Jacques's worker accompanied me to the carriage stop as per his instructions, with his wagon carrying all I bought.

Upon reaching, he began helping me unpack.

"Thank you, sir."

The man let out a smile, revealing his front toothless gums. He carefully placed my sacks of food on the ground.

"Ya better get to your carriage, lad, and soon. When the sun begins to set, this part of town ain't friendly."

"Yes, I will. Thank you."

He tipped his hat in goodbye and climbed back on his wagon. With a high whistle, the horse began moving, and on he went, disappearing into the fading crowd.

I glanced around nervously. The carriage was to stop here, as per Marie's instructions on the paper, at twilight.

'Where's that carriage? Is it running late?'

Then I saw it—winding out of the street a block in front of me, already blending into the main road… and leaving.

"Hey! Wait!"

I shouted, my voice rising with panic, but the driver didn't hear, or didn't care.

I let out a frustrated sigh.

"Eh, it wasn't going to fit in that crowded wagon anyway."

I looked at the piles of sacks in front of me. It would be damn near impossible to carry them all the way up that hill.

I could not call back Jacques' guy to help me; he was already far away.

I most definitely could not leave it here; I needed all this food to feed Alcestè and myself.

Plus, it costs a lot of money!

"Maybe I should have planned better," I murmured, feeling that creeping sense of dread rising.

There was no use looking back at my shortcomings; all I could do was find an alternative to reaching back there.

'Maybe a delivery? Are there any carriages for hire?'

It could work. Deliveries existed even at these times, I guess? I mean, people in these stories do hire carriages, so it's definitely a thing.

I opened my flimsy money pouch. I still had some money left over; it would probably be enough-

The cracking sound of a whip, followed by a broken-sounding neigh, broke me from my thoughts.

"Stupid little thing!"

The voice of an angered man rang throughout the street.

I turned back to see a balding man with a poorly trimmed beard and a stomach that spoke of his endless indulgence, his expensive clothes unable to hide his temper. He was yelling at a young foal whose legs had given up beneath it, probably from exhaustion. It was tied to a cart twice, no, three times his size, piled high with sacks and bales of cloth.

Another man next to him, holding other two horses, bigger this time, on another carriage, looked on, caring less about the young horse and more about the people looking their way, trying to get a glimpse of the situation.

It didn't make sense; two horses, each bigger than the foal in their own right, and probably stronger, were tied to carriages smaller than the one the black foal was tied to, with one being empty.

The man started kicking the foal on its hind legs, yelling at it to stand up.

The foal retaliated, and its master was angry.

"Why you little-"

He whipped the young horse so hard it broke its skin.

"I paid a hefty price for you! And you think you can fool me by pretending to be weak? Your breed? No! I will teach this insignificant thing a lesson!"

The foal neighed in pain and tried running away, but it was tied to the heavy cart.

"Stop it, Lord Carl, this one is still young and useless. We can find another horse."

His aide's words fell on deaf ears, and he continued his abuse. People had begun looking, but they could not do anything. It was a matter between the rich merchant and his disobedient horse.

They did not care about the animal at all.

I could not bear the sight, and I found myself approaching them.

"Stop!"

The words got out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

"What did you say?!"

He cracked his whip in the air as a means to scare me.

I had to come up with a way to escape this situation.

"I said… I said… foal! Like that. That is a nasty foal you got there!"

"Hmm, you're right," he said, placing his free hand on his bearded chin as if trying to think, "Blasted thing is unruly."

"Yes, yes," I continue, realizing perhaps appeasing this man could be the only way to save that animal. Wait why was I saving it? "A good man like you should not be stuck with such an… unruly beast."

I apologize, good horse, but I must call you names.

"Ha! This kid is smart." His plump cheeks tightened as he made a smile, proud for some reason, "She knows what she is saying."

"Of course."

I clasp my hands together.

"An unruly beast like this cannot simply be with a man of such good stature as you, sir."

He placed his hands on the sides of his waist, laughing in praise to himself, rather pleased with someone praising him.

I used the opportunity to take the foal.

"Perhaps I can take this ghastly animal off your hands?"

I asked carefully. His gaze lowered to me, the smile gone, leaving a stiff face of someone wronged.

"And who do you think you are, you lowly commoner, to ask what is mine?" He asked, arrogance emanating from him like a horrible stench.

I gave a polite bow regardless. "I am Cäcilia."

He still did not budge and waited for me to state my importance.

Thank goodness I knew how to handle people like you in my past life, I thought, clenching my fists, Or I really would not know how to do this.

"You see, I need to carry this stuff all the way up that hill." I pointed towards the direction of the Grand Duke's residence. "Unfortunately, I got sidetracked and lost my wagon."

I saw the blood drain from his face when I pointed at the duchy. Of course, the Duke had a horrible reputation. I hated it, but I had to use it to my advantage.

"You are a worker there?" he asked, his voice low, with fear

"Yes. A maid, actually."

He hesitated, eyes darting between me and the direction I had pointed. "Ah… one of the Duke's maids," he muttered, as if the words themselves carried weight.

"How about I buy the horse from you?"

The smile returned. It was obvious what his intentions were.

'I am going to cheat her out of her money,' his face said, way too greedily for someone like him.

"The horse is 15 Trucs."

I opened up my pouch. I only had 30 Trucs remaining. Buying the horse would set back my finances until the next payment.

I looked at the wounded horse. If I abandoned it here, it would most definitely die at the brute's hands.

"I'll take it, but throw in that small wagon for free."

"That wagon? It's not worth the nails holding it together," he said.

"Then you lose nothing by giving it to me."

That shut him up.

He rubbed his chin, eyes darting toward my food sacks as if he could smell the coins through the grain. Then he shrugged. "Sure. Fifteen, and you can take that thing before I change my mind."

I fished out exactly 15 Trucs and handed it to him.

"Here you go, good sir."

"Hmm."

He counted the money. Satisfied that it was the right amount, he motioned for his aide to bring forth the wagon.

"Here you go, lad."

The aide muttered as he pulled the small wagon forward. It creaked and groaned like it hated being touched.

He then went to the foal and unclasped its reins from the wagon it was tied to. With a kick, the foal weakly stood up, and it was dragged by its muzzle to where I was.

He roughly let go of the muzzle, and it nearly fell over.

The merchant smirked, flicking the whip once more: not at the horse this time, but at the air beside me.

"There. She's yours now. Don't come crying when it drops dead halfway up the road."

I ignored him. The foal's eyes followed me nervously as I approached. Its sides trembled; blood streaked its glossy black coat. I crouched, speaking softly.

"Hey… It's all right now."

The foal flinched when I reached for the rope, but didn't resist when I loosened it. It let out a weak whicker when my hand brushed its muzzle, and I felt its breath—warm and uncertain—on my palm.

"You're safe now," I whispered, even though that wasn't entirely true.

I led it gently to the small wagon, tying the harness as best as I could remember. The leather was rough, old, but serviceable. I tightened the straps and patted the foal's neck.

"Let's get you working again, but gently this time."

I began loading my sacks onto the wagon, grunting with effort as I lifted each one. The wood creaked under the weight, but it held. A few passersby stared, murmuring to each other, but I ignored them.

When the last sack was secured, I stepped back and exhaled.

"That'll do," I said, half to myself.

The foal stood still, waiting. I gave its head a small scratch. "Don't worry. We'll find you a name later."

The aide crossed his arms, unimpressed.

"She won't make it past the bridge." He said, loud enough, deliberately to make me hear.

The merchant chuckled, already pocketing the Trucs. "Then the buzzards will feast, and I'll still have her coin."

I climbed onto the driver's seat and gathered the reins. "Come on, little one," I murmured. The foal took a hesitant step, then another. The wagon lurched, rattled, then rolled forward.

The merchant's laughter followed me as I turned down the dusty road.

I couldn't care less; I still managed to get a means of transport.

The only problem was this foal.

I kept on wondering why I stood up for it.

The lash marks on his back were visible and swollen. One had already raptured, and it seemed to cause him pain.

It was bad enough that I was letting him pull my stuff.

Would he even make it to the top of the hill?

Better yet, am I confident enough to take care of him??

"Yuna, you can barely take care of a house pet. How are you going to care for a horse? What do horses even eat? Where will this even horse sleep? The annex doesn't have a stable?"

Plus, if that wicked witch and her flying monkeys see him, what will happen?

No, what if he actually passes out on the way? What will happen to me and my stuff?? And my poor starving baby????

My mind was a mess.

I could only sigh, telling myself that I would climb down once we started climbing the hill to at least lessen his load.

"...You are a he, right?"

 ***

"You cheated the girl, my lord. That useless animal was worth at most two Trucs, given how useless it is."

"Quiet! You fool!"

He hit the aide's head in anger.

"Are you stupid? Those who work for the nobles get paid a hefty sum to buy their silence on what happens in there. Do you think I would sell the beast at a low price to a rich commoner?"

"Their pockets are filled. Didn't ya see the sacks behind her? That one's a rich girl at that age. Lucky bastard. I should even send my daughter to work in a noble's house."

"When you find those workers, it's best to exploit them. You see this money?" he jingled the money in the pouch. "It's worth nothing to them."

"That stupid animal," he said, looking in their direction, "If I knew it was defective, I would have never purchased it. Gah, I should have cheated that seller some more if that horse was this useless! Now I lost seven Trucs!"

He grunted, lamenting how he had been cheated.

"But it became useful in the end, no?" he smirked, "I got my money back, plus interest."

He chuckled like a proud man who had just found a good fortune.