That Matter

"Your Highness, I dare swear by the great God of Sun and Justice that this is one of the finest red fruits I've picked in twenty years of harvesting fruit trees!"

Simp said solemnly, his sun-darkened, reddish face filled with seriousness.

This also let Xian learn the name of this fruit: red fruit. It was quite fitting, resembling the red apples of Blue Star, only smaller and rounder.

"Thank you for the treat."

Xian took the red fruit from the man's palm and bit into it.

In an instant, sweet juice burst across his mouth, carrying a trace of coolness and just the right sweetness. It was neither cloying nor lacking in its natural, fresh flavor.

The flesh was crisp and tender as well—not mushy, not dry or tough. Its perfect firmness made him want to keep chewing.

"This is the best fruit I've ever eaten!" Xian exclaimed sincerely.

At his words, Simp's face flushed as though red paint had been smeared over it, so red it seemed his blood vessels might burst at any moment.

"A noble Highness has praised the fruit I cultivated. This is the happiest day of my life—even happier than the day Boyi married me!"

The middle-aged villager danced about excitedly like a child.

"Gods above, Your Highness, I must offer you another basket of the finest red fruits!"

After bidding Simp farewell, Xian and Anlìyà continued walking side by side through the lush orchard.

The afternoon sunlight gently filtered through the dense branches, casting mottled patterns across them.

One was a handsome, refined black-haired youth; the other, a beautiful young girl with golden hair and blue eyes. Under the sunlight, they truly looked like an immortal couple, a sight that stirred longing.

"Little Anlìyà and that Highness really do look perfect together. It would be wonderful if she could marry such a noble Highness!"

On a nearby fruit tree, a middle-aged couple picking fruit watched from afar. The wife sighed.

The sight reminded her of the fairy tales her mother had told her as a child: a prince fallen on hard times met a kind country girl, then eventually married her, and the two spent their lives together beneath the gods' blessings.

"Gods above, you're already an old woman. Stop entertaining such nonsense!" her husband said, rolling his eyes.

"That Highness's status is so noble that even Hughes Lord would have to kiss the tip of his shoe upon seeing him. Little Anlìyà may be a serf like us, but forget becoming his wife—even becoming his concubine would be impossible."

"In my opinion, it would already be the gods' blessing if little Anlìyà could become that Highness's Maid!" her husband declared decisively.

Old woman. The wife fell silent. Her gaze gradually turned fierce, as though a lion lurked within it.

A moment later.

"I was wrong, I was wrong! Don't pinch me—we'll fall!" The husband's wails carried far through the orchard, startling countless birds into flight.

Dusk.

The setting sun poured down like molten gold, dyeing the horizon orange-red and weaving together with the pale green orchard in the distance to form a dreamlike scene.

"What a beautiful village! I hope this view can last forever," Xian praised.

After wandering through the vast orchards surrounding the village, he and Anlìyà returned to the wooden house.

At those words, the smile that had remained on the girl's lovely face all day suddenly stiffened. A clear hint of worry flashed through her sapphire-blue eyes.

Perhaps it was time to tell him about that matter.

The girl quietly made up her mind.

"Your Highness, this beautiful sight will not last much longer."

Anlìyà spoke softly. She was very nervous inside, yet she still tried her best to keep her voice clear and sweet.

"Is it because autumn has arrived? It's all right. Yellowing fallen leaves are beautiful too." Xian smiled faintly.

"No, it isn't because of that."

Anlìyà shook her head, a trace of bitterness appearing on her fair face.

"In a few days, it will be time for the lord to send people to collect the Agricultural Tax, but the village has nowhere near enough coins saved up to pay it."

The smile on Xian's face gradually disappeared.

"Is the Agricultural Tax too burdensome?" he asked in a low voice.

"No. The Agricultural Tax that the lord has set for Fruit Basket Village is already quite lenient within the Sossia Kingdom. We were able to pay it in previous years. He is a kind lord," Anlìyà said gently.

"It's just that an accident happened this year."

"Some time ago, a Clay Merchant came to our village. He lavishly praised the red fruits from our orchards, saying their taste was nearly unmatched in the world and that selling them to the Free Citizens in the capital would surely make a great deal of money."

"So he promised that when the red fruits were harvested, he would purchase them at a high price. His condition was that before he arrived, the village had to refuse offers from all other traveling merchants."

"His speaking skills really were very persuasive, and many villagers were swayed by him. Although my adoptive father had his doubts, the merchant later paid a generous deposit, and most of the villagers agreed, so my adoptive father could only accept."

"As he instructed, our village turned away the other merchants who came to buy red fruits. But when he finally arrived only two days before the harvest, he did not offer the agreed price. Instead, he proposed a price far below the normal market value, so low that it was practically a loss."

As she spoke, the girl pressed her lips tightly together, her delicate brows knotting. A faint flame seemed to linger in her sapphire eyes, like an enraged little deer.

It was the first time Xian had seen Anlìyà so angry. He had thought that a sweet and beautiful girl like her would never lose her temper in her entire life.

"The villagers angrily drove the Clay Merchant away, but there was no longer enough time to find other merchants. The red fruits had also fully ripened. Every day, overripe fruits fell to the ground, gradually rotting until they became worthless."

"In a few days, the lord will send people to collect the taxes. If we cannot pay enough, some villagers will be demoted to slaves, taken away, and sold to the Slave Capital. Nothing awaits them but endless humiliation and being worked to death."

The girl's expression gradually grew sorrowful. Her beautiful sapphire eyes lost their usual brightness, becoming deep and unfocused.

"So I thought... if there were someone of sufficiently noble status who could persuade the tax collectors to wait a little longer and let us gather enough money for the taxes, that would be wonderful."

Those pleading eyes slowly turned, finally settling on the expressionless black-haired youth before her, and on the long string of white words above his head.

Feeling that burning gaze full of expectation, Xian fell silent.

For a moment, he did not know what to do.

If he could, he certainly wanted to help this beautiful girl who had taught him the language, as well as those kind villagers. After all, it would only take a few words of persuasion.

But the premise for all of it was that he had the ability to help.