Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“Would you like a cup?” her grandmother asked, already getting up to do so.
Knowing he wouldn’t want to offend the offer, as the lady obviously loved doting over people, he welcomed the hot drink. “That would be nice, thank you.”
She took a small teacup from the shabby cabinet before pouring the still piping-hot tea into the cup then handed it to him.
Practically sensing he hadn’t come in just for tea, she sat back down in front of him and got right to it. “Is there something you need, Ryu?”
“Yes, actually.” He cleared his throat, unbelieving he himself could get nervous. He never thought it possible, and when the second clearing of his throat didn’t help much, he quickly took a sip before getting to the topic. “I would like to take Eira to my village to meet my father and …” He drawled out his next words. “I know it’s soon, but if she likes it there and is happy, I’d like to ask her to marry me.”
“Finally!” Her grandfather practically jumped up from where he sat; it was the quickest Ryu had seen the old man move since he’d met him. His withered hands had went up in the air in thanks. “You have my blessing, son. Whelp, good night.”
Ryu almost couldn’t believe what he had witnessed while watching the man, apparently riddled with arthritis, shimmy toward the kitchen door. It seemed like his job as a grandfather was finally done. It reminded him of his own father trying to mate him off; they acted as if it was the hardest job in the world.
The grandmother simply shook her head at her excited husband.
While it was great that he had Eira’s grandfather’s blessing, he wanted her grandmother’s all the same, if not more after that show.
“I hope to have your blessing, too…”
Sitting back in her chair, she stared him down for a few moments, and then she finally smiled. “You do, and not just because I want to get rid of her.” She huffed toward where her husband left before she softened. “But the truth is, I’m going to miss her ’cause I’ll only have … well, that, when she’s gone.”
He wanted to tell her sorry, because he couldn’t stand the thought of his only company being the grandfather either, but he refrained himself.
Her grandmother drummed her fingers as she studied him suspiciously. She clearly sensed something else before voicing it. “Is there something else?”
“There is.” He cleared his throat again, wondering why clairvoyance only came in the form of old witches. “I was actually hoping you could tell me what happened to Eira.”
“You mean, how she got her scars,” she clarified, being more specific.
Ryu nodded, taking another sip. “Yes.”
Her drumming suddenly stopped. “And she didn’t want to tell you?”
“Truthfully, I didn’t ask,” he answered, setting the cup back down on the table. “I was afraid she’d either omit or glaze over important details, and I want to hear … everything.”
“You’re right; Eira would have,” she simply agreed, confirming his fears. Taking one last drink, she finished her cup. “Give me a moment.”
He watched her grandmother leave, and it took several minutes before she returned, and when she did, it was with a somber tone and a small box that she seemed to have kept for a few years.
As he stared down at the box now placed before him, his stomach dropped, feeling the impending doom of knowing the contents inside couldn’t hold anything good.
It wasn’t until her grandmother gave him the go-ahead, saying, “Go on,” that he had the strength to do so.
When he removed the top, the first thing he saw was a framed photo. He recognized the little girl in the middle being Eira, but much younger. It was almost strange to see her without her scars from her burn; he had grown used to them, as it was one of the first things he had loved about her. But it was the smile she had not only on her lips but in her eyes that had him choking back emotion. He had yet to see her smile like that, and he made a vow right then and there to see it again. She looked so happy and content flanked between both parents, and it was clear that he was talking to Eira’s grandmother on her paternal side.
“My son, Sato, got my wits and not so much his father’s fishing abilities, so he left as soon as he could. He went to school on the other side of the world, and that’s where he met Lysandra,” she said with a reminiscing smile.
It was clear she didn’t think their son had taken after his father, but looking down at the photo, Ryu thought he was the spitting image of him. When his eyes moved to Lysandra, he understood where Eira had gotten her beauty. With matching porcelain skin and ruby hair, she mostly took after her mother with few attributes from her father, but it was enough to know she also belonged on this side of the earth. It was what made Eira more alluring than her own mother, and that was saying something.