Chapter 164 - The Story of Metal (2)

The widow recalled a time when she was in her late teens. She was nearing the age to get married as her father searched for suitors inside the village. She had fancy braids her younger sister had arranged for her this morning.

Her posture was rigid and stiff as she was forced to look at the names inside the list her father had come with. She frowned when the name she wanted to see the most wasn't there. Was it because of the recent news?

He always sneaked into her room at night with a bouquet of flowers he had picked himself. The fresh aroma of wild roses entered her nose in the dark moonlight. She opened the window to let an adolescent boy that smiled like she was the entire world to him. It had been three years since he had brought her flowers every night.

As always, he climbed into her window today as well. He grinned, pretending that incident had never happened. Although he always listened to her worries like her complaints about being the eldest daughter in the family, he barely shared anything about himself. His hands were covered in charcoal today as well.

It was dangerous to work inside a mine where the rocks could topple over you at any minute. The pay was worth nothing compared to the high death rates. But it couldn't be helped, living in a family with many siblings and an ill mother. He was the breadwinner for his family.

"Thank you," she brought the flowers up to her nose.

Instead of happily cuddling inside his chest, her face was filled with guilt. The boy became worried since it was unlike her. She appeared like she would cry any moment as she turned away with her voice cracking.

"My father had decided it's about time for me to get married," she whispered.

"We won't be able to continue these meetings anymore."

"What do you mean?" he displayed no hints of worry.

"We won't be able to meet up like this anymore," she couldn't find anything else to say.

"Will you marry me, Emily?" He unexpectedly kneeled down on one knee.

Emily gasped as she dropped the bouquet of flowers. There was no ring nor any fancy gifts. But her heart paced faster as she noticed his bright red ears. He blushed wonderfully like a blooming flower as he kissed her hand.

She stood frozen in her spot, not knowing what to say. It was too sudden. Her mouth moved, but created no sound. The boy continued to stare at her beautiful eyes for an answer. Emily eventually nodded her head under his expectant eyes. He immediately grabbed both of her hands in excitement, "I will get you a ring soon."

"I don't need a ring," Emily knew how his family was struggling to make ends meet.

He wore second-hand clothes from the villagers who pitied his family. She knew his father had died from working at a coal mine to support his family. It was nothing unusual since many orphaned children filled the church because of this sole reason. The flashes of his sad smile came to light when he was to take his position.

Since his father was well-liked among his colleagues and superiors, he was able to work right after his funeral. He wiped off the sweat and bandaged his broken wrists as he continued to shovel dirt as an apprentice. It was amazing how he was able to keep his cheerful personality to live through the days of hard work.

"I'll definitely give you one!" He almost shouted with passion.

It was then, the boy stopped visiting her every night. She waited for him to come as the candle continued to burn at a rapid pace. However, he never came and it was not until three months later, he appeared below her window. He brought the same bouquet of roses in his hands as he knocked on the wooden panels.

His eyes were sunken while dark circles under the eyes increased. Charcoal covered him from head to toe as he was thin as a tree branch. His veins popped from over straining his muscles with more pink scars at the back of his palm. Emily was shocked to see how much he had changed within a few months.

"You haven't visited for months," Emily pouted, deciding to ignore his destitute appearance.

"I almost have enough funds for our wedding rings," he brightly smiled.

"I told you, use the money for your family," Emily felt guilty from how fragile he seemed.

Instead of answering, he pulled himself out of her room. Was he already going? He usually lasted for at least an hour. He kept his usual smile and picked up a flower wreath he had hidden before coming in.

She lowered her head as he placed the crown on her braided hair. Emily appeared like a fairy queen to his eyes. He was pumped to work harder this week since he was so close to his goal. He hoped it wasn't too noticeable that he was taking additional shifts at the mines to get married as fast as possible.

Emily never noticed how her beauty that was sweet as a fruit attracted flies from everywhere. Her dashing hazel eyes brightened his entire world and made him fall in love with her at first sight. Her charming sounds of laughter that sounded like music made him convinced he could never be with anyone other than Emily.

"I'll be back soon," he had to go to his nightshift.

"Ok," she hugged him first for the first time.

Emily waited for months as she kept refusing her father's persistent orders on getting married. The scenery outside the window evolved as the autumn leaves turned into rich green of the summer. She was getting worried since it had never been this long between his visits.

One day, she heard several clumsy knocks outside her room when she was about to go to sleep. Instead of the boy she looked forward to, there was a young child that resembled his features. He held a tiny blue box as he reached out his short arms to continue knocking until he got a response.

"Where is your brother?" She opened the window.