episode_0165

The villagers greeted Fosao with awkward voices, completely different from how they spoke to Tia. “Hello…”

Rodya forced a smile and asked, “Are you… young lady Tia’s father?”

“Father? Ah, no, I’m not.”

“Then…?”

“W-we just live together.”

Confusion appeared on people’s faces. For a moment, their expressions seemed to ask if they had misheard. If they lived together but weren’t father and daughter, what else could they be? Fosao had been stammering and speaking awkwardly from the start, making them wonder if he had said something misleading. The villagers looked at Tia, hoping she would correct the awkward atmosphere, but Tia merely lowered her head shyly, saying nothing.

“Ah… I see.”

A bewildered Rodya scrutinized Fosao from head to toe, then stepped back. “You must be tired from your journey. Have a good night.”

“Hee-hee. Th-thank you all for welcoming us.”

Could that really be called ‘welcoming’? From the expressions on people’s faces, it was clear they welcomed Tia, but as soon as Fosao appeared, they seemed eager to end the conversation. Just like the people in their old village, these people were no different.

The villagers murmured amongst themselves as they left the yard. They turned their steps homeward, their faces full of stories to tell throughout the night. They would go home and tell their husbands and wives that a pretty, small girl had moved in, living with some pig-like man. And since they weren’t even father and daughter, perhaps…

In such a bewildered atmosphere, Tia and Fosao began their first day in Goldburg.

Tia was thoroughly excited with anticipation for her new life. She woke up early, went to the market to buy plenty of ingredients, and hummed while cooking.

She cleaned and did laundry, tasks she hadn’t managed last night, trying to get used to this unfamiliar house.

Fosao woke up very late. It was almost midday.

To the man who emerged naked, exactly as he had been after a night of sex, Tia greeted him warmly.

“Are you awake?”

“Mmm.”

“You must be tired from overdoing it yesterday. If you’re sleepy, you can sleep more. I’ll wake you up in a bit.”

“I-I’m hungry.”

“Ah. I’ve cooked! It’s my specialty, scrambled eggs, and pork stew, which you like.”

“Ooh-!”

Fosao scrambled into the kitchen, his genitals dangling. He then began ravenously stuffing Tia’s cooking into his mouth, devouring it without thought.

“Such d-delicious food. It’s been a long time-!”

“Hehe- There are so many fresh ingredients here! Tell me if there’s anything you want to eat! I’ll make it all for you!”

Until now, what Tia had eaten was barely even worthy of being called food. She had eaten soup made from extremely tough meat, heavily salted and preserved, and the continuous starvation had made her noticeably thin. Eventually, she survived by eating only salted cookies. For Tia, Goldburg, which they reached after enduring a long and dark period, must have been heaven. Even in winter, there were plenty of provisions, abundant food, and merchants from far away selling rare ingredients, all at prices much cheaper than in Teildun.

The two, who had been starving for so long, filled their stomachs until they were truly full, something they hadn’t done in a long time.

Tia leaned back in her chair and said,

“It feels like… this is the first time I’ve eaten such delicious food to my heart’s content since we were in Deseo.”

“Y-you can say that again.”

“It’s a really good place. I think it’s even better than Deseo. The prices are cheaper, too.”

“Right? I-I told you so, didn’t I?”

“……Hehe.”

*Kiss.*

Tia kissed Fosao’s cheek and laughed.

“Here… let’s live happily ever after.”

“Mmm.”

The two sealed their promise with a deep kiss.

Soon, his thick hand parted her shirt and kneaded her breasts, while Tia’s small hand gently grasped his hairy penis.

Fosao was already naked, and Tia was bare-bodied with just one layer removed. The girl, her pants hanging on her slender legs, began to engage in fervent sex.

Today, Tia was more proactive than Fosao, who usually initiated and led their foreplay. She first took hold of his dick and inserted it into her own vagina, then moved her hips with an eager expression, urging Fosao on.

“Hah-♥ H-ah-♥ Aah-♥”

“Huu-!”

The sex, as if it were only natural, concluded with ejaculation inside her vagina.

Now, Fosao no longer even said he would cum inside. He simply thrust his hips powerfully and exhaled roughly, and semen would slowly ooze out of Tia’s vagina.

Tia seemed to have grown accustomed to the sensation of semen filling her womb from her sexual encounters with Fosao. Each time she received the ‘baby seeds’ he spilled into her uterus, she would smile gently, then sigh deeply, savoring the lingering sensation.

The villagers often peeked at the house, where the curtains were always drawn, observing it with suspicious glances. Although they didn’t explicitly say anything, everyone seemed to have caught on.

After all, the only houses where a man and a woman lived together, rarely showing themselves outside, and residing with unusual quietness, were those of newlyweds.

After resting for about four days, having sex five or six times every day with Tia, Fosao finally left the house and began searching for work.

He was confident that he would set up a general store even grander than before, and Tia sincerely supported his dream.

However, their dreamlike time did not last long.

Just two days after setting out to scout the market, Fosao returned with slumped shoulders.

“Ah, it seems impossible.”

If it were a large city like Deseo, where trends constantly changed, opening a store wouldn’t have been difficult. However, Goldburg was a city where long-standing traditions were deeply rooted.

Most businesses were already inherited through generations, and as such, they had been communicating with merchants for a long time, practically monopolizing all goods.

General stores, in particular, were so familiar to the villagers that they were used as landmarks, leaving no room for Fosao to break in.

He said with a gloomy expression,

“I d-didn’t know it would be this difficult.”

“It’s alright. We can just look for other work, can’t we?”

“But… Nngh…”

The only other work he could do was perhaps as an employee in a shop or a merchant guild.

However, having lived alone his entire life, he had never worked under anyone. And in the first place, no one would want to hire such a lazy pig.

Honestly, he probably knew better himself. That there was no work he could do in Goldburg.

Tia massaged Fosao’s shoulders and said,

“Don’t be impatient. There will surely be something suitable. It’s too soon to judge, we’ve only just arrived, haven’t we?”

“Alright…”

Several more days passed.

Fosao still hadn’t found work, and he repeatedly drank the remaining living expenses, returning home completely drunk.

Tia didn’t scold Fosao for his dissolute lifestyle. Instead, whenever he complained, she would comfort him, saying things would get better, and tried to lighten his mood with only hopeful words.

That day, too, she had sex with the drunken Fosao. And next to him, as he lay sprawled out asleep, Tia stared blankly up at the ceiling.

Her face was deep in thought.

***

One morning, when all the men had left for work.

Tia, dressed differently than usual, went out of the house and then invited someone into her home.

It was the woman who had come to welcome them before.

Rodya said, as if surprised,

“Goodness- I never thought you’d invite me into your home. Since young lady Tia moved in, I’ve hardly seen you and was starting to worry something had happened.”

Tia served herbal tea and smiled brightly.

“Hehe- I rested well.”

“Ah, I’ve run into Fosao a few times and greeted him. He goes out every morning and comes back late at night.”

“He’s been busy lately…”

“‘He’?”

So startled, Rodya unconsciously blurted that out, then hastily covered her mouth.

Similarly, Tia, surprised, widened her eyes and blushed.

Calling Fosao ‘he’ was akin to telling others he was her husband. At the same time, it also meant that Tia herself considered him a potential husband.

Rodya hastily apologized.

“I-I’m sorry. I said something inappropriate, didn’t I?”

“Haha… It’s alright.”

“Then, are you two married?”

“Not yet.”

“Are you planning to?”

“Yes. If the opportunity arises… we will soon.”

Those who knew, already knew. That the two were ‘that kind of couple.’

However, the shock was immense when that strong suspicion, which had only remained a conjecture, was confirmed as fact by the person involved.

How could such an ugly, fat, old man be in a relationship with such a dazzlingly beautiful girl, with marriage as their premise? It was a story that even the most talented bard singing a long epic poem could never make believable.

Rodya, with a dazed expression, sipped her tea, and only after burning her tongue on the hot liquid did she finally snap out of it. She then painstakingly squeezed out her voice.

“Oh my, congratulations.”

“Hehe- Thank you.”

If it were some kind of forced arranged marriage, it might be somewhat understandable. But they weren’t nobles, and most importantly, Tia was smiling, clearly delighted by the fact… Rodya could only nod silently.

“By the way… what did you want to talk about that you called me here?”

“Ah, well-.”

The red-haired girl fidgeted with her pristine white hands.

“I was wondering if there might be any work I could find.”

“Work? Hmm-.”

Rodya explained that women in Goldburg didn’t specifically work to earn money. Before marriage, they helped with household chores, and after marriage, they helped their husbands. That was considered a woman’s work, she replied.

If necessary, they could work on the farm, but since it was merely assisting their husbands, they weren’t given a separate wage.

If money was truly urgent, they could make and sell clothes or useful accessories, or assist at nearby shops for a small payment.

“Do you need to earn money?”

Tia nodded.

“Yes. I feel like I need to work and… be helpful.”

“……”

Rodya had also heard the occasional rumors. That Fosao, the neighbor living across the way, seemed to be drinking all day long. She had thought he was just squandering money because he had too much, but according to Tia, it was because he still hadn’t found work.

It was perhaps perfectly natural that Fosao couldn’t find a job. From any woman’s perspective, his appearance was anything but trustworthy.

Nevertheless, since he had such a pretty and kind woman like Tia as his prospective bride, they had believed, ‘Perhaps he’s competent,’ but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Rodya didn’t want to care what happened to that man, but seeing a girl who should be enjoying her prime already worrying about a shiftless husband and her household affairs, Rodya continued to feel concerned.

In the end, the woman made a suggestion.

“There’s a job I’d like to entrust to young lady Tia. Would you like to try it?”