The Carnival (2) - Mill's Perspective

The leaves fluttered down from the trees as the sudden wind came from the direction of a living doll walking around the dark streets alone from the north.

'How cute!' I thought.

A young girl wearing cute bunny ears with a fluffy red crimson dress that reached her knees held a big puff of cotton candy in one of her hands.

I hid behind one of the big trees that decorated the walkway as she walked towards my direction.

'Hah' I accidentally gasped.

Her bright pumpkin eyes narrowed as she looked around her surroundings to search for the sudden sound I made.

"It must've been my imagination," the girl cutely mumbled with her sweet voice.

The girl flipped her rich vermillion hair as she grabbed another bite of the cotton candy she held under the dull lanterns that lit up from where she was standing.

"Sweet!" She charmingly exclaimed as her eyes glittered from pleasure after taking a big bite.

"I wonder if I can sneak this into the first district," She sulked as the size of her cotton candy greatly shrunk after taking a great bite.

'Was she a noble?' I thought.

Only nobles possessed the fine clothes and features she owned.

The typical commoner that worked under the sun couldn't achieve the paleness of her skin. Nor the fine features of her high defined nose and small heart-shaped lips bred by the delicate noblewomen rumored to be sheltered in the castles owned by the noblemen.

I continued to watch the girl enjoying the loud atmosphere of the carnival from a distance as the merchants sold taffy and big puffs of cotton candy in stalls nearby the main entrance of carnival at the bottom of the hill.

"It's a shame how I can't get more of this," she pouted as she had no more candy left.

"I wonder why I can't properly enjoy this festival... Stupid Luke!" She continued mumbling to herself while kicking the lamppost.

I chuckled from her childish actions as she reminded my of my younger cousin that would beg me for more taffy.

"Who's there!" She yelled while pretending to look unafraid.

"I didn't watch you intentionally, my lady. I couldn't find an opening to come out while you were cutely talking to yourself," I got out from my hiding spot.

I hoped she would forgive me as I heard that nobles were heavily sensitive and fickle around commoners.

Her eyes widened from bewilderment as my tall figure revealed itself after abandoning the tall trees.

My neighbors had once said that their first impressions of me were quite intimidating as I was quite tall. My head occasionally bumped into the upper part of the door frame when I didn't pay full attention to where I walked.

As usual, I wore a stained white shirt that was yellow rather than retaining its original colour. The corroded straps held my trousers that were ripped around the knees from the intense farm work I did to help my relatives near the harvest season.

"Who are you?" The girl stepped back as I stepped toward her.

"Just a humble commoner," I replied while trying to not scare her.

The girl started to deliberate on her next actions as she paced back and forth underneath the flickering lantern above her.

Her fine dress that was decorated with extravagant embroidery fluttered to move with her as her shiny dress shoes clacked in the silent night.

"You didn't see me here tonight," She tried to command me after she made her decision.

"Of course my lady," I bowed down.

"But since you're here anyways, would you allow this humble commoner to give you a tour inside the carnival?" I asked while fascinated of her noble appearance.

I ignored my mother's teaching that rang inside my head, 'You must never talk to nobles Mill. Nobles are people without any restraints.'

"Really!" The girl perked up at the mention of the carnival.

However, her lovely eyes quickly turned heartbroken while she grabbed onto the ends of her dress as she mumbled, "I'm not allowed to talk to people in the fifth district other than the servants in the castle nor go to the carnival."

The fifth district? Maybe she meant that she was not allowed to talk to peasants in this area.

But it was intriguing to know that children of nobles weren't allowed to talk to commoners without receiving permission from their guardians.

"But if you really insist, I can go on that tour as long as you promise you won't tell any nobles or knights about me later," The young girl asked me to keep our meeting a secret.

'Did this girl run away from her estate to go to the carnival?' I instantly thought.

I began to back away from the girl when I thought of the consequences of getting involved with a runaway noble child.

The girl sadly smiled in response as if she anticipated this would happen.

Her heartbreaking expression tugged my heart as I recalled the stories of noblewomen being limited in terms of their freedom as they were unable to to leave their estate.

Unable to see that tragic appearance on her face any longer, I decided that as long as we moved carefully we wouldn't be discovered anyways.

"Of course!" I answered after hesitating to take her offer.

I tried to think that on the bright side, Lily would be so envious that I got to escort a noble lady that resembled one of her dolls she got for her birthday.

I stopped imagining Lily's face as I offered my hand to the young girl while kneeling down.

When the girl accepted my hand, I smiled in response as we started to walk down toward the bottom of the hill.

Strands of her rich vermillion hair that resembled fine threads made of silk sparkled under the bright streetlights as she looked up at me in a bright smile.

"Let's go!" She shouted as she pulled my hand to get away from the faint moonlight and into the bright torches lighting up the carnival.