They were supposed to be out in the world conquering trade routes or managing estates, while the men stayed safely behind the high walls of their courtyards, managing the delicate, tedious domestic affairs—like haggling over the price of a soup ladle.
To see a young woman, especially one with such a cold, imposing aura, personally lecturing a blacksmith on the edge-bevel of a fish-filleting knife was nothing short of a public spectacle.
Finally, a few of the braver customers couldn't contain their burning curiosity any longer.
A small group of three young men, draped in modest but beautifully embroidered high-collared robes, shuffled toward the main counter. They were clearly married—their hair was pinned up in the intricate, elegant styles reserved for husbands of respectable households, and their sheer veils were dyed in soft, domestic pastels.
The bravest of the three, a youth in pale lilac silk holding a modest wooden rice paddle, took a hesitant step forward.
