For some reason, when I told Igant about what I wanted to do, the butcher just... Shook his head and started smiling in reassurance.

  "Well, if you're asking me, it sounds like you'll be in fairly big trouble but I don't think the village will shun you Rontress." Igant chuckled as he weighed the aberrant meat I brought to his shop. "People won't turn on you because what? You said no to Karuiz and sent him back home?"

  "Well, yeah." Wasn't that how things usually went? That I'd piss off someone, they start escalating, that sort of thing? That it gets even worse if the person I messed with has authority? "Wouldn't his dad talk behind my back or something? Then my reputation would be ruined because of that right? Everyone will hate me."

  "Kid." Jagal, the executioner, is also here. Apparently he was talking to his brother about something or the other before I came around. "If he was that popular, then he'd be the leader of this village, not Aldalama."

  Well, we weren't in a democracy weren't we? Leadership is based off of heirs and stuff right? It doesn't make sense for Karuiz's father to get that position. Why would Igant even mention something like that right now? Unless...

  "He hates Aldalama?" Really, if what I'm thinking is right then isn't that good?

  "And he doesn't bother to hide it." Jagal laughed, shaking his head. "He talks bad about the man everywhere he goes, people just ignore him."

  "Like how they'll do the same to the rumors about you." Jagal's tone is reassuring and confident. "Flotol isn't so evil that everyone here will hate on a kid for literally no reason. And we're not stupid, we know you help out so shunning you is not a good idea, who will kill aberrants then?"

  "Well, if you're still not convinced, let me ask you." Igant wiped his hands and started counting silvers. "How many failed love stories do you think popped up around here over the decades? Parents telling their kids to do something else and the kid doing another thing?"

  Yeah... I told them about the situation, about everything. They seemed like good people so I trusted my judgement.

  "I don't know?" Pursing my lips, I tried to think about it but nothing came up. I'm not really one for gossip so who gets together with who is just beyond me. "... I'm really not sure."

  "More than you can count, even we're not sure what the answer is." Laughed Igant, "do you see now? It happens all the time, chances are, the gossip will only last for a week before people move on and talk about other stuff."

  "I guess." I shifted uneasily on my feet. Is it really that easy? It can't be right? Why am I so obsessed with making enemies with Karuiz and his family? Laself, obviously. "Okay, you're right. Maybe I'm just overreacting."

  "Yes you are." Igant placed the coins on the counter. "Just calm down and let things be okay? You'll be fine."

  "Thanks!" I grinned and took the money. "Sell me some of the sausages you make out of the aberrant meat okay?"

  Yeah apparently a pig has been butchered recently and it's Igant who bought its intestines. He's planning on stuffing those with meat to make sausages and he thought that using aberrant and fish meat will be interesting.

  Personally, I've never tried it so I want to see if it tastes good. Sea food sausages definitely existed back on earth but I never tasted them, I wish I could have though.

  On my way home, I passed Laself. I waved, she nodded in response. The movement felt weak and her voice sounded even weaker. "You sold meat to the butcher?"

  "Yeah, I had extra aberrant meat so I thought Igant might want it." I noticed the coins she's holding and the direction she's walking to. "You're gonna buy meat? Huh, what's the occasion?"

  "Karuiz is visiting." She sighed. "I'm not sure if I want to be there."

  "Then scream and run away." I reached out and held her hand. "Lash out for once, I know you're frustrated about the entire thing so let them know that you are. Then, come over to us. Okay? We'll give you a place to stay for the time being. Your life is your own choice, not your parents, even if they did raise you."

  "That's not right..." Laself looked away.

  "It is. Mom lets me do whatever I want you know? Dad too, I get my own choice. That's how parents should be," I hate that this world still has that type of mindset. "They're only responsible for taking care of their children, not their choices in life."

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Laself turned silent. Hopefully my words reached her.

  With one last smile, I left. I didn't want to see her reaction to what I said, I just wanted to give her a way out of her situation, but that's assuming if she chooses to. Whatever it is she wanted to do afterwards? That's her choice.

  ...

  Laself watched Rontress leave with a conflicted look. On one hand, she felt happy that the young girl cares so much about her but on the other hand, she was shocked that Rontress sounded more mature than her age suggests.

  She turned away and went back to what she originally wanted to do.

  Igant's butcher shop is one of the more expensive ones in Flotol but that's because the man has a method to preserve the meat in his shop, so it's always fresh. Rontress just left the building as well so if she wanted, she could buy fresh aberrant meat.

  Then again, she doesn't know how to cook aberrants. Rontress does, but... She's different. Laself shouldn't feel so inferior towards the younger girl but she can't help it when Rontress is much more competent than her.

  Howaph really lucked out when the Light blessed him with such a smart little sister.

  Smart enough to possibly see the problems in Karuiz that her own parents can't see...

  ... And competent enough that she can make her own choices and other people will agree to it.

  Laself entered the butcher, her face now a mix of complicated expressions.

  Igant nodded at her when she entered, and by his side was his brother, one of Flotol's two executioners.

  Jagal has always been large, he's gigantic compared to most people in Flotol and the reason for that has been said to be something as simple as him eating a lot when he was a kid to him being partially Inhuman or a blessing by the Light itself.

  There are a lot of negative opinions regarding it too but Jagal didn't seem to care about them.

  "What brought you out here so late lass?" Igant stopped hammering a folded cloth and raised an eyebrow at her. "Ya wanna buy something?"

  "Yes. Meat." Laself responded, her voice meek. She took out the silver coins from her pouch, the same ones that Rontress paid her earlier. "Just a kilo, thank you."

  "Venison?" Asked the butcher and Laself shook her head. "This isn't for you then? Huh. I thought this was your money? Rontress has been paying you right?"

  "It is my money, but it isn't for me." Laself shook her head. "It's because Karuiz is visiting my house."

  "Ah." Igant shook his head, his features morphing into something between discomfort and annoyance. "You know, if that guy makes you pay for the food that he eats, he won't be providing for your children in the future."

  ... Rontress said something similar as well, about how Karuiz is abusive and will hit her when they get together. Laself could see it too, but her parents can't.

  "If I were you, I'd leave that boy." Igant shook his head and removed a cut of beef from a hook. He chopped it up and then put it on the cup of a scale before grabbing a small block of stone and placing it on the opposite cup.

  The stone tilted forward first and Igant added one piece of beef after the next until they were even. He then put the meat in a basket and gave it to her.

  Her hands reached out slowly.

  Laself has been thinking throughout the entire thing, and maybe Rontress and Igant are right, maybe she had better options. But she can't just say no to her parents, it doesn't work that way.

  Maybe it can work that way. Rontress had said as much.

  But is it worth it? She doesn't want to shun her parents and ruin her relationship with them for the rest of her life.

  "Kid." Before she left, Jagal spoke. The executioner sounded gruff. "Don't regret your decision." A brief pause. "Tell me that I'm putting my hand where it shouldn't belong but maybe I can nudge you a little bit, you'll leave your parents when you get married. You won't see them again, worrying about how they feel right now is pointless."

  Laself paused. He's not... Wrong. But she can always visit!

  ... Would she want to? Every memory she had inside that house had been bad, when she was young she always dreamt of escaping, that's why she spent most of her time playing outside. That's how she met Howaph.

  Marriage was supposed to be the opportunity to make that happen right? And yet as things stand, after she leaves a home that never treated her right, she enters another that will only hurt her.

  "You're blocking the doorway." Igant's words made Laself realize what she had been doing. She needed to go home.

  She left the butcher shop and moved through Flotol, her steps felt heavy. She reached her house and inside, Karuiz and his father were already there. Karuiz is sitting on a chair while his dad and Laself's talk to one another, Laself is unsure what it's about but she's guessing it's related to her union with Karuiz.

  Her eyes went to Karuiz, how can he act so casually when he made her spend money on meat? Isn't it supposed to be his responsibility?

  Will her parents defend her from this?

  "Karuiz, why didn't you give me money to buy the meat?" She asked, expecting him to lash out at her.

  But instead it was worse. His ire got directed at an innocent girl who didn't want chaos while selling her food.

  "Because Rontress kicked me out! If you just listened earlier then maybe I would have money! That stupid kid thinks she's better than me because she can sell stuff?! If I had a class related to cooking then I can do that too!" Karuiz glared at her.

  "... Right." She waited for her parents to come defend her. Nothing. In fact the opposite of what she expected happened.

  "Laself..." Her father is glaring at her now.

  "No, I'm... I don't want to do this." She placed the meat on the table and walked to the door. Her legs carried her out of the house before she could even think about what's happening, eyes hot and tears running down her cheeks.