Chapter Six: Escape Place
Estelle
A loud knock from the wooden door startled me and made me jump out of the bed. On the other side of the door is Adela who kept banging the wooden door. That girl should chill otherwise she'll destroy it.
"Estelle, wake up now! Tonight's busy. This girl... why are you still sleeping?" she shouted and you could hear a glint of annoyance on it.
With that, I hurriedly went to the door as I was tying my hair into a ponytail. When I already opened it, without any warning, she handed me the tray and gave me a push. While going downstairs I can already hear the loud chatters. But this time, the Inn is busier than usual.
"What's with today?" I asked with a confused look while Joan was putting the beer jars on my tray. Meanwhile, Adela already went to the customers and served them together with Edith and Sarah.
"Serve these to that table," she said without answering my question though she seems out of it already. Joan just continued what she was doing— seeing the list of the orders, making them, and putting them on the counter or tray so we could serve them.
I let out a deep sigh and did what I had to do, serve the customers. Her look is the same as mine when I'm putting all of my attention into studying. Understandable.
"Tomorrow's the celebration for the Feast of the Saintess," Cecil said to me after a while when the number of customers calmed down. She was still at the counter typing and putting an eye on the tabs.
I looked at her intently as if I was saying that she should further explain what that was because I had no idea.
"The night is usually busy during this time. Later at midnight marks the 104th anniversary day when the Saintess successfully killed the Great Witch that created chaos in the whole Empire," she added.
Edith continued what Cecil was saying when a customer approached her.
"The Saintess from the West! According to my grandmother, a story that was passed down by my great-grandmother, we should be grateful that we were born in this era. Famine, war, burned down castles, and bodies of knights or even peasants can be seen on the streets everywhere! You name it. The land became the work of the devil. Then the savior of us all, the Saintess. She successfully captured the witch and burned down her body in front of the townsfolk, in the West. Specifically, in the land that is now part of the Kingdom called the Waessatra. That's why the West is known as the Holy Land where the Pope relies. I once went to the West and everywhere I looked, I could see holy artifacts. It was so creepy—" Edith wasn't able to finish her rambling when Joan suddenly gave her a tray full of heavy beer jars.
"Go give that to them. They're waiting," she said which made Edith pout and stomp her feet while going in the customers' direction. Joan now turned to me and smiled, "Sorry about earlier. You see, I'm not good at multitasking and earlier my mind was occupied by their purchases," she looked at the customers as she pertained to them.
"I don't mind," I assured her and smiled at her. I also carefully put the bread on my tray as I'm going to serve them, too.
"She is of loquacious manner."
"Sorry?" I asked Joan while I already lifting the tray.
"Edith. I'm pertaining to her... Oh, Sarah, your loyal customer is here. Serve him this," Joan changed the topic when Sarah approached us.
She just gave Joan a tired look and went to a man who sat alone in the dark. Joan continued talking, "He's interested in Sarah but she isn't to him. Back to what I was saying earlier, Edith is prone to talking excessively that sometimes she would say something she shouldn't."
"Like how the holy artifacts she's seen earlier were... creepy?" I whispered the last word that made Joan chuckle while nodding. She's so graceful.
"That's quite right. You see, today's the festival yet she's saying something like that."
"What do you expect from Edith?" Comes Adela while handing an empty tray wherein Joan immediately put some beers.
"Come on, Estelle. Let's serve this already so that we can enjoy the festival later on."
I nodded and followed Adela.
While serving the customers, suddenly a loud ringing of bells was heard. With that, most of our customers stood up and packed their things, others drank and ate their portions hurriedly and already went to the door. After putting down the last bread from my tray to the customer, I went to the counter and asked what was happening.
"You're really strange, Estelle. So foreign!" Edith commented when she heard my question while taking off her apron. "It's already an hour before the opening of the festival's celebration. That bell was the sign."
"Let's hurry girls and do our best to look good!" Sarah shouted. "A lot of nobles, specifically Lords, will be there later at the Central Market. Who knows if our beauties can catch one of them."
"This girl, all she is interested in are other men when in fact, she keeps ignoring the man who likes her," Cecil said as loudly as she could which made Sarah roll her eyes. All of us there laughed and the man who was called out almost choked on his drink.
While Sarah was fighting for her life while being teased by the other girls, Cecil, and some customers, I suddenly felt some pain in my chest. In my eyes, I saw that we are like a big happy family.
The cheers, the laughs, the friendly fights... it was so loud yet it was not the same loudness as I experienced at home. I thought that the comfort brought by Café Estella to me was enough but I didn't know that I was this selfish.
The warmth I am feeling right now in the Elderberry Inn is what I crave.
"Estelle! Oh dear, why are you crying in such festive?" Cecil worriedly asked as she went to me and helped me wipe my tears. I didn't notice that tears already left my eyes.
So embarrassing!
"Are you alright?" Adela asked. It seems like I got their attention too.
"Oh yes, yes! It's just that staying here feels so warm. I've never experienced something like this before. It's different from where I came from," I honestly said.
I saw them looking at each other, not knowing how to comfort me.
"Ah! I said too much. No need to get worried, I feel really happy right now."
"Estelle..." Edith said and gave me a tight hug. I hugged her back. The other gave me a warm and reassuring smile.
When me and Edith finally released our hug, Cecil told me the words that I didn't know that I'd still hear again,
"It looks like you have it rough, Estelle. Since you started working here at the inn, you are already a part of our family. Whatever it is, you will have our support and if you need something, just say anything to me or the other girls. I am here for you."
'I am here for you.'
The same words Nana would always tell me whenever I cried myself to sleep. She's the only one who is my ally in that wretched house.
Nana...
A downward smile formed on my lips. I bit the inside of my cheeks to stop my tears from falling again and fortunately, it didn't.
"Thank you, everyone. Now what kind of activities can we do to enjoy the festival to my heart's content?"
To lift the heavy atmosphere that I have created, I changed the topic and asked for that sentence using my liveliest voice. But this time, no one answered me and all of their sights are now at the inn's door.
When I turned my back, I saw a man who had a pathetic face and trying to catch his breath at the entrance. When he was about to enter, he accidentally bumped his head on the upper frame and almost lost his balance.
Most of us almost let out a laugh. Azval...
"Looks like someone's here to fetch this miss," Sarah teased and nudged my elbow. I unconsciously pointed myself.
"M-Me?"
"You asked earlier what kind of activities you can do to enjoy the festival to your heart content's right? Sir Mercenary surely will know that," Adela stated and raised her brows up and down.
"Have fun now, girls." Cecil one by one pushed us away from the counter. "You see, I am too old for the festival and I can handle the customers that are left. Go on your way now."
Edith and Joan hurriedly went to their room upstairs saying that they'd get their things, Sarah didn't even have a chance to say anything when suddenly the guy that she was being teased by offered her to go outside already and there was me who was now in the verge of thinking if I should go with Azval or Adela.
"I want to go with Adela," I firmly said in front of Azval who has now raised his left eyebrow.
"What?" Both Azval and Adela said in shock.
"Hah! You didn't know what I've been through to be here just so both of us can welcome the festival together," he said in disbelief.
"I don't want to see your face anymore."
"What?!"
"Don't you want to see my face anymore, too? We've been together almost every single night after my shift. Aren't you tired?" I told him while my shoulders dropped.
What I told him was true. Since I have been consuming the pill every day for ten days, I have been seeing his face every night, too. Though sometimes I would only see him for an hour or just him dropping by the inn but still! I still see him every time I'm here.
He didn't answer me and just suddenly dropped his head as if somebody snapped it. Worriedly, I grabbed his left arm and shook it but he won't budge. His body won't even respond to me shaking it. He's like a pillar of the wall. Firm and unshakable.
Yet earlier, this is the same guy who bumped his head and lost his balance.
"I won't go with you." Azval's head suddenly raised and his eyes sparkled looking at Adela who said those words to me. I on the other hand felt betrayed.
"But I want a girl bonding with you," I said with the saddest tone I got.
During my stay here at the inn, Adela was the one who kept teaching me the things that I needed to know. The names of the breads that we serve, the different types of beer, and sometimes she would even name the strange things that the customers would do at our inn.
Well, it's not strange for them but it is definitely for me. Imagine serving someone who in just a snap of his finger, set his bread on fire and toast it. That guy was a mage.
"I have someone to be with, actually," Adela said and she went her face went red. That was my sign not to pursue my intention towards her so I just nodded and looked at the person who was now beside me.
You can now see how light up his face is and that even though some sweat is running down his face, he seems to have forgotten it.
But it bothered me...
Since he's a lot of inches taller than me, I tiptoed and planned to brush my fingertips on his face but before I could do so, he suddenly grabbed my hand in brute force and looked at me with a shocked face.
"Y-Your sweat bothered me. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have planned to touch your face without your permission—"
"It's dirty."
"Oh right! I should've washed my hands first—"
"No! I mean, my sweat is dirty," he said as he released my hand and turned his back on me.
An uncomfortable silence surrounded us and I felt that my cheek started to heat up. Minutes later, that silence was broken by Adela's laughter.
"You should go now! Be sure to go to Central Place," she said as she pushed the both of us outside. When she successfully did she waved us goodbye and slammed the wooden door as hard as she could like she was saying that there was no coming back for me.
Azval and I looked at each other and chuckled. It's like we both applied for a job but one of us got rude to the boss so it kicked us out.
"Shall we go to the Central Place now? It is already lively for sure," Azval asked. I nodded and the both of us started walking already.
"By the way, your hair looks different today. It looks more... prim?" I said.
His usual hair I just brushed down, this time it was brushed up, exposing his forehead. His well-kept hair doesn't match his mercenary outfit.
It looks like he attended some high-end event but went home and changed into much simpler clothes in a hurry. Additionally, he forgot to wash his hair to match the look, went straight to his bed, and slept.
Without much thought, using his right hand, he suddenly grabbed his hair and messed it up. I felt a slight disappointment when it went down.
"Much better?" he said while smiling but it faded right away.
"No. You looked better when it was brushed up."
I hope I didn't say that because the only thing that he did until we reached Central Place was to get his hair brushed up and mumbled some things when he wasn't able to do it. I can't help but secretly hold my laughter.
He looks so silly.
However, my attention was averted away from him when we reached the Central Place. Beautiful is not enough to describe this place... it's majestic!
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