Chương 12

Sobelle got back home and noticed something strange, her sister was crying while her stepmother comforted her. They hadn't stopped even as Sobelle entered the room when usually, they'd put up a brave front and act like nothing happened. So whatever happened was bad, then.

"Why would he say no to me?" Efree cried. The mention of a he told Sobelle it was a guy and she knew enough about her sister that it was obvious who she referred to.

"I-I did everything I can did I? Am I not good enough? I'm caring, I take good care of children, I can cook and clean— what else is there to ask for?!"

"It's okay, sweetie. It's not your fault. Thetras simply isn't looking for anyone to be wed with right now—""That's very obviously a lie! Who would believe something like that?! He is lying! Lying! Lying!" Efree stomped on the floor like a child. And this woman was two years older than Sobelle, who couldn't help but scoff when she saw the scene unfold. This made the two women turn to her.

"Sobelle, you're home early. You're not out there playing with... Whatever it is you're playing with? Maybe do physical labor like you always do? Did you finally realize you were a woman and decided that gossiping is a thing you should do?" The judgement and questions hurt but Sobelle pushed through them and kept a steady face.

"Your sister is crying. Your blood. Sister. Sobelle."

"Everyone in this family is my blood, as my father's own blood runs in their veins. The only one who isn't is you." Sobelle stopped for a moment and considered what she just said. Creyla thankfully didn't care and just stared.

"Regardless, if Thetras said no to her then maybe I can help? I can talk to him."

"You, talk to him?" Laughed Creyla, she gestured at Sobelle like she was looking at wasted jewelry.

"You." Her tone was filled with mockery as she mentioned Sobelle.

"Which part of you oozes feminine charm? Do you think a man would listen to you if you look like that?"

"Well I can try." Sobelle wore a heavy scowl as she walked out of the door. She only did this because if Efree got married then she'd soon follow, and she stood no chance with Thetras so if she kept pining for him then it would be a long time before she was wed. Sobelle needed more time. She finally made progress when it came to her system and Efree decided that now was the perfect time to see if she could get together with the man she'd been aiming for? What was she thinking?

Thetras was at the edge of the village, where he chopped firewood. To his right, several logs thrice the length of a pig gathered. It seemed he had much work to do, yet he stopped and stared at Sobelle when he noticed her nearing him. The giant of a man stood over Sobelle several times over, there must have been at least two heads between the two of them. Sobelle was considered tall for a woman, and so was her father, and yet this man dwarfed the two of them.

Less so in her father's case but that was still nothing to joke about. His brown eyes focused on Sobelle and he remained unmoved the closer she got. When she was finally within earshot, he spoke, "Sobelle, we rarely see each other."

"Mhmm." Sobelle muttered, she took a piece of firewood as a seat and sat down. She made herself comfortable, "so I heard that Efree said that she wanted to get together with you." Sobelle had no idea where to go from here. She wanted Thetras to explain himself but that wouldn't be good enough, she wanted him to be kinder to Efree so that her sister mistook it as some form of affection. If Efree thought that Thetras liked her back, then she'd continue loving him and wouldn't stop for at least a while.

It may possibly even be enough time for Sobelle to train all her stats until 10 points. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Yes, she... Did." Thetras put his axe down and sat on the stump he used as a chopping block.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I think that you should treat her kindly." Sobelle looked Thetras in the eyes. She refused to look meek in front of this man, size difference or not.

"Efree isn't a bad person and you hadn't needed to treat a woman in such a way."

"I gently said no. Sobelle." Thetras sounded amused yet tired. A strange blend of emotions colored his face as he said, "and she isn't kind, if anything, she is an ambitious woman who thinks that everything will go her way just because half of the boys in our village like her."

"I..." Well he wasn't wrong about that was he? Efree was all of those things and then some. The fact that she wept hard enough to be heard from outside their house just because of a gentle rejection was all you needed to know about how Efree wanted to be treated.

"Speechless, are we?" Thetras smiled and went back to cutting down wood.

"It's best you don't associate with her, I know that you two are family but she's a bit... She doesn't like you, Sobelle. I've heard the things Efree says about you and they are not kind."

"I already knew about that." Sobelle's eyes went to the ground. How could she not? She'd kept her silence only because she didn't want any unnecessary arguments within their home.

"But still, she likes you and I think that you should treat her better. You know, don't be aggressive."

"If that's what you want then I'll respect it. I'll treat her better." Thetras did not look at her and just chopped wood after wood.

"By the way, I've heard that you do physical labor now? Can you help me with these? I'll give you a cut of the Levs I'll get from the merchants after I sell them?"

"I... Okay, since you asked." She was done with all the other things the system asked of her anyway, so she had some time to spare on other things. This job also led to her earning more coins so she was happy to take it.

"Good, bring a log over to that stump and... You can carry something like that?" Thetras looked like he saw the sun turn blue when his eyes caught Sobelle carrying a small log over her shoulders.

"Is that not heavy for you?"

"Not at all, no." Sobelle grinned. The log dropped on the wooden stump and she picked up a metal axe, "can I borrow this for a moment?"

"If you want, yeah." While watching Sobelle lift the tool in the air, Thetras' smile turned warm. He didn't even try to hide his impressed look when the girl cut the log in half and split it perfectly in two, "have you done this before?"

"No, not really." Sobelle was used to knapping stones and crushing dead plants for fiber and that was why she could accurately cut a log but she'd never done something like this in the past.

"This was my first time doing this, I think it's pretty fun!"

"It is, isn't it?" Thetras laughed. He shook his head and went back to his own work, "you're a natural at it, I think you should start helping me with these. It'd be great!"

"You think so?" Sobelle thought about coming here every day to help the man and concluded that it wasn't so bad. The idea, that is. She didn't mind this whole thing.

"I'll do it then! We should work together on these."

"There we go!" Thetras laughed, it echoed alongside the powerful scream of a log being axed.

"My work would be a whole lot quicker if I'm with you. You're really good at this." Sobelle felt her cheeks warm up at the praise. Okay, maybe this wasn't so bad. And what if she decided to seduce Thetras? Her father would definitely want her to marry someone like him, and thus he'd choose to wait out the marriage until Sobelle or Thetras was ready. And everyone knew that Thetras wasn't ready quite yet. He was waiting for the perfect moment to get married, and Sobelle wondered what that was...

"Oh, and just let me handle the talking when the merchants come. I'll take care of things, I'll just give you the coins you earned afterwards."

"Got it." Sobelle didn't plan on talking with a bunch of merchants anyway, so that was something she didn't mind doing. She'd suggested it if Thetras didn't say it first even.

"By the way, why do you do that every morning?"

"Do what?" Sobelle knew what it was actually, but she didn't want to talk about the Gods' quests unless someone mentioned it so entertaining the possibility of Thetras mentioning something else was worth asking for.

"You know, all the things you do? Running... And stuff."

"It's what the Gods want me to do." Sobelle didn't want to talk about it any further and thankfully, Thetras left things at that as well.