Chapter 2

- Ruby, come on, Daddy's waiting for us outside. - As Irene had already finished getting ready, she called her sister who was outside the house, while she stood at the door with the lamp in her hand trying to protect her from the cold wind outside.

- Where's Mom? - Carlota asked, she never saw her mother properly, when the woman came home from work it was late at night, and she was very sleepy waiting for her and in the morning she always left very early.

- She took a ride with her neighbor who went to see the doctor. In addition, the lady she serves told her that she should arrive early because she would be receiving a delivery of fabrics to make new clothes for the young ones. - Irene spoke to her sister, who looked outside while she wiped her face with soap. - So this time she will send old clothes so that mother can dress us for the winter.

- She paused to splash some water on her face and wash all the foam off her face. - I hope she doesn't send those men's clothes this time, because I had to cut and sew them all to make them more feminine.

- She exclaimed her frustration with the clothes her mother got from the lady she was serving. - I hope you have finished your whining, now come on, this carriage is going to village three and we can't miss it.

- Irene was already in agony, because she didn't like to arrive at the last minute at the point where she would catch the carriage, but as everything in her life was complicated and whenever she arrived at the place there were already many people waiting, even if she woke up early there was always someone there before her.

When she saw that her sister was leaving, Charlotte ran into the house with a wet face, grabbed a towel that was on the wooden stool her father made from an orange tree and wiped her face, before leaving she took her clothes and put them in a bag and went to the table of her sister's things and passed some of the orchid water to give it a nice smell.

When she left the improvised room she passed by the kitchen and got a piece of wheat bread and went towards the front door of the house, arriving there she saw that her sister was at the door with a sulky face, as if this was a new thing, since Irene always got sulky when she delayed leaving the house, although sometimes it was understandable as today she woke up late and was late to catch the wagon that would take them to the nearest village where they would work.

- Finally, let's go. - Irene was ready to leave home and begin her dream by working where she would have the chance to be known for her talents, but what had everyone worried was if Irene would be able to get married after her husband found out that she wanted to become famous and sing for others as well as dance, despite these doubts that her mother and father had the woman didn't care since before she became engaged to a stranger she always wanted to fulfill her dream.

As they left the house and began to walk towards the place where they would take the only existing means of transportation, Carlota kept thinking about what it would be like when she was her sister's age, for now she was only fifteen and couldn't even work, but luckily her parents managed to keep this hidden from the king's officials. Irene was happy that she was no longer working, selling fruits and vegetables that she and her sister grew in their backyard, which wasn't much, but it helped with the taxes they paid at the change of seasons.

Now her life would change in a way that she could not explain how it happened, and a thought came to her mind, that if she was as good as she imagined she could be chosen to go to the palace and who knows become a dancer for the king having all the luxury and privileges she dreamed of, but it was all just a dream since the destiny that would guide her to an uncertain future full of doubts and choices.

- The father's blessing. - Carlota asked for the blessing even after remembering that she will forget when she saw him at the door minutes ago, he is as far as he was concerned just looked at the girl and blessed her continuing to walk without showing what he really felt.

The man was sad, for not only one daughter was leaving home, but both were going to work in a drinking house, one dancing and singing while the other stayed out of sight of the king's officials, he and his wife were poor and could not afford to send them to a school and maybe have a different destiny than his, but what he could do now was to find a good marriage for Irene who was already nineteen and old enough to marry, which would make things a little complicated, but he would manage.

- Father, where am I going to work? - Carlota asked the man, who seemed to be thinking about what he would say.

- You will work with your sister in the same place.- After saying this he looked at his two daughters who looked at each other and did not like what he just said.

- Why? - They both asked at the same moment. Irene was furious for having a sister like Carlota, she did not want to work in the same place as her younger sister, because she would get in her way as usual, meddling where she was not called.

What no one knew was that although she loved her sister initially after they grew up, Irene began to hate her because Carlota was better than her at some things, besides that, the young girl was only fifteen years old, and her beauty was unmatched having white skin even when sunbathing while working in the vegetable garden, her hair was large and her eyes had a wild glow that enchanted when she was in a dance.

Irene had an ordinary beauty, but her eyes were the same as her mother's, being greenish, which was very attractive when she painted her hair with make-up. Unlike Carlota's, her hair was blonde, and her skin was a little yellowish, she was a copy of her mother while her sister was like her father.

What made Irene a little happy was that Carlota liked to dress like a boy and her hair was always hidden in the veil that all virgin women wore, which was unnecessary when the woman got married.