Starless Night (1)

She walked for 30 minutes until she got home. Her heart calmed down considerably when she saw two puppies sleeping under the tree again. Since they were around with her for a long time already, she thought of them as precious companions.

"Hey, little sleepy heads… Want to go to the Forest with me? Let's go for a walk together," she sits down next to them and gently wakes them up.

The Forest opened to them as always. Despite how inhospitable and dark it looked from the outside, the truth was the complete opposite. Every time she goes in, she always returned with a basket full of food. Thunder runs around excitedly, while Whisper starts digging the ground with its small paws.

"What have you found?" Arianell came closer to take a look. There were two small lumpy potatoes-look-alike in a place where a wolf puppy just dug.

"That's… a truffle?! You are a genius, you just found a treasure!"

Arianell was overjoyed. She tried many kinds of food in her past life, but she never had a chance to eat a real truffle. They were known to be expensive and luxurious ingredients, but her little wolf just found two of them like nothing.

"Good job! You did great! Let's look for other things, alright?"

Thunder didn't want to be left behind, so she started gathering all kinds of herbs she could find, even bringing some nicely shaped and coloured leaves.

Arianell always wondered, how they brought so many herbs to her door but watching them right now she realized how skilful they were in finding edible plants. Basically, everywhere they started digging, some food would appear, making her basket full in no time.

She was very happy with today's haul, as she brought home a trug overflowed with new potatoes. Having two grown-up men to feed now, green leafy vegetables may not be sufficient anymore. She needs something more filling apart from meat, like tubers and rice.

Yes, her Asian mindset keeps thinking of rice.

The Forest was truly magical, but the environment wasn't suitable for rice cultivation. Even her fertile garden is not suited for growing the fluffy white grains. She heard that, unlike the dry northwest, the southwest was swampier, but it was too far from here. Besides, even if she found the right land, she still needs to get seedlings somewhere and this world doesn't seem to know of rice yet.

"We have enough… Let's go home?" She patted the puppies and lifted the basket. It was heavy as expected, but this haul will ensure enough food to last a week.

As she tried to walk backloaded, she almost missed the scream of dry twigs breaking as if something big and heavy stepped on them. The forest had all kinds of unknown sounds, but this one was particularly ear-catching, making her stop all her movements and focus.

"Halo?"

The magical beasts were the absolute overlord in the Forest. Even as puppies, they were stronger than regular animals. If something was approaching them, it could only be another beast, demon or human.

Thunder and Whisper moved before her and peered into the location of the sound. But nothing happened and the puppies waved their tails cheerfully, telling her there was nothing to worry about.

"Is that so? You two are the best guards I could ask for, right?" She thanked them and ignored the sound.

New potatoes could be eaten after simply boiling them with a bit of salt, but to make them even more delicious, she will need to bake them. There was no oven at her home, so she started a fire in a fireplace.

Days were much warmer now, but the moisture in the air was also rising, making it uncomfortable to stay in. There was no need to pick up wood anymore, but once in a few days, she would start a fire to dry the inside of her house. Now, the fireplace would be the perfect spot to bake her potatoes.

As the fire was burning, she threw in potatoes just as they were, skin on and everything. Her mouth was watering as she waited by the fireplace, the fish she ate for lunch was digested a long time ago. The only downside was that she had to sit by the fire, checking out the potatoes from time to time, making her sweat all over.

Thunder and Whisper were playing outside in the backyard. Arianell no longer locks her door, letting it open for them. However, they never came inside, as they disliked the stuffy atmosphere in the house, preferring the cool breeze and shade under the olea.

There was no way to tell the time, so Arianell marked her day with two important points – sunrise and sunset. There was nothing to do after it got dark, as the light from the fireplace wasn't sufficient for any activity except reading.

She has only one book given to her by a butler at Randel's mansion, and it was the cartography of the kingdom, and the history of the country she borrowed from Beatrice. Both publications were read to her many times to the point that she could start reciting them word by word.

"Ah… I'm bored. If only Thunder and Whisper could talk, we would spend whole nights chatting about this and that."

The aroma of baked potatoes spread out to the whole room. She picked one hot yam and peeled the charred skin off. With a sprinkle of salt, it tasted divine.

"Well, at least the food here is delicious."

The best way to spend the time was to go to sleep as soon as it got dark and wake up with first-morning sunlight. She sounded like an old grandma, but it was the best way to save on candles. She took a quick bath and went to bed right away. She walked a long distance today and even dug in the forest for a whole afternoon, the tired body huddled up in a blanket, refusing to move.

"Where have Thunder and Whisper run off to? These guys are too unreliable… I will cut off some meat ratio tomorrow…"

Soon, only slow, and even breathing could be heard.