Chapter 85. A Day Off With Kenny and Stella

The Chapel Courtyard, Ironwood Viscounty

“Big Brother Jeckson!”

Selena ran straight into Lord Jeckson’s open arms in the bustling courtyard for the community kitchen’s opening. A short distance away, Kenny and Stella stood side by side, smiling warmly at the touching scene.

“I heard you pleaded directly with Lord Ivan to free me, you little brat. Don’t you know how dangerous that was?!” Lord Jeckson reprimanded the little girl, gently fixing her heavy fur coat to protect her from the falling snow.

“Of course! But how could I just let them arrest you? Mister Ivan is a good adult! He kept his word to me!” Selena squealed with joy as Jeckson picked her up and held her tightly against his chest.

“He... sure did,” Lord Jeckson replied with a constrained, complicated smile. Putting her back down, he affectionately patted Selena’s head, playfully disheveling her hair. Looking up, he spotted the couple waiting nearby and walked over, holding the little girl’s hand.

“Thank you for going through the trouble of bringing Selena here, Mister Kenny. I am truly grateful,” Jeckson bowed his head slightly.

“Whoa now, Lord Libert. I was going to bring all the orphanage children to the community kitchen’s opening day anyway. It was nothing special,” Kenny remarked casually.

Lord Jeckson shook his head. “I know you and Miss Stella haven’t had much time to spend together recently thanks to all the chaos, yet you still spent your time bringing the kids here...”

Stella smiled brightly. “It is fine. We were planning to meet up at the community kitchen’s opening day anyway, since it happens to be my day off as well.”

Kenny cleared his throat, his gaze drifting toward Gino, who was standing a short distance away while the other children began running around the courtyard. “Can you two look after the kids for a moment? I have something important to discuss with Chief Gino, the builder.”

“Of course, Mister Kenny. Selena, go gather all your friends over here,” Lord Jeckson instructed.

Stella smiled, giving Kenny’s arm a gentle squeeze. “I will grab some food and sit with the kids. Finish your discussion quickly.”

Kenny nodded and walked off across the snowy courtyard.

“Here, take a look at this,” Gino presented a wooden bowl filled with fine, pitch black sand just as the snowfall began to heavily pick up again.

“What is this?” Kenny asked, an eyebrow raised.

Gino massaged his chin thoughtfully. “Black sand. That is exactly what we found at the West Courtyard construction site where Her Ladyship and His Lordship fell.”

“Black sand? As in the kind found underneath Melony Lake? I have never seen it naturally outside the lake's depths,” Kenny commented, crossing his arms. “So what is the issue with it? I asked you to investigate why there was such a large unstable foundation hole dug for a temporary kitchen, and to report back so we could draft those new standardized construction safety rules.”

Gino nodded, taking a handful of the sand and squeezing it in his hand. “I ran out to protect His Lordship and Her Ladyship that day because the workers told me the ground was hollow, but we didn’t know why it was hollow at the time... This black sand is the culprit.”

He spread a little of it onto the snowy ground and demonstrated by pressing his boot near it, causing a small, sudden depression to cave in. “Look. Black sand is incredibly fragile and clumps together. When there is heavy movement or digging right next to it, the layers underneath shift and collapse, creating sudden, shallow sinkholes. In fact, this unique property must be the reason why Melony Lake has a year-round fish harvest; the natural shallow holes created by the sand act as perfect, protected nesting grounds for them.”

Kenny touched his forehead as the realization set in. “Since nobody had ever seen black sand outside of the lake naturally, the workers didn’t know how to handle it. When they started digging for the community kitchen tents, the hidden pockets collapsed. They cleared the area to discuss the hazard... and right as they left, His Lordship and Her Ladyship went for a stroll and fell right into the hidden pit. Is that it?”

“Yes. Of course, we are still going to pay the fine Her Ladyship issued; I am not using this as an excuse to avoid it,” Gino clarified quickly. “But since you asked me to look into the exact cause, I thought you should know the truth.”

Kenny took another look at the sand in the bowl and sighed heavily. “Send a sample of it up to the castle. I will report the findings directly to Her Ladyship, since she wanted to know the details.”

“Of course,” Gino nodded.

Just as Kenny was about to walk away, he stopped. He stood completely still in the falling snow, his eyes fixed on Stella sitting by the wooden tables in the distance, laughing brightly as she handed out warm food to the orphans.

He remained frozen in deep thought until Gino gently nudged him. “It is very unlike you to look so concerned. What is on your mind, Mister Kenny?”

“It's just... just that...” Kenny started, his eyes never leaving Stella's smiling face. “You know, Mister Gino... we are both war orphans. We spent the vast majority of our childhood surviving on battlefields and in military camps. I have always craved a normal life with people around me… a big, bustling family with parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents. I am very sure she must have felt that exact same way growing up...”

Kenny’s voice dropped to a somber, painful whisper. “But if she marries me... she will never have that kind of family with me...”

Gino scoffed at the remark, putting down the wooden bowl with a hearty chuckle. “If you were so afraid of that, why did you even start courting her in the first place?”

Before Kenny could formulate an answer, the older man patted him firmly on the back.

“You need grandparents? Won’t my wife and I suffice? If you want an uncle and an aunt... my son is just a few years older than you. If you want a parent figure, there is always Priest Roland. He might not be the best role model out there, but you have to take what you can get.”

“That’s not...” Kenny started to protest, but Gino sighed, cutting him off gently.

“Now, I don’t know anything about living on battlefields. I’ve never been to war... I am just a humble builder. But I do have an observation to make. All my friends who managed to survive the battlefield seem to carry a pronounced sense of self-doubt whenever it comes to normal human relationships... I heavily suspect you are falling victim to that exact same thing right now.”

Kenny chuckled self deprecatingly. “So I should just completely ignore my concerns?”

“Ha... kids these days,” Gino muttered, delivering another heavy, reassuring pat to Kenny's shoulder. “What I meant is that you need to move forward even when you feel doubt. Since you are so sure that she desires a big family, don’t you think she already knows her own circumstances with you?”

Gino picked up the wooden bowl of black sand again, looking at Kenny with a gentle, fatherly sternness. “She is not trapped by you, Mister Kenny. If she didn’t want a future with you, she could have easily rejected your proposal or simply stopped being with you... yet she hasn't.”

Turning toward the kitchen, Gino finished his thought. “She is moving forward despite whatever doubts she might have because of her bravery, and because of her unwavering confidence that everything will be alright as long as you are by her side.”

As Gino started walking away, Kenny just stood frozen in place, watching the snow fall around him. He looked across the courtyard at Stella, her face lighting up with a radiant, genuine smile as she distributed warm food around together with the laughing orphan children. His chest tightened, a profound sense of warmth and clarity washing away the heavy burden he had been carrying.

“You should have become a priest, Mister Gino! You chose the wrong profession!” Kenny shouted after the old man, a bright smile finally breaking across his face.

Gino simply waved his free hand casually over his shoulder, continuing his walk until he disappeared into the white haze of the speeding snow.