The morning shone with a deceptive brightness, as if to erase the memory of yesterday's storm. Armed with a shopping basket, Celine strolled down a leaf-covered forest path towards the village. Her purpose for this trip was not just the weekly grocery shopping; she was also determined to uncover the source of the vicious rumor that had been tormenting Amelie.

  The downhill path eventually led out of the woods. When she left the naked trees behind, she was greeted by the view of scattered rooftops below. The cacophony of vendors hawking their wares and villagers haggling over the prices reached her ears already from a distance. As she approached the market square, the crisp autumn air carried the aromas of ripe apples, freshly baked bread, and smoked meat.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She overheard a gaunt farmer mumbling to his neighbor from behind his rickety wooden stall. “Twice what he took last year, that damned leech. We'll starve come winter.”

  “Aye, bleeding us dry with his taxes, he is. Living lavishly in his mansion while our bellies growl.”

  “The wench over there – she is from the mansion! Strutting around like she's better than us, even though it's our hard-earned money paying her wages.”

  “Strouting around! Ha ha, got it?”

  Celine walked by, head high, ignoring their scowls. The Strout name opened doors but won no love. No matter. Her mission was finding the truth, not making friends.

  (The rest of the chapter has been removed to prevent further copyright infringements.)