One More Step

"Wow. The fire thrower. And there are so many jugglers..."

Because they were inside the store, they didn't care what was going on outside. But now seeing so many attractions their eyes darted everywhere.

Suddenly Anna felt Kyra's hand dragging her back into the store.

When they went in Ling healer came with a surprised expression. "Something...?"

Buy Kyra just shook her head. "May we ask you for a favor?"

Ling healer nodded. "Of course. What is it?'

" We want to stroll around for a while. Can you exchange few silver stones into copper coins and rest keep here until we come back? I worry that it will be stolen."

Understanding their situation she accepted and with a smile gave each of them fifty copper coins. When they looked at her she just smiled.

"I will exchange one by one. If you carry too much they might literally follow you. But having few coppers coins it's better. After all, you can come back to me for more."

The girls smiled brightly and had the wish to hug her, but that would be inappropriate, so they gave up that idea.

They went out and started having their stroll. Luckily, they had no big problems. They would occasionally take the copper coins to give those who made them laugh most.

There was even a puppeteer show. While watching the show between in front of the box and laughing with others they felt quite happy.

But that didn't last long.

After the show was over they spent few copper coins into the box for the money and were about to leave.

The sudden shout made them furrow their eyebrows. "Hey. You two. The foreign girls..."

Kyra and Anna felt like running when they recognized the woman that shouted at them.

With a smile in their face, they stood there and waited for her to get to them.

Of course, that annoying servant.

"Didn't you hear calling you? Why didn't you come to me?" She pointed her fingers at their face while they just timidly blinked at her.

Kyra rose her hand. "We are just two small children and fear to be separated. That is the first thing, second is that we are short and had no idea who called us. And third, we are not your servants or slaves. If we start jumping to everyone's call wouldn't we lose face to our community? I never heard that anyone from our village became servant to a servant."

Using her loud voice and river of words she stopped talking and just stared at her.

The servant's face became red from anger. "You little..."

She wanted to curse at the child in front of herself but lost words while seeing people pointing fingers at her.

Actually, they didn't do anything to her in the first place. But she found them annoying to the eye.

She inhaled deeply and then spoke again. "My family's daughter wants to meet the two of you now. You are to behave in front of her."

The girls stared at her as she was some kind of lunatic. Kyra chuckled coldly. "It seems I didn't make myself clear. We are not interested to get involved with anyone from your family. Last time you yelled at us and showed us the real face. What if we go now with you and got beaten to death without anyone's knowledge. Sorry thanks, but no thanks. We offer a deep apology to the family and with our bow, we beg them not to harm us."

The two girls bowed deeply and then when they saw her not moving a bit they bowed again. And again...

They continued until she was about to snap at them.

Suddenly soft voice could be heard behind the servant. "I didn't have the idea that you two had such a view of our family."

The crowd opened the way to a pretty young woman adorned in a beautiful dress and many accessories.

Kyra and Anna just turned their bow towards her. "We don't dare to be in such company. Last time this aunt here gave feeling that we might die if we meet again. So we are quite afraid, ease understand us." Anna looked at the woman timidly and pouted.

The young woman looked coldly at the servant and almost hissed. "Go back home and get punishment. After that pack your things and go back home, we don't need people who will make us lose so much face."

She waved her hand and a couple of servants stepped forward to drag the female servant away. But is that even so easy?

The servant went on her knees and started banging her head on the hard floor. Soon she started having wound and was about to bleed when she felt her cheek burning and her head spinning.

"I just asked you to take the punishment. Your monthly money would be probably confiscated and you will be cleanly released. But you act like someone will really harm you back in our place. Not only that, banging your head here and then turning such auspicious day into blood mess, are you trying to kill off my family members?"

The young woman was all white fro. fear and started feeling dizzy from anger and disappointment. Her servant girl jumped to hold her so she could stabilize her breathing.

The one that was on the floor suddenly stood up and was about to say something but got hit in her knee and went again to the floor.

"Who dares?" She yelled and looked at the surroundings and pointing finger at random people.

The young lady shook her head and her eyes became misty. "Lei, you were brought to our home as thanks for your help when my brother needed help. I hoped to give you a couple of Years with me to teach you how to behave and help you find a good husband. Our family already was planning for you and your future. But seeing that even after a year living and working in our home didn't change your personality, making it even worse, I regret."

Lei just laughed. "I became your servant. What is glorious in that."

But suddenly she heard chuckling from those two girls. She shot them poisonous glare. "You laugh at me?"

Kyra nodded. "If it's true what this lady said then you actually are a really stupid person."

Lei now was seriously offended and angry, but unfortunately she felt somehow weak. But her mouth was not weak at all. "Just two orphans that have no right to speak in this country. You date even argue to someone who is a higher position than you..."

Kyra blinked at her. "I didn't argue with this lady..." And then looked at the young woman with small bow and smile.

"I meant me." Lei finally stood up and walked to the girls.

Kyra innocently blinked her eyes. "You was before servant that is actually a cheek of its master and made us fear the lady's family. Now you are peasant just like us, why do you feel still higher than us?"

Lei laughed as she stepped in front of them. "Because no matter if I am servant, slave or peasant I am local and you are not."

Kyra looked at people surrounding them and having fun and then smiled. "Sorry to break that bubble you have in your head, but we are local as well. We were born here and raised to love this country and respect it rules. The only difference between me and you is that I look different. But you look different as well comparing to the people in capital. Look around, your face is round and big while they have slender faces. Your nose is tiny while they have a beautiful shape, your eyes are small but look at your lady and her servants that have big doe like eyes. So no matter how we look, I am different and so are you."

Kyra turned to the young lady and bowed. "We are sorry for assuming wrong about your family. We are deeply sorry and hope to get your forgiveness as well we hope your elders will forgive us for our bold assumption."

Anna nodded as Kyra spoke and stood next to her and bowed as well.

The young lady looked at the two girls and found them cute. She suddenly smelled something and got closer to get whiff. "Nice fragrance. Can I see your pouch?"

But girls just laughed. Anna pointed at medicine store and whispered. "We tried some sort of flower essence over there. But it was to expensive for us so we left. You might as well ask the medicine lady Ling."

The young lady just nodded and smiled. "Then I'll be in my way there. Have fun and see you again next time."

She paused for a moment while passing Lei and then just signed and left while shaking her head.

Lei felt annoyed and wanted to release the annoyance at girls bit when she looked they were gone. "Stupid foreigners."

Her knuckles became white while she searched with her eyes trough the crowd.

People started leaving and she got pushed around do much that her hair loosened up and all the pretty accessories she had got loose and fell off.

When she arrived at the manor the servants just turned their heads away from her and sent her straight to the main office.

There she got written release and her stuff in a bag.

Looking through her stuff she saw all the money she saved so far and sighed in relief and left manor she cursing everyone out.

In the end, some people just had no luck. She got robbed on way to the village and when she came home her family just married her to a man that already had a bunch of concubines.

No notice about her was heard afterwards...