Chapter 83: Spiced cider

They walked on. The deeper they moved into the fair, the louder the music became. A small crowd had gathered around an open area where dancers spun in wide circles across the snow-cleared ground. Their bright skirts and coats flared with each turn while the fiddlers played faster.

“Watch,” Vespera said enthusiastically.

One of the dancers extended a hand toward a passerby, pulling him laughing into the circle. It felt almost natural, and that feeling brought a smile to her lips.

Soon another joined, and another, and Lucrezia chuckled softly at the sight. Her heart warmed to the authenticity the crowd possessed, and at that moment, she might’ve forgotten her innermost worries.

“Would you dance?” Vespera asked suddenly.

Lucrezia stared at her in disbelief. Noticing the seriousness in her eyes, she shook her head immediately. “I would embarrass myself terribly,”

The last time she uttered those words was when they were in the gallery. There, indeed no one cared about any crooked lines in a canvas, but focused solely on their own world.

A world of freedom, judged not by the temperament of others inside or beyond. Lucrezia felt it deeply, leading her to lift a brush into her own world finally.

The square here was open, and the last thing Lucrezia wanted was to truly embarrass herself in front of nearly half of the people.

“That is half the fun,” And before she could object further, Vespera gently pushed her forward along with her.

The music quickened when they secured a position. Heat crept towards Lucrezia’s face and she drew her shawl closer, passing small cautious looks to those who turned to look at them.

“I-I don’t think…” She tried to convince the candid-eyed woman, who simply laughed it off, clearly enjoying the worried look on her face.

“Relax, Anastasia,” She said lightly. “If it helps you, don’t take your eyes off me. Just follow my lead and enjoy the moment,”

Lucrezia nodded, trying to relax. Since her childhood, she’d rarely been the center of talks or attention. Her father made sure to keep her away from society to protect his reputation and secure the future of Veximoor.

As a cursed daughter of King Vladimir, Lucrezia avoided socialites and crowds. It even became a wishful thinking and daydreams. So she learned to watch instead of take part.

She would sit near her window, and from such a great height, observe the activities her eyes could catch from the world below. Sometimes she imagined herself among them, not even as a Lady or a princess but someone ordinary. Someone free from the torments of being a cursed royal blood and a weight on one’s shoulders. Someone allowed to exist without consequences.

But those were only fragile thoughts that faded away the moment she stepped away from the window. Now this… standing here in the middle of the fair, surrounded by noise and light and people, those distant daydreams suddenly felt strangely close.

This was new, and her chest tightened as awareness slowly crept in. The way people stared with warmth instead of disgust almost made her falter, but each moment, Lucrezia had to remind herself that this life wasn’t hers.

She was merely a borrower, taking the sacrifice that wasn’t meant for her. But circumstances made it so, and she, as Anastasia, would have to follow every written procedure to save her mother. And if it was all it took to do so, Lucrezia was more than willing to carry its cross.

Thankfully, her anxiety slowly subsided at the look in Vespera’s eyes. There was something steady about her presence, almost grounding. At last, her excitement and warmth from the crowd seeped into her bones.

Lucrezia found herself paying less attention to who might be watching and more to what was around her like the music, the movement, and the warmth of the lanterns against the cold night air.

At some point, she realized her shoulders had relaxed, breathing steadied, and the tightness in her chest eased. And without noticing when it happened, she smiled again because, for this fleeting moment, she wanted to.

For once, her heart felt… light. Free, in a way she had only ever imagined from behind glass windows and distant dreams. And for a while, she allowed herself to simply exist within it.

Lucrezia stumbled through the steps at first, unsure where to place her feet. The others laughed warmly—and someone clapped to encourage her. Within moments she found herself laughing too. It had been years since laughter came so easily and she’s lost count of the times it came in naturally.

The cold air filled her lungs as she spun once before nearly losing her balance but Vespera caught her arm.

“Careful,” She said with a grin.

“I told you I would embarrass myself,” She muttered with a smile.

“Perhaps we shall consider your stay a subtle progress than your dancing skill,” Vespera said charmingly. “Indeed, it’s terrible,”

Lucrezia shook her head, still laughing softly as they stepped away from the dancers. For years she had forgotten how it felt to smile or even laugh without restraint.

The weight she carried for so long had become so familiar that she had forgotten what it felt like without it. But now… now felt different. The cold air felt fresh in her lungs and the noise of the crowd filled the emptiness that once surrounded her thoughts.

For once, her mind felt light.

They went on and on until the day slowly went by. Vespera pointed toward another stall ahead, “That one sells spiced cider. It will help with the cold.”

She said, noticing how often she pulled her cloak tighter around herself. And she was right. The cold had settled deep into her bones, leaving her stiff and slow with every step. Lucrezia’s fingers felt numb beneath the fabric, and each breath she drew in burned sharply through her nostrils.

Even her shoulders tensed, bracing against a chill that refused to leave. She thought she could simply endure it in silence—pretend it didn’t bother her—but she’d come to realize that Vespera was someone who noticed even the slightest things.

She nodded and followed at the end.

As they waited, she leaned slightly against the wooden counter and watched the people around them.

A group of children chased each other through the crowd, a couple argued playfully over which pastry to buy, and two elderly women laughed over something one of them had said. It was simple. Ordinary. And somehow comforting.

Lucrezia took a slow breath.

For the first time in a long while, she felt something close to peace. But then… almost subtly, something changed.

At first, it was indeed subtle, but unmistakable.

Vespera glanced up at the sky, and for a brief moment, something in her expression slipped before she smoothed it away. It was brief and easy to miss, but Lucrezia caught it all the same.

It seemed like it was time to return, she thought, and the wariness built a wall over her, overpowering the earlier merriment.

How she wished it would last a bit longer.

The vendor handed them two cups of spiced cider, steam curling gently into the cold air and she murmured a thanks.

Lucrezia wrapped her hands around the cup, welcoming the warmth that seeped through her numb fingers. She waited a moment longer before taking a careful sip.

The heat spread through her chest, easing some of the lingering chill holding her body captive. The effect was almost sudden, but Lucrezia felt the tension in her shoulders loosen, her breath coming easier as warmth slowly returned to her limbs.

“Better?” Vespera asked.

“A little,” Lucrezia admitted softly, grateful for her concern.

They stood there for a while, not speaking, simply watching the fair continue around them. The music had softened slightly, blending into the background as conversations carried on and laughter rose and fell in waves.

For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed, but something did. Lucrezia could not place it at first as it wasn’t in what she saw but what she heard.

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