"Here," the female vegetable seller placed a giant pumpkin on the old wooden table. "It's a little heavy, though. Are you sure you can carry the whole thing?" She glanced at the other bags Heidith was holding. Then her gaze shifted to Zadhea, who looked chill, glancing around. "Why don't you ask this young maiden to carry some of the bags? That way, it'll be easier."
Zadhea was holding nothing but a small, cute handbag. It didn't look heavy at all. On the other hand, Heidith had to do all the hard work. The woman felt a little disappointed. She couldn't understand how a woman could let her man do heavy work.
Needless to say, buying vegetables and stuff was what a dutiful woman should do. A good wife would never let her husband do such things!
"It's fine," Heidith waved his hand. "I can carry it."
Zadhea shrugged and looked away. She could sense the woman's displeasure towards her, but she didn't care. She wouldn't ask Heidith to hand over some of his burden just because someone pointed it out! He could do it all by himself, hmph! Why should she act the role of a gentle, obedient, petite wife?
"She's so delicate," Heidith looked at Zadhea tenderly. "How can I ask her to do such things? She'll pass out."
Zadhea speechlessly looked back at him. Her face began to turn red from anger and embarrassment. She couldn't understand which side he was on. "Yeah," she smiled, hiding her fury. "I'm a little girl yet."
The female seller coughed and looked away. "What else do you want, sir?"
Zadhea watched Heidith buy some more vegetables without any intention of stopping. 'What the hell is he doing? He wants to buy every single vegetable for a simple meal? Crazy!'
Suddenly, Zadhea flinched when she felt someone snatch her bag and run away like an arrow. She clenched her hands and chased after him immediately, not wasting time to explain things to Heidith.
Heidith was busy checking some onions, so he couldn't notice her sudden disappearance.
The thief felt happy when he saw how fancy the bag looked. It must be filled with lots of gold coins. His eyes lit up with anticipation as he stopped running. When he was about to go find his buddies to inform the good news, out of nowhere, a girl stood in front of him, panting slightly.
"Robber flash, give it to me this instant. I'll let you go without breaking your neck," she shot him a sharp look.
The thief burst into laughter. "You? YOU want to break MY neck? Tsk, tsk. What about giving a neck massage instead, little beauty?" He gave her a look filled with lust.
Zadhea sighed. "I won't repeat."
"What's going on here?" A few men appeared as they stood close to the thief. One of them asked, "Who's this girl?"
The thief chuckled. "Brothers, she says she wants to break my neck because I stole her bag."
They were currently in an abandoned-looking alley. There were no houses around, and the street looked empty. Although it was still evening, the alley was drenched in darkness.
The men started laughing hysterically. "A girl like her?" Someone sneered.
Another one clicked his tongue before approaching Zadhea. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said, "What's up, pretty... Aghhhh!" Before he could finish talking, Zadhea twisted his arm and pushed him to the ground.
Narrowing her eyes, she warned, "Don't you dare touch me."
"What the hell!" The men got startled by her behavior. They didn't expect her to attack like that.
The thief said, "Looks like she's not a normal girl. Brothers, let's take her seriously and finish everything here."
Everyone took their weapons out. They had daggers, swords, and poles.
Zadhea gulped before sliding a hand into her pocket, checking for her dagger. She felt regretful when she sensed the emptiness in it. She had forgotten to take her dagger! Since she had to go with Heidith, she didn't plan on taking her sword either. In the end, she had no weapons with her.
Zadhea cursed in her mind. Although she was a little nervous inside, she appeared calm and fearless on the surface. She let out a 'Tsk', urging, "C'mon!"
Then the conflict officially began.
The men were in disbelief when they got beaten up by a small, delicate-looking girl. She hit them mercilessly with her bare hands and legs. Sometimes, she used their own weapons against them. She snatched a sword from one of them and tore their shirts and trousers until underwear came to view.
"How could you?!" Someone attacked from behind by hitting her legs using a pole, making Zadhea fall on the ground on her back. She growled but didn't scream, although it was painful.
Taking advantage of that moment, the 'thief' guy laid on top of her, tearing her shirt apart while the buttons of the shirt came off, revealing her black corset underneath.
"Let's taste your bust before anything..." He licked his lips lustfully.
"Ha." Zadhea smiled dangerously, raising a brow. "You think so?" Then, without waiting for his reaction, she kicked his lower body, making him wince in pain.
Pushing him aside, she stood up from the ground. Without paying attention to her current state, she kept beating them until they were black and blue.
"Will you continue to rob people?" She asked them with a commanding tone.
"No, no, big sister," They cried.
"Good." A smirk formed on the corner of her lips.
Seizing the 'Thief' guy's undamaged shirt, Zadhea snatched it and wore it, covering her exposed corset and ripped shirt. Her floral shirt was Evelyn's birthday gift but unfortunately, Zadhea could no longer wear it. Thinking about it made her angrier, but she made up her mind, realizing that it was useless since the deed couldn't be undone.
Without wasting anymore time there, she picked up her bag and turned around before leaving, only to bump into certain someone midway.
"Heidith..." She blurted out, shocked.
Zadhea felt uncomfortable when she sensed the gloominess emitted within him. His knitted eyebrows showed his frustration as he eyed her warningly. "Where were you?" When he noticed the grey, wrinkled shirt on her body, his gloominess skyrocketed, ten times higher.
Zadhea felt a chill run down her spine. As a way to mask her fear, she wore a sweet smile. "I felt a bit bored so I walked around. Someone fell in love with my shirt so we exchanged our clothes..." She explained, well aware of how idiotic it sounded.
"Oh. Is that so?" He stared at her disappointedly. "Why didn't you wait for me? Am I that boring?"
"No way!" Zadhea quickly waved her hands in denial before lowering her head. "You were busy..." Then she thought of something and looked up to meet his eyes. "Why don't we go shopping? This outfit is a little uncomfortable now. I want to buy a dress." She looked at him pleadingly.
Although she didn't show any signs of disgust, deep down, her body and mind were screaming to throw that dirty, sweaty shirt away. She couldn't wait to remove it from her body. If Heidith weren't there, she would have already run to a clothes shop.
Heidith felt better when he heard that. Nodding his head, he led her to a clothes shop where most of the young girls bought their dresses. Unlike noble ladies' dresses, they weren't fancy; however, they were much more comfortable to wear.
The sales ladies looked pleased when they saw the young couple's arrival. They even blushed when they witnessed how handsome Heidith looked. As a result, they didn't forget to steal a few glances at him from time to time, trying to concentrate on Zadhea's words at the same time.
Zadhea realized the problem very well. She felt threatened all of a sudden. Her face darkened bit by bit. It would be okay if she were the one to admire him, but others... She didn't like it when others did that!
'Why does he have to be this handsome? Hmph!'
Turning to his side, she smiled at him very sweetly. "Dear, why don't you stay outside until I finish my business here? Or you can go continue checking for more food. Did you buy salt and vinegar? And pepper? I don't think so. It's better to complete the remaining work. That way, we can spend more time..."
Heidith cut her off. "I understand. Then you choose a dress, Dhea. I'll get going."
Zadhea's face became red at the nickname he gave her. She extra shyly nodded her head, peeking at the girls from the corner of her eyes.
Heidith's expression changed when he came out of the clothes shop. His eyes carried a hint of murderousness. He called out to Gronald when he came to a dark corner of a lonely street.
"Check that alley over there. Arrest the criminals. I think they are still there. Be quick. Ask for the mayor to put them in jail. Take my signature to convince him." He removed his royal pendant from his neck. "Here."
Gronald was surprised. He didn't know how Heidith found out there were criminals in that dark alley. Moreover, what was the point of arresting foreign criminals? This wasn't their country in the first place. Nevertheless, he didn't dare to ask such questions.
He did have a very important question though.
"What if they've already escaped?"
Heidith squinted his eyes sternly. "You must find them no matter what. Ask for Iven and Suzamine to join you."
"Aye, sire."
When the shadow knight left, Heidith headed back to the clothes shop. He couldn't bear to leave Zadhea alone again. With just one glance, he could understand that she had a fight with someone. Not just one person. Maybe two or three or even more. He knew she was good at protecting herself, but he couldn't shake off the restless feeling he was having. He didn't know how she got a shirt. He wanted to ask what happened to her original clothes. But since she didn't want to talk about it with him, he didn't want to force her.
Nonetheless, he felt hurt because he realized that she didn't trust him enough to share everything.
Maybe... One day... She would...
He could only hope.
"Is this one okay?" A brunette girl picked up a dress and showed it to Zadhea. "It's simple but beautiful. Very suitable for a charming girl like you."
Zadhea checked it with a straight face. It was a pastel pink dress with flowers embroidered in a slightly darker shade of pink and white, scattered across the soft fabric, giving off a feminine vibe. Although it looked too girly, Zadhea somehow felt satisfied.
"It's good..." She hesitated. "I have a little request though."
"Yes. May I ask what it is?" The shop girl became nervous as well, despite maintaining her professional smile.
"Do you have a bathroom? I want to take a shower first."
"Oh." The girl let out an awkward chuckle. "We don't have a bathroom. We take a wash using the well near the farm not too far from here. Is that okay with you?"
Zadhea eagerly nodded her head. "Yeah. Great. Can you bring me there?"
The girl readily agreed.
When Heidith stepped inside the clothes shop, he was surprised not to find Zadhea there. His mind was in chaos as he approached the cashier lady with a throbbing heart. "WHERE IS SHE?!"
The girl got caught off guard with his sudden outburst. Sensing his dangerous aura, she stuttered, "Sh-she went to the farm not too far from here."
Asking for the directions, Heidith ran towards the farm, not thinking much. His heart was in a mess. He felt like Zadhea was in trouble again. He cursed himself for being stupid to leave her on her own.
The shop girl was shocked to find Heidith there. She recognized him as Zadhea's companion so she didn't stop him from approaching the area where the well was situated.
When Heidith saw the person he had been looking for, without thinking anything, he ran towards her and hugged her to his chest, putting his chin on the top of her head.
Zadhea was dumbfounded. With a blushing face, she started slapping his chest with both of her hands.
"Y-you pervert! Let go of me!!"