Afternoons in Buena Village always held a languid tranquility.
Sunlight scattered the gold of the wheat stalks across the dirt paths, and the air carried the fresh scent of grass and river water.
Sylphy was the girl who had once needed every ounce of her courage just to set foot in the village.
Now, she no longer seemed afraid.
Once, even when taking lunch to her father, Rorze, who worked at the forest Observation Tower.
She would only skirt the edges of the village.
She picked her way along rarely traveled field ridges and woodland paths, carefully avoiding everyone.
But now, everything was different.
Ever since Cui Ciyou had "warned" the little brats who were always bullying Sylphy.
Whenever they saw her in the village, they took a wide detour, like mice spotting a cat.
Mrs. Aite had even explicitly warned her most unruly son, Somar.
"If you ever dare bully that green-haired girl again and someone breaks your legs, don't expect me to stand up for you!"
Now, Sylphy could bravely leave her house alone.
She carried a wooden basin to the babbling river and helped her mother wash clothes.
She even dared to "play" on the village's only street.
Of course, because of her long, emerald-green hair, which people considered an ill omen, she still had no friends.
Her so-called "playing" amounted to nothing more than wandering quietly around the village alone.
Then, she would quietly wait for that person to appear.
Will Big Brother Ciyou be on patrol today, or will Lord Paul?
Has Big Brother Ciyou gone back to Roa City? Is he... in the village right now?
These questions occupied Sylphy's little head every day.
But whatever the answer, she still loved coming into the village.
When Ciyou suggested that Sylphy go spend time with