Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

CHAPTER 20: Sheba's Lamentation

In the warm glow of the afternoon sun, Sheba knelt beside a large wooden basin, the rhythmic sounds of her washboard echoing softly. Her aura exuded warmth and welcome, enveloping the space around her.

As she diligently scrubbed the laundry, a fine mist of water droplets caressed her skin, drawing her gaze to the source—the freshly washed sheets billowing on the clotheslines.

A gentle breeze swept through the rolling plains, causing the sheets to dance and the mist to refract sunlight, painting the air with hues of rainbow.

Suddenly, a cry from the stables broke the tranquility, and Sheba's heart skipped a beat. One of the children was playing too roughly with a horse's tail. The startled creature reared its head with a displeased neigh, causing the child to stumble and fall.

The other kids stood back, fear evident in their eyes, hesitant to approach their distressed friend while the horse remained agitated.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sheba approached and knelt beside the fallen child, her warm smile a beacon of reassurance. "Are you alright?"

The child nodded, tears welling in his eyes as he winced from the pain in his leg. "I-I think so," he stammered, his voice trembling.

With a tender touch, Sheba placed her hand on his bruised leg, a soft glow emanating from her fingertips as she channeled her healing magic. "There, all better," she said with a smile, her gentle words calming his fears.

The boy beamed, his eyes wide with surprise. "Thank you, Sheba," he exclaimed before pushing to his feet and scurrying off to play once more.

With his hands tucked into his pockets, Feng approached Sheba, having witnessed her kindness and compassion. "I didn't know you could use healing magic," he remarked, respect hidden beneath an aloof demeanor.

Sheba rose to her feet and slowly approached the skittish horse, her gentle caress soothing the creature. "...Yes, but not when I needed it most."

Sensing the cold undercurrent in her words, Feng leaned against a wooden beam, opting to listen rather than pry further.

"...I was born in the far north," she began, her voice low. "I lived with my mother and father, and I was the eldest of five siblings. Our village was small and remote, so everyone had to pitch in to make ends meet, even at a young age. My father was a farmer, and I took on the responsibility of looking after my brothers and sisters while my mother managed the household.

Some days were tough, but we were happy.

One year, we faced a particularly bad harvest, leaving our food supplies dangerously low. The winters in Vhale were harsh, so our situation was extremely dire. In his despair, my father turned to drinking; a way, I suppose, to cope with his worries.

It seemed reasonable at the time," she remarked, a distinct note of outrage simmering in her tone. "But things took a darker turn when he started gambling. In his drunken state, it didn't take long for him to accumulate a large amount of debt, and the creditors were growing eager to collect."

There was a moment of silence, and Sheba's hand stilled on the horse.

"My father is a cold and calculating man," she continued, trying her best to keep her voice even. "Looking back, it's disturbing how easily he prioritized logic and reason over his own family, and I can't help but resent him for it," she confessed, her lips pressed into a tight line.

"To settle his debts... he resorted to the unthinkable. He sold my siblings to Slave Traders."

Feng's frown deepened at her words.