I wiped the sweat from my forehead and adjusted the red scarf tied on top of my head, the one I'd found at the bottom of the wardrobe that morning. For a moment, I straightened my back, relishing the relief it brought to my spine after hours of bending and working. In the past few days, not a single part of my body had been free of pain; I often felt like an old woman trapped in a young girl's body.
The prince came to mind — his cold words from the night before, when he'd told me I was good for nothing. As much as I wanted to prove him wrong, I had to admit that, in a way, he might have been right. The thought had haunted me since morning, and as the hours dragged on, it only made me feel more defeated. I felt as though my life wasn't worth a single coin.
