Chapter 5: One Coin Two penny

Chapter 5: One Coin Two pennyAriana’s eyes fluttered open, only to shut again almost immediately. Even though the curtains were drawn, sunlight had found a way through a small tear in the fabric, casting a sharp beam directly onto her face—right into her eyes, as if the morning itself had conspired against her. With a soft breath, she covered her face with her hand and sat up slowly. What had woken her wasn’t the sunlight alone, but the loud noise coming from the small bathroom attached to their room. Her sister was in there—singing. Loudly. Ariana couldn’t believe how someone with a voice like that could be so unaware of how terrible she sounded. And yet, her sister didn’t just sing—she proudly claimed to be both a soprano and, at times, an alto. She even said the Moon Goddess had blessed her with those "gifts." To make matters worse, she’d somehow been appointed second-in-command of the choir—the same choir known for their singing during festival seasons. Everyone knew her voice was awful. Even Mr. Luke, the choir director, couldn’t possibly be that ignorant. Yet, he still let her sing. If you asked Ariana, she’d say even a frog sounded better. The other choir members were just as confused about Ava’s leadership. But if only they knew what she had given in return for that position... Finally, the wooden door creaked open. It always took some effort—one had to pull it, lift it slightly to unhook the towel caught on the broken handle, and then open it fully. As the door swung open, Ava and Ariana’s eyes met. "Good morning, sister," Ava said quietly. "Hope you slept well and you’re strong enough for your punishment tonight." She laughed. "Just kidding. You take things too seriously." But Ariana hadn’t even reacted. So what exactly had she taken seriously? She didn’t bother to reply. Instead, she turned away, closed her eyes, and mouthed a soft prayer to the Moon Goddess before getting out of bed. What puzzled her wasn’t just her sister’s words—but the fact that Ava looked so... flushed. Bright red, unusually so. The ball wasn’t until late evening, when the carriage would arrive. So why was Ava already flustered? There was no denying it—she must be thinking about the Alpha King again. Then it clicked. Ariana had seen her pick out that darkish red bra—the one she only wore for special occasions. It was the best one she had. The most proper. The most revealing. Ariana walked past her, silent. But Ava called after her. "Not even a good morning back, sis?" Her voice was soft, but the sharpness beneath it cut like glass. Ariana lifted her hands and signed lazily, still feeling slightly drowsy, Good morning, sister. How was your night? Ava was already at the mirror, massaging coconut oil into her skin with slow, practiced movements. "My night was great," she said with a small smile. "I’m just a little nervous about meeting him. But I’m beautiful, so... that’s not really a problem." She paused, then turned to look at Ariana. "Sister, on the day of my wedding, I want you to help me pick the perfect dress. You’ll be my bridesmaid." Ariana nodded silently and walked toward the door—but then froze when Ava spoke again. "Does the Alpha King know about your pregnancy?" She had said it softly, like a passing thought. Ariana’s belly hadn’t started to show yet, so there was no way to tell just by looking. So why had Ava asked that? Before Ariana could respond, Ava shrugged and added under her breath, "Never mind. He probably won’t care anyway." She returned to rubbing oil into her shoulders, as if the question hadn’t just shattered the room’s silence. Ariana moved toward the door, still caught off guard by what her sister had just said. She walked into the kitchen and fetched a cup of water, drinking it slowly—a small habit her mother had taught her to start every morning. "Have you had your bath?" a voice called from behind. Startled, Ariana jumped, thankful she was already done drinking or she might have choked. She turned to see her father standing there his expression blank. ’Good morning, Father.... I haven’t had my bath yet—I just woke up.’ Her father nodded. "Before you bathe, take the trays of fruit from the dining table and give them to the neighbor, Ivy. Then bring back two cents and a gold coin. Is that clear?" Ariana formed a circle with her pointer finger and thumb, holding up the other three fingers to signal her understanding. "Noted." She moved to the kitchen and silently picked up the tray. * * Ariana ran as fast as she could as the annoying chicken pursued her. What had she done to this stupid chicken that it kept pursuing her? Wasn’t she supposed to be the one chasing the chicken, not the other way around? But here she was, being hunted down by a stubborn bird. Most of the village children who had come outside to play just stared, wide-eyed, at the strange chase unfolding. Why did her father have to add corn to the tray? Was it not just supposed to be fruit? Why couldn’t things ever be normal? Instead of walking calmly like a regular person, she was running for her life—chased by a chicken. An angry one, at that. When the chicken got too close, Ariana quickly grabbed the smallest piece of corn she had and tossed it onto the ground. The chicken immediately stopped chasing her and started pecking at the corn. Why always chickens? She sighed in relief. She couldn’t believe that a chicken had actually pushed her to run so much—she’d gotten more exercise than she ever wanted. Finally, she stopped in front of a door, taking deep breaths to steady herself. This was worse than running itself. She was even trying to protect the tray in her hands. She gave a quiet knock. After a moment, footsteps approached, and a lady appeared. The woman stared at her for a moment before speaking in an angry tone. "So, breaking the door is why you’re here... and not just to bring the fruit?" ’Not even a Good morning, what a great neighbor’ Ariana said to herself. She bowed her head Apologetically. The lady took the tray inside and soon returned with some coins. She handed Ariana one gold coin and a penny but Ariana shook her head gently, trying to mouth words. When the lady didn’t understand, Ariana pointed at the penny and held up two fingers, indicating she was expecting two penny not one. The lady frowned. "I can’t give you two coins," she said firmly. "There’s a corn missing, so I will not be completing the payment." Ariana’s eyes widened. She realized the missing corn was the one she had thrown to the chicken to stop it from chasing her. Oh wow. She was in so much trouble. How was she going to explain to her father that she had fed the corn to a chicken just to escape? The lady spoke again, quietly. "If you’re done here, you can leave." She turned and closed the door, leaving Ariana standing alone. Ariana exhaled loudly, unable to believe what had just happened. How was she going to explain this to her father? She bit her lip, imagining the punishment waiting for her—not just from the Alpha King, but now her father would add his own. Ariana began to walk back to their cottage, moving slower than ever before. Just as she reached their courtyard cottage, she noticed the door was slightly ajar. She paused, hearing voices inside. Her eyes widened in shock—no one had told her that lady was here, the one they owed money to. Her face drained of color as she listened to the escalating voices. "Mr. Brentford, where is the rest of my payment?" the lady demanded, her voice rising. Ariana quickly stepped inside, and then her father spoke calmly, "Oh, here she is. I told you, we didn’t eat your money. Ariana, give her the two cents and the coin." Ariana’s face turned pale. She didn’t know how to explain the situation. Her lips trembled as she raised her hand to sign—but her hands refused to move. Her father frowned. "Ariana, why are you wasting time? Give her the coins." Ariana gestured to him, signing urgently, Father, it’s not complete. "What do you mean it’s not complete?" her father snapped. Ariana’s mind raced. She hadn’t given the woman the full tray, so she wasn’t paid the full amount. The irony was painful—the same chicken that had chased her belonged to the woman now standing in front of her.