章節 17: ENTERING THE FUN HEAVEN!

Both Theodora and Bertha changed their dresses. They tied their heads in the simple braids and made sure that they looked like any other woman who would be there at the fair.

Bertha had no problem fitting into that skin of a common woman, on the other hand, Theodora found it quite uncomfortable. The look was not at par with her taste but then... if this was going to help her to get into the fair, then so be it!

"Are you two ready?" Zerith asked as soon as they came out after changing into the simple clothes.

"Absolutely!" Theodora replied enthusiastically, but Bertha was nervous.

Zerith could sense her nervousness, but it was her choice and he was helpless.

"Good. Now come on! Lord Ralph and Lady Cordelia must be in the parlour and we should leave before they get suspicious." Zerith instructed while walking them towards the exit to the east.

He had prepared two big packs stuffed with clothes and every random thing he found in that short time.

"Come on, this might be little heavy." He warned beforehand.

"Ohh... its not as heavy as I thought." Bertha mumbled to herself with a smile.

"Oh my God!"

Zerith instantly helped Theodora to balance herself as she began staggering due to the weight of the pack on her head.

"Are you sure you are going to handle it?" Zerith asked unsurely.

"You could have put something light in that." She glared at him while adjusting the heavy pack on her head.

"And then the guards would have definitely suspected us!" He retorted while helping her.

After making sure that the two ladies were ready to go, he lead them to the exit. The two guards who stood alert at their post noticed Zerith walking their way. They instantly broadened their shoulders before nodding at him respectfully.

"Zerith? Why are you here? I mean shouldn't you be taking the main door?" One of the guards asked in confusion.

"Yes, but I am thinking of donating some of my things to the poor sellers in the fair. I have my old shoes and some other things in the storeroom." Zerith said, pointing at the small building, which was no less than a house of any normal person on the Warthford Island.

They used to store the unwanted and old things in that building.

The two guards glanced in the women's way, but they had hidden their faces well behind Zerith. And nobody would think that Theodora could ever even touch the clothes they were wearing

"Alright!" The guard smiled at Zerith.

Nodding at them, Zerith walked confidently, and the women followed.

"Keep walking and don't mess up. They are still looking." Zerith warned, not turning his head to look behind.

But Theodora was not sure how long she could carry that heavy weight on her head.

"Zerith... I need your help to carry this."

"Theodora... I can't! You know that. Keep walking. Only a few steps. Don't worry."

"My Lady I know you can do it... just some more." Bertha encouraged Theodora.

"Come on Theodora... You can do it!" Theodora kept chanting that mantra until they walked away from the eyesight of the guards and anyone else.

As soon as they reached the small building, Theodora threw that pack on the ground and huffed loudly.

"I am so not doing this again Zerith! Next time come with something better!!" She glared at him and raised her voice in anger.

Zerith only pursed his lips, but Bertha felt bad for him. He was risking everything for Theodora and was acting against his morals, just to help her and yet she was screaming at him ungratefully.

But then, that was the Theodora they all knew and were used to.

Bertha cleared her throat, trying to ease out the tension.

"What now?" She directed her question to Zerith.

"Now you two are on your own. Just don't forget my warnings." Saying that he walked away from there clearly in bad mood.

"Now what's wrong with him?" Theodora eyed his retreating form weirdly.

Bertha sighed. Because that woman could never understand even if she tried to explain it to her.

"We should get going My Lady."

"Bertha... you should stop calling me My Lady or we will blow up our cover. Call me Theodora!"

Bertha could not help but smile at that. She used to call her by her name in their childhood, but as Theodora grew up and Bertha took over her mother's place as a maid after her death, she began calling her 'My Lady'.

And Theodora never minds that.

After all these years, Bertha found it different to call her friend by her name, but then it should not feel that weird as she was used to just that.

"Okay... Theodora!"

Twenty minutes later, the ladies heard the loud noises and in front of them was a carnival of colours. They could feel all the buzz and joy intoxicating the air around. And it did not take more than a moment to enter into their systems too.

"Yesss!" The two of them shrieked in happiness as they ran in the direction of the fair like small girls.

The whole place was sparkling, bathing in hundreds of colours. It was chaotic yet pleasant to their ears. There were so many things to notice that Theodora's excited eyes kept jumping from one thing to other, within the seconds, trying hungrily to take it all in.

"Oh my God, Bertha! This is... this is heaven!!"

"A fun heaven!" Bertha agreed, laughing greedily in excitement.

"From where should we start?" Theodora asked, unable to decide herself.

"What about from the first shop at the left?" Bertha suggested and the two of them sprinted in that way, laughing loudly.

"But Theodora, be careful. Always stay by my side and do not go anywhere." Bertha reminded her, but Theodora's mind was already engrossed in enjoying her surroundings to pay any attention to her cautious words.

Gerald, Oscar and Isabella were at different places in the vast fair. They had gathered enough profit since the morning, which could last them for about more than three months.

But the greed is insatiable!

Feeling thirsty, Gerald stopped at the juice shop and ordered a glass of pineapple juice for himself. He was waiting to receive his order after paying the shopkeeper.

Two minutes later, he had the glass of juice in his hand. He stood railing on the wooden log that had been used to erect the shop. His big green eyes were sweeping all over the surroundings in search of his next target.

He deliberately took his sweet time in drinking the juice. Moving from the merry-go-round, his eyes landed on the Ferris wheel, which was a few feet away from where he stood.

The huge structure was packed with people, men, women and children of all ages. Two persons sat in one chair, and for their safety, a metal rod was fixed horizontally in front of them.

The wheel was moving at its speed, gradually increasing its pace. The chairs began moving in the clockwise direction and with the increasing speed of the structure, their laughs, yells and hooting also increased.

Gerald scoffed, watching those exhilarated fools. They thought it was an adventure. But for Gerald, it was a kid's game. He knew what the real adventure was.

He knew what excitement and fear feels like! He knew how the heart lurches in the chest at the sight of life-threatening dangers. He had experienced that for a long and would do that until his body and mind allowed him.

That feeling of adrenaline rush was something that kept him going in the mouth of death again and again. He began it for the sake of money, but then it became his addiction.

He could not imagine himself without adventure in his life, living a mundane life with nothing exciting remaining in it.

Well... Oscar would love such life, he thought recalling their previous night's conversation.

But it was not Gerald's cup of tea for sure!

His eyes shifted from the Ferris wheel but then reran back to it instantly when he thought he caught something interesting in one of its chairs of it.

Gerald saw a cloud of nut-brown colour flowing softly in the air. The face was radiating with happiness. The pearl white teeth shone in the daylight. She threw her head behind and laughed loudly, freely. A laugh that he had never experienced before.

Gerald wanted to take his eyes off of her, but something about her held him captivated. He saw her eyes growing in surprise, only to shut as the Ferris wheel rotated in speed.

She was sitting with her friend, who looked scared, her lips moved rapidly must be chanting the prayers.

But the other woman beside her was fearless, bold and had such a grace with which she carried herself that had Gerald's mind stuck on her.

"Aye, pal! Are you going to eat that glass or what?"

Gerald was startled out of his trance. Confused at first, he realised he still had the glass between his lips and when he pulled it away, it was empty.

What the hell!

He did not realise when he had finished the juice as he was too lost in observing the woman on the Ferris wheel. Gerald cleared his throat before putting down the glass. Shaking his head to get his mind clear, he again turned his attention to the Ferris wheel to see that it had stopped and now people were getting out of it.

His frantic eyes looked for her desperately, but she was nowhere to be seen. As if she had disappeared in the sea of uncountable heads.