"Uff... it's grown a bit stale and stuffy here," Sophie wiped the accumulated dust with a rag off from the table. When she found a bucket, she refilled it with water from the river and immediately started cleaning the house.
It was one of the many things that she needed to do.
"Once I can finally breathe into this room without coughing and hacking my throat, I need to find a way to make money," Sophie muttered to herself.
It was a bit lonely to have no one to talk to after several weeks of traveling through towns and villages with various individuals. There were even people who tried to make her stay and suggest that she stuck with them if she had nowhere to go.
"You know, my son would love to have a wife like you," one of the well-meaning people told her when she stayed at their farm. "We might not have much, but if you live with us, I am sure that you will be happy."
"I am sorry, but I really need to go back home," Sophie replied with a smile. "There are a lot of things that I need to do before I could even consider actually getting married."
Sophie did not accept the proposal and politely refused a couple of other offers that were around those lines. So when she was finally home and realized how silent it was as she cleaned, Sophie talked to herself aloud to make the house feel less empty.
When she was finished cleaning the house, Sophie checked on some of the things that her family had once hidden and stashed away for future use.
Underneath one of the wooden planks of the hut was a small jar filled with a variety of seeds.
"Mother always said that keeping the seeds in a dry and cold place will help preserve it. It's already been so long, but even if only twenty percent or even ten percent of these actually germinate and start growing… I'll be able to sell them."
There were a lot of things that Sophie needed to do if she wanted to start from scratch.
After Sophie's hut was cleaned, she went out and traveled to the nearby patch where her parents used to grow vegetables so their family could be self-sufficient. Of course, there was no more growing…
Wait… Sophie rubbed her eyes.
She didn't want to believe it, but there still seemed to be a couple of plants that were still alive despite all the years.
"Of course some of them would still grow and survive even without people taking care of them," Sophie stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Even without the tended love and care from human hands, plants were more than capable of growing as long as there was water, soil, and ample sunlight. They were all very self-sufficient.
As Sophie took in the vegetable patch, she noticed that there seemed to be some dung too and other rotting leaves.
"Ah, some animals have also started collecting some of the crops." Sophie pursed her lips and then grinned a little at a memory. "Uff, I always chased the rabbits off when I was a kid. But since I was gone, I can see some of the munchings."
Sophie soon made a small fence to keep out smaller animals like rabbits, squirrels, and others that might take a bite out from the crops. There was still that rusty ax and other equipment at home which she could use to do some work.
She was glad that some of the vegetables, plants, and others were also a great deterrent from other animals. Sophie learned that rabbits could eat tomatoes, but only the fruit, the green stem, and leaves were poisonous.
"After this… it's time to go fishing and berry picking." She clapped both hands to brush off the dirt and wiped her sweaty forehead.
Sophie's mother may have come from a poor family, but she knew almost everything when it came to tending a garden and Sophie did her best to recall them and also use what she learned back in Cowdung.
Once she was finished tending to the crops, she grabbed both a fruit basket in the hut along with a fishing line and hook that once belonged to her father.
"Gather some berries, capture some fish and sell them to the village."
There were a lot of things that Sophie needed to buy.
Even though the condition of the hut was still livable, she needed to buy things like blankets, clothes, and other supplies.
"It'll be a bit of time before I can actually start a tavern and knowing what the villagers think of the woods, I can't build it here," Sophie muttered to herself. "Unless I manage to change their prejudiced thoughts about the atmosphere or make this place more appealing."
However, it was time for Sophie to take it one thing at a time.
With no ring, mask, and no support from any Rothschild bank, Sophie's immediate future was going to be bleak and possibly even filled soul-crushing work since her income would no doubt be meager as she tried to make a living.
However, Sophie didn't want to give up. There was no room to admit defeat when she finally found the courage to leave her aunt's house and return here. If she really wanted to give up then she would have done it years ago, but Sophie wanted to change her fate.
It was up to Sophie alone to make her own life.
After a couple of hours of fishing, Sophie wiped the sweat off her brows and quickly picked up the basket filled with fish and another one that was full of berries.
The Blackwood Forest of Hauntingen was filled with a bountiful amount of resources because nobody really bothered to check or visit.
Most of them were biased and preferred to grow their own crops a distance away or have merchants come into the village and their goods. The forest had a reputation as being haunted. So, people tend to stay away from it.
"I can take advantage of this," Sophie started heading to the village.
On her way to town, however, she encountered a familiar face amongst the crowd.
His dark hair and brilliant amber eyes were a cut among the rest of the people. Even if the man tried to wear a disguise of a dark hood, Sophie recognized him.
"Nicholas!" She shouted in disbelief.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Was it really Nicholas, though?
"Sophie?!"