out quickly. But the swine just lazes around and…" the maid's endless tirade followed her down the hall.
Althea only stared blankly, then looked at the coins in her hand.
Fine, I just have to get into the carriage, right? If I don't find the market, she can deal with Anna herself. This is probably her job, and she's just taking it out on me, Althea thought.
***
The sound of the horse's hooves and the small carriage she rode in accompanied Althea on her journey to the market. After nearly half an hour of travel, the forest of large trees gave way to a settlement. Loud noises once again dominated the air.
When the carriage stopped, Althea immediately stepped down and looked at the bustling market surrounding her. People here were very crowded, a sharp contrast to the Baron's secluded residence.
"Althea, you're here again! Here, take this apple. As my regular customer, I've added an extra one for you—eat it yourself. Oh, how about your master? Is she still angry with you?" said one of the vendors, an old grandmother who smiled warmly at her.
"My master?"
"Yes, you work for her, don't you? The spoiled young lady?"
Does she mean Anna? Does she think I'm just her maid?
"Yes, she is still angry," Althea said, biting into the apple and looking at the crowd to her right.
"Those nobles. They are truly wicked," she said with a raised voice. As her eyes followed Althea's gaze, the old woman spoke again, "It's very crowded, isn't it? They say there's an announcement from the Empire over there. A runaway witch."
"A witch?"
"Yes, they say she's very dangerous. So this time, the reward is huge. Perhaps they are all thinking of ways to catch the witch. But if I were them, I wouldn't do it."
"Why?"
"Well, who wants to die? We all know witches are dangerous, which is why they are executed the moment their identities are revealed." The vendor's words caused Althea's eyes to widen.
A single thought dominated her mind: Could the witch in the announcement be her maid, Morfida?
Thinking this made Althea run quickly, leaving the surprised vendor behind. When she reached the crowd, her massive body and considerable strength managed to shove aside several people in front of her. Some protested about her obstructing their view, but Althea didn't care.
Her pink eyes stared at the wanted poster before her. Her gasping breath slowly calmed. But one thing still bothered her: she couldn't read.
"What is this, is she really that stupid?"
"Who is stupid?" a deep, unfamiliar voice asked.
Althea looked behind her. There stood a young man with golden hair and blue eyes, scrutinizing Althea. Although his head was covered by a hood, she recognized the figure.
Althea's body shook violently. Her feet backed away, moving out of the crowd, away from the man. The Crown Prince.
"Are you alright?" he asked, moving closer. His hand reached out to touch Althea to check on her condition.
But Althea fiercely slapped his hand away. Her body was trembling uncontrollably.
Althea fell to the ground, hugging her large frame. The dream that came last night left a deep impression on her memory. Or maybe the original soul's body also felt the same way.
"Go… get away from me. Don't kill me, don't kill me. I, I don't want to die," she mumbled incoherently.
Caspian's golden eyes widened, not expecting those words to come from the strange woman in front of him.
"Calm down, no one is going to kill you," he repeated, lowering himself to match her height, hoping the woman would calm down and stop the strange stares from the people around them.
Althea's lowered head slowly lifted. Her pink eyes trembled, and she finally realized her actions.
Oh my God, what am I doing? Is this body truly traumatized by this bastard? she thought.
"I am fine. I apologize," Althea said, tightly clutching her shaking hands, then started to leave the figure in front of her.
"Wait," he said, grabbing Althea's hand again. "I want to ask something. What did you mean by 'she's stupid'? Were you talking about the witch on the poster? Do you know her?" His golden eyes had changed, replaced by a sharp, scrutinizing gaze.
"No. I don't know her." But the figure in front of her was not convinced.
Then, at some point, several large-bodied men stood behind him with a single shackled prisoner. Everyone had surrounded them, whispering to each other.
"Please believe me, My Lord, I am only a maid from the Baron Ashbourne's family. The person I meant was someone else. If you don't believe me, you can investigate it, and I will escort you directly to our residence," Althea said, trying to appear neutral while bowing her head. She hoped the figure in front of her would trust her words.
"No need, you may go," Caspian said.
Althea let out a slow sigh of relief. But as her eyes rested on the prisoner, something like a whisper was heard—a confusing remark from the prisoner who had been silent and unmoving until then.
Despite the constant strangeness—her too-quick encounter with Caspian, or the prisoner's whisper—Althea's mind focused on one thing:
No matter what, she would not attend the Crown Princess selection ball.
She would avoid the Crown Prince by any means necessary.
Today's meeting was a wake-up call for her.
But poor Althea was oblivious to one critical thing: The Crown Prince had taken an interest in her.