Chapter 8: 8

Maron, Red, and Rose

Marie and I were running around in circles in the usual courtyard, laughing and panting. “Ha, ha! Ho! Let’s gooo!” She shouted excitedly.

I struggled to keep up with her pace, “I-It’s tiring! You’re too fast!”

It wasn’t just because of the two-year age difference. I was just no match for her natural athleticism and stamina. I believed that exercise was important for my future, so I tried to keep up.

Since the pseudo-proposal I said the other day, she’d been more lively than ever, and I found myself spending more time playing with her. Seeing her happy made me happy too.

I reached my limit and collapsed on the ground, “I-I can’t… anymore…”

She looked at me with a mix of exasperation and joy, “Really? Theon is so sloppy.” We chatted while I caught my breath.

After a while, she suggested that we go to the village to help out. “Dad said we should interact with the villagers more. It’s our duty.”

Although I was shy around people and only interested in my family and magic, I knew it’s important to learn about the duties of a lord. “Hmmm…” I mumbled, hesitating.

She urged me, “What’s there to hesitate about? It’s important to interact with our subjects.”

“To be honest, I’m not really excited about it.”

“Even if we don’t know anything about the future… T-Theon is likely to inherit the family business and be the successor of the house. It’s better to learn about the duties of a lord.” She shyly said.

“Why is your face red?” I was confused by her sudden change in demeanor.

Realizing she’d said too much, she flustered, “Enough! We’re going! Come on, this way!”

“Marie, w-wait!” She forcefully pulled me along, and we left through the main gate.

Oh no! I really can’t stand the anxiety that comes with the first day of anything. Meeting new people and trying to make small talk while also familiarizing myself with everything are just exhausting, I thought to myself.

I was hoping my sister would understand and let me off the hook, but she’s determined and didn’t seem to grasp my discomfort. She continued down the path, disregarding my protests.

Our parents had given us permission to leave the house, but warned us not to venture too far or enter dangerous areas. Since we were five years old, we’d been allowed to roam quite far and wide.

The forest greeted us as we walked down the road from the Ornstein’s house. Beyond it, a plain stretched out with fields scattered here and there. There’s a village not too far away from there.

Oh no, we’re almost there.

“Hey, walk properly!”

“Ahh… I really don’t want to go,” I muttered.

“Theon, you’re always like this when you’re nervous,” she sighed but didn’t stop walking.

“Sorry, I’m just shy around new people…”

Apparently, my sister was serious.

We saw the village. It’s surrounded by a wooden fence and looked quite deserted. The locals seemed to live here and there, rather than clustering their homes around the fields.

“Hey, Marie!” Suddenly, some children from the village looked over at us. There were three of them, around five to ten years old, with one boy and two girls. They looked very cheerful, which made me feel uncomfortable.

They ran toward us while carrying hoes and other farm tools in their hands. What a terrifying habit they have, I thought. I hid behind my sister’s back. How pathetic.

“Hi everyone, are you all going to work?” Marie asked.

“Yeah! We’re going to work in the fields today! Huh? Who’s that behind you?” one of the girls with chestnut-colored hair asked, peeking at me.

“Come on, say hello,” Marie urged me.

I had no choice but to step out of her shadow and introduce myself.

“My name is Theon…”

I felt embarrassed as I spoke. Even when I was interacting with children, my shyness reached its peak. Despite my reaction, the three continued to smile. Perhaps they’re just kind kids?

“Nice to meet you! I’m Maron,” greeted the chestnut-haired girl. Contrary to her name, there was no any hint of the color maroon in her hair at all. She had a lovely face and expression. She’s small, likely around the same age as me.

“You’ve got cool hair! I’m envious! I’m Red, nice to meet you!” said the boy with short hair, showing me his clenched fist and white teeth.

Despite his name being Red, his hair was actually a dark gray. But he seemed so passionate as if his name matched his appearance. By the way, he’d been staring at my red hair.

“I’m Rose, a solitary flower blooming in this desolate village,” said the girl with striking features for a villager. Her long hair flowed behind her, giving her an air of nobility.

Marie interjected, “Don’t get the wrong idea about her. She’s a regular farmer.”

Rose groaned in response, “You don’t have to say that!”

So, their names were Maron, Red, and Rose. I found their names easy to remember.

“Nice to meet you,” I said before retreating back to my spot behind Marie.

“You’re a shy one, aren’t you!”

“Welcome to the village, we don’t have many men around here!”

“Are you perhaps willing to help with the farming work?”

They respectively said to me. They seemed like good kids.

“Yes, I came to help.”

“Thank you, that’s great!” Maron exclaimed, and Marie nodded in agreement as we followed the three ahead of us.

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“They’re all nice, right?”

“Yeah, I thought they would be like you, sister.” I replied nonchalantly.

“Theon, what do you mean by that?” She looked at me with a scary expression.

Realizing my mistake, I quickly said, “Oh, it’s nothing,” as I continued to walk beside her.

“It’s actually more normal than I thought it would be. I was expecting more of a hierarchy,” I changed the subject.

Marie explained, “Well, since we’re the lord’s children and they’re the villagers, it’s understandable to think that way. But Dad is very close to the villagers, so there isn’t much distance between us. We respect each other.”

“Dad is amazing,” I said in admiration.

Marie agreed, “Yes, unlike me. I’m just a girl. Being a lord is too difficult for me. Theon is more suited.”

“I don’t know about that. I don’t think I’m good enough,” I replied.

“I’m not very smart. I think you’re more suited for it, Theon.” She insisted.

“I don’t think that’s true though.”

At just eight years old, Marie was already able to do so much, speak well, and know a lot. I thought she’s quite intelligent. As she grew older, she seemed to become more and more mature.

After a while, we arrived at the field. It was wide, probably not as wide as it looked, but as an amateur, it was so vast to me. It seemed there were no crops planted.

“Alright! Let’s get to work!” Maron said, full of energy, as she grabbed the hoe and headed to the field. The rest of us followed suit and began tilling the soil with a rustling sound.

“What are we doing?” I asked.

“We’re tilling the field and making furrows. During winter, crops don’t grow well, so we have to store food before that. We’re calculating the harvest time,” Maron explained.

I see. They’re working while considering many things. It’s a world that I couldn’t understand.

“I’ll help too!” I said.

It’s not common for a lord’s child to help with the villagers’ work, but I liked this way of doing things. Well, I still wasn’t good at dealing with people, though.

“Theon, make sure to ask everyone before you do something. Don’t rely on me!” Marie said.

“Eh, but…”

“Let’s do it. Here’s the hoe!” she said as she handed me the tool.

I was left alone with the hoe. I mustered up the courage to ask Maron, as she’s the easiest to talk to.

“Um, h-hi,” I stuttered. I felt like I’d made a misstep right from the start. But Maron didn’t seem to mind.

“Hey! You don’t know how to do the work?” she asked.

“Y-yeah, can you teach me?”

“Sure thing! Well, first, we make a straight line from here…” She began teaching me how to do the work carefully. It’s just making straight furrows, but I listened intently because I didn’t know how to do it.

“Try to make the furrows with even spacing and the same amount of soil. Otherwise, the water won’t drain well and the plants won’t grow properly,” Maron instructed.

“O-okay, got it. I’ll give it a try.” Following her instructions, I started to swing the hoe.

It’s quite a laborious task for a six-year-old body. My job was simply to create rows, but it’s not as easy as it sounded. Everyone else seemed experienced and working briskly, but they’re still out of breath.

She also told me that it’s a job that children usually do. The adults, in addition to working in the fields, they also gathered wild vegetables in the forest and caught fish in rivers and lakes. It’s hard to imagine in modern times, but in this world, children seemed to be an important source of labor.

However, taxes were lower here, so people didn’t live in poverty. The land was vast with relatively large populations, which allowed them to have sufficient reserves and pay their taxes.

I learned from my father that the lives of the average lord were much wealthier than ours. This could explain why we had a limited variety of meals. Our house was relatively large because if it didn’t look good, there would be no dignity as a lord. It’d be embarrassing if someone visited and saw a rundown house. It’s important to maintain appearances for negotiations and visits. I could understand why.

As we continued working, I realized it was already evening. My body was covered in sweat. I was exhausted, but I didn’t feel bad about it.

“That’s it for today! Thank you, Marie and Theon!” Maron smiled and thanked us. Red and Rose also seemed happy and smiled.

“Well, it’s a great help. Seriously. Five people are better than three!” Red exclaimed.

“I’ll say that you both did pretty well for your first time,” Rose also said.

Somehow, I felt embarrassed. It might be because I didn’t feel like I’d contributed much, or maybe it’s because I wasn’t used to being thanked. If it’s my family, I wouldn’t have felt this embarrassed.

“Well, we’ll come back to help again. Right, Theon?” Marie said and looked at me.

“Y-Yeah, we will!”

The trio said their goodbyes and parted ways. I couldn’t help but felt a strange sense of emotion as we’re walking home through unfamiliar scenery.

After a moment of silence, Marie asked, “Theon, how was it?”

“It’s fun, I guess.”

“That’s good. I always play on my days off. Theon, let’s do it again when you feel like it.”

I nodded in agreement.

Despite the awkwardness, I enjoyed spending time with Maron, Red, and Rose. They’re all nice kids. I looked forward to seeing them again. Perhaps I could even become better friends next time.

I thought about the possibility of becoming a lord. Just imagining it made me feel depressed. Leading people wasn’t really my thing; I preferred doing things on my own. But maybe it wouldn’t hurt to learn a little more.

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