Yveta realized they had at least two kinds of sacks: one filled with ordinary white bread, and another with bread made with milk and honey. The latter had a special name: noble bread.
The noblewomen seemed to give this kind of bread to the middle- and upper-class merchants who came and went.
One noblewoman stood out most. She was slender, wearing a billowing scarlet dress like a blooming rose, along with a shiny black vest.
She was a mature woman who had lost none of her charm. Her brown hair was pinned beneath a hat trimmed with swan feathers, and she had a pair of loyal blue eyes.
Yveta heard one of the noblewomen beside her say that she was called Lady Alice.
Yveta was completely baffled.
Were the capitalists doing good deeds?
But that didn't seem right.
Although many idlers and vagrants came to this market, most of the people there were merchants and those looking to buy things.
"Lolita, what's going on?"
Lolita stood to one side. She was a little afraid of city life—or rather, of people.
She said quietly, "My lord, that's a special tradition of hospitality in Parviga."
"The Lady Alice in the crowd once suggested that the noblewomen of the city's great houses give free bread to everyone who enters the market every Monday."
"Most of the time, their hired workers take care of it."
"But sometimes, the noblewomen come in person."
"I don't know why they do it."
"I heard Lady Alice believes that keeping up this tradition is a symbolic blessing—that it helps everyone who enters the Parviga market find their own bread."
"Oh, right. Lady Alice is also the head of the Blacksmith Guild."
Yveta fell silent for a moment. He realized this might be a way for people to build