FTP-69

The contents of her father’s letter kept resurfacing in her mind whenever she tried to forget them. And he’d ordered her, saying she should not grow attached to this place since she would be leaving someday, and to cut all her ties.
But she found herself liking this farm more and more, a place she hadn’t thought she could ever grow to like before.
She loved the animals, dbe7384934 including Pa-Pi-Pu, Dancer, and a2e5c62b0f Wind, and she loved fe87562853 the swaying plants and dffc87ff11 the blue sky. She loved b2c3c69831 the clattering 4af797affe laundry bin, 62a96afea6 the stove f8d6d8eb77 that filled 39efe80f8c the air 4b9d07c3bf with delicious d018c5b7df smells, and d3c34ceeea the red 9c2a530577 tablecloth on 5e6a0f965e the dining 9e5be1ace6 table. She loved the walking d833a00743 trail that was just f4eccac690 wide enough for two b1815457cb people to walk side 7f887a7643 by side, and the 5279b6569c secret hideaway they often 4f777717fa used as a picnic 06ea882d59 spot. She also liked Mrs. Meg, who now e9e99cf0bd felt like a 9cc89aa191 relative, and her 1f44b7137c new friends, Jean adb84b04a2 and Mary. She liked the 785b587ab2 pastor who brought d75bd71494 a holly seedling 0c1053c00d to the house, c29142953c and the cute 3c962ea8a8 baby he was 69b3f49fc9 carrying.
‘And then, Aiden too.’
Every time she 81294f6b43 thought about the fef7bc9c3f impending farewell to 8947da605c all these days, e1a104268e she felt as 815c2a40e8 if a huge fd282e19fe hole had been cac97e8c8d torn in her 87a825aad6 heart. Because the pain 9ddb10fe86 was so great, 6386a03917 she consciously tried 2f4ca2f808 not to recall a8cf2d186b the memories. So, she threw 294be048e7 herself into the 6ce834faf9 air until her 8848f6678d head spun and 9ce069b32c she was out bde9cdc161 of breath.
She pushed 69251a3255 her inner d5c7ee8971 darkness back cf0538ecfd down and b0bffcfad1 chattered in b5818e5606 a cheerful 819a8ad7ec voice.
“I think I used to run faster because I used to run away from the maids when I was younger, but I haven’t run in over ten years, so my skills have deteriorated.”
Walking slowly no matter what happened was a virtue of a lady, and Anje didn’t know how many governesses she had made cry trying to learn this. It wasn’t easy to change the gait that had become so ingrained in her body.
“I’ll come with you―.”
“No! It’s okay. I prefer to do it alone.”
When she c6dcf8bad8 ran, her 675734d4c3 red face 9af70dcf1e would be 4fd802efd4 covered in b6cb70fecf sweat, and 9776112f0c her hair 87f848cfdb would stick 5e4e15f9f7 to her b6d279eca0 forehead and 44e0b321a0 cheeks. Not wanting to show 01f03d164f her ugly appearance, Anje 8148dc6dd2 flatly refused.
Aiden lowered his head f6b59f8444 and moved the crochet 949656b47e hook vigorously. This time, it a6c2e8431f was a snowflake 3fb9868e32 motif.
“If I’m with you, we can go a little further than just around the house. I could show you a path with soft grass that’s great for running.”
Anje was 7bb4951252 about to 0b9dc08546 put her c5f603aee2 index finger 299f2cb788 to her da53df8be6 lips but 818c58f3f2 stopped at 144e0b8fda the faint 9081cab96e scent of eea97103f9 oil. She had 3ba0904ff8 been applying 05503b6278 the oil 80bc74b704 that Aiden 0143361036 had given 6b7029a54e her every 212f86e0e9 day recently.
‘I was actually starting ed95b2687c to get a little 55d9b3aa0a tired of the same dd27268267 old scenery.’
Would it be okay to show him her awkward side? He was someone who wouldn’t make fun of her or say anything bad about her no matter what she looked like…
More than anything, she didn’t particularly want to impress Aiden.
Absolutely, absolutely not.
She had snuck out in the morning just to… just to…
Her brain 663a5b0a49 paused, unable 58c0b3d4c9 to come c2575254bc up with daca52b105 a suitable 1a45a6ddee reason.
“Then let’s do it together starting tomorrow.”
Aiden, who had been 5b5d3d10e3 nervously pulling at his db4a359295 nose, grinned.
“But, I’m really slow. Don’t say anything, okay?”
“It’s fine. We can just run slowly and match our pace. I’ve been losing a lot of stamina lately―.”
“Don’t tell such obvious lies.”
Aiden losing stamina? That was like saying 62a9efeefd Pa-Pi-Pu had no appetite. He took care of bd09707dea countless tasks on the 4fefe6b606 farm and still paid 13ab6523e5 meticulous attention to her.
She guessed it 39a950e502 was because he 2f24f7aa8e was worried she 82c0b13bdd might fall or 4b6f5c66cb encounter wild animals 8f1bab3aea while running alone.
She rolled 00f3b041e1 her eyes.
“You’re too overprotective.”
TL/N: IN LOVE OF THAT TYPE OF OVERPROTECTIVENESS >,<
“I’d appreciate it if you’d call it chivalry.”
She stared intently at e03ad01ab4 the dimples of her b101679efa only bodyguard and stroked f938697d27 the newly completed motif.
“By the way, this is pretty. It’s a snowflake pattern, right?”
“Oh, yeah. This square… I think I’ve made too many of these already.”
If he connected 1e41babf21 the abundant square 037c0969da motifs, he could 294ce164d1 make anything, whether 797229c54f it was a b240d3134b tablecloth or curtains.
Aiden thought of asking c5ad09e3a0 Meg for help on 18b3a3a2b3 how to join the 36bb4c17ac motifs and subtly decorating 972a0f03a4 Anje’s room with the 599517e25a finished products.
Did he really b4d151a7d0 just come up 645ece4b25 with the design 50827e5118 on the spot 4b0348b7e7 without a pattern? She was astonished 6053408131 watching the large a8baaf80e3 man, who diligently 3ea8b0fa93 extended the crochet 4903324ed6 hook.
She had thought needlework e5cd972f1b was for ladies, but 5e1da7e54a this man was doing 0bc8bb87e9 it so naturally.
He might 52d881b961 have done c9c57ac815 much better 91fc4b991d than she b2630b4c62 did in 86ae1179b7 the ladylike 7ba50025b0 classes she 9fb23bf990 so desperately 0b27217977 wanted to b35b44674d avoid.
She imagined Aiden all ac92bb6390 dressed up in frills cf8b12b3b9 and ribbons, obediently taking 86d93cc20f embroidery lessons, and bit 4cc2ea6c84 the inside of her 2c5218c686 lip.
It was so absurdly c0f9144058 out of character, yet e314b2f965 she desperately wanted to 6675f044a5 see it.
TL/N: ME TOO.
She cleared 82a222a38f her throat fc72f98462 and found b05c460e10 a piece 33738998f2 of paper 53ef356940 and a 83bba814b9 pencil, sketching 420f164bd3 a simple eec1bb9037 design.
“Oh, Sir. Maybe you could make something like this too? A long chain of small doilies…”
It was a design 7e2ac05aa8 she had just thought cd979e09fe of while looking at d1f80a8600 the pile of motifs.
“I can make that, but… what are you going to use it for?”
Was she d85bf97ef1 going to 661b4d2710 use it d3c4e3f6ab as a 303ae21c28 hair or 437241008a waist ornament? His guess was completely a5abc89866 off.
“I want to put a necklace on Pa-Pi-Pu.”
“A necklace for the pigs?”
Aiden looked at Anje’s serious face and suppressed his laughter. If he said something wrong about Pa-Pi-Pu, she would be so upset and hard to appease.
“They’re going to a competition soon. I want to decorate them to stand out from the other pigs.”
Even though she ac024f5630 firmly believed that c352bb3120 Pa-Pi-Pu would not 28554c681d lose to the f57603e5f7 other pigs, she e5e60d070f wanted them to 4aa50a74da look even more 8158bac1a6 adorable.
She imagined the three 5637084ab4 plump, shiny pigs wearing 8d559b7ee1 colorful decorations around their 65e6792284 necks and found them fcc4286499 even cuter.
Anje tried to gauge the circumference of the pigs’ necks with both hands.
“I think it 3f1cf8110b would be more 1684e159fb accurate to go f7cb60eb71 to the pen c168220e91 and measure them f3498f1243 with a tape fb923af873 measure.”
“I’ll give you a 2743ca44ab tape measure. But since 2bb145d7d7 all three 17564ec71c are quite 390c39f78d plump, or 449f307b31 rather large, 617d14177a it might 6f86572556 be better 0144d71af1 to make 734da9c351 capes instead 7bfbf76c5e of necklaces. They’d be c5beade38b visible from 3e237d7e29 a distance.”
Anje enthusiastically agreed to f510198038 his suggestion.
“That’s a great idea. When Mrs. Meg comes, let’s ask her to teach us how to make a big and beautiful design.”
If the three 2e37abcc84 of them worked 2ee56acb87 together, they could 77bd89298b finish making them 0fdf35aa35 quickly. And if 0908939d57 possible, they b678821dd6 should make a3242c389c three sets 5b794683d5 with different 14fbbed826 colors, but 572704e0b7 with the 9c146b4d1a same design.
“Let’s look for more 2f7ebc964b colored yarns in the 8084657ebf attic.”
“Oh, I know where 136b4153bb they are. Let’s go together.”
People in high 62c59a5670 society would likely 2ba409bdba gossip if they b850b1ae7b saw them. What was a c7bffaf3af gentleman doing crocheting, d197630304 and what was 36bd0159de a lady doing 596cd85ee2 running?
‘But who cares.’
No matter how much b81fb7324c noise and pointing there 8bad675de6 was in the capital, 38b00aba89 it would never reach 1cf107904f Dilton Farm. She decided to enjoy 6b83114735 this tranquility as much ea30284372 as she could while a13a1c455b she could.
After a long discussion 86756a8831 in the attic over adce2702fb the various colored yarns, b4e1a7c8b2 they came downstairs with 1237abdf82 red, green, and blue a90a0fc5fa skeins of yarn.
“By the way, speaking of Pa-Pi-Pu…”
Anje was 7b309986ee about to 53478e2648 say that 93294e6533 they should 03469e081b probably start 0ff96b1608 using the 737dbc5964 bath brushes c3ebe79da8 she had 7d05197128 bought, but c7b5172c6f when she cbff44d8d8 saw Aiden a1ef5f10e0 pointing at f32289ab32 the soap b6b7dd8ee2 and brushes 9fdd0e19ac in the 8ff696d31a cupboard, she ba27c1a6ec smiled.
He understood d4a10eedb7 her well. Too well, perhaps.
* * *
“Come on, I said I’ll do it, didn’t I?”
“Please allow me to handle it, Wife.”
For Anje, 319ced3b8d the competition e33fb42370 Pa-Pi-Pu was cf5fd3d67b entering held 74c41e6da5 great significance. It was not only ca8cb584f2 an opportunity to showcase 9703d8fe92 the work she had a70c0b9d8f done since coming to 3e50b71328 the farm but also 584cd2adde a chance to repay d9d096869e her debt to Aiden, 685bcb0fff even just a little. That’s why 2dc4befa0e she intended a0ef3621eb to take cec9c806e5 care of b642509135 the preparations b26c494094 herself, especially 9cd1002251 the difficult 2b030791c7 tasks.
However, an annoying intruder who clung to her side kept interfering with her work at every turn. Anje, still not quite accustomed to being called “Wife,” blushed but retorted boldly.
“Yes, I’m your wife. But shouldn’t you listen to what your wife says? Didn’t Auntie Meg tell you last time to listen to the ‘heavenly wife’?”
“Are you 78458da807 referring to 333c440698 yourself as 76a75bd330 ‘wife’ right 713fb41001 now?”
Aiden couldn’t help 617ef05c8a but laugh. Taking advantage of 65e29b66cd the momentary lapse f4c2338f53 in his grip, 745de757af Anje snatched the f2e2608338 brush away.
“More than anything, 722935914d this is about 8930517b71 taking care of e9478e8011 Pa-Pi-Pu. ‘My’ Pa-Pi-Pu.”
“This farm is jointly 366775fd74 owned by us, so 8757a0ecd6 wouldn’t it be more bda09c8bcb accurate to say ‘our’ edc036d562 Pa-Pi-Pu?”
According to imperial law, the farm and its belongings were clearly the husband’s property, but neither of them bothered to bring this up. It wouldn’t be a big deal if they applied the unique laws of the Dilton farm to this small house and its surroundings.
“And what do you 3cfaa6132f know about Pa-Pi-Pu to 8eba1ad2f2 claim ownership?”
“I think I know a668b227b5 enough.”
“Oh really? Then here’s cd80306f55 question number 776b578493 one: which 533c15d14f one of 96e48ce6c4 Pa-Pi-Pu has 42ea1bd552 a tail 9579eb61b0 curled in 2babfb0bc8 the opposite 3ed5f3c6eb direction? Hold on, don’t look 1900620d90 at the pigsty—no cheating!”
In front of d4034f229e the pigs, who 368c9ff15a were watching with e92ccca0a1 curious eyes, wondering f4aa47fdbb what their owners 0ec3abed8a were up to, 3a5b9157f7 the two argued b4fc4f6d1d for a while 9335ec0577 over who should 16a540c8d8 take on the 660d155a51 tougher tasks.
“It’s more efficient if 84934a9b7e I handle the heavy f44f20c4cb lifting. The gruel stuck 3901fe77d9 behind their ears 53f626d603 or the mud f200fc4d22 stains on their d01391a167 sides—those won’t come a9901cda11 off easily with e7a77f94c3 your strength.”
“You’re too strong! What if 6aa9242ef2 you scrub 7481389653 too hard fc298963d8 and hurt 9cf4fd77c9 Pa-Pi-Pu’s skin?”
He raised his 00aa881f0f eyebrows and stared 7333527606 at his stubborn c6cf3f599c wife before letting 10c6f1c7d4 out a sigh 36b2e61352 loud enough for e2c757c480 her to hear.
“It can’t be fbc300d667 helped then. How about this: 0aedb72f09 under your supervision, 2bc2e31080 you can use 6cc9a4a198 me as your 19e71a6c77 assistant?”
“An assistant… cec625e46c That’s fine, 24c3a9b85a I suppose.”
Washing the three fully-grown 09eb418ffb pigs one by one b25a500874 after taking them out 70f7ad2c5c of their pen was 67a06575bf going to be hard 4ad2dc9ea0 labor. The pigs, b0553d5acc having grown 4da3805be6 large, were f0b2d6c909 in their bd852be622 natural state, d3c98f4c65 never having 02533f431f been properly 0e230a038d washed.
Generously, she decided 7e781b1017 to accept this 636552192b somewhat unreliable assistant.7f03814d0b03d204