The Villainess's Oath: I'll Kill The Protagonists

117. A dark cloud

Zadhea roamed around the ground for a long time. She didn't have a coat to protect her from the cold, so she was shivering uncontrollably. Tightening her hands around her upper body, she left the area where the carnival took place and searched for a house to seek shelter, as she couldn't bear the cold anymore.

'Not this time!' She bit her dry lower lip. Her bladder urgently needed relief, making her situation even worse.

Her dimmed eyes brightened the moment they fell on a small house not too far from the carnival site. If she could stay there, it would be convenient to return to her friends the next morning.

With a trembling hand, Zadhea weakly knocked on the small wooden door and waited for someone to open it.

After what felt like an eternity, the door was slightly opened with an ear-piercing creak, and an old woman poked her head out of the small opening between the door and the wall. Her eyes, filled with alertness, relaxed a little when she realized it was a weak girl. Her eyes scanned behind the girl to confirm she was alone. "What are you doing here?" she questioned in an unfriendly tone.

"Grandma," Zadhea looked at her innocently, "I want to pee."

The woman was caught off guard by her words and stared at Zadhea blankly.

"Who's that, Emma?" An old man approached the old woman and looked at the door. "Ask them to leave."

"It's a little girl. She says she wants to pee," Emma told her husband. "Seems like it's an urgent matter."

The old man sneered. "Tell her we don't have a toilet. Rich people should find solutions before coming to places like this."

He was angry because the carnival was located next to his house. It wasn't the first time a youngster had come to ask for a toilet or shelter, treating his house like an inn! There were many thieves at night, so it was hard to trust anyone, even if it was a girl. Besides, shouldn't girls be with their parents at an hour like this? It was almost three in the morning.

Emma felt bad for Zadhea. "At least let's give her a bucket of water."

The old man disagreed. "Don't bother. Just ask her to look for another house."

"Oh please!" Emma glared at him. "Don't be so cruel. I'm giving her a bucket whether you like it or not."

Zadhea rubbed her palms together as she waited. It was too cold outside. She wondered why they didn't invite her inside. Maybe because they didn't like her presence? Was she troubling them?

She always wanted to maintain her hygiene no matter what. She knew poor people didn't have any toilets. They just grabbed a bucket filled with water and went deep into the nearby forest to do their business. Some people didn't even bother to carry a bucket with them—they just used the forest and then went to the closest river to wash themselves. Fortunately, many small forests had their own rivers, lakes, or ponds. This 'butt washing using water resources' method was used by ordinary men who lived in villages.

As for women, they always carried a bucket with them because they didn't want to wash themselves in front of men.

Even poor town people owned a small patch of forest for themselves. But the difference was that both genders used a bucket to clean themselves, since town people didn't have proper water resources apart from wells.

'It's fine. I'll just pee and...' Zadhea shed a tear in her mind. 'Nooo! I need to wash that place or I'll feel itchy. Aaah! What should I do now?'

Just as she was about to leave, the door opened once again, and the old woman stepped out, holding a bucket filled with water. "We don't have toilets," she said. "I hope you can make do with this." She showed the bucket to Zadhea.