Chapter 100 The road to the palace is not easy, life...
I stood in a corner for a long time. Seeing so many people, and the beautiful roads and squares, I felt a little out of place.
That afternoon, I rented a small apartment through an agent for twenty gold coins. Prices in the capital are high, and since it was a safe zone apartment, it was a bit expensive.
The safe zone was an area where murder and arson were relatively rare, petty theft was less common, but there were many guards patrolling the area. It was specifically for the wealthier people in the capital to live in. Some wealthy foreign merchants and travelers also chose to stay here.
I'm not actually short of money. When I left the island, my inner pockets and boots were stuffed with jewelry that Attis had given me—the proceeds from my supernatural labor, enough to last me for a while.
The twenty gold coins I paid for the room were obtained by exchanging a pearl earring for them from a pawnshop owner recommended by my old friends in the seaside town. Although I suspected the pawnshop owner was trying to rip me off, I had no better option at the time.
The pawnshops in the capital were noticeably more orderly than those in the small seaside town. They exchanged my other pearl earring for fifty gold coins.
Winter was approaching in the capital. I spent another twenty gold coins to buy a complete set of bedding, firewood for heating, thick clothes and trousers, and some daily necessities.
After that, I went back to the agency my old friend from the seaside town had introduced me to. I spent a little money and found a job at a laundry room, but I could only work at night. That's because water is half the price in the capital at night.
From then on, I began a nocturnal lifestyle. I slept during the day and went out to work in the laundry room at night.
But I only worked there for two months before it ended. Because I had some extra money, I wore a thick coat and boots to the night shift, which made the other female workers jealous and ostracized me. They falsely accused me of staining a garment while washing it and pinned some basic work mistakes on me. The supervisor knew I was innocent, but he clearly sided with them. After a big argument with the supervisor, I was fired.
I had thought that life would be better once I was away from the bloodshed and rebellion of my former court life. But now I realize that ordinary life is not easy either.
The next day, I wandered around the city center during the day. This was the first time in two months that I had been awake during the day.
I lost my job, but life had to go on. Thinking about the living expenses and rent for the next few months, I thought about pawning my turquoise bracelet, but when I passed by a beautiful jewelry store, I changed my mind.
I went straight into the jewelry store, found the store manager, and asked if they would be willing to buy the bracelet—the jewelry store's asking price would definitely be higher than the pawn shop's.
“We generally only work with noble ladies,” the manager refused. “We don’t accept jewelry of dubious origin.”
“My bracelet was also a gift from a nobleman,” I quickly said.
The supervisor was an older man with shrewd eyes and a blue beard. He looked me up and down and asked, "Are you someone's mistress or a noblewoman?"
“No,” I replied.
"Which noble lady?"
No, not exactly.
"I'm sorry, we can't accept your things."
I panicked. "You can check it out; my stuff is really good."
"I'm sorry, you'd better go to the pawn shop."
"My items are not counterfeit..." I argued hastily.
"It's not a problem with counterfeit goods, but we can't just accept things from unknown sources to avoid getting into trouble."
I had no choice but to leave.
After wandering around outside for most of the day, it was getting late. As I passed a fork in the road, I ran into a group of robbers—a group of masked thugs dressed in short, tight-fitting clothes.
They covered my mouth with a rag, dragged me into a nearby alley, robbed me of all my jewelry, even the pieces hidden in my boots, and then ran away.
I ran crying to a group of guards and told them what had happened. But the guards ignored me and told me to go directly to the security camp that handled these kinds of things. When I got there, a greasy man with a cigarette in his mouth and a nonchalant expression simply asked me what had happened and then told me to go back and wait for news.
The next day, I went to the job agency with a long face and told them about it. The job agency was a kind-looking old lady, the same one my old friends from the seaside town had introduced me to. Although she sympathized with my situation, she couldn't help but scold me for being stupid, "Why would an outsider like you go to a jewelry store? In the capital, those who own jewelry stores all have nobles backing them up, so they're not afraid of getting into trouble."
"What do you mean?" I asked in surprise.
"You showed your jewelry in the store, which aroused the manager's greed, so he called a robber to steal your things and then split the loot. This often happens to ordinary people. Did he ask about your identity? Like whether you were a noble or something, he was just trying to find out about you."
I suddenly realized what was happening. "I'm going to settle the score with him."
"It's best not to go," the old woman advised again. "If you guess the truth, he might kill you to silence you, and you might not even be able to save your life."
"How can the people here be so scary?" I slumped back in my chair.
“The capital is not bad,” the old woman said. “If it were anywhere else, you would be robbed and killed without anyone seeking justice for you.”
"So what should I do now?" I asked.
"I guess I'll just have to accept my bad luck."
This time I suffered a huge loss. I don't like leaving jewelry at home to prevent theft, so I always kept it on my person. Now, it's all gone.
I started looking for a job again, wandering the streets every day, but I couldn't find one after a long time.
The elderly real estate agent made it clear that she wouldn't introduce me to any more jobs because she didn't have enough money for the agency fee. She said she couldn't break the rules of the industry, and even if I found a job, she wouldn't pay. I only have a little spare change on me, which I had casually put under my pillow. I'm desperate because the rent is due soon.
It suddenly started raining heavily that day, and I, who was looking for work on the street, took shelter in a clothing store. Two female shop assistants walked towards me, seemingly about to drive me away.
Just then, the glass door opened, and a well-dressed, heavily made-up lady walked in with a maid, both soaked to the bone. They went straight to the rest area—also there to take shelter from the rain—and two female shop assistants rushed forward to greet them, bowing and scraping, and asking after them with great enthusiasm.
I was safe for the time being. They were busy serving tea and water, handing out towels, and even helping the lady dry her hair. They didn't have time to chase me away.
The shop wasn't big, and their voices drifted over from a distance.
“My husband bought a house for his new mistress a month ago, and they’re inseparable, he doesn’t come home anymore. My daughter’s tutor recently resigned to get married, and now we have to find her a new one,” the wealthy woman complained to a female shop assistant while sipping her tea.
The shop assistant smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Your husband will be home soon. Since she's a new mistress, she's probably just after something new. As for a tutor, that's even easier to find. Isn't that a simple matter for you?"
“It’s not easy to find one,” the noblewoman continued to complain. “My husband insists on finding a teacher who speaks the Elven language. Half a year ago, there was some unrest in the Elven Kingdom. The former king, Daio, fled with several families and a large amount of gold and silver. Now, it seems he has made a fortune again. He has not only organized two extremely powerful legions, but also won the favor of our Eastern, Southern, and Northern territories with a lot of money and salt mines. It seems he intends to form an alliance with this new kingdom of the former king.”
"A salt mine?" the shop assistant exclaimed in surprise. "Is it really a salt mine? Salt is a rare commodity on our continent."
“Yes, that’s why salt is so expensive. We usually have to use spices as a substitute.” The noblewoman sipped her tea and said lazily, “Now they are willing to exchange a lower salt price for an alliance. Do you think any of the countries will agree? That’s why my husband said that our daughter should learn the Elven language as soon as possible. Maybe it will be useful for socializing in the future.”
As the two were talking, a four-wheeled carriage drove up to the outside of the clothing store, and the noblewoman gracefully got up and left.
Before the shop assistant could chase me away, I ran out after them.
"Excuse me, wait a minute!" I rushed to the lady, who was about to get into her carriage. A maidservant stepped in front of me and blocked my way.
"I speak the Elven language, hire me as your teacher," I said breathlessly, offering my services.
The noblewoman ignored me and got into the carriage.
I was extremely disappointed and said to the carriage window, "Madam, I really do know the Elven language. I can read and write it, I can do everything."
But the four-wheeled carriage still left without any mercy...
Back at the small apartment, the landlord happened to come to collect the rent. I begged for a few more days, almost kneeling down, before she reluctantly agreed.
The temperature plummeted at night, and it even started snowing. I lit a fire in the fireplace, leaned against the window, and sighed deeply.
What will I do if I can't find a job? Will I freeze to death on the streets? Sigh!
Over the next few days, I wore a thick coat, braved the wind and snow, and wandered through the streets and alleys, my footsteps sinking deep into the snow as I struggled to find work.
This time I traveled even further, but after asking around at every shop, big and small, I found that none of them were short of people.
As I passed the jewelry store, I really wanted to go in and beat up that bluebeard guy, making him spit out all my jewelry. But firstly, I wasn't sure if he was the mastermind behind the robbery; I had no proof. Secondly, I couldn't beat him, so I could only sigh and leave.
On the fifth day, I wore a slightly thin coat and packed up my thick coat and a few pieces of slightly valuable clothing, as well as the firewood I couldn't use, intending to take them all to the pawnshop to sell.
When they arrived at the pawnshop, the owner was only willing to give them a small amount of money, "at most five gold coins."
"Impossible, it was very expensive when I bought it, especially this thick coat," I argued vehemently.
"Used items aren't worth as much anymore."
I stood dejectedly at the entrance of the pawnshop.
I'm so regretful now. I shouldn't have bought such an expensive outfit—thirty gold coins! But the shop assistant said that winters in the Eastern Realm are very cold, and if I didn't buy something thick, I would easily catch a cold and get a fever, which would cost a lot of money for medical treatment and medicine. That's why I bought this outfit.
The path to the court is difficult, and so is the path of life.
Just as he was about to enter the pawnshop again, ready to pawn something even at a loss, he unexpectedly encountered a pair of eyes.
—It turned out to be the maidservant of the wealthy woman I met at the clothing store that day. She had overheard my argument with the pawnshop owner and was looking at me with pity.
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Author's Note: Writing is hard work, so please support me and help me keep going! Mwah!
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