Chapter 253 Interweaving (Part 2) She is Family
Is she a good woman or a bad woman?
Arnold couldn't make a judgment yet.
Likewise, he didn't understand why any woman would be willing to follow him if his "father" was so bad.
Even though there is one more mouth to feed at home, life doesn't seem to have changed.
The "father" did not become a better person because of the woman he brought home. He gambled and drank as much as before.
There are still subtle changes in life, for example, the fists that used to only fall on him will now fall on the silent woman.
The woman would go out to weave from time to time, sharing a lot of pressure with Arnold. She would also help him with some housework, so that he could get more rest time after a busy day outside. The only thing that remained unchanged was that she still didn't talk to him much.
As time passed, the woman's belly grew bigger and bigger, her movements became more and more inconvenient, and the time she spent working outside became less and less, but her "father's" fists would still hit her.
The burden of three people suddenly fell on Arnold's shoulders. He got up earlier than usual every day to finish all the housework. Then, he took advantage of the autumn to pick more wheat ears and beans and do more work to prepare for winter.
The woman was also being beaten, and gradually learned to avoid the time when her "father" would return.
But the "father" couldn't find anyone to vent his anger on, so he would smash things around the house.
There were not many things in the house to begin with, and there was no money to buy new ones if something was broken, so Arnold had to adjust the time he went home so that he could meet his "father" every time he went home.
Towards the end of autumn, the woman gave birth to a girl.
On a quiet afternoon, the woman left.
Arnold expected her to leave. No one could endure living in such a family.
But the woman didn't take the child away.
This really can't be blamed on the woman. Arnold knew that it was difficult for a woman to survive with a child.
If the child had not been born in this family, perhaps it would have been appropriate to keep her.
How can a "father" who doesn't come back when a woman gives birth care about the child?
In order to prevent the "father" from abandoning the child, Arnold decided to "abandon" the child in advance. There will always be someone kind enough to adopt an "abandoned" child.
Arnold hadn't gone out to work for a long time. He left his child at a busy intersection.
People were coming and going on the road. Some noticed the child, some put copper coins in the cradle, some took the copper coins openly, and some kicked the child. The child's crying also made Arnold's heart ache.
No one picked her up.
Arnold squatted in the grass for a long time, until his feet were numb, and until the sun was high in the sky. He finally couldn't help but stagger over and pick up the baby.
The little baby stopped crying and smiled at him.
He took the child back home.
She was an unlucky child. Even the time of her birth was not favored by the goddess, but happened to be near winter.
It is difficult for fragile babies to survive in winter, so few people are willing to adopt a baby who is abandoned near winter.
Perhaps because he was too lonely, perhaps because the child's smile was too beautiful, or perhaps because no one was willing to adopt her, Arnold had to ask those kind neighbors how to raise a child and how to keep the child safe through the winter.
Of course, more than winter, he also needs to be on guard against "father".
He wanted to hide the child in a place where the "father" could not see or notice him, so that the child could avoid the "father's" fist as much as possible.
The fragile baby probably couldn't even take a punch from his "father".
Learning to read was an accident. He found a beautifully crafted notebook in the attic. It was a miracle that it was not sold by his "father".
He turned the pages, and found that the book was full of unfamiliar characters. He couldn't understand it, but he was very curious about what was written in the book.
Perhaps he was lucky enough to find a book that he could read in the garbage dump, which was better than the book that Aunt Helen's son next door had.
Arnold began a life of secretly learning to read, taking care of children, working, and carefully reading the books in the attic.
He was halfway through the book when he realized something very important.
That child, his half-sister, didn't have a name yet.
He went to ask his "father", but the only answer he got was bottles thrown at him.
He silently wiped the blood from his forehead and sneered at his own stupidity. Why did he bother to ask his "father"? He really felt like a crow had pecked his head.
He decided to name his sister himself.
He thought for a long time, and then carefully and repeatedly read the book that was almost torn to pieces, as well as the diary in the attic.
Yes, a diary. Arnold was able to rely on the vocabulary accumulated in his continuous learning to recognize that it was a diary, his mother's diary.
Maybe it is not rigorous, because the diary belongs to more than one person, the mother, and there are handwritings of many people in it.
A week later, Arnold decided on a name for the child, Bailey.
Someone in the diary mentioned that Bailey means precious.
He hopes that she can be cherished by others, not like him.
Little Arnold coaxed his sister to sleep and then carefully flipped through the diary in the dirty and damp attic. It told a story of a world he had never seen, or rather, a world that no human being today had ever seen. It was the story of the Western Continent, the story of a tribe called mermaids.
He liked reading the stories in the diary, as if his mother was telling him stories. The coldness of the dim attic seemed to become especially warm at this moment.
He shared the story with his sister, even though she couldn't understand it yet, because he wanted her to feel warm.
Is the world outside really that beautiful? Just like the last owner of the diary, his mother, wrote at the end: I really want to go and see the sea of mermaids.
He made a wish to the goddess, wishing that his sister could see the outside world.
Having a sister in his life undoubtedly gave Arnold a lot of hope, as if he had something to rely on. The person who used to be a walking corpse, living mechanically, gradually began to look like a real living person.
Is the world outside really that beautiful? Will it really be better than it is now?
When the diary in the attic was burned by "father", and when he hugged his sister again and his back fell with severe pain, Arnold couldn't help but think again.
I don’t know what’s gone wrong with “father” lately. After failing to beat Bailey, he always comes back to look for her, as if he won’t give up until he beats her. He is even more angry about his action of protecting Bailey, and the kicks and fists landing on his back are more frequent and heavier than before.
The sister suppressed her sobs quietly in his arms and called "brother".
Who could help them? Arnold couldn't find anyone who might be able to help them.
He begged the goddess to look at them, look at Bailey, and prayed that the goddess could save them.
He prayed that his life would change for the better, even just a little bit.
The goddess did not respond, and he and his sister's life remained the same, living under the shadow of their "father".
Finally one day, he made up his mind to take his sister and escape from this "home".
The days of wandering were not easy, even though he had made preparations to escape in the spring and took out the copper coins he had secretly saved but was discovered by his "father" on the way, and now there were only a few left.
His sister is much weaker than him, so he has to pay attention to her health all the time.
They have no money to stay in a hotel and can only live in the wild. They also need to be careful of thugs who may rush up with a knife at any time, and they need to be careful of sudden bad weather.
Is the world outside really beautiful? Arnold couldn't answer, but at least it was a little better than being under the fist of his "father".
While wandering, his sister was caught in the rain and had a high fever. He had to carry his sister on his back and travel at night to the town to find a doctor.
The thugs who had been targeting him for a long time not only stole his copper coins, but also pulled out a knife. His sister was clearly in a coma with a high fever and no one knew when she would wake up. How could she get the strength to stand in front of him without hesitation?
The cold rain hit the knives of the gangsters and Bailey, and Arnold's blood froze.
He is a brother, he wants to protect his sister, he wants to protect Bailey, and it is precisely to protect her that he decided to take her away.
The boy, who had always been quiet, lost his mind for the first time and wrestled with the thugs like a madman. He snatched the knives from the thugs and showed his talent for the first time.
He could hear nothing and see nothing. When he came to his senses, the knife was stained with blood and the thugs had already fled.
He stared blankly at the blood on his hands. He had warned himself more than once that he must not become a person like his "father"!
Has he become like his "father"?
The weak sister was speechless. She staggered towards him, held his bloody hand tightly, and laughed.
Someone shielded them from the rain, an old mercenary who had witnessed everything, including the boy's talent.
Arnold wanted his sister to live a good life and save a considerable amount of money for her, so he worked hard to learn the swordsmanship skills taught by the old mercenary.
Life with the old mercenary was one of the few good times that Arnold and his sister had. Unfortunately, the old mercenary had been ill for a long time and died within a few years.
After the brother and sister buried the old mercenary, Arnold continued to carry out the plan he had made for his life long ago. He taught Bailey the skills to survive, saved money for her, and enrolled her in the Alsayin Academy to become a knight and take on some dangerous jobs. After all, the more dangerous the task, the more reward she would get.
He and his sister never asked what happened to their "father" after they left. After all, some people would feel hatred in their hearts just by hearing news about him, even if it was the news that he was beaten to death.
Life was boring, but much better than before. His sister was growing up and would occasionally look at him with sad eyes.
There is nothing to be sad about. Their shadows are long gone. Why would Bailey still be sad?
Is she sad that he goes out early and comes back late every day, works hard to save money and is unable to accompany her?
Arnold always felt that he seemed to understand, but also seemed not to understand, but as long as Bailey was doing well, it was enough.
He taught Bailey how to cook, how to distinguish good food from bad, how to get along with others, and how to protect herself if she encountered an accident...
He taught her everything he could until his sister could be independent, until she no longer needed him...
The day his sister secretly applied for the job of a maid without telling him, Arnold felt that his sister had grown up.
Then, what he needs to do next is to graduate from Alsayin College and take on a job that can earn more money. He believes that with his abilities, he can take on those dangerous tasks.
Everything is going according to the life he planned for himself.
If I hadn't met her.
The first time they met was in the college garden. The much-anticipated daughter of the Marquis fell unconscious as he passed by, and he subconsciously caught her.
Perhaps he had seen this face in a dream before, and he helped to send the man to the infirmary for some unknown reason.
The second time they met was at Gray Moon Ridge where he lived. He heard some noise and went to check it out. He was surprised by the person he met. Similarly, he did not expect that the lady would remember him.
Perhaps the kindness in her was too gentle, so he invited them to rest at his house first.
She was like an ordinary friend, behaving in a measured way, and during the conversation she didn't make him feel the distance between their identities.
They are not friends, they are strangers who have met.
After that, her brother warned him both explicitly and implicitly. Indeed, in the eyes of the nobles, they, the common people, would demand huge rewards for a small favor.
His interaction with her should have ended there, but she came in person to return the clothes he lent her, and brought many gifts of thanks along with other nobles.
Arnold accepted it. After all, there were so many things, and he couldn't let those nobles move them back one by one.
This should be over, right?
Arnold didn't know what he was secretly expecting. It was just a dream, and vague dreams could never explain anything.
She was her daughter of a marquis, and he was his unknown knight.
That's how it should be.
He didn't expect that they would meet for the fourth time, that they would see her again in the garden, and that she would take the initiative to greet him and ask if he wanted to chat.
What could a marquis' daughter and a commoner have to talk about?
Isn't their intersection equal?
Arnold followed her anyway.
Her words were as surprising as meeting her.
She said, "Please be my knight."
If it was any other noble, he would have wondered if it was some new way of teasing commoners, but she was the one asking.
He is a commoner, and the identity of a commoner is enough to separate many things.
For example, he could never rise to prominence as a knight, or become the personal knight of a great noble...
He didn't care. Besides, he became a knight just to save money. He needed a lot of money, enough for Bailey to live for the rest of her life.
He didn't understand why the Marquis' daughter would be attracted to him. He had nothing to offer her except his swordsmanship.
Would such magnificent clouds stop for a wild grass?
She said she would give him the same starting point as the noble knights.
She said she allowed him to take advantage of her.
The price is his loyalty.
She offered him another path, a broader, more open path, a better path than the one he had planned for himself.
The reward for being a personal knight for a noble lady is no less than taking on a dangerous mission.
He had no reason to refuse.
Although he didn't need anything else she said except the reward.
However, people are greedy.
Perhaps he was really influenced by the dream, he always felt that he had known this lady for many years.
So it no longer mattered whether he was rejected in the dream when he asked to be her knight, because at this moment, the lady in the dream extended her hand to him.
When he knelt before her, he never thought that she would grant him such a supreme honor for her promise. She would crown him in the palace, a knight who would be crowned alone, and she would share her glory with him.
Until today.
He became the envy of many knights.
Arnold was content.
It wasn't just the lives she changed.
Vifiya is a very generous employer and one who cares about him very much. She treats him more as a friend than a subordinate.
What she did was very dangerous, and many times he couldn't help because he didn't know magic. As her knight, he couldn't do anything.
But instead of falling into self-blame and conflict, it's better to see what you can do for her, such as taking care of her daily life, or helping her screen invitations...
After all, after she left Neve and made Marlene the housekeeper, she no longer had a personal maid, and she didn't trust others easily.
Therefore, as her personal knight, besides the fact that he is a man, it is appropriate for him to do some things.
Perhaps knowing that he was using this to make up for his inner anxiety, Vifiya did not stop him. Instead, she teased him, "Compared to Marlene, you are more like my housekeeper."
It's very strange. He is obviously very experienced in taking care of his sister. Most of the time, it seems that he is the one taking care of Vifiya, but more of the time it seems that she is taking care of him.
He is very satisfied with his current life.
My younger sister was admitted to Al Saiyin College and opened a small shop after graduation.
The money he saved for her every month was enough for her to live a good life.
There were some things Vifiya didn't say, but he knew that she had secretly found several trustworthy guards for her sister's shop, and sometimes they would secretly visit and buy something.
She was good, she was good to him and his family, and there was no better employer than her.
So when the girl with black hair and black eyes stood in front of him, he thought, he knew who it was.
Perhaps he couldn't accurately identify which one was her between the two Vifiyas, but as long as she was alone and standing there, he could be sure that she was his master, the one he swore allegiance to.
She is family too.
Bailey had the same idea.
The wishes that he had prayed to the goddess in pain under the fist of his "father" were now heard by her as if they were thousands of miles away and across a long period of time.
Is the world outside really beautiful?
In the brown pupils, [Eyes]'s magic circle of black mucus was still running. [Eyes] continued to supply black mucus into the magic circle, while slowly extending half of its wings.
The simple bracelet on the girl's wrist, wisps of red mist constantly wrapped around her soul, and the green candle nestled on the top of her head was also wary of the possible sudden reversal of the world's rules.
The room, neither too big nor too small, was filled with magic, and Kaharun's magic still lingered in it.
Arnold gripped the sword at his waist and looked at the girl whose soul was gradually being restored. Her eyes were half open, her dark pupils dim, and a crystal line extended from her body, connecting him.
He followed the line to his arm and knew that Vifiya had been having a hard time.
Is he also responsible for this hardship?
If she bore his fate, if his fate changed because of her, then he also wanted her fate to be different because of him.
At least……
Arnold could hear his own heartbeat.
He once dreamed of her death, and he would do his best to prevent it from happening again.
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