Cashew's smile left Almond speechless as he quietly gazed at her.
Suddenly, Almond's stomach let out a loud growl.
The unexpected sound startled Cashew. Almond's face instantly turned red, and he quickly looked away in embarrassment.
Cashew burst into laughter.
" Almond, are you hungry?"
Almond nodded slightly, his voice hesitant.
"Y… yes. I haven't eaten anything for several days."
Cashew's eyes widened in shock.
"What? You haven't eaten for days? Your stomach will hurt if you keep doing that!"
She quickly placed her straw hat on top of the basket and turned back to Almond.
"Sit here, Almond. I'll go find some food for you!"
With that, Cashew turned around and ran as fast as she could toward the village, leaving Almond alone by the stream.
After her figure disappeared in the distance, Almond stared at the straw hat resting on the basket for a long moment.
Then he gently picked it up and placed it on his head.
Cashew ran while catching her breath.
As she was nearing the village, she saw Tess walking toward her.
Tess noticed Cashew as well and waved cheerfully.
"Hey Cashew! I just got back from hanging out with a guy from the city. He's super handsome!"
But Cashew only managed to raise her hand in response before running straight past her.
Tess stopped and stared after her in confusion.
"Huh? What's wrong with her?"
Suddenly, Cashew turned around and ran back, grabbing Tess by the shoulders.
"Tess! Don't go to the stream!"
Tess blinked in confusion.
"W… what?"
"There's… a ghost there!"
After saying that, Cashew immediately turned and ran straight into the village.
Tess stood frozen for a moment.
"A… ghost?"
At the town hall, Mayor Heguel was examining the elderly villagers.
"Alright Carl, you just have indigestion."
He handed Carl a small pouch of medicine.
"Go home, mix this with warm water, and drink it every day."
Carl planted his cane on the ground and struggled to stand.
A young man beside him quickly stepped forward to help.
"Let me help you, Grandpa."
Heguel chuckled.
"Carl, is that your grandson?"
Carl nodded proudly.
"That's right. Handsome, isn't he?"
Both old men laughed.
"You're really lucky, Carl."
Heguel said.
"At your age, and you still have family by your side to take care of you."
After a few more jokes, Carl was helped outside by his grandson.
Heguel turned back toward the crowd.
"Alright then, who's next?"
An elderly woman slowly stepped forward.
Her back was hunched, and every step she took was slow and careful.
"Oh, Karen. I haven't seen you in a long time."
Karen took a while before finally sitting down in the chair in front of him.
She wore an old wrinkled purple shirt and brown pants patched with many pieces of cloth.
Karen took a slow breath before speaking.
"Lately… I've been feeling pain in my chest… and it's hard to breathe."
Her voice was slow, as if each sentence required great effort.
Heguel nodded while reaching into his medicine basket.
"Hmm… I think I know what you have."
He continued searching through the basket as he asked,
"Do you have any other symptoms?"
Karen shook her head.
Heguel asked again.
"When the pain comes… does your family help take care of you?"
Karen was silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"I… don't have any grandchildren. Anh my son… went to the city."
Heguel looked up.
"Oh? How old is he now?"
Karen sighed softly.
"He must be… quite grown by now. He's been gone… for more than ten years."
She gave a small smile, trying to appear cheerful.
"He's probably living a good life now."
Heguel looked surprised.
"Ten years without coming back even once?"
Karen nodded.
"When he was little… he was very kind… and loved studying. So I sold the house… and all the farmland… so he could go to the city to study."
The corners of her eyes began to grow wet.
"The livestock… and the most valuable things in the house… I sold them all."
She wiped away her tears.
"As long as he lives well… that's enough for me."
Heguel suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Karen… aren't you living in that small shack at the edge of the village? The one that nearly collapses every time it rains?"
Karen nodded faintly.
"Yes… I sold everything for my boy.
Now I have nothing left… except this old life of mine."
Heguel said nothing more.
He took out a small brown bottle and handed it to her.
"Whenever you feel the pain, mix this with some water and drink it. It will help you breathe easier."
Karen stood up carefully and placed the medicine in her pocket.
"Thank you… Mayor."
She turned back to look at him.
"If… one day my son returns… could you let me know?"
Heguel looked puzzled.
"Why is that?"
Karen forced a gentle smile.
"I don't want him to know… that his mother is living like this."
She turned away.
"When he comes back… I want him to believe… that his mother is living happily."
Elsewhere in the village, Cashew was running home when she ran into Heartman.
He looked like he was in a hurry.
"Hi, Mr. Heartman! Where are you going?"
Heartman wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"The soldiers are looking for the mayor, but they can't find him."
Cashew suddenly felt uneasy.
She hesitated for a moment before asking,
"Are they… looking for Almond?"
Heartman was slightly startled.
"I'm not sure… but it's possible."
Hearing that, Cashew immediately turned and ran.
"Thank you, Mr. Heartman!"
Near Cashew's house, many villagers had gathered outside.
Some of the elderly were complaining loudly.
"Making old people stand outside in the sun like this… how cruel!"
Cashew pushed her way through the crowd.
She spotted Mr. Gouda holding his grandson's hand.
"Mr. Gouda! What's going on?"
The little boy waved at her.
Cashew waved back slightly before looking at Mr. Gouda again.
He sighed.
"The soldiers said someone reported that Almond is here… so they came to search the place."
Cashew immediately turned toward her house.
A soldier in armor stood guard in front of the door.
Holding a spear, he kept pushing the villagers back.
Cashew ran straight toward him.
The soldier quickly grabbed her arm.
"Stop! Where do you think you're going?"
Cashew struggled to break free.
"That's my house!"
The villagers around them immediately reacted.
"Let the girl go!"
Several men stepped forward and shoved the soldier backward.
In the middle of the commotion, Cashew yanked her arm free and rushed straight into the house.
On a hill in the distance, Fenna and Daniel were hiding behind some bushes.
Fenna looked down at the village with worry.
"Daniel… if they find out you escaped, will you be in trouble?"
Daniel gently patted her head, trying to reassure her with a smile.
"It'll be fine."
He looked down toward the village.
"At worst… they'll just punish me a little."