Chapter 3: The Poor and The Rich

I was woken up, couldn't take the intense burning of my heart like there's something cooking it from the inside. I massaged my chest, trying to remove it, but to no avail. My heart was beating fast.

I sat down on my mat. Couldn't be able to take it, I decided to open the buttons of my tunic and inner shirt immediately, curious about what has been hiding in my chest.

I stood up and walked towards the cracked mirror of our house as fast as I can. But when I finally made it, standing up while looking at my chest, I was disappointed that there's nothing suspicious. No marks, no bugs, no light coming from it. The pain was also gone.

All I did was to stare at my own reflection, taking back all the air that I just lost.

If a brain was a machine, then mine would be overheated by now. After not seeing anything, I went back to my sleeping mat. I continued to stare at the ceiling, and now, that strange occurrence is now on my thinking list.

***

The next day came and the pain was still a mystery. I tried to look at it the second time, but it seems like there's nothing wrong with my chest anymore. Somehow, it made me confuse and nervous at the same time. I started thinking that maybe it was an illness, but I couldn't be able to identify what it is. Should I tell anyone about it?

"Meria?"

Dalary's voice made me go back to reality. I turned around to see her blinking, as she lent me a hand on the top of her wagon.

"S-Sorry, what?" I stuttered. I've been spacing out, thinking about what happened last night.

"I was ASKING if you want to ride or not? You've been standing there the whole time!" She yelled with gritted teeth, but still trying to act calm in the situation.

"I-I'm sorry, I was just… having a hard time thinking…" I answered.

"You're not having a hard time thinking, you've been spacing out since I came here!" She replied. I could see her red cheeks that had been boiling. "Now, come on before I'll get scolded! Geez."

I didn't have a choice but to listen. We started doing our everyday routine: going to Deravon and doing some work.

After struggling to pass through the busy crowds in the street, we finally made it. As I was about to go down from the wagon, I noticed something happening inside the library. On the other side of the open entrance, a group of men in simple chain mail armor along with a lord in expensive dark purple coat, gathered, covering the whole doorway. I tried to peek what's inside but to no avail.

"What's happening there?" I tried to ask Dalary since she was taller than me. She also tried to peek beside me.

"I don't know. It seems like a legal robbery…" She said, squinting her eyes. I turned my head to her and she did the same. "…is that a thing?"

"In the library?" I asked an unanswerable question, realizing that Sir Leonard was still inside the building. I jumped out of the wagon and was about to rush inside to check the old man, but then, I noticed that my friend was still in her vehicle.

"Err… you can go ahead, Dalary." I permitted her. Now I've made her angry for the second time. It seems like I'm the greatest friend there is.

"Great, thanks. I don't want to deal with that anyway." She replied and started preparing for her departure, with a big sarcastic smile on her face. She walked towards Dino and whispered, making it to start dashing away. "Bye!"

I just stared at her while she leaves. After that, I continued running towards the door, trying to squeeze in through the guards while keeping the low profile. At last, I made it inside and couldn't believe what I'm seeing.

"I don't have any money! That's all I've got!" Sir Leonard yelled while he was lying down on the floor. The tyrant noble kept poking him with his wooden cane.

What the poor librarian can do was to glare at him, didn't want to be ridiculed. I just lowered my head. I just want to push that lord out of my master's way… but I know that I can't do anything with the situation.

"Don't be a liar, you piece of trash." The lord hissed with his eyebrows sticking with each other, while still poking Sir Leonard in the chest, causing him to feel the ache in his body. After seconds of torture, while I tried to close my eyes, it finally ended and the noble was satisfied.

"Next time, you should bring all of the money, or else I'll be taking all of your property."

With those last words, he and all of his guards finally left the library, leaving the whole place in peace for a while. I sighed in relief as I can see no more traces of them. But my relaxation was interrupted when I heard my master groaned in pain. I turned to look at him and rushed to his side.

"S-Sir Leonard!" I cried as I tried to let my hands support his whole body to get up from lying on the floor. "Who are those guys?"

"Don't mind them. They're my own debt." He answered, trying to calm down. Even though he is showing a poker face, I know that he's still irritated by those people that came in this place. He doesn't want his emotion to take over him, but I can still see it no matter how much he hides it.

Just as he told me to, I didn't ask about the lord anymore and started walking inside the library while using the free time to read the books from the Goltem Library. Although my curiosity is rising about the debt that he was holding, I chose to not cross the line. I don't want to go into trouble that I have to regret later. I also tried to search for the illness I was having last night in one of the books, but still no clue.

"Ah, Meria." Sir Leonard called me while sitting in a corner. I stood up and walked towards him, following his orders as usual. He led me to a pile of books that have been stocked inside a cart but compared to the five-star books yesterday, this is nothing.

"Why don't you take this to the orphanage?" He asked nicely, but I still treated as a command. I only stared at it.

It was filled with children books with different paintings and some textbooks that were used for learning.

"They're leftover books here from the school. I think they can use it."

I accepted the cart in front of me with no complaints. Since they were only a few books being put in here, the cargo wasn't that heavy for me and could carry it towards my destination.

After minutes of walking, I made it. It wasn't that far and only meters away from the library, so I didn't request some help from anyone. When I entered the said orphanage, I was greeted by a lot of kids that were desperate to give me a great hug. I just smiled at them.

Sister Beddeth, one of the nuns who were taking care of the children, lent me a hand in carrying the books inside the place, which I gladly accepted. After all of them were being transferred, the kids started feasting over them, reading and looking at their every page, curious about what's written on it.

"Thanks, Meria." Sister Beddeth said with a sincere smile. I turned to look at her then back to the kids with the same smile. "It's been a great help to teach them with these. You and Sir Leonard have been a really great help."

"No problem. We're glad that we could help." I replied.

But after that exchange of thanks, her face became serious and her smile disappeared, a sudden idea came into her mind.

"It's a shame these kids won't be going to the real school to study." She said with her face lifted up while lowering her head. I was surprised by what she said.

"Did they rise up the fee?" I asked, thinking about the school's fee, and waited for her answer. She nodded, confirming my question, and all that's left of me was despair for the orphans.

"They just did that so no peasant could enter it, those nobles and rich men." She uttered, grasping for her hands, causing it to tremble. Even though we're all coexisting, they're still discrimination hidden in corners. "I have to admit that this kingdom was just focusing on the economy, not the citizens itself."

"And please…" Sister Beddeth called me as she turned around. I can see in her face was a troubled smile. " …don't tell anyone about what I said."

I just smiled sincerely.

"I won't. Good day, Sister Beddeth."

After the long work, it was already time to go home and rest. As usual, Dalary will drop me out of my house and being greeted by Farin in the door while my friend tried to take a glance at his face. He was completely calm this time. It was a miracle, I have to admit. We had our dinner and was about to go to bed.

As I was about to prepare myself for sleeping, the memory of what happened the previous night came back to me. I still don't know the reason behind that pain I felt in my chest.

When I was about to forget about it and just have a good night's sleep, I felt an intense ache in my heart again. Compared to last night, this burning sensation was more severe. I couldn't help but cry as loud as I can and fall down into my knees, my whole mind was filled with different things. I couldn't get it in my head, what should I do?

"Meria!"

I could hear Farin yelled at me in a distance, but right now, it turned into an echo. I watched my tears fell from my eyes to the floor. I wanted to speak to my brother to help me over, but even I couldn't find my voice.

Please… stop.

That's all I can think. I just want this to be over and stop everything that gives me the ache. But every second just gives me more of the torture.

"S-Stop…" I tried to speak with my cracked voice, as everything around me was unclear and all the shouts I can hear were just fading from my ears.

I just want to stop it. I don't want more of it. Please, stop this.

"Please stop!!"

I yelled in between my tears, my whole body shivering, at the same time, a force went out of my body, pushing everything around me away. It's like there's something coming out of my body that I didn't even know what it is. It's not that big, but it would still give damage. I'm still closing my eyes, waiting for the pressure to be over. It took just a few seconds before I could feel that it was safe to see the resulting surroundings.

I slowly opened my eyes, now with a clear vision, and looked around my room. Everything was a mess. The sleeping mats and other furniture were being thrown out of their positions. The glass and walls that once protected us from outside threats now had cracks even though it was still intact. The cemented ground below me now became debris.

I kept staring at everything, jaws dropped. I don't know if I did all of this on my own, but if I was, then I couldn't be able to accept it.

"Meria?"

I turned around on my back to see Farin, standing wobbly like he was about to lose balance, staring at me with widened eyes as he took some short breaths, couldn't believe what he saw.