Chapter 43

Valerie

Vanilla seemed confused. She blinked at me, as if she’d said something wrong. “W..what do you mean?”

“How do you know she was branded?” I asked again, my voice edged with something severe.

Vanilla gave an awkward laugh. “Why do you sound so angry?” She looked around, making sure no one else was eavesdropping in one our conversation. There were certainly eyes on us from across the room, but I was certain they couldn’t hear. With all the conversations going on, it was difficult to make out any one discussion.

Vanilla leaned in, cupping her mouth to whisper in my ear, “My master took me to the market when the branding company was offering services there. I saw her.”

“When?” I asked, an icy feeling shooting through my veins.

So I was right. That mark had been branded on her by her master.

“Uh…a couple of weeks ago, I think,” said Vanilla. “My ,memory’s a bit fuzzy. That’s not exactly something you want to keep in your thoughts, you know?”

“How can you be sure it was her?” I asked.