Invitation
Half an hour before opening, Noah's boss - the owner, arrived unexpectedly. On any given day, Mr. Edric would come in two hours after opening, since his work focused more on crafting than selling. The thing is, he didn't come alone this time - which surprised Noah - as Mr. Edric naturally disliked mixing work with family. But now, he was accompanied by his wife and two daughters.
They didn't enter through the front door for customers but found their way in through the back door. Noah, engrossed in his reading, didn't notice them standing right above his head. To their advantage, they stayed quiet, watching him until he finished the chapter or got close to it. One of Mr. Edric's daughters, a little girl of about four years old - Elowen, couldn't maintain her silence and expressed her curiosity, which interrupted the amusement of some family members.
Apparently, the idea of Noah being able to read seemed odd to them - at least some of them. Mr. Edric knew about Noah's obsession with reading, but he also joined in on his family's amusement.
Noah closed his book and faced them with his usual calm demeanor, not appearing particularly affected by their opinions of him. He looked curiously at Mr. Edric, who had informed Noah yesterday that they would be attending the annual festival at the town's castle, so Noah assumed he would be opening and managing the store today.
Mr. Edric's nature of work didn't allow him to stay in the front much; Noah was the one who usually handled the sales, so it wasn't strange for him to do the same in Mr. Edric's absence - he would open the store as usual.
Noah was about to ask Mr. Edric why he was there, but his wife - Mrs. Aileen, spoke first, interrupting his thoughts. "So you can read too? Impressive," she asked curiously.
"I can," replied Noah indifferently.
Noah had complex feelings about Mrs. Aileen. For one thing, she was quite intimidating for his taste. She didn't look intimidating - her hair was as black as coal, and her eyes were dark gray, her appearance and attire resembled that of an ordinary housewife - but it only took a moment for Noah to decide there was more to her the first day he met her. Her movements were smooth and precise; she never stumbled or wavered when she spoke, and her gaze was intensely frightening, exuding absolute confidence and calm serenity.
For another thing, she was deeply skeptical about him. And Noah was okay with that. Someone had to be skeptical about him, he came from nowhere, provided no background about himself other than his name, and worked with her husband every day. It's only natural she'd want to know more about him.
"So, Noah, where did you learn to read? I bet it was a good school, where else will you find a handsome young man like you interested in books these days? This girl here won't go near books no matter what. I blame the current education system, no one is doing their job these days. But seeing you gives me hope," she said with a smile.
Noah noticed the helpless look in her husband's eyes. Noah had lost count of how many times Mr. Edric had apologized for his wife's behavior, but in the end, she did what she wanted. The same could be said about their daughter Eyolian, who didn't seem to like being mentioned in the conversation but maintained her composure.
Noah kept his observations to himself and provided an answer to the questioner. "I never went to any school, and my mother taught me to read and write from the day I said my first word. Her words on the subject were, 'Reading is crucial as it bridges the gaps of our ignorance and expands our knowledge, even if it's through the language of others.' So I grew up loving reading as much as she did."
Mrs. Aileen nodded. Of course, she knew well if she asked anything deeper about what Noah had provided, he wouldn't answer or would lie. She learned that quickly from her past experiences with Noah. So she just said, "Those are wise words, I hope I have the same influence on my daughters as your mother did on you. But I guess it's not too late to properly guide this one."
Elowen lifted her head to meet her mother's eyes to understand the context but quickly lost interest and returned to playing with her small doll. Even Eyolian didn't say anything, she just shook her head - maybe she was used to it.
Noah didn't say anything, tried to use the silence to ask his previous question to Mr. Edric, but again, Mrs. Aileen asked another question, her curious gaze on the book in his hands. "So what are you reading? And how do you find it so far?"
Noah looked at his book, after some thought, he decided to share his thoughts, hoping this interrogation would end. "This is the book 'Glory and Wound,' it generally talks about the last great war. As for what I think..." Noah chuckled a bit, "It's really impressive, the amount of nonsense contained in this book. Usually, I can tell what's true and what's false, but this... this is just pure rubbish."
Noah looked at the various expressions on his boss's family's faces; he found their reactions quite amusing, especially the eldest daughter - Eyolian. "My mother was always skeptical about the language of others, the amount of freedom they get in their words. She always said, a person should only trust their own language. I agree with that, but I have my own thoughts on the matter," Noah said without any change in expression.
Noah took advantage of this silence and turned his focus to Mr. Edric, "Boss, it's not time to open yet! And you said you're going to the festival today. So, is there something you need? Or something I can do for you?"
Mr. Edric's golden eyes met Noah's blue ones, studying them. With a sigh, he spoke in his usual flat tone. "You are included in coming with us." He let Noah process the new information and continued, "Also, your opinion on the matter of the war won't be accepted by many, especially here in the Empire. Try to keep that to yourself."
Noah ignored his boss's last words but said hastily, "I'd prefer not to go. I'll stay at the store; there's a lot to do." There wasn't really much to do; Noah just didn't like big festivals - specifically, crowds.
"There's no reason for you to stay at the store, we won't open today, no one will open today." said Mr. Edric dismissively, "But if you really don't want to accompany us, I won't force you."
One of the reasons Noah admired Mr. Edric, was that he didn't push much, never asked anything personal or forced him to do anything he didn't want to, anything beyond his specific job. The point is, Noah felt comfortable working with him, each one with their own personal space.
Noah nodded in gratitude, and before he could turn this gesture of thanks into words, Mrs. Aileen interrupted, "That's no good, we've already included you in the invitation we received, of course, I have my doubts, but you should go. Do my husband's words mean so little to you?" She seemed genuinely disappointed as she noted his response.
Noah didn't say anything for a while - what was there to say, she cornered him. If he still refused, he'd appear disrespectful to his boss who held positive feelings towards him. The only correct answer was to agree, unfortunately. "Well, it's good to change things from time to time."
Noah looked at Mr. Edric, who maintained his silence but smiled reservedly. He turned his attention to everyone and said, "Alright, I'll go and change."
Before making any move, Mrs. Aileen intervened enthusiastically, "This is my area of expertise, I can help with that, you can trust me."
She said a few words to Eyolian about looking after her little sister and made her way to Noah's room without asking. He said nothing about it, but Mr. Edric's helpless expression spoke volumes, even Eyolian looked at him with pity.
Noah kept his silence and followed behind her.