Laras’s life had completely changed. She had been a servant for four days now, and every day she felt exhausted from head to toe. From morning until night, she was constantly on the move, with one task after another arriving without pause. She could only rest during mealtimes; outside those hours, the endless work kept piling up.
“Big Sis Laras!” Dewi called, carrying a stack of brightly colored fabrics that looked expensive.
Laras nimbly accepted the fabrics and immediately separated them according to their recipients. They were gifts from guests for the first-tier and second-tier entertainers. The guests couldn’t remember whom they had met at night, so the servants had to check every list of arriving guests to determine whom they had been with.
“Ugh, Dewi’s tired!” the little girl complained. Laras had watched her run back and forth countless times, and she couldn’t bear to see it anymore. But they couldn’t switch roles, because Dewi couldn’t read.
Dewi had been running nonstop between the collection area and one sorting station after another. There were five people, including Laras, assigned to sort the goods. If the name on Laras’s list wasn’t there, Dewi and the other servants carrying the goods would take them to the next person until they found the item’s owner.
“Sit down for a minute,” Laras said.
“But there’s still a lot left, Sis. Dewi has to hurry, or it’ll pile up,” Dewi said, wiping the sweat from her brow.
“It’s okay. Go ahead and rest for a bit. Oh, right, I wanted to ask you something too,” Laras said, her eyes and hands searching for the name that matched the goods Dewi had brought.
“What do you want to ask, Sis?” Dewi said.
“Why do you sometimes call me ‘Sis’ and sometimes ‘Miss’? You call the others that too,” Laras asked. She wasn’t particularly curious about the reason. She was more worried about Dewi’s condition and didn’t want the girl to push herself until she fainted.
Dewi gave a small giggle, making her chubby cheeks stand out even more. “I often hear people in the capital call each other that, so I wanted to imitate them,” Dewi explained shyly.
Laras smiled and nodded. Dewi really was still just a child. It was heartbreaking to think that someone so young had to work like this.
“Dewi, do you want me to teach you how to read and write after this?” Laras offered, pausing her work for a moment.
Dewi’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Yes, I do, Sis Laras!” she exclaimed.
Laras smiled happily. “Okay. We’ll study every day until you can do it,” she said enthusiastically. At those words, Dewi immediately threw her arms around Laras.
“Thank you so much, Sis. Dewi’s really happy,” Dewi said, releasing the hug a few seconds later. “In that case, Dewi will get back to work so we can finish quickly.”
Laras nodded and let Dewi go.
Sorting the goods took several hours, but fortunately, they finished before afternoon arrived. Laras hadn’t even had time to breathe a sigh of relief when she was asked to buy spices because the kitchen’s supplies had run out. Normally, the kitchen staff handled the shopping, but there were only ten of them, and they were all busy making dodol, preparing orders from the first-tier entertainers and the other guests, and cooking food for everyone as well as for the guests who would arrive that night. They couldn’t leave to restock the supplies.
Laras walked along the streets of the entertainment district, watching the people passing by. She had seen quite a few strangers since she set out.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Laras accidentally bumped into the person in front of her. She raised her head to look at the man she had hit.
“It’s all right,” the man replied with a charming smile that revealed dimples in his cheeks. Laras was slightly startled. She had thought she’d bumped into Arya, since the tallest man she had ever seen here was Arya.
“Thank you,” Laras said, bowing her head. The man only smiled before walking away. After a few steps, he tossed away the white glove he had been wearing. Laras saw him do it.
“That feels familiar,” Laras thought.
Not wanting to dwell on it, Laras continued on her way. Throughout the journey, her eyes kept studying the streets she passed.
“So this is what Arcapura’s entertainment district looks like,” Laras thought. She was constantly amazed with every step, seeing firsthand the things she had once read about.
The entertainment district was far larger than she had ever imagined. Several blocks were packed with entertainment venues standing side by side, ranging from small buildings with only a few rooms to places that looked much busier.
Unlike the three large entertainment venues that only came alive after nightfall, the smaller establishments operated almost all day. The activity of servants, merchants, and visitors meant the streets around those blocks were never truly quiet.
But entertainment venues weren’t the only buildings filling the area. Between them stood clothing stores, accessory stalls, and vendors selling dried snacks and light food. The businesses seemed deliberately chosen to meet the guests’ needs. No shops sold goods or carried out activities that might disturb the atmosphere of the entertainment venues.
After passing several blocks, the atmosphere gradually changed.
Laras left the rows of entertainment venues and entered a different commercial district. The scents of perfume and light snacks that had filled the air were replaced by much stronger aromas—salted fish, seafood, cooking ingredients, and spices pungent enough to sting her nose.
The blocks in this area were filled with shops and stalls selling all kinds of daily necessities. Sacks of rice and spices were stacked in front of the stores, while fresh and salted fish were displayed along the streets. Food sellers called out their wares over one another, making the area feel far busier than the blocks filled with entertainment venues.
Laras slowed her pace.
A large shop came into view, specializing in spices from throughout the kingdom, just as the shop she had been told about was described.
The closer Laras got to the shop, the more pungent the spice scent became. When she entered, it looked nothing like what she had imagined. Laras had expected enormous piles of spices, judging by how strong the smell was, but instead, every spice had been neatly arranged in boxes and separated by type.
Laras continued examining every corner of the shop until the shopkeeper finally approached her.
“What are you looking for?” the shopkeeper asked bluntly.
Laras was somewhat offended by the man’s curt tone, but she kept her expression under control and put on the smile she had learned at the entertainment venue where she worked.
“I’m a little lost. I don’t know much about spices. Could you tell me where these are?” Laras asked, handing him the slip of paper she had brought.
The man took the paper and skimmed it. “Come with me!” he said.
Contrary to her first impression, the shopkeeper explained each spice she was buying so Laras wouldn’t make a mistake if she ever had to buy spices again.
“Oh, thank you. You really know every spice there is,” Laras said brightly.
The shopkeeper looked at her. “Of course I do. I work in a spice shop,” he said, making Laras laugh. She was laughing at her own stupid question. Maybe exhaustion had made her especially susceptible to lame jokes.
“You’re absolutely right. Have you worked here long?” Laras asked while picking up the several kilograms of ginger listed as her final spice.
“Pretty long,” the shopkeeper replied curtly.
Laras smiled again.
She felt comfortable here. The shopkeeper was blunt, but he was actually kind enough to patiently explain the spices to her. He didn’t try to please his customers by pretending to smile the way she had always done.
“He must have plenty of customers who don’t like him,” Laras thought.
“That’s two kilograms of ginger,” the shopkeeper said, and Laras nodded in response.
“How much is the total?” Laras asked, but the shopkeeper suddenly fell silent as he stared at something. Laras turned to follow his gaze. A customer with blond hair and sapphire-blue eyes stood there, clearly an outsider.
“How much is the total?” Laras asked again. At last, the shopkeeper made eye contact with her.
The shopkeeper quickly calculated the price of all the spices Laras had bought, using only the movement of his hands. “Seventy-one silver coins,” he answered.
Laras hurriedly pulled the money from her pocket and handed him the exact amount.
“Thank you,” the shopkeeper said before immediately walking away from Laras.
Laras quickly picked up her three bundles of spices and left the shop. But before she had even exited the shopping district, she saw the shopkeeper walking past several buildings. Far ahead, the man the shopkeeper had been watching was walking in front of him. They were some distance apart; if Laras hadn’t noticed the shopkeeper’s behavior, she wouldn’t have realized that he was following the man.
Driven by curiosity, Laras followed the shopkeeper. She was actually quite frightened. The longer she followed him, the deeper she entered the darkening alleys.
Laras slowed her steps. At a three-way intersection, she lost sight of the shopkeeper. Refusing to turn back, she continued forward, following the scent of spices.
In the distance, Laras saw two people sitting on either side of a building’s door. They were obviously standing guard. Laras kept walking toward them confidently and casually. In truth, she was terrified. But she felt that turning around would only get her into more trouble.
The two guards glanced briefly at Laras, but a moment later, they turned their attention back to the road ahead. Laras knew she was doing something crazy, but she desperately wanted to know what hadn’t been written in the novel she had once read.
“So Arcapura’s entertainment district really is much larger than that. It isn’t just a place for entertainment and food,” Laras thought as she continued walking inside.