THE Knight's Hidden Princess
Chapter 88: Never Felt A Feeling Of Comfort

Chapter 88: Never Felt A Feeling Of Comfort

"Gods damn it woman at this rate there won’t be any food for us left!" A man suddenly yelled startling me from where I was busy peeling the yam.

Still startled, I glanced up at the man only to see him staring at me angrily. The man was a tall man with broad shoulders and broad shoulders. He was also entirely coated in a sheen of sweat which was no doubt as a result of labor and he stood glaring down at me as though I had insulted every single one of his ancestors. I noticed that everyone had stopped working, they were also waiting to see what was going to occur next.

"Okay, calm down Lars." One of the men who was busy chopping woods said with an exasperated sigh.

"Calm down?" The man called Lars asked in disbelief, "She’s been peeling that yam for ages and she’s not just peeling it, she’s chopping it off! She’s wastin’ more than she’s savin’." Lars said his accent thickening with each words.

"I’m sorry." I mumbled an apology.

Lars snorted at me. "Yeah, that seems to be all you are good at isn’t it, just mere apologies and empty promises."

"Alright Lars that’s enough!" Martha stated with a note of finality in her tone.

Lars swallowed his words, shooting me one last glare before he turned and stomped off to where the rest of the men were. I stared down at my hands where I had tiny cuts from where the knife cut into my skin as I tried to peel the yam. I had no idea how the women put up with this, it was a strenuous tasks. I mean hand me a knife and I can slice all the vital points in the human body but somehow, slicing a yam turns out to be the most difficult part ever.

Heather bumped her shoulder with mine. "Don’t pay Lars any attention, he just becomes really grumpy when his stomach is empty."

"Yeah, everyone knows men can be very aggressive when they are working on empty stomach." Griselda chimed in as she shot me a warm smile.

I offered her a wry smile in response. "I...I was just trying to help is all."

Martha grunted in response. "Then you do actually just that, help instead of wasting your breath apologizing to folk who don’t care for it." She said before she picked another yam, "Now watch me carefully and then you can try after."

I kept my eyes on Martha as she showed me how to peel the yam for the sixth time that day. When she was done, she handed me a sharper knife and told me to do it. I followed her process and this time I got it right but I was incredibly slow. By the time I had finished the third tuber, the women had already prepared the fire and started cooking.

I did love the way they were all patient with me despite my obvious lack of skill. Martha nodded her head at me as I deposited the yam I had peeled inside a bowl. I noticed she turned to grab two buckets and was heading towards the stream so I decided to help her instead.

"No, no, you’ve done enough." Martha said when I tried to collect the buckets from her.

I insisted. "Let me help, I can go fetch the water easy."

"Really? Even with hands like that?" Martha asked her gaze falling to my hands that had suffered cuts from the sharp knife.

I reached out and grabbed the buckets from her. "It’s really not a big deal, I know what I signed up for when I said I wanted to earn my place here."

"Except your place isn’t here though, is it?" Martha asked me with a glint in her eyes.

I stiffened slightly but I offered her another smile in response. "Except right now it is." I informed her before I turned to leave.

As I headed towards the stream, I couldn’t help but ponder on what Martha had told me. The funniest thing was that I didn’t even have a place. Not with my family, not with the one I got married to and even here that I was trying my best to fit in, I still didn’t.

A mysterious form of loneliness tracked me down at all times while seamlessly filling moments between every interaction as well as each moment that required a smile and personal assistance.

The water container became increasingly difficult to carry towards the stream even though my brain simply created this impression. Once I got to the stream, I placed myself into a crouch position to observe the moving water waves create patterns on the surface of the shallow stream.

The target of my self-proving effort remained unidentified. The refugees? The court? Myself?

I wasn’t sure anymore.

I had just finished filling the buckets about to carry it when all of a sudden, I heard a rustle from the trees. Thinking it was Heather, I glanced up but who stared back at me were the two brown eyes of Eddie who was doing his best to hide in a tree.

I sighed looking up towards the heavens. "You do know I can see you right?" I called out.

Eddie mumbled curses as he swung his wooden stick at the bushes he was hiding from before he finally appeared. "Don’t me my lady, I’m just observing."

"Observing what exactly, how incompetent I am at doing menial tasks?"

"I mean you said it not me." He snorted in response. "But you do seem to be doing a good job so far." He added when I glared at him in response.

"Whatever." I said before I grabbed the buckets.

Eddie raced forward, "Here, let me help you with one." He said and I watched effortlessly as he helped to lift one of the bucket which lessened my load. "Though, I still do not have any idea why you are doing this."

"Because I have to earn their forgiveness."

Eddie was quiet for a minute before he spoke, "And you think coming every day to do task like fetch water, scrub floors, fetch woods and peel some tuber of yams would earn you that. No offense, but I do not think it’s the answer."

"It’s not just about doing chores Eddie, it’s about putting myself in their shoes for once. Sacrificing my life of comfort and choosing to live like them for a while."

Eddie hummed in response before he turned to look at me. "And have you?"

"Have I what?"

"Ever lived a life of comfort because a comfy bed and fancy walls with clothing isn’t just comfort, so have you?" Eddie asked me and I kept quiet not knowing what to say even though I knew the answer deep down between me.

Because the answer was no, I have never felt a feeling of comfort because I’ve always lived in hiding.

A princess to be seen and not heard.

But perhaps with this people there is a way I can change that!

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