[Music Recommendation: Lost Boy~ Ruth B.]
On reaching the inn, their carriage finally came to a halt. Madame Rosalie and Freya were the first to step down before helping Oriana. The man from the village who was sitting with the coachman joined them.
He pointed at a big inn that was now bustling with activity. "When you get there, tell them you’re working for just a night. They will understand and give you a role. I can’t go with you because my wife would probably be there."
Oriana nodded. She turned her head slightly to be sure Adric was behind them, but due to the darkness, she wasn’t able to make out the shadows she was seeing. Still, she was sure Adric was watching over her, and that made her feel secure.
"You must not let anyone know you don’t know about the night life. Try hard to blend in," the man continued. But before he left, he said to them, "Please help me keep an eye on my wife. She has a peculiar birthmark on the side of her eyes."
Oriana sighed, looking at the man. He somehow still loved his wife. "I’ll also advise you to stop hitting her, try talking to her when she comes back." She patted the man’s shoulder.
"I will, Your Majesty." He bowed deeply, looking around to be sure nobody was watching before he left through the closest alley, the darkness hiding him.
Oriana turned to Madame Rosalie and Freya. "We can do this! Let’s make sure we are not separated for any reason." She raised her hand, motivating them.
"I have a bad feeling about this. We should have just summoned everyone to the palace and fixed a hearing," Madame Rosalie remarked with a tired sigh, and Freya nodded in agreement.
Oriana shook her head, moving her pointer finger left and right. "That’s the reason we have to come out and actually find out ourselves. There were different stories from each party. Now let’s not sit here and rethink what we already agreed on. Let’s go." She walked ahead.
Freya rubbed her temples tiredly. "I have a feeling the Queen just wanted a night out of the palace," she muttered, following behind with Madame Rosalie beside her.
When they got to the inn, which was far bigger than any inn they had ever seen, Madame Rosalie, experienced in the nightlife, stepped forward, searching for someone she could talk to.
"Good evening. Please, my sisters and I want to work only for this night as we are really stranded. Do you think there would be a space for us?" Madame Rosalie asked the first young woman she saw, who was already dressed and ready to go out and meet her guests.
"I think so. Just go through that room. There’s a woman sharing roles. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a spot." The woman replied without waiting for them to respond. She put a smile on her face and walked away.
Madame Rosalie turned. "Let’s go over there," she pointed at the room to their left. The three women walked slowly and joined the line.
Oriana’s eyes darted left and right. She had been to the inn back at Orion, which was owned by Madame Rosalie, but she had never been to it at night before. Looking at how lights were shining everywhere and the women beautifully dressed, acting as they wanted without worrying about being judged, she felt a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Though they were selling their bodies for money, the freedom they had to go out and do what they wanted was something she once dreamed of.
"Are you married?" A woman with a big body who was sitting alone on a bench asked with a strong voice.
The young woman she had asked shook her head. "N-no, ma’am."
"You’re too timid! Stay in the kitchen. Next!" the woman shouted, and another young woman came forward.
Madame Rosalie turned to them. "If asked, tell them you’re not married and also remember to be confident."
About being confident, Freya found her own vanishing as the line moved and it got closer to her turn. She was really scared of the nightlife.
"Next!"
It finally got to Oriana’s turn, and she bowed to the woman with a confident smile on her face.
"Are you married?"
Oriana didn’t like that she was denying her husband. She shook her head. "I’m not married."
The woman grumbled, going through the parchment in front of her. "You’re beautiful and quite eye-catching. Remove the scarf on your head and join the music crew. You’ll be given a dress."
Oriana gently removed the handkerchief Adric had tied on her head. She had never tried to do anything music-related before. The last time she tried was for Adric, but it didn’t really work out. Following the path the woman pointed to for her, she turned to give Freya a reassuring smile before disappearing inside the room.
The next in line was Freya, who squeezed her hands tightly. She wanted to be sent anywhere Oriana or Madame Rosalie was.
"Young and innocent. The men would love to see that. Go through that room; you’ll help usher the men inside." The woman pointed, waiting for the girl to leave, but she didn’t.
"Now!" The big woman barked, startling Freya. She ran through the room assigned to her.
Finally, it got to Madame Rosalie’s turn. She had her face looking down as she tried to hide from the woman.
"You, why do you look familiar? Have you worked here before?"
Madame Rosalie shook her head. The reason why the woman found her to be familiar was because houses like this usually visited each other to see what was trending. And the woman in front of her had been to Demi-monde once.
"I’m sure I’ve seen your face somewhere." The owner of the inn hummed. "Go in and help serve. You look experienced, so I’m sure it won’t be a problem."
Madame Rosalie bowed. Without saying anything, she left for the room assigned to her.
Inside the room where Oriana was getting ready to join the music crew, she kept her eyes out for Freya and Madame Rosalie. As she was looking around, a woman with a black birthmark close to her eyes, entered the room. Oriana recognized the woman immediately as the wife of the man who had helped them.
"Dress up quickly. We’ll be out soon. Our guests are waiting for us to open."
Oriana picked up the white silk dress that had a peach band, which was what she was supposed to wear. The sleeveless dress looked so revealing, with a small band that had feathers for her hair. Looking at how everyone got ready, Oriana removed her gown, fitting into the performing dress.
"It looks like you’re new around here," the woman with the black mark on her eyes said, going to help Oriana fit her gown. "Raise your hand. Good, now put on the glove."
Oriana fixed the gloves that stopped above her elbow. Then the woman helped her tie the peach band around her waist before fixing the beaded and feather band on her hair.
"Thank you," Oriana bowed to the woman after she was done dressing. "Can I know your name?"
The woman stared at Oriana for a few minutes. "You’re really new to this. Around here, you don’t make friends," she remarked, looking at Oriana. "My name is Mildred. Stay safe out there."
Oriana nodded, watching as the woman left. She used her hand to riffle her gown, touching her hair which was let down freely.
"Maidens, get ready. The inn will be opened soon."
Outside the inn, Adric and the others arrived. They had been watching the women and saw when they entered, while their eyes also followed the soldiers that had come to celebrate.
"Rowan, keep your eyes out for the men that will come in. Malcolm, you and I will watch the soldiers," Adric ordered, fixing his hood properly. "And most importantly, make sure our women are safe."
He knew that Oriana didn’t have to do much; trouble would just find her, so he was mostly worried about her.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Rowan and Malcolm replied with a bow.
Adric’s eyes scanned the inn. It wasn’t his first time in a place like this, and he knew how unsafe it was for women. "If anything should go wrong, we get the women out and leave. Let’s go."
The trio walked closer to the entrance of the inn, where men were now standing lined up, ready to be ushered inside.
"I heard there will be new girls we can pick from," one of the men, excited to go inside, rubbed his palms together.
The door to the inn opened, and the big woman who had been assigning roles to the girls came outside with a bright smile on her face.
"Welcome, gentlemen. You can now have access inside. We have increased the entry fee because of the beauties we will be presenting. Now pay and have access to meet the most beautiful maidens around here. Get ready for the best night of your life!"
The door was pushed open, and among the girls that came out to usher people inside was a confused-looking Freya, who didn’t know where to stand as she was being pushed around.
Rowan smirked. "Looks like staying outside would be more fun," he said, his eyes following the young girl who was now being skittish, giving away that she wasn’t used to this life.
"Do just that," Adric nodded in agreement. With Malcolm behind him, they entered the inn, going to find a good spot to sit while hiding their faces from the soldiers. From where Adric was sitting, he noticed a white veil that covered a part of the room. He looked around, wondering where Oriana was when someone announced,
"Let us welcome the music crew!" The white veil was dragged down.
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