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Chapter 02

As she was leaving the house in her dress, her sister and mother saw her covered in the cloak and immediately asked.

"Cate, where's the dress? Why did you cover it with that old cape?" asked Cateline's mother, who always called her by her nickname, curious to see her wearing something new.

"Mom... it's a bit tight..." said the young woman shyly, lifting up the cloak that almost completely enveloped her.

Lucinda laughed, which made Cate's eyes widen.

"It's not tight, you silly girl! It's his model. You need to show off your skills to get a suitor fast. Look at the amount of bosom that's hidden! With this war, men will soon disappear, and you won't have any if you keep hiding like that, you silly girl."

Lucinda was bold and always made the house happy with her manner.

"Did you do it on purpose?!" Cateline asked, already stressing about the situation. She didn't like the idea of drawing attention to herself.

"Girls... stop it! " Milenna, the girls' mother, approached them with a basket of vegetables.

"Cateline, you look beautiful. Your father would be proud... " She said with tearful eyes, still not over the loss of her husband.

"Who would have thought that time would pass so quickly? I pray every day that you will be happy, and that God will bless us with His grace... " said Milenna, looking up and pressing her hand to her chest.

Everyone seemed discouraged for a moment, thinking about the situation in the world, but soon that silence was broken by Lucinda. She hurriedly began to push her sister towards the wagon, as she didn't want to waste time lamenting.

"Come on, come on... " said Lucinda as she pushed her sister.

The girls' mother nodded, staying behind and saying goodbye to the girls.

"Be careful! And tell Ellen I sent you a hug..."

The girls waved back and climbed into the cart, pulled by an old horse that belonged to their father. Even though it was old, the horse was efficient, the best they had on the farm.

"I can't believe we're going to a party! " said Lucinda cheerfully, as if she had never been to a party before.

"We always go to parties in the village, Luci!" Cateline replied, trying to hold on to the cloak that was almost flying in the wind, as it was getting late and the weather was starting to cool down.

"But this is different, isn't it?" replied Lucinda, not losing heart.

They traveled by cart for about two hours until they reached the village, which was almost dark when they began to organize the goods outside the wall, near the castle's large gate. There were several makeshift stalls of farmers, jewelers, seamstresses and workers in general, trying to make some money selling their wares to the visitors who had come from far and wide to celebrate the return of Lord Sirio's sons.

"Hello, girls! " a voice was heard coming from afar. When they looked, they saw that it was Mrs. Ellen, a lady who owned one of the inns in the village.

"How are you, Mrs. Ellen? Mom sends her love. " Lucinda replied, running up to her and giving her a big hug.

Cateline did the same, hugging her affectionately.

"I see you're all dressed up today... " Ellen commented, looking at the girls with admiration. - You've grown up so fast.

She held the girls' hands as she admired them.

"Why the cape, Cate?" she asked Cateline.

"It's just cold... " Cateline tried to lie to avoid explanations, but her sister interrupted her, speaking in front of her.

"She's ashamed of her breasts! " Lucinda said, bursting into laughter, and Ellen soon followed, bursting into laughter. The lady approached Cateline to keep her voice down, realizing that the young woman was embarrassed and afraid that someone would hear.

"Don't be silly, you're beautiful. Don't be ashamed of anything. Oh, I almost forgot, I'll leave two spare rooms for you at the inn, since it's the feast day and it should be full soon. Here are the keys. They're at the back, but I hope you don't mind. Tell your mother I said hello too."

Ellen patted Cateline on the back and then left.

The rooms at the back of the inn faced the forest and were the least used because there was no traffic.

As the stay was free, the girls didn't mind the old, hidden rooms.

"You've got to stop making jokes about me!" Cateline said to Lucinda as soon as Ellen returned to the inn. Luci grimaced in response and headed for the goods to finish tidying up.

The two of them organized everything in the lobby, alongside the other vendors. As it got darker, people started lighting lamps and torches. From afar, they could hear the sound of galloping horses, announcing the arrival of the knights, generals and the Lord's sons.

They were sad and exhausted, with many bruises and tired faces. They made their way through the central gate, where the girls and other merchants were. Many locals were celebrating their victory with shouts and laughter, even if it was temporary.

One of the horses was pulling something in the cart, covered in a dirty cloth, and no one could see what it was. It looked like some kind of giant cage. However, the excitement was such that people didn't pay much attention to it.

The girls were perplexed by the number of people arriving and excited by the sales. There were visitors from all over the kingdom and even from abroad.

The absence of children saddened the girls, who didn't see any at the party, only young people and the elderly. People didn't seem to care anymore, as the situation was beyond their control. Many concentrated on living in the moment and moving on.

As soon as all the knights had entered the gates, a shout echoed from one of the Lord's sons. Lucinda's eyes lit up at the sight of him.

"Look! How beautiful, Cate! " she exclaimed to Cateline, who wasn't paying attention, focused on the sales.

"Yes, yes! Here's your change, sir... " Cateline replied seriously to the shoppers, selling sweets.

"Have we sold everything?" asked Lucinda, eager to get to the party. The young woman kept her eyes on the line of foreigners and merchants arriving and entering the castle.

"We've just started selling, Luci... " Cateline replied, still with a serious tone. All she wanted was to sell quickly so she could go to her room at the inn and take off that tight dress. She held her cloak up all the time, embarrassed and afraid that others would see her bust.

"But the Lord's son... " Lucinda began to pout, watching him from afar.

"No more! " Cateline looked at her as if she was going to scream at any moment, because she couldn't stand all the fuss any longer.

The musicians started playing, people were running around drunk in the streets, there were fights and couples hugging, a real mess.

"Can we at least have a drink?" asked Lucinda, almost begging, crossing her fingers.

"We're working, Luci... " Cateline replied, keeping her serious posture.

"We could at least drink, since we can't go in... " Lucinda repeated quietly, turning her back to Cateline, who finally agreed.

"Right... just a little, eh? We still have to sell everything... " Cateline said, and Lucinda turned as if she had expected this answer from her sister. She gave Cateline a big hug, without saying anything, and ran off towards the gate, disappearing among all those people.

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