Black Apple Request

I was cut short from reminiscing about the past when I felt a strong force bumping onto me, causing me to helplessly fall to the ground.

Ouch.

"Watch where you're going, you peasant!" Before I knew it, a leather boot had already hit my chin, making me stumble and look up. A woman in her 20s was looking down at me as she covered her face with her jewel-studded fan which looked like rubies. She was wearing a burgundy dress with a plunging neckline, pagoda sleeves, and an extremely puffed skirt, with flower and vine details embroidered on the skirt and neckline part. She was also wearing a gold necklace with a ruby pendant was on her neck, gold earrings, and on her fingers were rings with stones of different red shades.

Wow, it would really be shocking if her name is Ruby or Red. Amazing.

From the fabric and design of her clothes, paired with her glamorous accessories and stones, it was quite obvious that she's an aristocrat. Her cat-like brown eyes were staring at me full of disdain and annoyance, which became more obvious as she puffed out a sigh.

"Move out of the way, stupid beggar!" As much as I'd like to refute her, nothing would come good out of dealing with aristocrats, so I followed what she said. I stood up and moved aside while carefully wiping off the dust from my tattered clothes. The people around simply stared at the situation, but couldn't be bothered.

It's the usual thing in this world.

The lady seemed quite happy with my actions, seeing how her irritation turned into a boastful expression, but that didn't last long. I almost stifled a laughter when she almost tripped as she passed through me even if I did nothing.

I am innocent, but I guess I'm not for the woman.

She turned and walked to me, an obvious glare in her eyes, and without further ado, her hand moved to slap me in the face. However, before it could even hit me, I stepped backward which caused her hand to hit the air and with the law of physics, she almost lost her balance again. Unfortunately, she was able to regain her balance, but I saw how her face turned red out of anger and embarrassment.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the spectators covering their mouths to hide their laughter.

"You...!" Her hand reached out for me again, which annoyed me, so I quickly pricked my finger with my sharp nails and heeded for the wind to make her fall. A strong gust of wind blew along her body's direction and with the strong force acting upon her, she completely fell to the ground.

Hah.

"Lady Ruby!" Oh, my guess was right. A maid in her 30s ran towards the lady's direction as she helped the fallen lady up. I secretly gasped when I saw the woman's face with bruises. The fall wasn't even that hard, and the ground was not that rough. I can't believe on how messy her face is.

Do all aristocratic ladies easily bleed like this? If that is so, how pitiful of them.

Who cares, though?

"You! Apologize to the miss!" The maid pointed me out and I can't help but sigh. I wanted to be a little lowkey after the mess I created a few hours ago, but now I get the urge to break her finger.

Control, Zeshia, control.

"I did not do anything." I answered her shortly, but that just made them more agitated. "What are you saying? You made stepped on my dress to make me trip!" I leaned my head back when the lady's fan almost hit my face.

It's not my fault that you're clumsy, though.

Before I could even explain myself, a sharp whistle filled the place and I saw some guards, clad in their silver armor with the empire's crest imprinted on their chest plates, approaching us. They immediately stopped right in front of us and gave a salute to the lady by clenching their right fists and putting it across their chest before giving a small bow.

"May I know the problem here, my lady?" The one who seemed like the leader of the group asked the aristocrat in front of me with a deep voice. I think he's around 50s, considering the slightly wrinkled appearance and beard on his face. When I turned to the lady, her right eyebrow was raised as she stared at me and a smirk formed on her face.

Ah shit, I know where this is going.

"Yes, this beggar here had attempted to harm me. Put her in prison, now." Her voice held authority and pride, but she didn't carry a charismatic air with her. Instead, she was like a spoiled little brat who thinks that she owns the world and that every word she says is absolute.

And there are fools that listen to the command of the brat.

Without even knowing a thing from me, one of the other guards held up the handcuffs and secured it on my wrists. I was then harshly dragged away by them, leaving the arrogant faces on the lady and her maid.

My body jerked harshly as the guard handling me kept on pulling on the chain between the cuffs so I can continue following them. The people who were looking at the situation shifted their eyes away as soon as I stared at them. When I turned back my gaze below, I noticed blood dripping on the ground, mostly from my wrists that have now turned slightly purplish-red, and I contemplated on whether I'd do something or not.

I was in the middle of deciding when we passed by a fruit store where bright red apples were sold. The fruits' enticing shade gave me a pang of nostalgia and the memories of my first job resurfaced on my mind.

A red-headed little girl. Me, being carried away by guards. Apples. The scenes were all too familiar.

The Black Apple request.

[ Flashback ]

I landed my gaze on the apple orchard in front of me. It was the harvesting season, so the trees lined up in front of me looked like they were stained my the color of flames. It was very tempting to climb a tree and take one, but I'm not here for that.

"It's not here." I turned to the soul that was floating on my right, and even if I already been with her for about 5 hours ago, her bright-red hair is still the first thing that catches my attention.

As per Serene's suggestion, I decided to take on requests from souls as something that would keep me going in this world.

I left my parents' sanctuary a week ago, and I first landed on the City of Avado in the Empire of Fezerian. It was a city of fruits, wherein the good climate in the region caused the citizens here to have agriculture and building orchards as their primary source of income.

"Don't you think that we should find it in the garbage pit? Not on fresh trees?" My client pouted and rolled her eyes on me. It was a little girl, around the age of 8, and she requested my assistance in helping her find a certain fruit.

She said said that the fruit had an extravagant taste and is different from the other fruits she has tasted before. Her family was a commoner, and so is she, but you could say that they're in the middle class since they get to eat three meals a day. Thus, she was still able to have the luxury of eating fruits and foods that are native to the city.

"They really were hanging on a real tree! I even saw a bunch of them on that specific tree!" She strongly insisted about it that I can't help but sigh. If other people would see my appearance, they'd only think of me as a lonely plain-looking commoner lady in her 30s watching the workers in the orchard harvest the fruits. It's nothing new either, since it's been quite an attraction in this place to witness the harvest days of some orchards in this city.

"But, black apples? Really?" I can't hide my disbelief as the words slipped of my mouth. The first thing that came to my mind upon hearing my client say that was the rotten apples that have decayed and turned black.

"It's really true! Jean saw it herself!" Probably because she's still quite young, she referred to herself in third person. Her black eyes were in the verge of tears and I quietly panicked.

"Okay, okay. I'll believe that for now. But tell me, don't you remember anything about the surroundings when you saw those black apples in a tree?" Jean placed her hand on her chin while looking up, maybe trying to remember what she saw. Her eyes glimmered in recognition and immediately told me what she remembered.

Then the next thing I knew, I am already dragged into a cell and pushed into the dirty floor.

Why the hell was that fruit even there? In the first place, can you even call that a fruit?

It was then that I learned the true identity of those black apples and how they changed the life of a little girl.