It was dawn.
Lilith was still sitting on the bench. Moonlight streamed through the windows, painting white squares on the wooden floor. She hadn't slept.
She imagined her plan of action. Her finger moved through the air, tracing invisible lines, trying to illustrate what she had in her head.
"I leave the flower field," she murmured. "Then I become a vendor. Then I get to know people close to the nobles. I show them my skills and sell them things. Like with Profot."
Something she had always done.
"Everyone likes magic tricks," she told herself.
Her stomach growled.
She hadn't eaten since the morning she left the cell. The sound was a roar in the silence of the shop. She brought her hand to her belly.
She thought of her master.
Sleeping upstairs. Alone. No one to see him.
"No one would notice if I ate him," she whispered.
Her mouth moistened. Her tongue passed over her lips.
"No one would notice," she continued. "I leave at night and..."
Her inner voice cut off abruptly.
*My identity.*
*If someone who knows me sees me, I'm finished. I'll have to get a new one. After I leave the field.*
Her shoulders dropped.
---
It was midday.
Lilith's master still hadn't appeared.
She had paced the shop a dozen times. She had sniffed some perfumes, read the handwritten labels, counted the bottles on the shelves three times.
She could no longer ignore the situation.
She looked at the ceiling. Listened. Nothing.
"M-master," she shouted upward. "Are you all right?"
A moment of silence. Then a muffled voice from upstairs.
"Yes. What is it?"
"It's just that half the day has passed and you haven't told me anything."
"Just stay there and don't do anything."
*This can't be.*
Lilith slumped onto the shop counter. She crossed her arms on the wood. Resting her forehead. She stayed like that, resigned.
Time passed. The sun moved from window to window.
She barely saw it.
A silhouette behind the glass. A hand raised to knock.
"M-master," she said, lifting her head. "Someone's outside."
She heard him jump from a chair upstairs. Hurried footsteps descending. The master passed by her.
"You, get out of there," he whispered as he passed.
Lilith moved away from the counter. She sat on the bench, making herself as small as possible.
He opened the door.
"A thousand apologies," he said with a bow.
The woman who entered was arrogant. A long dark silk dress. A corset that cinched her waist. A top hat that matched the dress, adorned with a black feather.
"You're always the same," she said, without looking at him.
"I was waiting for you."
"Do you have my order?"
"I do."
The master searched in a drawer behind the counter. His hands trembled slightly. He took out a cloth and unwrapped it carefully.
A blue bottle.
The daylight passed through it, and the glass shone as if it contained fire. The woman took it. Brought it to her face. Unstopped it.
She smelled it.
"How refreshing," she said, a smile appearing on her lips. "My son will love it."
"I'm sure," the master replied, straightening his back. "I always strive to give my best."
They both went to the counter to pay.
Lilith, on the bench, watched everything. Her exhaustion showed on her face. She had her head propped on one hand, eyes half-closed, hair disheveled.
The woman looked at her with disgust.
"And who is this girl?"
The master turned.
"She... she's a new employee I have."
"But she's so ragged!"
"I practically rescued her from the street last night. I'm going to... fix her up. Please."
The woman pressed her lips together. Paid. Put the perfume in her purse. Left without saying goodbye.
The master closed the door.
He stood looking at Lilith.
"You see how you make me look bad?" he said.
She looked at him without speaking. Their eyes met for a moment.
"Come," he ordered.
They walked to a small adjacent room. She hadn't been there before. It was a narrow space, with a window facing an interior courtyard. From a dark wooden cabinet, the master took out some dresses.
He laid them over a chair.
"They're my wife's," he said. "But she never comes. So use these."
Lilith approached. She ran her fingers over the fabric.
"I thought I was going to the field."
"I'll go next week. So you'll stay here until I go." The master brushed his hands on his pants. "So get dressed. Then I'll tell you what you'll do here."