While walking across the vast land filled with greenery, I could not help but say, “My legs are blessed today as they can finally do justice to what they are made for.”
“Make sure not to let them go overboard, or my lady won’t be able to walk even a single step after getting sore legs,” Martha commented.
“You can never let me feel happy, can you?” I frowned.
On most days, I could only walk inside the tower’s premises, the farthest being my garden, which was just a pitifully short distance that didn’t even make me feel like my leg muscles were stretched.
After walking for a long time, Martha and I arrived at the market side of the capital. I enjoyed visiting this place as I could see so many different things in a single glance. It allowed me to wander around with other people without any restriction. Being here made me feel like an ordinary person, like I was truly one of them, and I liked it.
‘I feel alive here. I wish I never have to go back to the palace,’ I thought and looked at Martha, who was walking with me. If only this old lady is not with me…’
Even though the lives of common people were full of constant struggles, selling things and laboring to make a living, their lives looked far better than my prison life.
Happily, my eyes scanned the market to cherish every moment as I didn’t know when I would come here next time. Many shops, small roadside stalls, and food carts were lined up on either side of the street.
People were buying things from the shops, bargaining with them for just a single penny. Some were eating food from the stalls, while kids were playing around and throwing tantrums to their mothers to get what they wanted. Merchants from different shops and stalls were calling out to inform what new things they have to let the curious customers buy them.
Young women around my age were buying things and laughing with each other, but what pulled my attention the most was the fact that their mothers were buying things for their daughters to make them look even prettier, and those daughters looked happy to be pampered. Little girls could be seen walking around holding the hands of their fathers, and their fathers were buying them whatever they wanted.
Their eyes showed how much these parents loved their daughters.
‘I would never have this in my life.’
I felt envious.
Martha looked at me. “My lady, would you like to buy something?”
I shook my head. “I have everything, and what’s the use of wasting the King’s money when those things will only end up in the closet?” I sighed and thought, ‘If only someone can buy for me too, just like those girls. How fortunate they are to get so much love.’
“Would my lady mind it if I buy something for her?” Martha asked as if she guessed what was in my mind.
“Why would you? It’s not like you are my mother,” I said and walked ahead as Martha continued to follow me.
One particular shop caught my eye. It was a shop showcasing beautiful dresses for ladies. Although it was a small shop, it looked packed with clothes as most of them hung at the entrance.
Something clicked in my mind, and I said, “I would like to try dresses from this shop.”
Martha nodded, and we entered the shop, but there was just a little space left for us to move around. Martha had been forced to stand a little farther like a guard.
I looked at the dresses that the owner of the shop, an old lady, showed me.
“This will suit the young lady,” said the owner, spreading an olive green dress in front of me.
“Can I try this?” I asked.
“The room is there.” The old lady pointed towards one wooden door at the end of the shop. Even more clothes were hung in that area, and the door to the changing room was almost buried behind them. Looking at the space between each rack of clothes, only one person could pass at a time.
I looked at Martha. “Wait for me.”
The owner went to entertain Martha as I left for the changing room. Before closing the door, I saw Martha leave the shop, but I didn’t know why and where she was going.
“This is my chance.”
I put down the olive green dress that I was holding, picked up one light blue-colored robe that hung close to me, and put it on. Most shops in this market area always had one exit on the backside for their staff, and I understood that general design after sneaking out to visit this market with Martha before.
I put on the light blue robe and exited the shop from its backside.
“This old lady will regret not answering my questions. How can she not tell me about my own mother?”
