### Chapter Eleven: Grandma Claire
Grandma’s house wasn’t too far away; it took about ten minutes to get there. It was a typical little cottage made of stone and wood, with a thatched roof and a cow tied up at the door. Next to the house was a rickety farm with a crooked fence that looked like it was one strong wind away from collapsing, filled with a variety of vegetables and plants. From far away, the only things I could recognize were cabbage and sweet potatoes.
“Come on in! My grandkids finished breakfast and went to work in the fields, so there’s no one at home,” Grandma said, swinging open a little gate and leading me inside.
The inside was pretty minimalistic; the only furniture was a set of table and chairs, and an old oil lamp sat on the table. The thick wooden pillars had seen better days and looked like they might have been part of a haunted house at some point. The stone walls were cracked and there were a few strings of red currants hanging on them. In one corner, there was a long wooden box, and next to it, a makeshift rack for clothes. That was about it.
Besides the living area, there were three small rooms, and all the doors were tightly shut.
“Come, child, sit down. Grandma will get you something to eat,” she said, guiding me to the table while she waddled over to one of the rooms and came back with a few pieces of dark bread and some jerky.
“There’s not much to offer, I’m afraid. This venison was hunted by the village trapper a few days ago, and my grandson managed to snag quite a bit from him. It’s been salted, so dig in.”
“…Thank you.”
Grandma looked at me with a soft gaze. Honestly, I was starving, so I didn’t hesitate to grab a piece of bread and take a big bite.
The bread tasted awful—sour and a bit bitter, kind of like chewing on wood shavings. But the deer meat was actually quite good! Maybe it was because it had gobbled up all those fruits in the forest or something, but I was really missing the taste of salt.
Seeing me enjoy my meal, Grandma squinted her eyes and chuckled.
“Slow down. Seriously, this girl has been starving for days… Oh, by the way, let me get you some fresh milk!”
With that, Grandma carefully waddled out, and in no time she returned with a cup of milk and placed it on the table. The venison was a bit too salty, and I was feeling thirsty. I tilted my head back and chugged the warm milk like I was trying to win a drinking contest. Wiping my mouth, I continued eating, quickly finishing off everything on the table.
I patted my little belly, and there was no sense of fullness whatsoever.
Grandma came back from the kitchen with two more pieces of bread and a plate of venison, which I devoured just as quickly.
…Still hungry.
I smacked my lips and looked at Grandma with my most innocent expression, as if she were the only adult around capable of understanding my plight.
“Aww, poor child, how long has it been since you last ate… But you can’t eat anymore, or you’ll ruin your stomach! Let me get you another cup of milk, then we’ll have to wash you up,” she said, gently patting my head. “You truly are such a heartbreaking little thing.”
…………
On the west side of the village, there was a flowing river. Grandma told me that the village women washed themselves and their clothes downstream, while the men were upstream, separated by a waterfall.
Hmm… Apparently, this isn’t a world where ladies come first. The men aren’t being very gentlemanly at all.
After washing up and returning to the house, Grandma handed me a rough linen dress to wear.
“This is a dress I just made for my granddaughter. She hasn’t worn it yet, so it’s clean. You should put it on.”
I was stunned and immediately shook my head in refusal.
What are you kidding me? Wear a dress?!
“Come on, wear it. I’ll wash your cloak, it’s too dirty.”
Grandma didn’t even give me a chance to refuse. She grabbed my cloak and started to pull it off. For someone so frail, she had surprising strength! I clung to the collar, protesting.
“No…”
“Be a good girl.”
After tussling for a bit, I didn’t want to hurt her so I ultimately surrendered and was forced to wear the dress.
Grandma looked at me, clean and newly adorned, and nodded in satisfaction.
“You’re such a pretty girl. I’ve lived over sixty years, and I’ve never seen someone as beautiful as you. You’re even prettier than the lord’s daughter!”
Grandma plucked a currant from the stone wall, blew it gently, and popped it into my mouth. It tasted delicious—sweet and tart, a world away from the unknown fruits in the forest.
“Can you tell Grandma your name now?”
“…Silvya.”
That name popped out of my mouth without a thought. I remembered the moment in my dream when something resembling little Xi whispered in my ear; that must be the name this body possessed.
“Can I call you Little Shay?”
I nodded.
“Little Shay, where are your adults?”
I really didn’t know how to answer that question, so I slowly shook my head.
“…I see.” Grandma’s eyes filled with compassion, and she didn’t ask any more. She seemed to understand enough.
It’s not every day you see someone with black hair and black eyes. This girl couldn’t possibly come from an ordinary peasant family. A peasant’s daughter would have too many hardships in life to look this good. Her granddaughter was only eighteen, barely past adulthood, but after spending her days being sunburned outside, her skin looked rougher and paler.
Though I arrived in torn clothing, it was clear my cloak was of fine quality—something not even the minor nobles could afford.
I could only assume she must be the last remnant of a powerful noble family that suffered some unimaginable fate, left with just this poor girl escaping. But Grandma wasn’t going to pry; the girl had seen enough difficulties. Why dig up old wounds when that didn’t matter to the old lady?
“Do you have any places you’d like to go?”
I shook my head again.
“Well then, how about you stay with Grandma for now?”
After hearing Grandma’s words, I tilted my head in thought.
She seemed like a kind woman, and besides, I had no clue where to go now and no money. Maybe it was best to hunker down here for a bit, figure out what was going on in this world, and then plan my next move.
“…Okay.”
Grandma beamed with delight, her face wrinkling like a crumpled paper bag.
“My name is Claire, Claire French. You can call me Grandma Claire!”
I nodded to show I understood.
“Claire… Grandma, do you… need me… to do anything?”
Grandma Claire chuckled softly at my stuttering words, “Silly child, how old are you? What could Grandma possibly want you to do? I just like having you around. As long as you don’t mind my humble place, you can stay and not worry about going hungry.”
Her sincerity spoke volumes.
Having spent three years in the business world, I was used to dealing with deceit and manipulation. I knew that to get something, you often had to give something in return. But with the pure kindness she showed me since I met her, I found myself at a loss, feeling an earnest desire to help her out.
“I… can… clean.”
I quickly glanced around, searching for a cloth or broom.
“Oh, you poor child…” Grandma Claire pulled me back and hugged me tightly, her eyes filled with concern. “What a hard life you must’ve had, you’re so terrified you can barely speak… I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through…”
Her voice started to crack, and her eyes turned teary. What a sentimental old lady.
To be honest, I wasn’t quite used to this. As a 26-year-old man, it had been far too long since someone had hugged me like that, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
Feeling her bony body against me, I didn’t pull away and just let her hold me as she wished.
It’s not as bad as you imagine…
I wanted to tell her that, but the words stuck in my throat and wouldn’t come out.
…………
Evening approached.
The light rapidly dimming under the hills was like the last flicker of a dying candle, fulfilling its final duty for the day.
For this small village, things weren’t like in the bright modern cities, so nighttime was quite dangerous; everyone made sure to be home before the sun set.
“Grandma, we’re back!”
The sudden shout broke the silence, and the creaky wooden door swung open. I turned curiously to see a muddy pair of young folks—a girl and a boy—walking in one after the other.
“I’m starving! Is there anything to eat… Wait, who are you?”
The brown-haired girl came in first and spotted me, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“What’s going on? Did we have a guest?”
The younger boy, trailing behind her, asked while trying to scrape the muck off his shoes.
“Um… Hello.”
I felt a bit shy and couldn’t muster a proper greeting.
“Welcome back!” Grandma Claire tied her apron as she came out from the kitchen. “You two look tired! Get some rest. Dinner will be ready soon… Barry! You’ve tracked mud everywhere; get outside and clean up before coming back!”
“Grandma, why don’t you tell Aili that her shoes are caked with even more mud than mine!”
The boy complained, clearly annoyed.
“Both of you better clean yourselves up before coming inside! And then clean up the house!”
“It’s fine… I’ll clean.” I hurriedly dropped the cloth I was holding and dashed into the kitchen to find a broom.
“Grandma, who’s she?” Aili, the girl, asked curiously.
“Little Shay… Come over here, there’s no need to rush with the broom, let me introduce you.”
“This is my granddaughter, Aili,” Grandma Claire pointed to the girl, then continued pointing at the boy, “And this mischievous little guy is my grandson, named Barry.”
“You two, this darling is Silvya; you can call her Shay. From now on, she’ll be your little sister!”
“Eh???”
“Little sister?”
Both siblings looked bewildered.
“Yep! Now, clean the mud before sitting down. I’ll explain everything later. Little Shay, don’t worry about cleaning; just sit down. Dinner will be ready soon.”
“Okay.”
Before long, simple yet hearty dishes were laid out on the table, and Grandma lit the oil lamp, instantly brightening the dim room. The siblings finally got a good look at my face, and their reactions were completely different.
“Ah! So cute!!!” Aili stared at me as if she had found some rare animal, her eyes sparkling—making me a bit uneasy.
Barry’s face turned slightly red in the light, looking like a bashful little boy.
