170 2.1.22: Sneaking Out II

"Miss, are you sure what you're doing is right?" Libby asked anxiously as she saw Violetta dressing up in commoner clothes. Her normal clothes, which were elegant and befitting of a noble young lady, were replaced by drags that peasants in the country would wear. She wore a dull, brown dress and her silky hair was braided into a messy braid that fell on her shoulder. She wore no makeup so her face was clean and fresh, looking youthful.

"Libby," Violetta said exasperatedly, "I know what you think I'm doing is reckless," she crossed her arms, "but I really want to."

"But Miss—"

"I know, a noble lady shouldn't be doing anything like this. But Libby, do you remember the first time I appeared in the mansion all those years ago?" Of course, Violetta was seven, how could Libby forget? A malnourished child that looked so small and fragile, she wondered how the girl would survive under the cruelty of the Duchess. Yes the Duchess' authority was below the Duke's, but in the household, who didn't know that the true power belonged to the cold woman?

Libby remembered the way that she was mistreated in the beginning, even being ignored by the servants in accordance to Alistair who was directly under the Duchess. She, along with the rest of the servants, didn't think that this small sprout would grow or accomplish anything, but they were wrong. Silently, she had endured the harsh training of the Duchess and grown into a lovely flower, strong and resilient.

Libby sighed, "Of course Miss, how could I dare to forget?" Libby gently combed the excessive hair strands that weren't pulled into the braid, trying to calm the chaos that it was.

"Then you should know the youth I had lost in order to appease everyone." In order to survive, but Xiao Yunhua didn't dare to say that. Only she and Ingrid knew of her real identity, so she had to make sure that she didn't slip up and get anyone suspicious. Her illegitimate status, although belonging to Evelyn originally, was also a hindrance as it was an obstacle everyone would see before they saw her. She was sure that even Dominic was told to be wary of her because her value was that of an unwanted child meant to replace the noble blooded young lady.

"Miss..." Libby's eyes softened. Indeed, she had been nearly a prisoner, forcing to perfect herself under the pressure and strictness of the Duchess. She hadn't had the chance to do anything like explore, even after these past couple of months. "Why don't you wait a little more? Why today?"

"There is a festival today! Every year, on this day, I've always wanted to go. Unfortunately, I couldn't and you know why." Libby wanted to say that she should wait to go next year, but the maidservant paused. The Miss was already fourteen years old. She was most likely getting engaged once she had her debutant party and would never have the chance to be free like this ever again. The Miss has waited until the very last moment for this, she couldn't wait until next year as she couldn't have the likelihood to do it.

In the end, Libby felt like she was just too soft on the young miss and sighed. "Alright, that's fine. Please let me come with you for your safety."

"No!" Xiao Yunhua objected immediately, stunning Libby. The maid froze, not expecting such an outburst from the usually dignified young miss, to which caused Xiao Yunhua's cheeks to flush. She was usually composed and rarely showed her real personality and not the one that she had accommodated to while with the Duchess, especially in the mansion where the Duchess had people to keep an eye on things for her. "It's not that I don't want you to come, it's just that I don't want you to get in trouble. Plus, it'll seem suspicious. Just stick around and then keep them away from the room."

Libby wanted to oppose, but in the end, she realized that the suggestion was for the best. However, this left the young miss vulnerable and open to danger, so she was very worried. Seeing the worried look in Libby's eyes, Xiao Yunhua smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just use the excuse that I'm resting. I promise to be back very soon. It'll be a couple of hours at most." Libby suspired and felt herself grow weak. This young miss was going to cause trouble, she was sure of it! She usually wasn't a troublemaker, but her suggestion today gave the indication of one. Although Libby felt a little guilty because the miss wouldn't have needed to sneak out if she had been raised like the other youths her age.

Even the noble young ladies could go out, with a couple of servants, but still had that freedom. The only luxury that Violetta had was the luxury of either going to the parties that are sent, in order to make connections, or the luxury of staying home. "Alright, please be safe." Xiao Yunhua nodded, knowing that she would definitely be safe. She still had her martial arts, although level one, efficient enough to defend herself in this world.

A few minutes later, she had already left via the servant entrance. Luckily, she was dressed inconspicuously and didn't get a second look from any of the servants that were going in and out. For one thing, she didn't lie that she wanted to see the festival, but her real goal was Dominic. He had mentioned that every year, he would attend this festival, and seeing how everything was progressing, she decided to take her chances and meet him there. Meeting him at the festival would hopefully increase his affections for her, be it his affections of friendship or his affections of like, she wanted for them to increase.

She wandered around and was surprised to see herself actually fascinated with the buzzing market. The only time she had seen this market was when she was seven, but she didn't have a chance to explore it nor see it fully. Now, as she walked around, she appreciated the all types of cultures that were being shown in Verglas. She assumed that it was because Verglas was the capital of GKY, hence the diversity and the different merchants trying to sell different things. One of the merchants, seeing that she's a young girl, ushered her over and showcased a ring in front of her.

"Young girl, this ring isn't just any ring, but a ring from the kingdom of Ayrelie!" Hearing the name of the other kingdom, her interest was piqued and she walked over, shocked at the ring. Wasn't this her black claddagh ring? The special object of her last world that turned out to be completely useless? How had the thing appeared here in the hands of this merchant? She had a feeling that it was the working of the system again, but had no way of confirming it.

"I'll take it!" The merchant's eyes flashed with joy, thinking that he had succeeded in deceiving the girl into being his customer. However, that joy faded when he saw that she had no money on her.

"Are you playing a trick on me? You clearly have no money, get away from my things!" Xiao Yunhua's fists clenched and she asked the merchant if she could pay for it later. The ring was highly important, as it could potentially help her since it was a special item, so she had to do her best to get it. "No way, you clearly look poor. Go off before I get people to beat you!"

Dejectedly, she turned around, only to bump into a hard wall that caused her to stumble...