Sun rays invade the room where Lucretia was sleeping, indicating that the day has dawned. There were no more clouds indicating the rain that fell during the night, but there were still puddles formed by the grass and the muddy ground.
Despite the light and the sound of distant birds, Lucretia did not feel like getting out of bed. The air was still cold, which made her want to stay wrapped in the soft, warm blankets.
Until a weight began to increase on his back.
"Luh, wake up! Morning time…"
Almaria was there, on top of Lucretia who was refusing to get out from under the covers.
"Let me go… I want to sleep…"
Even complaining, Almaria kept pushing her.
After some time, the young woman gave up and got up.
"Uhhh, cold."
Upon getting up, the cold air welcomed him. Taking his coat, which he had removed before lying down, he went to the bathroom to wash his face. The water, even colder than the air, made his hand and face shiver.
"It's your turn to go fetch water from the well, Luh!"
"You seem way too happy, Almaria. And no, today is your day, lazy woman!"
Almaria was humming while Lucretia did not seem to be in a good mood.
"C'mon, just this time… Besides, I came to wake you up, how can you call me lazy?
Lucretia remained silent in the face of Almaria's morning provocations.
"Come on, do this for me just this once. Sieg is going to be impressed."
"And who said I care?'
Lucretia replied almost immediately. Almaria, seeing her reaction, couldn't hide her laughter.
"You don't care… huh? … You like him, It's in your face."
"Look, stop saying weird things. Mr. Siegfried is like a brother to me. I do like him, he's kind and very caring."
Lucretia's voice, as she spoke, became softer and more whispery. In contrast, Almaria replied:
"Mr. Siegfried!? Hyaahahhahaa! You've never called him that. Sieg is almost the same age as you. Hyahahahahahah!"
Again, Almaria began to laugh loudly, which made Lucretia embarrassed.
"Instead of pushing your work onto me, why not act like an adult and do your job! Stop playing around with me all the time!"
Almaria fell silent, but her smile continued as she watched the awkward girl getting ready.
"Stop staring at me! I'm not going to..."
"Ok, I won't insist, Luh. I think I'll even take the opportunity to show my Singularity to Sieg. I bet he's going to love it, right…?"
Some minutes later.
"Didn't you fetch water yesterday? I thought you were off?"
"... I love to help."
"Hmm, it doesn't look like it."
Siegfried and Lucretia were carrying buckets to collect water from the well for the orphanage. Even though this was the nearest well, it still took a good few minutes to travel.
Although she protested with Almaria, she ended up accepting his request. The young man seemed to notice that she was upset for some reason, but he just smiled and did not seem bothered by the cold, the time, or the heavy work.
The young woman remained silent for most of the way. She couldn't think of any topic to discuss at that moment. She preferred not to start with a silly conversation like 'what a weather, huh'.
Walking alongside Siegfried, avoiding the puddles on the ground, they both went to the well mostly in silence. At times, Sieg pointed out and showed some of the forest animals and shared interesting facts about them.
The rhinoceros frog that lived for a few years, but was capable of growing indefinitely as long as it lived; woodpecker birds that have a beak capable of piercing trees to feed; forest grasshoppers; two-headed snakes; hallucinogenic mushrooms; plants; flowers. It was a true encyclopedia of various subjects.
Lucretia then remembered that Yalahar, a friend of Siegfried, called him by a peculiar nickname. "The King of Useless Knowledge." It's not as if everything he knew was truly useless, but in a world where strength and hierarchy reign supreme, knowing such things was not considered any sort of advantage.
Returning to the orphanage, they both unloaded the buckets of water and said goodbye briefly.
Tired of carrying weight early in the morning, Lucretia decided to go back to her room and sleep a little more before lunch.
As she climbed the stairs, she looked down the hallway. The door at the end, which was never left open, was now unlocked. Curious about a room she had never seen, the girl approached slowly.
When she was a few steps away from the door, heard voices coming from inside.
"Will any of them be strong?"
"It is impossible to know. Only after awakening. That is, if any of them awakens."
The voices inside were of two men. Even though they were people who hardly ever appeared there, Lucretia knew them: they were Hagane and Lucius.
Lucius is the owner of the lands, while Hagane was his second-in-command, a robot that served as his guardian. Even though the girl knew she shouldn't be doing this, she continued to listen to the conversation between the two.
"Ah, Singularities are a mystery. You never know what will come, nor if it will be strong. Most do not awake, and those who do are almost all weak and useless to the Empire, which pays better."
"I do not see them as a mystery, my lord. There are merely those who are fortunate enough to be born with a powerful disposition and those who are not. Some are born for greatness, while others are meant to be mere servants and ordinary beings. There are only special people because there exists an infinite number of utterly unremarkable beings."
"Ah, I don't think that way. I believe that there is no predetermined destiny for anyone. And even if there is, in the end, it is the person who decides the path to take. There is nothing wrong with choosing an ordinary life."
"It is an intriguing way of thinking."
"Going further into the subject, there is a girl who is already older and still hasn't awakened. Ah, maybe I can no longer keep her here."
"Well, I do not know, my lord. She is expensive for us, so it is wise to think of a way to make her useful. Being a young woman of attractive standards by human norms, we can arrange a good dowry for her, even if she does not awaken. If she does awaken, we will find someone who pays more."
"You surely have no heart. You're just a child... ah, I will think of a solution on my own. Maybe she can work with us."
"I still believe that it should be more pragmatic and rational. Her life will be much better as the wife of a noble. It is an alternative to think."
"Think? I'm the one who should think about tearing you apart, you disgusting tin can."
Lucretia, upon hearing Hagane's comment, could not contain herself. Realizing she had spoken out loud, she tried to move away from the door, but was surprised by Lucius, who was watching her. He opened the door and stared at the girl. After a few seconds, Lucius closed the door in Lucretia's face.
The young woman, feeling embarrassed, headed to her room. Sitting on the bed, she looked at her hand and thought about what she had just heard. Even though it was a revealing conversation, it was not rare.
As there are no parents, the owners of the orphanage are your guardians. A dowry from a rich husband could lift the orphanage out of the difficult situation they were in. Many families adopted arranged marriage as a way to make connections and also to elevate someone's social status.
Even knowing that this was something common and expected from her, she still felt uncomfortable for some reason.
Lucretia then clenched her fists... and words sprang to her mind.
"I want to be strong."
This desire, translated into words, began to bloom within her.