CHAPTER 131: OUT OF LINE

"Stay in your lane," one of the ladies snapped at Pandora as the woman pushed her back. The lady moved toward the end of the line, as if resigned to waiting until midnight for her turn. Pandora’s stomach growled loudly, and she struggled to maintain her composure.

"She is so ugly," one of the group whispered, eyeing her from head to toe as if looking for more flaws to say.

They laughed, while Pandora lowered her gaze. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself—that was why she had tied her hair back with a stick. She knew she was different: her hair had a silkiness no matter how she tried to tame it, and her blue eyes... well, they stood out.

The ladies exchanged glances as they stared at the girl whose head remained bowed.

"Ugh, why is her head always down? She is so annoying look at her foot so muddy and unladylike."

"Oh heavens, please save me," Pandora whispered to herself. She couldn’t understand why these girls were annoyed with her when she was minding her own business at the back.

The funny thing was, she didn’t even know who these ladies were—today was her first time meeting them. Yet, she was already drawing attention for the most unusual reason: simply for keeping her head low.

"Raise your head, peasant."

Pandora almost laughed at that word though her head remained low. She didn’t mind the name, but she knew who these people were trying to be. She could have ended the confrontation, but that would only draw more attention. With a crowd present, anything that happened would be the talk of the place. It was better not to make things worse.

"I said, raise your head," one of the ladies snapped, shoving Pandora’s shoulders sharply. Pandora’s eyes widened as her legs slipped. Her body lurched backward, trying to regain balance, and her muddy slippers stepped on something smooth..Too smooth

She felt herself sliding, sure she would fall and get hurt on the rough groundand knowing how bad the injury would be she accepted fate. But a strong arm caught her.

Her heart raced, and her face flushed as she straightened. When she finally looked up, her eyes locked briefly on very light brown eyes..like pencil on paper.

She immediately lowered her head, her face burning as she noticed his shoes were muddy and dirty compared to their earlier shine.

"M-my apologies," she stammered, bowing her head.

Raven noticed the tiny, nervous sound of her voice and how anxious she seemed.

"Look up," he said, but she shook her head and bowed again, trembling this time.

To Raven’s surprise, she spoke again.

"I... I am a good... shoe p-polisher. Allow me t-to polish your shoe in return for my c..clumsiness," she said. Pandora stuttered when nervous, though she was usually confident when speaking—her anxiety alone made her falter.

Raven was speechless. He had no idea what to say. He glanced at a few ladies at the back, blushing lightly and giving him nervous glances. He wondered why the girl had been so focused on his shoes that she forgot she had been shoved so roughly.

"Don’t bother about that," he said, and to his surprise, she simply bowed.

Just as she was about to turn, Raven heard her stomach growl. Pandora’s face burned even more. Then he noticed her shoulders shaking slightly. He caught the brief glare the ladies shot her as she gently lifted her head—her head still remained low, only briefly raised.

He knew that if she continued like this, it could spell trouble for her. His eyes then rested on her long, silky hair, which she was trying to tie back.

"You... red hair," he said as the girl turned.

"Come with me," he said calmly. Her eyes widened, and she walked silently, knowing she was not to disobey him. Though she did not know who he was, she was certain he was connected to the palace guards...the shine of his shoes and the cloth he wore made that clear.

She wondered if she was going to be punished for stepping on his toe.

"But it wasn’t intentional," she whispered to herself as she noticed the other ladies laughing at the back.

"She’ll probably get punished," one muttered.

"What a sly girl, trying to seduce that handsome guard," another added.

"I feel he’s the man for me," a third chimed in.

Pandora tried to ignore them. She knew she was in big trouble, but she had already told him she was good at polishing shoes. In fact, it was how she had survived back in her village...almost everyone there knew her as "the shoe girl."

Now, it felt even more tragic. Today, she had caused a problem instead of helping, all because that lady had pushed her.

As she walked, she realized she was drawing attention. People were whispering about why she was passing the queue when everyone else was standing in line. They could recognize her as a commoner—there was a clear distinction between royals and commoners.

She ignored them, keeping her head low, and followed Raven. She continued forward, but when Raven stopped abruptly, her forehead bumped against his broad back. Her eyes widened, and she stepped back, realizing she had forgotten he had stopped.

Oh, could today get any worse? Many in the crowd had seen it..she was no longer in the queue but standing at the front.

A guard turner to Raven.

"Check her name. Allow her in," Raven ordered. The guard looked surprised. He knew Raven was not one to act unfairly, yet he had no time to ask questions. He simply wanted to do his job and leave.

"Young lady, your name?" the man asked. Pandora’s eyes widened. Had he really let her in? Did he pity her? She quickly called out her name, careful not to anger anyone, knowing people already found her annoying.

"P-pandora Smith," she said. The man gave a curt nod and began to check.

Raven’s eyes drifted to her hair, now messily tied, and her lowered head. He fought the urge to lift her chin; he wanted to see those eyes again. Why had he done that? He had no idea.

Was it because of her hunger? Perhaps. It was unlike him, as he usually took fairness seriously. His unexpected action caused a murmur in the crowd—but he didn’t care. He was surprised by his own decision.

"I... I can’t find her name," the guard finally said.

Raven’s eyes widened, and Pandora’s shoulders stiffened. The crowd gasped. Silence fell, which could only mean one thing:

She was an intruder.