Daylight

15 | Madonna

The air seemed to crackle with tension despite the cool day covered in mist. Madonna stared at the reflections in the water, standing in front of the town plaza's fountain, lost in her thoughts.

There was a myth said to her once that if you throw a penny into a fountain or a wishing well and you make a wish, it will be granted. Or if you spoke to one and made a wish, it will be granted.

She fumbled with the single penny between her thumb and pointing finger, flicking and turning it between her fingertips. It was a silly thought, she told herself. There were no chances that if she threw a penny into this fountain and made a wish to get their old lavish life back, it will happen.

But somehow, a part of her wanted to do it.

Goodness, she wasn't a child anymore, certainly not young anymore. She was old, a grown woman in her forties, wrinkling and weakening.

She sighed, Caroline was probably growing on her with her silliness and positiveness. That woman really knew how to persuade people.

Madonna herself was never one for positiveness or childish acts, she found it a waste of time. Ever since she was a little girl, she was taught everything properly, raising her into a perfect lady whose corset was too tight for her to breathe but she had to make it fit or else it was just nothing.

She was just nothing.

"Fancy seeing you here." a hazy feminine voice spoke beside her, Madonna briefly glanced over her shoulders to see a blonde woman standing beside her, wearing another awful bright colored dress and a basket of bread hanging in one arm.

"Good morning, Lovely." she merely greeted, finding it uncomfortable to be around her. Not when all the memories she had involving the blonde woman were full of embarrassment.

She may never admit it due to her pride but Caroline was right, she was jealous of Lovely for some reason. Perhaps because of how close she and Caroline were, how comfortable and carefree they were around each other, teasing and–

"No Caroline?" Lovely asked.

Madonna blinked, tucking the penny in her closed palm before raising her head to see the woman but her eyes also remained on the water in front of them. To think her daughter fell into this fountain two days ago and was poured with fish guts.

"She is with the girls." she replied.

Lovely nodded "I see." she clicked her tongue then turned to Madonna, taking a deep breath "You aren't using Caroline as your servant, are you?"

Madonna blinked, startled by the question and offended by it "Excuse me?" she raised an eyebrow.

"It is just– I know you, Lady Madonna. People like you from the city do not like us commoners, you despise us, you mistreat us–"

"And that made you think I was doing the same to Caroline?" Madonna crossed her arms "I am not using Caroline as my servant, she is my friend, she offered to take the girls to their schools every morning because I have to be at the bakery early in the morning and my daughters have no sense of direction." she huffed "And you do not know me, Lovely. We do not know each other well enough for you to throw your ill assumptions into my face just because I am from the capital of the kingdom."

Lovely sighed "I apologize, I was only looking–"

"Looking for what?"

As if on cue, Caroline appeared behind Madonna, peeking over her arm with a grin. She winked at Lovely before turning to look up to Madonna, placing a hand on her arm "The girls are off to their lessons, I made sure no one will upset Anastasia and I even made them biscuits last night." she offered a perfectly folded brown paper bag "I made you one too, don't want you starving to death while I'm off to my teachings."