The Nymph wants to be Plundered - Chapter 3
Bang! Bang!
Fireworks exploded in quick succession beyond the short poplar trees.
Hearing the sound announcing the completion of the wedding, Evelyn smiled bitterly as she concentrated on filling her plate with food.
It should be delicious. Normally, the sight of perfectly ripened grapes and apricot preserves—difficult to obtain regularly—would make her mouth water, but her tongue felt stiff and her hand refused to reach for the fork. Her thoughts kept running toward envy of her newly married friend.
‘How nice for her…’
She sincerely congratulated her best friend Faye on her marriage. However, as the young women of the village married one after another, leaving her alone, she could not contain her feelings of emptiness.
She felt lonely. Moreover, with even her last confidante departing through marriage, she worried about what she would do going forward. Such concerns had been keeping her awake at night.
Her father had been a wandering minstrel, and she did not know who her mother was. Her father had entrusted Evelyn, barely weaned, to the kind-hearted village chief, allowing her to live reasonably well until now. Faye was the daughter of that very village chief, so the two had grown up like sisters.
Much time had passed. She could not continue to impose on their kindness indefinitely.
She had already made her plans. Evelyn intended to seek employment at a large flower garden near the village that cultivated various flowers and bulbs. Once successfully independent, she planned to repay the kindness of the village chief and his wife, and also…
“I’m so lonely!”
Eventually, Evelyn set down her fruit-laden plate on the table and lamented.
This intolerably small and narrow village. The young men who might have been suitable matches for her had all become married men within a few years, and even the flower garden where she would soon work was in the same situation. Everyone was already taken. To think she would spend her entire life in a rural setting where she could hardly dream of marriage, let alone romance!
As she sat with a dejected expression, there was a sound of something brushing against leaves, and someone suddenly appeared.
“Young lady, I am a passing wanderer. It seems today is a festival day in the village?”
“…Yes. My closest friend is getting married today.”
She turned around with a forced smile. Then she was startled. There were no red-haired individuals in her village, yet the elderly woman who suddenly appeared had vibrant, luxuriant red hair tied in a long braid.
She presumed this person must be an outsider. From some distant region Evelyn would never visit in her lifetime.
“Would you kindly show mercy and spare some food for this old woman? I feel as though I might perish from hunger.”
“Of course.”
The village chief had taught her to treat guests with kindness, regardless of her mood. Evelyn readily handed over a basket containing honey-kneaded bread, meat pie, and fruits that wouldn’t leak juice, all wrapped in sturdy leaves. The shabbily dressed elderly woman sniffed appreciatively and commended her.
“Thank you. You must have a warm heart to provide so generously for a stranger.”
“You may eat here or take it with you. I’ve included only items that preserve well, so they should remain edible for about three days. Would you like some water as well? I don’t have porcelain, but I do have a suitable container.”
The elderly woman waved her hand dismissively.
“No, that won’t be necessary. More importantly, were you not just lamenting your lack of a companion?”
She realized her embarrassing private thoughts had been overheard. Though slightly uncomfortable, she simply smiled. This unfamiliar guest was likely attempting conversation out of hunger for both food and human interaction. Wishing to understand graciously without causing embarrassment, she intended to send the visitor off respectfully.
“Yes. I suppose if I keep trying, I’ll eventually find my own love.”
“Hmm, love doesn’t simply arrive because one waits patiently. Everything has its time. Now then, young lady. Would you accept an opportunity to fulfill that love as repayment for your kindness to me?”
“What? Such a thing exists?”
“Indeed it does.”
The curious Evelyn perked up her ears.
Occasionally when gypsies or people calling themselves “star folk” visited the village, they would offer fortune-telling services for small change. Though Evelyn had wanted to participate, she believed one needed a lover to have their romantic fortune told! Unable to ask the embarrassing question of when she might find a partner, she had always remained in the background.
Perhaps today was the day.
She glanced briefly toward the wedding venue beyond the trees, where boisterous sounds could be heard. Everyone would soon grow hungry and come for food, but if she acted quickly and finished before then, all would be well.
I want to experience love too.
Evelyn swallowed hard and revealed the secret feelings she had kept hidden.
“I am embarrassed to admit that I have never been in a relationship. No man has shown interest in me, and since I never lived with my parents, I feel somewhat inadequate… I find it difficult to approach others first.”
“Oh! You have carried such a painful heart.”
Despite the elderly appearance, an unusually smooth and delicate hand emerged from between the sleeves to pat the back of Evelyn’s hand. That hand overflowed with vitality, much like the flame-colored hair. In that moment, the sorrowful Evelyn nodded with a surge of emotion.
