Chapter Ten: "Old Elias"
The interior was very simple, but vibrant and warm. The walls were covered with a layer of old wood, and some of the panels appear to have been newly repaired. On one wall were wooden shelves carrying small vessels and run-down books, along with faint images of a distant past. In the corner, there was a small stone stove with faint heat, and above it was a large vessel that smelled simple but pleasant. Next to the stove were wooden cups, and a rope carrying old tools was hung over it.
The floor was of old wood, but remarkably clean, reflecting the great effort that had gone into maintaining the house despite its simplicity. Near one of the small windows, through which a pale light streamed, was a long wooden table, surrounded by a few chairs of varying shapes and sizes.
The children who had gathered around the old man were moving about energetically; one was holding on to the hem of his cloak tenaciously, another was trying to climb up his chair to reach his shoulder. The rest were playing with small wooden pieces they had made themselves, and their childish laughter filled the place with faint joy.
As he entered Nevales, the old man turned to him with a warm smile, despite signs of fatigue. His deep wrinkles were like a chronological map of years of struggle, and his pale eyes did not lose the tender glow that emanated from them. With the warmth of the family and a clear tone of appreciation, the old man said: "So you are the one who helped my grandson? He told me about you. Thank you, you've given us more than you can imagine."
Nevalis hesitated for a moment, unaccustomed to words of thanks addressed to him, and in a blunt voice said:
"I have done nothing worthy of thanks. I just wanted to help him."
A young boy intervened among the children, who appeared to be the oldest among them, saying in a more mature tone:
"You have been generous to us, and this is not an ordinary thing. Thank you."
The boy looked older than his age because of his sharp looks and looks. His dark skin and untidy black hair gave him the appearance of being accustomed to hard work. He was dressed in very simple, but clean, patchwork clothing, indicating constant repair.
As the boy finished talking, the other children began to advance toward Nevales, thanking him with honest and spontaneous words. Nevalis is somewhat embarrassed by the situation, but he keeps his usual calm, observing the atmosphere silently. The old man noticed that he was nervous and stepped in to change the mood, saying: "Come on, let's eat. Lena, get the food."
Show the boy who came before Nevales to the table. The table was large, but somewhat dilapidated, with some simple chairs surrounding it. After making sure he could afford it, Nevalis sat in a chair and waited.
A little girl with brown hair tied tightly came up to the small kitchen, and brought a large bowl with hot soup, which she placed on the long table. Younger children followed, carrying wooden plates and cups. Everyone sat around the table, and Lena carefully poured the soup into the dishes.
After finishing pouring the food, the old man spoke, "Please, treat as if you were at home. Food may not be the right level, but it's the best we can provide."
Nevalis observed the children's eager gaze on food. Some wanted to start eating right away, but the older boy looked at them sharply and said, "Do you eat before the guest? Have a little tact."
The children looked at Nevales waiting to eat, but he was still wearing his snipe, looking at the food. Nevalis began to contemplate the soup, which contained round pieces he did not recognize. However, he felt as if the children's eager eyes were whispering to him: "Hurry up, start eating."
Nevales sighed and took a wooden spoon. He took off his cape and lifted the spoon to his mouth. He expected the soup to be bad, but he was surprised it wasn't as bad as he had imagined. Of course, it was not as good as the food provided by the servants in the palace, nor comparable, but it was edible.
Nevalis raises his face to see the children, thinking they have begun to eat, but all of a sudden everyone still looks at him with surprise. Some opened their mouths a little, some had their eyes widened as if they were going to come out. Even those who were standing were stunned. Even grandpa looked shocked.
Nevales wondered, "What is it?"
One of the children, a young boy, replied, "You... You are so beautiful! You look like a nobleman!"
On the children's faces, the surprise was evident: Nevalis looked very different with his glossy black eyes and soft black hair. Although he was making an effort to look public, he stayed away from them. He looked like his essence in the dark.
As the child said it, his enthusiastic voice was interrupted by an angry cry from the older boy, Ivan: "Ryan! Don't mention these scumbags here again. Don't disturb the air!"
Ryan shrank with apparent fear, and lowered his voice to say hesitantly,
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean anything bad."
The old man intervened quickly, trying to calm the situation down with a firm but quiet tone: "Calm down, Ivan. Ryan meant no offense. He's just a kid."
But the gaze of anger in Evan's eyes has not subsided. The mention of nobles seemed to trigger something deep inside him. Nevalis, on the other hand, kept a silent eye on the situation, but his surprise was obvious. In his mind, he questioned the reason for the violent reaction to the mere mention of the word "nobility ".
Breaking the silence in the room, the old man said with an apologetic tone: "I am sorry, my son. Most of us here bear deep scars from the actions of the nobles. Some of us have even lost everything because of them."
Nevalis necks his eyebrows upon hearing these words. Unable to suppress his thoughts, he replied, quietly but with a repressed tone of anger: "What does nobility have to do with you? Do not place your failures in life on others."
Everyone stopped moving, like time had frozen for a moment. Even the children, who were whispering to each other, were suddenly silent.
Ivan got up violently, made a sharp look at Nevales, and shouted in an angry voice: "We have failed? You say we're losers? What do you know about nobleman oppression and tyranny? Do you know what anyone or I have been through here?"
Despite his tone of anger, there was something deeper in his voice, a mixture of pain and abandonment. More loudly, Ivan continued, as if words were constantly flowing from him: "Have you ever been treated like less than a dog on the street? Have you been beaten to death? Have you seen your loved ones... And you can't do anything? ".
His last words were full of suffering, and his deep sorrow was evident in his voice.
Nevalis wanted to ask, "What does your personal suffering have to do with nobles?"
Ivan pauses, takes a quick breath, but does not give Nevales a chance to respond. His last words were a stab to the whole place:
"All because of the fucking nobles! Because of their greed and tyranny, we're here now! We are not losers, we were forced to fail because they stole everything from us!"
His words were like whips, echoing with pain and bitterness. He was not talking about ordinary suffering, but about deep wounds that still bled inside him.
The old man tried to intervene again, this time with a stricter tone:
"Ivan! Stop it! This is not the time to talk. Calm down now!"
But Evan didn't listen. He was completely in control of anger. He took one last look at Nevales, one that was a mixture of hate and defiance, and then turned violently and walked out of the room, slammed the door behind him. There was silence in the room. Everyone felt the weight of the moment, even the children who seemed confused and afraid of the scene that happened in front of them.
Nevalis looks at the old man silently, trying to understand what Ivan said.
The old man sighed, then, with a voice of deep regret, said:
"Do not take his words personally, my son. Evan's been through a lot... More than you can imagine."