Light And Shadow

Westfield

The faint rays of dawn were peeking through the win dow. Eli was sitting in the study with bloodshot eyes, holding a hand to his forehead. He'd stayed up all night comparing the territory he inspected yesterday against the cowhide map Cayden had passed on to him along with the title of duke. After receiving it, Eli had imme diately locked it in a chest without a single glance. Till today, he hadn't the slightest idea of the vastness of his dominion. It would take several days to inspect it all.

It seemed it had begun to rain again from the rattling sounds coming from outside. Frowning, he tapped the map with his fingers and considered his next step. Edna had opened the warehouse for the benefit of the village closest to the castle, However, the land was vast and he had no clue how many people lived on it. If the territory was to be shaped into a habitable place, it would in evitably require much more time and money spent over a long period.

"Even if I leave Edna in charge of all the castle's affairs, there aren't enough people to do the work outside. I also can't just drop the town's responsibility on her..." he mused, crossing his arms over his chest, and shaking his head.

In all honesty, he didn't really want to take care of the land. He never had the intention of taking responsibility for anything, and wondered how he found himself tangled in this mess. He'd never dreamed that he'd stay up all night fretting over such a thing, and sighed heavily.

The land he'd seen had been reduced to rubble. According to Otto-the village chief who guided him-the town had been attacked several times during Eli's absence, which left it scorched and plundered. Also, the vil lage often flooded during the rainy season. Knowing that they now entered the rainy season, it meant Eli could no longer turn a blind eye to the situation. He couldn't help but feel frustrated.

His irritation was only further aggravated by how his past education, one he didn't want to recall, kept coming to mind. If Edna's pity for those people stemmed from her womanly compassion because she'd shared in their pain, it was different for him. It was the reminder of having something to protect that made him dredge up memories of his long-forgotten learnings.

"I never wanted to do as Cayden wished, but I can't quit now that I've started. It's driving me crazy," Eli mut tered to himself.

Come morning, led by their chiefs, the other villages would be arriving to seek aid. It would be a relief if sup plies were the extent of it, but he could see clearly their requests would go beyond that. Undoubtedly, it would start with issues like taxes and the reconstruction of the village... and then move on to more pressing matters, such as security measures. These were all duties the lord had to resolve. Now that he'd shown some actio Cayden would ask him to fulfill the rest of his responsibility and duties. 

"What a headache." Eli kicked his chair, and got out of his seat. The heavy sound of rain further complicated his already disturbed mood. Struggling with himself for a long while, he eventually stopped pacing and muttered in resignation, "Well, it can't be helped. Since the ball has already started rolling, shouldn't I at least see it through that these people live? Let's start by preventing them from drowning first. 

Damn it, I never thought this would happen... I guess I've been tumbling on the battlefield for too long. My brain has gone completely rusty."

Leaving his study, Eli made his way to his bedroom, leaning against the doorframe for a brief moment, before moving over to his side of the bed. He looked down at Edna, who was fast asleep. Her beautiful figure with its sweet curves shone in the dark. He stood there watch ing the woman who'd brought this situation down upon him for a long time, before lying down next to her and stroking her face with one hand.