"Lady Juniper, please, marry me."
Her? A lady?
Well, she certainly was but—there's no way it was appropriate for the empire's first prince to be uttering such words to her like this, right?
Unlike him, she was of common birth. There was not even a drop of noble blood in her veins—so why did her refer to her so formally? Perhaps it was merely the way he spoke, although, even then, this place was meant to be one where any and all could relax without thinking of whatever troublesome lives they led. In fact, did he really have to propose in front of the whole tavern like this?
This, this is... how should she answer? Everyone's eyes are on her...
... Ugh, what even caused this in the first place?
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Juniper, since the very early days of her youth, has been used to the looks of interest others gave her as she passed by. However, having always been far too caught up in her fairy tales up until now, she never batted an eye towards those who made any advances directed to her. She hardly even acknowledged them, as she was foolishly swept away in the ideal that someday a handsome prince would pick her up off her feet and carry her into a magnificent castle. Though she hadn't particularly minded the consequences which came of her actions initially, after picking up on a few comments on the streets and in the bustling pub—of which many apparently believed she was unable to hear under the surrounding chaos—she couldn't help but feel slightly regretful now.
"As if anyone would want to marry an old woman like her! Men want someone fertile and young, so we can have plenty of offspring."
Those words stuck with her for days on end. She tried to forget about what that bastard said, but no matter what she distracted herself with, that thought always came crawling back to her. Even now, as she prepared for another day of hard work as a simple barmaid, she could not help but sigh.
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Perhaps she had truly wasted her youth, and maybe what those men had said was true after all...
Juniper couldn't believe herself right now, though she stubbornly persisted in trying to think otherwise. In another attempt to occupy herself which would once again likely end in failure, she continued in delicately smushing a small cloth against her skin to spread cosmetics she'd purchased the other day. Once finished covering the blemishes on her tawny skin, she grabbed a nearby container full of a burgundy colored powder and began to press it onto her lips.
After what felt like an eternity—one which was very welcome, by the way—of preparations, she fixed her light blue into a low bun. As she had, she purposely left a few hairs out in the front as to not hold an overly uptight appearance. Just before she left, she made sure to wrap a cloak around her shoulders in case there was a breeze, then set off towards the tavern.
As usual, nothing worth her intrigue occurred. There was only the fading laughter of children amidst the dim atmosphere, with a few occasional easy to miss noises to be heard should one have been paying attention enough.
Nothing has changed in these slums since she was just learning how to walk, yet everything felt much more gloomy with all the conflict going on outside of the capital's walls. They served as protection to what lied beyond their insignificant lives, but such barriers were no good when it came down to the inside.
The silence was almost unbearable.
She wondered, if she weren't so used to it, would she have already lost her mind?
She shook her head, and continued forward.
She's pondered for too long. She should hurry.
. . .
Juniper went through the back entrance as to not announce her late entry to the customers who were already piling in. Though, in spite of this, her boss had swiftly caught wind of her presence from the very moment she entered. Expecting to be scolded by him, she stood by the door awaiting for his booming voice to blow out her ear drums—but rather, he shooed her away.
She shrugged her shoulders—figuring he must be in a better mood than usual—and tied an apron around her waist before rushing out to the bustling crowd. Juniper quickly grabbed a few drinks and served them to awaiting customers, flinching as their loud cheers reached her ears. After a few more rounds of this, she turned her focus to the door—which appeared as though it may break from the amount of times it's been opened today—and readjusted her bun, bracing herself for a long, busy day of work.
She wasn't able to keep count of how many twirls she'd done thus far—but she was sure by now it must've been over a hundred. Admittedly, she felt a bit lighthearted... but she couldn't give out now. The day, seemed to have just barely begun after all...