Away from the centre of the fair, the little girl led them along a path between the stalls.

"This is away from the fair," Ruelle said, turning to look behind them. "Your mother would be looking for you there."

"I saw her go this way," the little girl said, pointing at the narrower alley.

"Are you sure?" Hailey asked, who was still holding the girl’s hand.

"Perhaps we should head back and wait for her at the fair," Ruelle suggested. When she turned to look behind her again, she caught sight of two familiar-looking men. They had visited her house the last time she had been there, demanding her father return the money.

"I must say, you’ve grown quite beautifully," the bearded man’s gaze lingering as he stepped closer.

"Where is my payment?"

Ruelle and Hailey heard a woman’s voice come from between them, and their eyes snapped towards the girl who was no longer trembling.

"Idiots," the little girl said, the childish tone gone. "Did you really think I was a child?" Then she pulled her hand free from Hailey’s grip and ran toward the men. The bearded man tossed a coin toward her without looking and she caught it easily before she was gone quickly.

Ruelle’s fingers curled slightly at her side. The men had used this person who looked like a little girl to lure them away from the crowd and others. It was not uncommon for debts to be settled through family, especially daughters. But who had told them she would be here?

"Ruelle... do you know these men?" Hailey asked as they edged backward.

The bearded man chuckled and he answered, "Of course she does. Her fa—"

Ruelle did not let him finish. She seized Hailey’s hand and said, "Run!"

"Catch them!" the man shouted as Ruelle and Hailey gathered their skirts and ran.

Hailey gasped, "Who are they?!"

"Men my father owes," Ruelle replied. "Don’t stop!"

Hailey stumbled slightly. "What do we do now?! They don’t look like they are ready to give up."

"We split."

"What? No—two is better than one! I hope others notice we are gone for a long time. This is a very good time for my rich man to—"

Think, Ruelle told herself. If they could reach the crowd, it would be easier. They had walked mostly straight and hadn’t taken any deviation earlier. As her eyes moved ahead at a narrow turn, cutting to the right.

"This way!" She pulled Hailey with her.

Fog escaped from their lips. Shouting would be useless. She had to make it back this time without a scratch! For a fleeting moment, she could already picture Lucian’s cold and disapproving expression.

Pushing the thought aside, she ran faster.

But before they could reach the end of the alley, a buff man stepped into their path. The two men behind them were still hot on their heels and one of the men snapped,

"How the fuck are these women so fast?"

That was all thanks to Mr Jinxy, who had made them run at every opportunity with the words ’A predator enjoys the chase.’

"How confident are you at fighting?" Ruelle asked as they neared the lone man ahead of them.

Hailey gave a breathless laugh. "We don’t have anything to stab him with. I can... poke?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Good enough," Ruelle said.

When they closed the distance, Hailey lunged forward, throwing herself at the man. But the height difference worked against her. Her hand that was meant to poke his eyes crashed into his chest and she swayed to the side.

The man did not even move. Ruelle snatched up the lid of a nearby can and swung it across the man’s face just as he reached for Hailey. The metal lid struck with a sharp sound and the man was thrown off by the sudden blow.

Before he could recover, Ruelle and Hailey ran past him.

But unfortunately, when they turned right, they stopped because not far from where they stood, there was a wall.

"Catch them, damn it!" the bearded man’s voice echoed behind them.

"Let us take this one," Hailey said quickly, though her voice wavered. She moved slightly in front of Ruelle without thinking, and they took the opposite path. "Where is everyone?! Help!"

But no one came. With the ground frozen in ice, it didn’t take long before Hailey’s foot slipped and she lost her balance and fell.

Ruelle’s footsteps paused and she turned back. She quickly reached for her friend, helping her Hailey up.

"I’m fine... just—" Hailey said, trying to steady herself.

But before they could take another step, a sudden force jerked them back as two of the men caught hold of their coats, stopping them in their tracks.

"Ha! Caught you!" one of the men said, his voice carrying a note of satisfaction. "Did you really think you could run from us?"

Ruelle’s breath came harsh and uneven, matching Hailey’s as the men gave them a rough shake, the force enough to unsteady their footing. The bearded man stepped forward, his gaze settling on Ruelle with clear displeasure at her attempt to flee.

"My father was the one who borrowed the money... you should collect it from him," Ruelle said, her words shortened by her breath as she forced them out.

The bearded man’s hand came up without warning, catching her face in a firm grip as he tilted it slightly. Ruelle tried to pull away, but his hold tightened.

"You are his daughter. And a rather pretty one at that," the man said. "I have grown tired of waiting for your father to return, and I doubt he can, now that the house no longer belongs to him."

"She will fetch us a good price," another man added from behind, his grip still firm on her coat. "Look at her hair... her skin." There was a pause before he continued, more crudely, "Think I could have a taste before we sell her?"

Ruelle’s fingers curled instinctively as she tried again to wrench herself free, twisting her body sharply to one side, but the hold on her coat only tightened, the fabric pulling against her throat and dragging her back into place. She lifted her hand and struck blindly toward the man in front of her, but he caught her wrist this time, forcing it down and twisting at her back, making her wince.

"Careful," the person holding her coat said before letting go of her arm. "You’ll only make this harder for yourself."

"She broke my nose," the man holding Hailey spat, his voice thick with anger as he reached forward, as though to grab Ruelle next. The bearded man lifted his hand, stopping him before he could.

"She is a commodity now," said the bearded man, his gaze settling on Ruelle with quiet certainty. "We do not damage what we intend to sell. We should have done this long ago."

Then, as if remembering, his attention shifted to Hailey. He added, "No matter. We have another one here."

Today had been meant to be a simple outing. With so many people around them, she had not expected anything to go wrong. But neither she nor Hailey could have known what the little girl truly was.

Once, Caroline had been lost in a fair as well, and a kind stranger had brought her safely back. Ruelle’s fingers tightened.

"Sexton won’t be happy if you try to sell us," Ruelle warned the man. "If you try to sell us, they will come for you."

The bearded man chuckled before speaking, "They will go after the ones who buy you. That is, if anyone decides you are worth looking for. We are only the middlemen. We take our share and leave the rest to others."

He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Bring them to the carriage. We leave at once. Where is Tyrell?"

"He must still be fighting those fellows," the gruff man replied.

"You are dealing with the wrong people!" Hailey said, struggling as she was pushed forward to get them to start them walking.

The path they were led through was deserted, not a single soul in sight. Hailey turned her head slightly toward Ruelle and whispered,

"Do you think this is where I am meant to meet the rich man?"

"What are you whispering about?" the bearded man snapped, his tone sharp enough to cut through the quiet. "Keep quiet."

Hailey pressed her lips together at once and said nothing more.

"I can give you more coins if you let us go," Ruelle tried her luck. "I will repay what my father owes you."

"Do not listen to her," the man with the bloodied nose said at once, his tone sharp with irritation. "She is Harold’s daughter. She will deceive you just the same."

The bearded man gave a quiet hum of agreement, his fingers brushing along his jaw as he regarded Ruelle. He replied,

"If she had such money, she would have handed it to us the last time we visited the Belmont house. The market will give us a better price."

Ruelle noticed the worry in Hailey’s expression.

There was an advantage!

But it lay in timing. If they failed now, Ruelle doubted there would be another chance to escape. Did they think she would not try simply because they were outnumbered?

Ruelle shifted slightly as she walked and nudged Hailey’s leg. Hailey nearly stumbled again, turning to look at her with wide, questioning eyes. Ruelle’s hand then moved to the front of her coat, her fingers brushing against the buttons before she began to undo them, one by one.

For a moment, Hailey only stared as though confused. Ruelle made the action of removing the coat, and it finally dawned on Hailey, before she followed. Once the buttons loosened, so did the coats. They group finally turned at the corner and stepped onto a wider road.

Hailey seemed to notice something and stumbled, a small cry escaping her lips. "Ow—"

"Can you not walk properly?" the man behind her muttered with irritation. "Useless."

"The ground is slippery," Hailey said under her breath as she was pulled upright again. "I cannot walk any faster."

"That did not seem to trouble you earlier," he scoffed rolling his eyes.

Ruelle turned her head slightly, her gaze flicking toward Hailey. Instead of answering, Hailey gave the faintest smile. Slowly with care, she lifted her hand just enough for Ruelle to see a wooden stick resting between her fingers.

Impatient, Hailey’s face scrunched as she used all her force to snap the stick in two and Ruelle felt her heart beating louder. Finally, the stick broke and the sound was small but enough to be heard.

"What was that?" demanded one of the men with suspicion.