Bab 56: [Chapter 56] Do You Know?
[To my beloved Liz,
Hi, Liz. How's Pariher? Did you arrive safely? Is the Lady treating you well?
I didn't know it took so long to get from school to our house. I guess it felt shorter when we came together last time.
I'm so bored on this trip that Betty gave me a book to read, but isn't that too much? I've been reading books all semester, and now I have to read on the carriage too?
Betty agreed that only someone who loves books like you would be able to do that.
I asked my brother, and it seems our family can visit Pariher this summer too.
By the time you receive this letter, the Lady will probably be reading the letter our mom sent. I've always wanted to visit Pariher, so this is great.
Our parents were honestly hoping you'd come with us this summer too. You have a family that's precious to you, so it's natural that you'd want to spend summer vacation with them.
So, wouldn't it be perfect if our two families met and had fun together? I think I've come up with a genius idea.
Do you know? Something big happened in Kinya Village, where Betty's brother lives.
The cypress trees have fallen ill or something, and they're withering away.
There were so many of them that you couldn't even count, but now they're dying one by one, so the villagers are worried.
However, the people of Kinya Village seem to think that things will get better soon, but Betty's brother didn't get his wages, so he went back home. It's just like the situation you were worried about before!
Betty is also flustered. She's been working at our house for a long time, so she gets a high salary, but now she'll have to support her family almost alone.
And to make matters worse, there's another mouth to feed!
I told my brother to send some consolation money, but that's just a temporary solution, right? You always use that word... Ah, yes! A one-time fix.
I think it'll be okay if the cypress trees grow back, but according to Phioni, it's not that easy. Even if the cypress trees grow back, the people of Kinya Village will be cautious for a while and won't hire outside workers.
Something similar happened in Phioni's hometown, and the local economy... stagnated? Is that the right word? Anyway, the people in that region stopped hiring formal workers.
They would do most of the work themselves, and only hire day laborers when they really couldn't handle it.
You're smart, so you can probably guess. Actually, I only wrote this much because Betty asked me to. You told her before summer vacation, didn't you? You asked if she knew anyone skilled in growing herbs.
She said the pay doesn't have to be high, just enough to feed and house the person, and give them a little bit of pay. She said she'd trust anyone you introduce.
I don't know where the job is, but if the employer is still looking for someone, please let Betty know. She sent her brother away.
It seems that after what happened in Kinya Village, people in other villages are also hesitant to hire workers.
I have so many things I want to tell you. You've only visited our house once, during the last vacation, but somehow the house feels empty without you.
Betty says the same thing. We saw each other every day at school, but not now.
You know what I heard as soon as I got home? That our uncle, Shibna, who was exiled, had been hiding in our territory.
He stole a horse from our land and ran away, but since the horse had the lord's crest on it, it was noticeable. He used that to his advantage and went to another territory, pretending to be our father, and gambled.
He got caught because the person who ran the gambling den reported him. The lord of that territory contacted us, saying that if no one can vouch for him, he'll be stuck in prison.
It seems like our brother, Nuallan, could vouch for him, but where is he? It's not certain, but it seems like he was taken to an illegal mine shortly after being exiled from our territory.
Honestly, there are more people who know Nuallan's face than Shibna's. Shibna is said to be kind, but it turns out he's not.
It seems like Nuallan was the one who dealt with guests and handled business for the family, but he borrowed a lot of money from some suspicious people.
People even came to our father to pay back the debt, saying that Nuallan had borrowed it in our father's name. Our father and brother are discussing what to do with the debts that weren't actually borrowed from our father.
Our father and brother are being really stubborn about it. It seems like the days of forcing me to play with our relatives are over!
You know, it turns out that the situation in the pharmaceutical department that Uncle Shibna was in charge of was worse than we thought. It was deeply in debt and not making any money. Even the employees were suspicious people.
So, do you know who our brother hired to replace him? I think you might already know. It's Morie Yang. Our brother praised him as a very intelligent person. Morie Yang gets along well with Betty, probably because they both have many younger siblings and understand each other's struggles to make money and send it back home.
Right, do you know what our guest told us when they visited our house? There was a big fight between Lord Rikendros and Lord Kendal in the capital. I'm sure you can guess why.
Our guest said, "So, your daughters are in the same grade as them, right?" since I'm in my first year at the academy.
I'm really curious about how you're doing, Liz. Do you like your room? Are there friends to play with there? You're smart, so I'm sure you're studying something new there too.
I want to visit Pariher as soon as possible, but my mom says that's not a good idea. She says we need to discuss it with the Lady and set a schedule, rather than just dropping by.
I want to see you as soon as possible.
I prepared a new sheet of paper in case you're too busy to buy one, so you can write back to me. The paper is in the same envelope as this letter. Please write back to me in detail as soon as possible!
Or, if you're busy, it's okay to write a short letter. Just please write back. I think that's better than not writing back at all because you're taking too long to write a detailed letter.
Take care of your health. Let's meet as soon as possible!
Your loving friend, Diane]
***
[Diane,
Your letter was already thick, but you also sent so many sheets of paper that the person delivering the letter thought it was a package.
When I received your letter, the Lady was with me, and she said she had never seen such a thick envelope before.
She asked me what was in it, and I just said it was about my daily life. She asked if it was about the daily life of a household with twelve people, and I just said it wasn't.
You're worried about my life, and I appreciate that. But I'm actually living a very leisurely life.
It's true that I'm reading books, thanks to the Lady's kindness in allowing me to use the castle's library.
However, when the Lady shows off the library to her guests, I take a walk in the nearby forest so I don't disturb them.
I think it's a great idea to visit Pariher for summer vacation. This place is really beautiful.
I thought the lake at school was beautiful, but the lake here is like a mirror, and you can see all the way to the bottom.
It's not shallow, either. The locals say that if you go in a bit, it's so deep that you could stack several adult men on top of each other.
They warned me that if I'm enjoying a boat ride and accidentally reach out to touch the bottom, I could fall in, so I should be careful.
The Lady likes my mom, so I've gone on a few boat rides with her. Even though I know it's deep, it's tempting to reach out and touch the bottom without thinking.
In the shallower areas, you can see each grain of sand on the bottom.
Behind the lake, there's a forest that's perfect for a stroll, and behind that, there's a gentle hill with a great view.
It's not hot here, even in the summer. That's why many noble families are already here for their summer vacation. The guest I mentioned earlier, who the Lady was showing off the library to, is one of them.
I should mention that some of the guests who were at your estate on the last holiday are also here.
You know, the three elderly ladies who seemed to get along particularly well? They've decided to visit Pariher together this summer.
Thanks to them, I've been getting a lot of treats from the noblewomen. I wonder which rumor is more prevalent - the one about me getting hit by Nuallan, or the one about me being your friend? If it's the former, they would probably just avoid me, so I think it's probably the latter.
The Lady is a kind person, it seems. She's taking good care of my mom, who has no experience as a lady-in-waiting, and she's given us a nice room where we can live comfortably.
When I thank her, she just smiles and says, "Of course, we have to take good care of you, you're from the Elantria family." But I think she's just saying that to make us feel at ease, since she knows we're distant relatives.
The Lord and Lady don't have any children yet, so the Lady treats the children of their guests, as well as me, with a loving gaze.
Last time, she gave me a picture book as a gift, saying I seemed to like books. It was just a random day, not a special occasion.
I think she doesn't really know what kind of books people our age read, because when I opened the book, it was written for young children. But the pictures are very pretty, so I'm enjoying it. If you come, I'll show it to you.
Please tell Betty that her previous offer is still valid.
I don't know the exact details of the job, but it seems that the pay will be separate from the food expenses, and they'll provide a quiet house to live in during work. However, the person will have to take full responsibility for the work.
If Betty's brother works hard, it seems like it could be a rewarding job. Please look into the details and get back to me.
I really enjoyed reading your letter. I'm worried that my letter won't be as interesting.
My daily life hasn't changed much, and I don't think you'll be interested in the news from here. I'm glad to hear that Morie Yang has settled in.
Thank you for your family's kind thoughts towards me. I'll pass on your greetings and say that I'm doing well.
The housekeeper is calling me. If I want to send a letter, I have to do it now, since someone is leaving the castle.
It's nice here, but news from the outside doesn't come in often, and news from here doesn't go out often either. Once someone comes in, they stay for the whole summer, and once someone leaves, they don't come back until next summer.
I don't want to miss this opportunity, so I'll stop here. I'll write again next time.
Take care, Neris]
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone