*****CHAPTER 12

"Fuck off, Snow."
 
But Snow only laughed and stood rooted to her spot, her arms crossed around her bosom.
 
"Who is he?" Tell me.  "Is he a high-class wolf?"
 
"I don't know what you are talking about." I ignored her and returned to lie down on my bed again.
 
"You little whore." He said he was going to kiss you. She laughed again, and my nose flared as she spoke.
 
"I am not a whore like you, Snow." I fired back at her, but she only rolled her eyes at my snide remark. She had never cared and had never been affected by people pointing fingers at her and calling her a whore, just the same way I did not care when people called me a thief.
 
"You still haven't told me who he is." She said nonetheless. "I pity him." Whoever he is, poor fellow.  I am sure he was only blinded by your beauty to see the disgusting masculine side of you. "Did you tell him you would be getting recruited into the army soon?"
 
My chest burned with rage at her heartless comments, but I still fought to get a grip on myself.
 
"Does he know you're a petty thief too?" She asked again, the laughter on her face never fading. "Does he know that even becoming friends with you would mean he was tainting his reputation?" "Ever heard the saying that the friend of a foe is a foe?"
 
Before I could open my mouth to answer her this time, luckily, Pearl came from behind her and defended me on time.
 
"That's enough, Snow." "Stop being a bully."
 
Snow eyed her despicably and scoffed at her direction. She looked a bit surprised that Pearl had spoken back at her in that manner. Even I was taken aback by Pearl's strange behavior.
 
"Why should I?" "I was only congratulating our dear sister for finding a man who picked interest in her for the very first time."
 
"How nice of you." Pearl smiled a fake smile at her. "Since you are done congratulating her, why don't you take your leave already?"
 
"This is my room too." Snow raised a brow at her.
 
"Fine.  Stay."  The smile on Pearl's face dissolved and was replaced by a blank, cold expression. "But do not try to mess with her anymore."
 
"Whatever.  "Spoiled disrespectful brats." Snow snuck her nose into the air and flung her long hair across her shoulder before catwalking out of the room and finally leaving Pearl and I alone.
 
My eyes traveled back to Pearl. I couldn't believe my little sister had defended me from our oldest sister. Pearl was always the quietest one amongst us. She never raised her voice nor tried to get into any argument. It was as if something came over her today.
 
"Hey."  Pearl smiled at me and sat beside me on the bed.
 
"Hi."  I faked a smile at her too.
 
"So, a boy, huh?" She was almost laughing this time. I fought to hold back a smile from appearing on my face, and instead, I camouflaged it with a fake pout.
 
"A boy.  "What are you talking about?"
 
"Stop treating me like a child, Mae." She laughed now. "I've noticed you these past weeks. You are always sneaking around with a piece of paper. "Don't tell me you are exchanging love letters."
 
My cheeks warmed up as I blushed, and I looked away to hide my now pink cheeks from her.
 
"What are you talking about?" "Stop being delusional, Pearl."
 
Pearl laughed again, and after her laughter died down a few seconds later, she reached for my hand and gently stroked it.
 
"If you've found someone you like, then I am happy for you, Mae. "You deserve to be loved endlessly." "He is a lucky man to have you."
 
With my face hidden from view, I smiled a small, appreciative smile as her words warmed my insides. My mind floats to another imagined scene of me and the stranger kissing. For the first time, I anticipated meeting him in real life.
 
I bet he was going to be the sweetest and gentlest man in the whole of Redwood. And then, I would prove to Snow that there really was someone who would accept me for who I was and with whom I would feel free and genuinely loved.
 
Someone who would come like a knight in shining armor and save me from my life of nightmares

................

MAE'S POV

I pushed my way through the busy market and scanned my surroundings for traders who sell footwear. As I searched around the marketplace, I kept my hand clutched to my pocket, feeling for the jiggles of the coins in it. Today, I broke the few coins I had saved up for Pearl's new pair of shoes that I had promised her. As promised, she had come out with better results than the previous terms, and I had to keep my promise of getting her a new pair of shoes for school.
 
A smile broke across my face as my eyes finally landed on a footwear trader, and I quickened my pace and walked to his stall. There were a few people there who were pricing and making purchases too. I pushed my way carelessly through them, and I heard some of the annoyed customers curse at me, but I did not care. It was not my first time getting cursed by angry people. In fact, it had become an everyday song I had to listen to.
 
"How much do you sell this for, sire?" I picked one of the shoes and held it up for the trader to see. It was a brown shoe with heels that had stripes as designs. It was pretty, and I could bet my life that Pearl would absolutely love it. As I waited expectantly for the trader to reply to me, I imagined Pearl's face when I finally handed this pair of shoes to her. She would literally die in joy.
 
"Seventy bronze coins." He answered me, and the smile on my face slipped off as he called the price. Seventy bronze coins for a pair of shoes? Was my ear playing tricks on me?
 
"Out of my way, girl!" An impatient customer pushed me aside and proceeded to make a purchase from the trader. She ended up getting the pair of shoes I had wanted to pick for Pearl. As the trader wrapped up the woman's purchase and collected the coins from her, my heart sank, and I took a shaky breath in to console myself.
 
It's okay.  I could get a better one, and a cheaper one too.
 
"How much do you sell these for too?" I picked up another pair of shoes and showed them to the trader. It was a dark pair that had pearls embroidered around it. Even though it was not as pretty as the first one, it was fairly beautiful as well.
 
"That would be sixty bronze coins." He raised his gaze at me and gave me an impatient scowl.
 
With a sigh, I gave up and backed away from his stall, giving the shoes one last disappointed look before walking away again. I could not believe I would have to spend such an absurd amount of money on a pair of shoes. That amount of money would be enough to feed my family a three-course meal.
 
I would have to find another way.

Whatever was going to happen today, letting Pearl down wasn't going to be one of them. I would do whatever I can do to make her happy.

No matter what it takes....