CHAPTER THREE

Zilayefa and her siblings worked tirelessly, their hands moving quickly as they harvested the ripe vegetables.

As the day wore on, the atmosphere in the field began to shift. The girls started to clean and dust themselves, their faces lighting up with excitement. Zilayefa noticed the change but didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a break in the monotony of their labor.

That girls working in the field saw the village head's son. He was tall, with a strong jawline and piercing green eyes that seemed to scan the field. The girls giggled and whispered to each other, their eyes fixed on the young man.

Zilayefa, however, remained oblivious to the commotion. She continued to work, her focus solely on the task at hand. But as the village head's son drew closer, she couldn't help but notice him.

He sat on his cart, his eyes fixed intently on Zilayefa. She felt a shiver run down her spine, but she refused to acknowledge it. Instead, she kept her head down, her hands moving quickly as she worked.

She and her siblings working effortlessly, because they know for sure they'll be getting good wages after the days work. Two pieces of silver each and a basket of produce from the farm each, That's Alot.

They will have enough to eat and enough to pay someone to write the letter for their mother.

As the day drew to a close, the workers gathered around the cart to collect their wages. Zilayefa and her siblings joined the crowd, their eyes scanning the cart for their payment.

The village head's son handed out the wages, his eyes locking onto Zilayefa's as he gave her two pieces of silver and a basket of fresh produce. She nodded politely, avoiding eye contact as she took her payment and Her siblings also took their wages

As they walked away from the cart, Zilayefa's siblings chattered excitedly about their wages. Zilayefa, however, remained silent, her mind preoccupied with the village head's son. He is a very handsome and manly man she thought to herself, she'd be a lucky girl if she can be married to him, all her age mates are already married, Ama is a small village and girls get married very early so they can bare children to build the village.

Their village is very small, that's one of the reasons why development hasn't come to the village yet, the Duke of Ralston who is in charge of the surrounding villages do not care about a small Hamlet like theirs.

So every young girl's dream is to get married at 16 and have a happy family. That's how they were being trained in the village of Ama.

They had barely walked a few feet when the village head's son caught up to them. "My lady, may I have a word with you?" he asked, his voice low and smooth.

Zilayefa hesitated, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to be rude, but she wasn't in the mood for conversation as she looked tired and haggard from the farm work. "I'm sorry, I'm not really in the mood to talk , we have to be on our way," she said politely.

The village head's son nodded understandingly. "I won't keep you long. I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Steve Stevenson, am the village head's Son "

Zilayefa nodded politely. "Nice to meet you, Mr Stevenson"

Steve smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Zilayefa nodded, feeling a sense of unease. She didn't know what to make of Steve's sudden interest in her.

As they parted ways, Steve offered them a ride on his cart. Zilayefa politely declined, preferring to walk with her siblings.

As they disappeared from view, Steve watched them go, a thoughtful expression on his face. He had never seen anyone like Zilayefa before - her beauty, her strength, and her determination had all captivated him.

He knew that he would see her again tomorrow, and he couldn't wait. Little did he know, however, that Zilayefa's life was about to take a dramatic turn - one that would change everything forever.