I hurried towards the door as I heard the knock.


    “What’s wrong ra? I got your message, you sounded distressed,” Donna said.


    “Yeah, I am distressed.”


    “What is it ra?”


    “I have been here for three days and I haven’t even had a change of clothes. I haven’t left this room. Where the heck is Kieran?”


    “Uhmm… I am sorry for the distress. Its my fault I could havee sooner to check up on you.”


    “Its not your fault. I mean you didn’t bring me here. This is all my fault? I caused this to myself. I should have just stayed back. At least Ryan took care of me.”


    “Was he your lover?”


    “Who?”


    “This Ryan you mentioned?”


    “No, it isplicated. I really don’t want to talk about that. I just feel abandoned at the moment. Its like he just brought me here to die. Maybe I should join you in your quarters.”


    “No, he didn’t bring you here as a maid.”


    “How would you know that?”


    “Because he made the announcement.”


    “What?”


    “Yes, you are not a maid here.”


    “Then what am I to do? I need to get out of this dress and I don’t have anything to put on.”


    “That’s not a problem. I have dresses, I can lend you some.”


    “And then what next? You keep lending me clothes? I can’t live like that. I want to work at least, I want to be productive. Get my hands busy perhaps I can get to forget about all of this.”


    “Okay fine. Why not I bring in the dress so you can change up? I would be harvesting tomatoes from my little farm but I would be back to give you the dress.”


    “You have a farm?”


    “Yes, just outside the pce.”


    “Then I shoulde with you. I want toe with you.”


    “No, you are not supposed to. The Lycan king will not be happy with that.”


    “He doesn’t care about me. Can’t you see? Please, let mee with you. I can harvest tomatoes, I would help you.”


    “Okay fine, I would let youe but you aren’t touching the soil.”


    “Let’s just get there. Anything to leave this ce for a second.”


    I felt alive again walking on the streets, indeed, this felt nothing like being back at the manor. For once, it felt as though I had finally made a right choice and hope resurfaced again. I didn’t know how long this wouldst but I basked in the moment savouring on every wind that graced my skin and every view I watched.


    “You seem very happy being out here.”


    “You have no idea. Do you know how long I have been indoors for?”


    “Well, I am d you are happy but we need to hurry. I don’t know how Kieran would feel if he sees you out of the building but I know that he would be furious if he sees you outside the gate. It is kind of forbidden here.”


    “So how did we get past?”


    “That’s my little secret.”


    “Come on. You can talk to me.”


    “Well the chief guard at the gate, we are kind of a thing.”


    “Oh I see. It is really going well for you here.”


    “But he doesn’t know you are with me. He would freak out.”


    “Let’s just hope he doesn’t find out.”


    “It shouldn’t be him we should be worried about.”


    “We are here,” she announced, “My babies all red and ready to be harvested.”


    “So how does this work?”


    “Harvesting?”


    “No, I know how to harvest tomatoes. I mean selling them. How do you get to sell them in town if you are not allowed to stay out for long?”


    “Who says I sell them in town?” She chuckled, “Okay this is how it works. I harvest them and take them back to the pce.”


    “If you take them back to the pce then how do you then make profits?”


    “I just give to the person in charge of handling foodstuffs in the pce and gets paid for it. Its a win for everyone.”


    “Yeah good business but do you think that Kieran would be okay if he finds out about this?”


    “Well, he is not going to be okay if he finds up here would he? Well I don’t know and I really don’t want to find out so its just best if he doesn’t.”


    “So then let’s get started.”


    “No, you aren’t touching the soil.”


    “Stop me if you can,” I said as I began harvesting the tomatoes.


    “You are one hell of a stubborn being,” she chuckled.


    “Tell me about it. Come on let me help so we would be fast and be out of here before you know it. I didn’t know much about farm works until I was taken in as a ve and made to work alone in a farm. You know the first day, I sustained an injury in my right hand on my first very attempt. You can imagine the amount of discouragement I had from that injury.”


    “I know right. My mother had a huge farm back at home and I loved the farm. It used to be beautiful. How little seeds would beget red fleshy fruits like this in a couple of months. It was wondrous. So everyday, I would be up and ready to go to the farm even before she was. It always felt like an adventure.”


    I settled on a rock after filling the first basket with tomatoes.


    “… but one day,” she continued, “there was a storm, I didn’t think it was that bad, so I matched down to the farm like every other day and it was gone.”


    “Gone?”Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    “Yeah, turned out the wind had blown out everything. We managed to gather a basket or two but that was not even up to a handful of what we would have harvested that year. My mother never recovered.”


    “I’m so sorry about that.”


    “It’s fine. It’s been a really long time ago. Doing this really reminds me of her. Alright, we are done and ready to leave.”


    “Aren’t we carrying the baskets with us?”


    “Of course not, we can’t possibly carry the whole ten baskets now. Don’t worry Lucas would bring the carriages and take it back to the pce.”


    “I guess Lucas is the boyfriend.”


    “You got that right. We have to go back now. I have to take you somewhere.”


    We headed back to the pce just the way that we hade.


    “So where is this ce we are going to?”


    “It’s the mini market.”


    “There is a market here in the pce?”


    “Not quiet but we are going to get you a dress.”


    “Finally, I would get a new dress,” I twirled and danced on the path.


    There were dresses scattered around by the time we got to the spot.


    “Magdalene! I am here” Donna called out and a much olderdy appeared from a small cottage.


    “Oh Donna, I knew it would be you. And who is your friend?”


    “Her name is ra and we need a dress for her.”


    “Hello, it’s good to see you ma’am.”


    “Just call me Magdalene and you are wee to the pce.”


    “Thank you.”


    “Magdalene is the only one allowed to go into town to run pce errands and so she gets stuff for us. We juste here and get whatever we need.”


    “Like free?”


    “No, we pay her just for what we get. And they are just the same price with that in town. She just makes everything easy for us.”


    “Cool.”


    “So what dresses are you getting?”


    “I just need something simple.”


    “This should fit,” Magdalene pulled out a red dress and handed it to me.


    “It is beautiful. I’ll take it,” I said.


    A man wearing the guards uniform walked up to us. At first I thought it was the guy Donna talked about. But then, he just stood there with a straight face like the guards back at the manor.


    “What do you want?”


    “Good day, are youdy ra?”


    “Yes, I am.”


    “Okay, this is for you,” he handed me a parcel.


    “Oh okay, thank you.”


    I opened the parcel and there was a small note inside.


    You have been summoned to the King’s chambers by 5:pm. Don’t bete.


    “Are you okay? What does the note say?”


    “Its an invitation to see the king.”


    “Oh then we have to get you a different dress,” Magdalene said.


    “No, it’s not that serious.”


    “Trust me, it is.”