Towards the Winter Cabin of Serenity and Madness, Cinderella Runs - Chapter 51
Roel blinked as she swallowed nervously to Hermi’s assertive voice.
“Don’t grovel, don’t be too observant, and don’t let on that you have no family, got it?”
“Yes, yes.”
“And don’t smile at everyone or be overly polite; they’ll suspect you first. Better to be thought rude than a fool.”
Roel nodded vigorously. She didn’t fully grasp the meaning but understood that these were words of concern. She must have seemed so pitiful for even a stranger to lecture her like this. Roel’s shoulders slumped.
After a long lecture as a fellow runaway, Hermi held out her hand.
“So, are you going to pay in advance?”
“Here, here you go.”
Roel fumbled for the coins she had stowed away, prompting Hermi’s nose to wrinkle like an angry kitten.
“What if you give me the money now and I pretend there’s no spot tomorrow?”
“Ah? Oh, right! I’ll give it to you tomorrow then.”
“Really, it’s so frustrating…”
Hermi shook her head after seeing how naive and guileless Roel was. Roel glanced around apologetically, only to be scolded again for not remembering her earlier advice against fawning.
“I won’t be here tomorrow. I’ll give you a card so don’t forget to bring it.”
As closing time approached, Hermi handed Roel a trader’s ID card before ushering her out of the merchant’s guild. Roel tucked the card deep into her pocket, exhaling a sigh of relief.
‘Lucky to have met someone kind.’
It had been a day that seemed to consume all her life’s luck. From the merchant who gave her a ride to the woman who agreed to include her in the trading caravan, she had received help twice.
Fog had settled heavily.
People with homes cheerfully moved on, but Roel stood still on the path. She had nowhere to stay.
‘Where will I sleep tonight?’
Every penny counted. She only needed to last until 4 a.m., but it seemed too costly to rent a room at an inn.
And staying out on the streets was risky too. Even in a city that seemed safe, who knew what sorts of people roamed after dark.
As Roel looked around, she spotted a cart covered with a cloth. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she quietly approached it.
‘I’d have to come back here anyway tomorrow.’
She made an excuse as she slipped into the cart. The cloth cover kept the wind out, making it somewhat bearable against the cold.
She curled up, hugging her bundle, trying to make the hard cart floor more comfortable. Though her shoulder ached from the hardness, she wasn’t in a position to wish for a better bed.
‘Just a quick nap before waking up. The traders start their day at dawn, so I better be here waiting for them before they arrive.’
Roel drifted into a light sleep. Despite the lacking shelter, she fell asleep almost instantly due to her exhaustion.
During the deep, quiet hours of the night, while everyone else was deeply asleep, Roel woke up with a pale face.
She had dreamt a nightmare where Roniti was strangling her. The screams in her dream were so vivid that she felt chilled to the bone long after waking up. Her throat even felt sore, likely from the cold night air.
With the cold and the nightmares, she felt she couldn’t fall back asleep. Resigning herself to just a few hours of rest, she stayed awake through the night.
She yearned for his warm embrace. She remembered the kind eyes, deep voice, large hands that gently stroked her cheek, and a calming scent that eased her anxiety.
The ache of missing him was so painful it felt as though her heart might rip apart, yet she couldn’t stop yearning because the faint sense of happiness amidst the sharp pains felt intoxicatingly sweet.
As she endured, she knew the night would eventually pass. Dawn would soon come.
* * *
Kyden stood still on the mountain path and rested his hands on his hips. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“Damn.”
He thought he could easily catch up to Roel since she walks slowly. He figured he could clean things up here and still have time to catch up with her. He regretted that he did not consider the possibility of encountering a caravan on the trail.
To the right, a footprint was noticeably deeper. Roel’s limping steps. Her trail ended here, but it didn’t look like she had turned back. Beside her footprints were the tracks of a cart. She must have met a merchant and hitched a ride.
Didn’t he anticipate this happening? Why did he delay so much? He questioned himself.
He had deliberately started late, hoping that Roel, weary and burdened by the difficult journey, might give up and be disheartened. And then he would appear before her like a savior and end her ordeal and possibly gain her dependency.
It was his greedy mind that had made him stall.
He had wanted Roel to need him more…
