Saving the Queen 10

"Is this really all you have, brat?" A man wearing a red bandana sneered at a young kid, his gaze dripping with disdain as he examined the meager contents of the basket before him. Inside lay only a loaf of bread and three apples, hardly enough to satisfy even the most modest appetite.

"Y-yes…" the kid stammered nervously, bowing his head deeply to the ground, the old woman behind him mirroring his gesture of deference.

"Tsk… what the hell did I expect from a brat anyway?" The man's voice dripped with contempt as he turned to leave, dismissing the child and his meager offerings with a derisive snort.

"Peter… you know you shouldn't lie like that…." Despite her weakened legs, the old woman hurried over to Peter's side, her concern evident in the lines etched upon her weathered face.