Exiled Villainess Becomes Ruler (Republished/Edited)

Football/Soccer

Evelina and the Beckett boys paused their game of catch, the two boys contemplating the unfamiliar words Evelina had mentioned.

"Soc...cer? Foot...ball? What is that?" Kyle asked, puzzled.

"It's a sport played primarily with your feet," Evelina explained. "You have two teams, each with up to eleven players. The goal is to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team's net. Since there are just three of us, we can play a simplified version of soccer."

The boys still looked confused, so Evelina decided to demonstrate.

"Alright, first we need a goal." She glanced around, spotting a stick a short distance away. She picked it up and used it to draw a rectangle around a nearby tree.

"In soccer, the goalie is the player who tries to block the ball from going into the goal," Evelina said.

"Ummm...what does 'scored' mean?" Kyle asked, still not understanding.

Evelina sighed. This would be a lengthy explanation.

She detailed the rules of soccer to the best of her knowledge. Although she had only played it in gym class back when she was in school and had learned some rules from watching sports on ESPN, she felt she might be oversimplifying things. She wondered what kinds of games were played in this world.

After her explanation, the boys grasped the basics of the game. They decided to adapt the rules for their three-player setup, with Kyle taking on the role of goalie and Mason kicking the ball first.

Evelina and Mason positioned themselves a few feet away from Kyle, the ball resting between them.

"Try kicking the ball. I'll go easy on you," Evelina said. Despite her words, she kicked the ball before Mason had a chance. The two of them raced toward Kyle, battling to score by kicking the ball towards the tree. Kyle, as the goalie, tried to block the shot with his body but missed, and the ball struck the tree trunk.

"I win!" Evelina declared.

"That's not fair," Mason pouted.

"Don't worry, it's just your first try. You'll get better with practice," Evelina said, trying to comfort him.

"My turn!" Kyle shouted, eager to take his turn.

They continued playing, taking turns as goalie. The game lasted about an hour before they heard Arlene calling that lunch was ready. Evelina had scored the most goals, followed by Kyle and Mason.

"Better luck next time, Mason," Kyle teased with a grin, holding the ball.

"I'm not losing to you, Kyle!" Mason retorted, his stutter vanishing in his anger.

"You just did, little brother," Kyle said with a smirk.

"Ugh!" Mason tried to push Kyle, but Evelina stepped in to stop him.

"Mason, calm down! It's just a game," Evelina said, soothing the upset boy.

Mason crossed his arms and turned away, grumbling, "Hmph!"

"Let's play again tomorrow! I'll be the victor!" Kyle declared.

"No, I will!" Mason countered.

Evelina sighed, watching the playful exchange.

Suddenly, a new voice interrupted.

"That was an interesting game you kids played."

The three jumped in surprise and turned to see the source of the voice.

"Father!" the boys cried out in unison.

A large man stood nearby, carrying logs of wood. His mop of black hair and bushy beard gave him a rugged appearance. Despite his imposing size, his eyes conveyed a warm friendliness.

"Father!" The boys ran to embrace the lumberjack-like man.

"Hello, my sons! Did you have fun today?" the man said affectionately, kneeling to hug his children.

"We did!" the boys responded enthusiastically.

"We played a game called soccer," Kyle explained excitedly.

"Yeah! It's better than catch!" Mason added, jumping with excitement.

"It was a lot of fun. Miss Evelina introduced it to us," Kyle said, pointing to Evelina, who stood a short distance away, feeling a bit awkward.

The man turned to Evelina. "Miss Evelina? I don't believe I've heard that name before."

Seeing the man's attention on her, Evelina stepped forward to introduce herself, feeling nervous. His rugged appearance reminded her of a lumberjack.

"Hello, sir. My name is Evelina Loughton. I'm a new resident of Beggar's Village. Your wife helped me when I first arrived and offered to let me stay with your family until my home is completed. I hope that's alright with you," Evelina said, her voice trembling slightly.

"I don't mind at all," Jeremiah replied, his tone warm and welcoming. "You seem like a pleasant young woman, and my sons seem to like you. My name is Jeremiah Beckett. So, my wife was the one who saved you?"

"Yes," Evelina confirmed. "I fell unconscious when I arrived, and she was the first to find me and get help. She and Mr. Rolfe helped me recover."

"Mr. Rolfe? That explains why she's been visiting the healer so often," Jeremiah said, scratching his head with his free hand. "So, this game you played is called soccer? It's quite an unusual name. I watched you play for a bit, but I don't recall seeing a game like this before. Where did you come up with the idea?"

"Um, I invented it," Evelina said, hesitating. She decided to fabricate an explanation rather than reveal that soccer was a concept from another world.

"You must be quite clever then," Jeremiah said with admiration. "But why is it called soccer?"

"Because... it's a unique name?" Evelina answered, sweating slightly. She mentally kicked herself for not providing a more convincing reason, but it seemed that the concept of kicking balls for fun was foreign to this world.

Jeremiah didn't notice her hesitation and nodded approvingly.

"I see. I'd like to learn more about this game and play it myself. It looks quite enjoyable."

"It's so much fun, Father! It made me not want to play catch anymore!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Me too!" Mason agreed with enthusiasm.

"I'd be happy to explain more about the game. Soccer is even more enjoyable with more players. You can have two teams of up to eleven players each," Evelina said.

"Really? Maybe we'll try it out during one of our gatherings with friends," Jeremiah said. "Anyway, let's head inside. I'm famished."

"I can help carry those logs, Mr. Beckett. Do you need assistance?" Evelina offered.

"No need, I'm fine. They're not heavy for me. And just call me Jeremiah," he replied.

"Alright," Evelina said.

Evelina, Jeremiah, and the boys then headed back inside the house.