Lydia made the decision to leave just a couple of hours before she actually pulled it off. She was not usually an impulsive person, but at the time, being in the palace felt suffocating.
Every corner of the palace reminded her of what those men had said. Every step reminded her of how unwanted and inadequate she was in their eyes. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed a change of atmosphere. So she wrote a letter to her mother, grabbed her personal maid, and only friend, Elara, and then left the Montaire Palace.
And now, she was having breakfast at Elara's.
"Does the food suit your taste, My Lady?" asked Elara, standing beside the princess, still in her maid uniform.
"It's great. You said your mother made this? This is the best porridge I've had in a while. I'll be sure to thank your mother later," Lydia smiled. She paused for a second and said, "Elara, please don't call me 'My Lady,' we are not in the palace anymore. Just call me Lydia."
"...I understand, Lydia." Elara smiled.
Lydia held Elara's right hand with both of her hands. "I can't thank you enough for going along with this selfish request of mine. And I also need to thank your family, especially your parents, for letting me stay here for a while."
"It's okay. They love you very much. They followed every news about you. Sometimes I even wonder if they love you more than me." Elara let out a small chuckle.
"That's very sweet of them." Lydia grabbed Elara's hand even tighter. "And don't you worry, I already said to my mother to not fire you. Knowing my mom, she would also make sure nothing bad or unpleasant happened to you and your family."
"Thank you very much, Lydia. That means a lot to me."
"Don't mention it. That's the least I can do."
"So what do you plan to do now? Do you want to stay here until everything settled down?" asked Elara. "My parents would be happy to have you here, and I'm sure most people from the Palace won't think of searching you here, unless the Queen tell them about my involvement."
Lydia took a sip of the jasmine tea in front of her. "I don't think my mom would tell the security about you. But what do you mean they won't search me here?"
"Lydia, this is Bas-Rive. The place where the poor people of Montaire live. Forget a princess, no rich person would ever step foot here. There's no reason for the people from Valenrose Quarter to look for you in Bas-Rive, which is why I brought you here in the first place."
"Ah, is that so?" Lydia nodded. "By the way, now that I think about it, it feels like we are the heroes who are on the run from an evil organization. How exciting!" said the princess, giggling with excitement.
Elara shook her head. "You've read to many fantasy books."
"Since we are on the run, you can't be wearing your maid uniform, Elara. You stand out in the crowd like a sore thumb."
Elara chuckled. "Lydia, I can say the same to you. If you don't want people to know who you are, then you shouldn't wear such expensive clothes either."
Lydia tilted her head, confused. "What are you talking about? These are the least expensive clothes in my wardrobe."
Elara put her hands on her hips. "That beige designer coat, the leather boots, the grey skirt, that black blouse, that gold watch, everything you're wearing from head to toe is worth at least six months of my paycheck. Sure, random people may not know its real price, but they can easily tell that those are expensive stuff."
"Six months of your paycheck?" Lydia's eyes widened. "I'll tell my mom to increase your salary when we get back. Anyway, I guess you're right. Maybe my clothes are not suitable for somebody on the run." The princess crossed her arms and think for a second. "That's it! Let's go buy some new clothes."
Elara was taken aback by the princess sudden suggestion, but she immediately kept her composure. "Well, not me. I have plenty of clothes here."
"What? No, that's not fair. I don't want to buy clothes only for me. Let's buy new clothes for both of us. I insist. This is an order from the princess of the Principality of Montaire."
Elara took a deep breath. She knew that the princess could be quite stubborn sometimes, and she wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted.
"Ok, I give up. Let's go shopping," said Elara.
"Yay! Time to go to the mall!" The princess was elated.
"No, Lydia. We're not going to the mall," said Elara, trying to calm the princess down. "We're on the run, remember? Let's go to the nearby flea market."
"Oh, you're right. I guess mall is a bad idea. Alright then, flea market it is. Besides, I never go to a flea market before. This is so exciting."
"Yes, yes. But before we go, let's change our clothes first. You can use mine." Elara started to walked to her room in the second floor.
"Really? Thanks." Lydia stood up and excitedly followed Elara.
***
Though the Principality of Montaire was known as a place where wealthy people stayed and played, where supercars and massive yachts were a common sight, this small coastal country also had its fair share of poor and downtrodden people. Most of those people lived in the Bas-Rive district, away from the glitz and glamour.
Elara actually had an apartment in La Traverse, where most middle-income families lived, but she was born in Bas-Rive. And for reasons that she didn't understand, her parents refused to leave their house and moved in with her.
Bas-Rive didn't have many places worth visiting, but it had the biggest flea market in the country. The used clothes section was particularly famous among people who loved retro outfits. Its official name was the Bas-Rive Municipal Market, but most people simply called it the Patchwork Market.
"The Patchwork Market, what a strange name!" said Lydia while her eyes darting around from one stall to the next. Even a stranger could tell that she was incredibly excited to be there.
"Apparently the stalls here used to have roofs made out of tarps with patchworks all over it," explained Elara. "Anyway, what do you want to buy?"
"I like these hoodie and sweatpants that you gave me, but I still need a new pair of shoes, some pants and shirts, and outerwear as well."
"I'm glad you like them. Purple is not my color, so I never really wore them."
"Eh, that's not true. As long as you look confident while wearing it, then every color is your color," said Lydia while doing a little spin and a pose.
"Yeah, yeah, let's go. I know a place that sells good clothes and jackets."
The two of them walked comfortably across various stalls and passerby. The dim lights, the crowds, the shouts and the murmurs, the smell of foods and snacks, everything was a new experience for Lydia, and she enjoyed every second of it. Without realizing it, the sun had set, and they both had big bags of clothes in their hands.
"This is crazy, I can't believe clothes could be so cheap." Lydia scratched her head. "Everything in my hands right now is cheaper than the coat that I wore earlier. How do those sellers make a living selling items with such a cheap price?"
"These are second-hand goods, Lydia," explained Elara. "Most of them are the stuff that people gave away, so those sellers got their items mostly for free. Besides, the majority of people who buy things here couldn't afford new and expensive clothes, so the sellers simply sell their items at the price that suit their customers."
"Ahh…I see" Lydia looked genuinely touched and amazed. "I never knew life could be so different even though we are just about 45 minutes away from the Montaire Palace."
"Anyway, you got everything you need, right?" asked Elara. "Shall we go back to my parent's house, now?"
"Wait a minute, I saw a stall that sell a delicious-looking hotdogs over there. Let's try it before we go."
"Hotdogs? Didn't you just eat a burger half an hour ago?"
"Come on now, don't you know that shopping burn lots of calories?" Lydia was smiling from ear to ear.
"I'm sure you know that eating too much junk foods is not good for your body, especially considering you are a literal princess."
"Booo...you sound like my mother. Don't worry about my body. Life is short, Elara. You should enjoy it. Eat whatever you want. You can always work out and burn the excess weight away later."
Elara shook her head. "You really are incorrigible, did you know that?"
"I know. My mother always told me that. Frankly speaking, I think that is one of my best qualities," said Lydia, smirking. "Come on, let's go, before they sold out all of the hotdogs."
The runaway princess and her maid enjoyed the rest of the night together, laughing and having fun without a care in the world. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes had been following them since they left Elara's house.