Page 32 of Lonely Orcish Girl

"And she did all that without judging me by my skin color," he continued. "She did it because she's a good, kind person. I wanted to offer her a better life than living in a lonely hut." He turned to Petyr and added coldly, "What would you do, Petyr? Would you rather die of hunger and cold than be saved by a so-called enemy? Are you really that scared just because she has green skin? I didn't think you could be such a coward."

"It's not like that!" Petyr said hastily, looking to the others for support. But no one backed him up. The villagers were hopeful that Katuri could help Marga, willing to give her a chance. Petyr stood alone. He swallowed hard and said, in a much less confident tone, "We were just worried, Reed, as your friends."

"Well then... as my friend, shouldn't you trust my judgment? You know me—I was always cautious and responsible," Reed said, less angrily but with a much more bitter tone. "By the way, shouldn't you be glad I found someone I'm happy with? Friends feel that way about each other, don't they?"

Reed finished, staring at Petyr until he lowered his gaze. The rest of the group began to look uncomfortable listening to this heated discussion. Finally, Petyr mumbled, "It can’t be harmful to be extra cautious, right?"

Reed just waved his hand in response and turned away from Petyr. He didn't care if Petyr truly agreed with him or what he really thought. The others’ opinions were also not that important to him. Only Katuri mattered now.

He sat down on the grass at a distance from the others and watched as people began roasting meat over the fire and pouring out alcohol. It seemed that the villagers had spontaneously decided that waiting for Katuri and Matzie to return was worth a feast. Or they just wanted to pass the time.

After some time, Arrik came to Reed and handed him a piece of pork with bread and a mug full of beer. The blacksmith must have noticed that Reed wasn't in the mood to chat and just patted him on the shoulder before leaving him alone. Reed appreciated that.

But he wasn't left alone for long. Shortly after he ate, he lay down and closed his eyes for a moment to rest. Then he heard another rustle and sensed someone standing nearby. He opened his eyes and saw... Jolene.

The girl looked a bit pale, her lips tightened as if she were wondering whether she should approach Reed at all. He stood up and looked at her, trying to figure out what he felt for her at that moment—nothing—was the first thing that came to his mind. He felt nothing for Jolene.

He even felt a bit embarrassed that he had forgotten so quickly about someone he thought he genuinely loved. But now he realized how immature that love was, how shallow, and how little he actually knew about Jolene's real character. Her true colors only showed when she chose a richer fiancé, quickly forgetting about Reed. Maybe it went both ways, and that's why he had no problem forgetting her now. They just weren’t meant for each other.

"Reed? Can we... can we talk for a moment?" she asked quietly, as if unsure of his reaction. She also glanced behind her,which to him was proof that Petyr knew nothing about her being here.

"Yeah, why not." Reed shrugged indifferently.

"How are you feeling... after everything that happened? You left so suddenly. You should know everyone was really worried about you." Her tone seemed formal.

"Worried?" Reed snorted softly. "I've heard that countless times since I got back. Everyone's been worried about me, but look what came of it. The strange welcoming committee, which was really a ‘get out of here’ committee for some..."

"I know you left because of me," she interjected, looking him straight in the eyes.

Reed shrugged his shoulders dismissively. He scrutinized Jolene intently, trying to figure out what her reasons were for starting the conversation with him in the first place. Was it just guilt?

"Yes, I left because of you, and you know exactly why." His words came out stern. That was not his intention, not anymore. He became aware that he wasn’t angry at her.

He sighed softly and added, "But we shouldn’t dwell on it, Jolene. There's no point now. A lot has changed for me; I moved on, and you're obviously stuck with the consequences of your decision. You’re Petyr’s fiancée—that’s the reality. It is what it is. Better to leave whatever we had in the past."

Jolene nodded slowly, hesitantly.

"Are you happy with Katuri, Reed?" she asked, trying not to show any emotions.

"I am, very much," he answered straight away. "And I'd like to live happily with her here. But as you could see for yourself, there are people who don't want that, even though she hasn't done anything wrong. I’m not going to let them treat her badly. She doesn't deserve that."

"I have nothing against her." Jolene again avoided looking at Reed. "And I hope we can stay friends... despite all that has happened."

It all sounded very formal, and Reed eyed her. He suspected she wanted to be on good terms with him, more for social reasons than out of a genuine need for friendship. Jolene was always pragmatic and self-interested, trying to play it safe even now, making alliances with people who could be of use to her in the future. He was surprised he had never seen this before, being blinded by his feelings.

Reed frowned at first, but then he heard the murmurs of people. Katuri and Matzie were on their way back. He looked at Jolene and said vaguely, "We'll see how it goes, Jolene. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He rushed toward Katuri. She and Matzie carried an armful of a yellowish, grass-like plant. The orcish girl smiled at the sight of Reed.

"We have more than enough, Reed!" she told him, her face lighting up as she walked toward Marga's house. The other people listened to her as well. Katuri turned to Matzie and said, "Matzie, we need a big kettle of boiling water!"

"I'm on it, Katuri!" shouted Matzie enthusiastically, running toward the well. It was as surprising as it was heartwarming for Reed to see that Katuri and Matzie were already getting along well and working as a team.

"Tell me how I can be of use!" Jolene suddenly offered to help Katuri, to Reed's surprise.

She had a very formal smile on her face.

The orcish girl looked at her for a moment, then instructed, "Bring water with Matzie. We need at least three buckets. After that, meet me inside; I'll show you how to prepare the plant."

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