1682 Changes In Titarian
Flee! Flee! Flee!
Those were the only words ringing in the ears of the men.
It was an abomination to have lost a weakling like Santa right under their noses.
Their arrogance had led them to this moment, thinking Santa couldn't even fight.
Everyone's face was grim, realizing their information was all wrong!
Who said Santa was useless?
Who said he was a no-good troublemaker who makes every minister and even his wife want to kill him?
Lies! All a bunch of lies!
Laying weakly behind another man on horseback, Daniel vaguely woke up, feeling Santa was a scheming man who could act and pretend for a lifetime.
Perhaps even Penelope never knew his true side.
Thinking like this, Daniel felt even more hatred toward Santa.
For now, they must leave as far as they can lest the royal Caronian forces come after them.
And sure enough, they were right because once Santa contacted others, they hurriedly stormed into the hidden fortress, searching for clues to who these people could've gone.
Their accents proved they were Veitts, and from the little time Santa had with Daniel, he knew Daniel was Skye's brother, meaning he too was royalty.
It's just that they didn't know what Dafaren Prince he was.
Could he be the 2nd prince? The Crown Prince? Or any other prince?
For now, they had to keep things quiet while staying vigilant.
After all, it was no good startling the enemy.
Seeing Gwen, Penelope hugged her tightly, saying no words.
Feeling her aunt's trembling body, Gwen gently rubbed her hands behind Penelope's back.
"Aunt. It's okay. I'm alive, aren't I?"
"Yeah..."
But from today onwards, your movements will be strictly controlled. Penelope concluded inwardly.
Never did she want to go through such a thunderstorm of emotions again.
The same goes for Santa.
Don't think because she has been going easy on him that he could move as he liked.
This time, they really frightened her.
Seeing his wife's stern gaze, how could Santa not understand her plans and thoughts?
Sigh...
Santa wanted to protest but knew he had no say in this matter.
Who asked him to get kidnapped?
(:-w-:)
Like so, the matter had come to an end with both Gwen and Santa returning alive. At least now they knew there was a lurking shadow hovering around them.
Portraits were placed of Daniel with and without a mask. Now, he had become a wanted man in Carona.
But while rest filled Carona's central regions, the same couldn't be said for others in faraway lands.
.
--South-East Titarian, Continent of Zohl--
.
7:17 AM
Mitch stared out his window, smiling at the now-calm skies.
It's been raining cats and dogs for the past 7 days with little to no breaks in between.
Finally, the sun was out and a majority of dark clouds had resided away.
The trees were now bare, with only a few still full of leaves.
But though the rain had stopped, the winds still blew fiercely as they harshly caressed his cheeks.
Yet, Mitch still held a bright smile on his lips.
"Morning, Mitch!"
"Morning, Mitch. Off to a late start, are you?"
"Well, what can I do? Today's products are special. I'm afraid of carrying them under the rain so I can only wait for the weather to get better before heading out." Mitch replied to his neighbor through his window.
Although it says in the introductions that the product won't be damaged from rain due to its impeccable delivery package, Mitch still couldn't be sure.
As they say, better safe than sorry.
Taking one last look out his window, Mitch closed his window and gently pecked his own on her cheek.
It's funny that they were the only ones home now since their children were away in Baymard studying.
Mitch had never felt so alive than in these times.
Without the children, they lived as they did when they first got together.
It was fun, exciting and most importantly, peaceful.
Their beds were no longer made of straw, but soft cushions mattresses that could soothe anyone's aching back.
They ate cereal for breakfast, though they used the milk from their goats.
Yes. That's right.
They now had goats and Poultry. Can you believe they could afford to have so much livestock?
Mitch found he could suddenly do whatever he wanted.
He bought Baymardian paint brushes and pallets, learning to draw and becoming an artist too.
Another day, he decided to be an author, so he began writing a book mostly inspired by his life.
Though he didn't feel it worthy to be published, he has to admit it felt amazing having done something one would've thought impossible a few years back.
Now paper was cheap, pens and pencils were even cheaper and books were everywhere one turned.
Many nobles who used to hoard the creation of paper and price them costly, learned their lessons, and quickly dropped the prices.
Gell! Did you know that a single sheet of paper used to cost the same amount a peasant family got paid per month?
Hell!
Some merchants sold paper at the cost of a peasant's 2 months' salary.
This kept illiteracy rates and levels up in the empire, not until Baymard came with their high-quality paper that was so cheap it felt like spring water.
Food prices were also controlled, making them reasonable too.
The economy was booming with more and more people getting unbelievably amazing jobs like becoming traffic control officers, secretaries, improved food side sellers, street cleaners, and so on.
Now, jobs were springing up everywhere, and even an official Job Service building that took in job requests and posted them on the notice boards.
Hell!
The times have changed and Mitch was all for it!
The best part of it all was that slavery was abolished.
Can you believe it?
Mitch had never known that such a thing could be possible.
You have to know that even though he was a peasant, it was easy to fall into slavery, especially if he got targeted by the wrong group.
Where do slaves come from? Apart from war, they came from the rich or those kidnapping the peasants.
Everyone had to live with this fear in their hearts for the rest of their lives.
But now, slavery was finally abolished. And though many rich folks and nobles wanted to object, the current Crown Prince Gregory who just took seat not long ago after his father's death, was adamant about it.
Hooray! The people were happy, going to their knees and thanking the heavens for letting them see this day.
Mitch was one of them. His sister had once been kidnapped when they were younger. It was only 8 years ago that he realized she had been working as a slave in the house of a lower class Baron's family.
They might be lower class in high society, but they were still giants that could squeeze a peasant's life at the cost of nothing.
With slavery abolished, his sister was free and was now working as a street cleaner.
With his help, she was able to get a small cottage not too far from him.
Yes.
Things were really looking up for everyone.
(^_^)
.
"You're going out already?"
"What do you mean already? Woman, do you know how late in the day it is? The early bird leaves their home at 5 AM. It's already past 8." Mitch said, pointing at his watch.
"Woman, you kept me up all night. Don't you think you should take some blame for my tardiness?"
Mitch's wife blushed with a gentle smile, pushing her husband away before he could pounce on her again. "You old man. Why do you act like you're 14 again? In case you've forgotten your already 32! A very old man!"
"I know... but can you blame me for feeling young again when you look so good?"
Sigh...
His wife gave up, slowly rushing from the bed and kidding him gently. Afterward, she adjusted his tie and led him to the kitchen.
Typically, she would have made something for him to eat already. But because she kept her out of commission all night, he was the one who woke up earlier than she.
Their house looked entirely different than it did a while back.
No matter how many times she admired the house, Mitch's wife still couldn't get enough of it.
"Hubby, these wallpapers from Baymard are truly amazing! It has brought our full house to life."
Mitch nodded. "Exactly! Ever since I escorted the children to Baymard, I saw the potential in it. It's why I decided to be a merchant even though we are farm folk."
Mitch couldn't believe how much wealth he had accumulated in such a short time.
After registering with the merchant association he decided to sell home supplies, wanting his store to become like the Baymardian Home Depot store.
For now, he sold paint, lightbulbs, wallpapers, tools, and other handy necessities one would need around the house.
Although his store was still small, Mitch believed in his vision.
With an apple in his mouth, he kissed his wife, hopped onto his wagon and set out immediately.
As he left, he stared at the skies, thanking his lucky stars to be born in this era.
Thank you, his majesty Gregory... thank you, his majesty Landon, wherever you are.
The changes in Titarian were evident for all to see. And soon, more days flew by in a flash.
Landon stared out at sea, with a warm smile on his face.
He was home.
