152 2.1.3: 'stupid Girl!”

"Stupid girl!" An old man complained harshly as he approached her. "How dare you cause us to stop. Young Master, I say we kill her to repay for her crimes." It was dark so the old man couldn't see her face properly, but he could still distinguish that it was a little girl.

"That's enough Benjamin." A childish voice said. "If we were to kill her, then there would be no point of stopping the carriage in the first place."

"Young Master, now we won't be able to go back home in time and will have to stay in an inn in the closest village..." the old man's voice faltered and he turned to glare daggers at Xiao Yunhua again. "It's all your fault; why I ought to—"

"Benjamin."

The old man sighed. "Be lucky Young Master Harrison is so amiable to let you off." He turned to leave and go back to the carriage and his last words finally clicked in Xiao Yunhua's head.

Harrison? It couldn't be!

"Wait!" Xiao Yunhua called out. "Please, tell me your name so I can thank you properly." Xiao Yunhua was relieved to see that the system wasn't stopping her, meaning Juliet hadn't met any of these people before.

"Little girl, you're out of line—"

"Dominic." The boy said kindly. "Dominic Jude Harrison." The old man almost foamed at the mouth. For someone of Young Master's noble status to say his full him aloud—and to a peasant—really was him being too kind. The old man was shocked even harder when the Young Master spoke again. "What is your name?"

"J-Juliet." Xiao Yunhua had only stuttered because she couldn't believe that she had met her target so quickly in the game. And from what she heard earlier, he was even going to stay at the closest village—Hillwood Village—too! Lady Luck was truly on her side in this mission.

"Juliet!" A voice rung out, startling them all. "Juliet where are you?"

Juliet smiled awkwardly, "I think I should leave before I get in anymore trouble. Thank you." She curtsied—incorrectly but they didn't see her fail because it was dark—and turned around to leave. She ran towards the voice and saw a worried Ingrid looking frantically for her.

"Young Master, how could you give your name to such a person? It brings you shame." Dominic looked at Benjamin Berkshire, his noble family's butler, and shook his head.

"Benjamin you worry too much. It was the polite thing to do. Father said that to be a knight in the future, I must treat all maidens fairly and kindly." Hearing the ten year old's response, Benjamin's face softened and he couldn't help but think how well his Young Master had grown up to be.

"I see, I see. We'll reach the Hillwood Village in ten minutes and I'll try to find an inn. Then we'll head off tomorrow." Dominic nodded and he closed his eyes, soothing his growing headache.

Meanwhile the moment Xiao Yunhua saw Ingrid was the moment that the old woman exploded. "Juliet Marilla Eleanor! How dare you be out at such a late time! Do you have any idea how worried we—I was? What were you doing anyways?" Xiao Yunhua wanted to open her mouth to explain the reason of being out in the forest at such a late time, but instead took the scolding with her head bowed. Juliet had always remained quiet if she was being yelled at, so she couldn't go against that behavior.

Seeing her silence, Ingrid's eyes softened and she immediately picked up on the story. "Did it have something to do with Evelyn?" No response meant a yes for Ingrid. Her face contorted into anger, "Why I ought to tell that little girl to set limits and boundaries—"

"You can't." A small hand grabbed her arm, tugging at it. Ingrid looked back at Juliet, only to see her meekly shaking her head. "Please, just let it go." Of course the old woman knew that the real reason Juliet didn't want for her to tell Evelyn was because Juliet was afraid of trouble. Not just for herself, but for Ingrid too. So with a sigh, both the old woman and Juliet ser back for the village on foot, reaching it fifteen minutes later.

Xiao Yunhua finally saw mattress and fell down, exhausted from all the events that had happened that day. She shifted uncomfortably, only to realize that her mattress was filled with straw, hurting her back.

Ah, she missed the modern times with her sweet, comfy bed!

She tossed and turned until she finally fell asleep, only to be woken a few hours later by Ingrid, telling her that she needed to begin her daily chores...