Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Your Highness, I dare swear before the great God of the Sun and Justice that this fruit is one of the finest red fruits I have picked in twenty years of harvesting from these trees!”

Xinpu spoke with complete seriousness. His face, darkened and reddened by years under the sun, looked extremely solemn.

This also taught Xia Mingyu the name of this fruit.

Red fruit...

The name was rather fitting.

It looked quite similar to the red apples on Blue Star, except it was smaller and rounder.

“Thank you for the hospitality.”

Xia Mingyu took the red fruit from Xinpu’s palm and bit into it.

The moment his teeth broke through the skin, sweet juice burst into his mouth.

It carried a faint refreshing coolness and just the right amount of sweetness. It was neither overly sugary nor bland, preserving a fresh and natural flavor.

The flesh was even better.

It was crisp and tender, neither too soft nor too hard. Its perfect texture made Xia Mingyu want to keep chewing.

“This is the best fruit I’ve ever eaten!” Xia Mingyu praised sincerely.

The moment Xinpu heard those words, his face turned so red that it looked as though someone had painted it.

Xia Mingyu almost wondered whether the man’s blood vessels might burst at any moment.

“For a noble Your Highness to praise the fruit I cultivated like this... this is the happiest day of my entire life! I’m even happier than the day Boyi married me!”

The middle-aged villager became so excited that he waved his arms around like a child.

“By the gods, Your Highness! I must offer you another entire basket of my highest-quality red fruits!”

...

After saying goodbye to Xinpu, Xia Mingyu and Anliya continued walking side by side through the dense orchard.

The afternoon sunlight gently passed through the thick branches and leaves above them, scattering patches of light across their bodies.

One was a handsome, refined young man with black hair.

The other was a beautiful young woman in the prime of her youth, with golden hair and blue eyes.

Under the warm sunlight, the two really did look like a perfect couple straight out of a painting.

“Little Anliya and His Highness look so perfect together. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if she could marry such a noble prince?”

Not far away, a middle-aged couple was picking fruit from one of the trees.

Seeing Xia Mingyu and Anliya walking together in the distance, the wife could not help sighing dreamily.

The sight reminded her of the fairy tales her mother had told her when she was young.

A prince who had fallen into hardship met a kind village girl.

In the end, he married her, and the two lived happily together for the rest of their lives under the blessing of the gods.

Her husband rolled his eyes.

“By the gods, you’re already an old woman. Stop having such ridiculous fantasies!”

“That His Highness is so noble that even Lord Xius would have to kiss the tip of his shoe upon meeting him.”

“Little Anliya was born a serf just like the rest of us. Forget becoming his wife—even becoming his concubine would be impossible.”

The husband spoke with absolute certainty.

“In my opinion, if little Anliya can become His Highness’s personal maid, that alone would already be a blessing from the gods!”

Old woman...

The wife suddenly fell silent.

Her gaze slowly became fierce.

It was as though a lion was hiding inside her eyes.

A moment later—

“I was wrong! I was wrong! Stop pinching me! We’re going to fall out of the tree!”

The husband’s miserable cries echoed far across the orchard, startling countless birds into flight.

...

Evening.

The setting sun poured across the horizon like molten gold, painting the distant sky orange-red.

Together with the pale-green orchards stretching into the distance, it formed a beautiful, dreamlike scene.

Xia Mingyu looked around in admiration.

“What a beautiful village.”

He smiled.

“I hope scenery like this can continue forever.”

After spending the day walking through the surrounding orchards, Xia Mingyu and Anliya finally returned to the wooden house.

However, upon hearing his words, the smile Anliya had worn throughout the entire day suddenly froze.

A clear trace of worry flashed through her beautiful blue eyes.

Perhaps...

It was finally time to tell him about that matter.

The young woman quietly made her decision.

“Your Highness... this beautiful scenery won’t last much longer.”

Anliya spoke softly.

She was extremely nervous inside, but she still did her best to keep her voice clear and gentle.

Xia Mingyu smiled slightly.

“Is it because autumn is coming? That’s fine. Yellow fallen leaves can be beautiful too.”

Anliya shook her head.

A bitter expression appeared on her fair face.

“No. It isn’t because of that.”

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“In a few days, the lord’s men will come to collect the agricultural tax.”

“But the village still hasn’t saved nearly enough coins to pay it...”

The smile on Xia Mingyu’s face slowly disappeared.

He asked in a serious voice,

“Is the agricultural tax too heavy?”

“No.”

Anliya gently shook her head.

“The agricultural tax Lord Xius set for Fruit Basket Village is already considered very generous within the Kingdom of Soksia.”

“In previous years, we were always able to pay it. He is a kind lord.”

She lowered her eyes.

“It’s just that... something unexpected happened this year.”

Xia Mingyu quietly listened.

Anliya continued.

“Some time ago, a traveling merchant from Kelai came to our village.”

“He repeatedly praised the red fruits grown in our orchards, saying their flavor was incredibly rare and that they would sell for a huge profit if taken to the free citizens in the capital.”

“So he promised that once the red fruits were harvested, he would purchase them from us at a high price.”

“There was only one condition.”

“Before he returned, the village had to refuse purchase offers from every other traveling merchant.”

Anliya’s expression became more complicated.

“He was extremely persuasive, and many people in the village believed him.”

“My adoptive father still had doubts, but the merchant paid us a large deposit, and most of the villagers supported the agreement.”

“In the end, my adoptive father could only agree.”

Her hands slowly tightened.

“Just as he requested, our village rejected every other merchant who came to purchase the red fruits.”

“But that man did not return until two days before the harvest.”

A faint anger appeared in Anliya’s voice.

“And when he finally returned, he refused to pay the price he had promised.”

“Instead, he offered a price far lower than the normal market value... so low that we would practically lose money by selling to him.”

As she spoke, Anliya pressed her lips tightly together.

Her delicate brows drew into a deep frown.

A faint flame seemed to burn inside her bright blue eyes, making her look like an angry little deer.

It was the first time Xia Mingyu had ever seen Anliya this angry.

Until now, he had almost believed that someone as beautiful and gentle as her might never lose her temper in her entire life.

“The villagers became furious and drove the Kelai merchant away.”

“But by then, it was already too late to find another traveling merchant.”

Anliya looked toward the orchards outside.

“The red fruits have completely ripened now.”

“Every day that passes, more ripe fruits fall from the trees. Once they land on the ground, they slowly rot until they become completely worthless.”

Her voice gradually became quieter.

“In just a few days, the lord’s men will arrive to collect the tax.”

“And if the village cannot pay enough...”

Anliya paused.

Her beautiful blue eyes gradually lost their usual brightness.

“Some villagers will be reduced to slaves.”

“They’ll be taken away and sold to the City of Slaves.”

“And what awaits them there will only be endless humiliation... until they eventually die from being worked to death.”

Sadness slowly covered the young woman’s face.

Her once bright blue eyes had become deep and distant.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke again.

“So I was thinking...”

Her voice became softer.

“If someone with a sufficiently noble status could persuade the tax collectors to wait a little longer...”

“Then perhaps the village would have enough time to gather the money and pay the tax.”

Her pleading eyes slowly shifted.

Eventually, they settled on the expressionless black-haired young man standing before her.

More precisely...

They settled on the long line of white words floating above Xia Mingyu’s head.

Feeling the intense gaze filled with hope, Xia Mingyu fell silent.

For a moment, he had no idea what he should do.

If possible, of course he wanted to help.

Anliya had patiently taught him the language of this world, and the villagers had treated him with nothing but kindness.

Besides, all he needed to do was speak a few words and persuade the tax collectors to give them more time.

It did not sound difficult at all.

But there was one important condition behind all of this.

He actually needed to possess the ability to help them.