003: THE MINES ARE A STRANGE PLACE TO FIND LOVE (PART 1)
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The next morning couldn’t come any sooner. I was excited to get down to business. Eshore was very similar to 10th-century Germany. Unlike Earth, this world was home to a whole host of unique creatures. The animals were a lot bigger actually.
The first time I saw a horse, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The horse was massive, it stood nearly 2.5 meters tall. This was my father’s horse, Blitzstahl (I liked calling him Blitz). He was so tall that my father (a tall person in his regard), required a step ladder to mount Blitz. The animals here were borderline terrifying in comparison to Earth.
Apart from the creatures, we had magic. It wasn’t the most common thing because you needed to be able to read and write. But even if you were literate, you’d need to be smart enough to comprehend the texts. As a result, Mages and Warlocks were highly sought-after individuals.
Magic users were pricks. I’d asked my sister to find me a tutor, but everyone we reached out to refused to teach me, given my age and the low standing of the Eisenwerks.
This was fine. I didn’t need that quite literal magical mumbo-jumbo. All I needed was my engineer mindset. This world was mine to harness and shape and that’s exactly what I was going to do.
After having our breakfast, Amelie and I got in the carriage that was waiting for us in front of the manor. Amalie had her usually long brown hair in a neat ponytail. She wore a brown jacket with a dark green shirt underneath, a pair of pants and the new leather boots.
The carriage driver scowled at Amelie as she helped me into the carriage.
I waved at my sister who was seeing the two of us off. I looked over at Amelie who sat across from me and seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong?”
“Did you see how that driver was glaring at me?”
“Yeah. I wonder why.”
“It’s because of what I’m wearing.”
“Huh?”
Amelie sat there, with her face turning red, this time it wasn’t an embarrassment, “I... I'm not trying to make a statement. Your sister suggested wearing trousers for practicality purposes.”
I’d seen Elara wear similar outfits during our rare family picnic outings. Given her status, many wouldn’t dare speak ill of her. She also had a sharp tongue and didn’t hesitate to verbally beat down those whom she didn’t like. Elara had a certain masculine energy that was required of a young woman of her station and authority.
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Amelie was different. She was soft-spoken and meek. She was as feminine as they came. It made her very approachable. It also made her an easy target for bullying. If it weren’t for Elara, who kept in close contact with Amelie, she’d have been an incredibly easy target for the other maids to bully. I liked to think that Amelie was wholly unaware of her position within the estate.
“Why would anyone think that?” I asked, kneeling and taking her free hand.
“You probably don't know this Alber, but it's... well, it's not very modest for a woman to wear trousers. People might think I’m trying to imitate a man.”
“Konrad won’t care,” I said, working in a smirk.
And with that, Amelie was once again a tomato. She took her hand from me and covered her face. “Why would you bring your brother into this?” She said, her voice taking a higher pitch than before.
I sat back in my seat “ Hey, I’m just saying that Konrad won’t judge. It's a fact. Like how the sky is blue.”
“Even so. Your brother has nothing to do with this!” Amelie turned to look out the window, trying to hide her red face. “I admire the hard work he does. He’s my age and he’s accomplished so much.”
The rest of the carriage ride was silent, Amelie kept her gaze out fixated on the outside world and I read a book that I’d packed. The folklore of Eshore was fascinating.
We eventually arrived at the mines.
Amelie stepped out before me and helped me down (curse this 7-year-old body of mine).
We were greeted by Konrad and one of his foremen.
“Hey kiddo, Elara finally let you heed the call of the mines eh?” Konrad asked as he picked me up. He did this with a surprising amount of ease. Konrad’s sleeves were rolled up and clung tightly to him, his arms were muscular and well-defined. Amelie was so very thirsting for this man but refused to acknowledge it. Adorable.
Konrad, noticing how Amelie was staring at him, looked over. “Hey, there Amelie. Thanks for taking care of my little brother. He’s a handful isn’t he?”
“Oh, not at all Master Konrad. The pleasure is all mine.”
A frown spread across Konrad’s face “Oi! What did I tell you about calling me Master Konrad? It’s just Konrad to you, missy.”
Amelie seemed distraught, she looked around trying to escape this situation, but to no avail. “I didn’t mean to cause you any disrespect. You’re of a higher station, and I’m but a lowly maid an-”
“Woman, we grew up together. You have no right calling me Master,” Konrad paused, took a deep breath and continued, “You. Are. A. Childhood. FRIEND. We both grew up playing near the mines. We had parents who ran these mines. Hell, your father was my mentor.”
Amelie was turning red, she was staring at her boots. “Okay… Ko- Konrad. I won’t be as formal with you.”
I noticed that Konrad’s ears were taking on a slight shade of red.
A sudden realization came to me.
THESE TWO ARE INTO EACH OTHER!
I looked over at Amelie and mouthed the words “someone has a crush” to her. She looked away, turning red.
Alright. Time to play matchmaker, “Hey brother. Doesn’t Amelie look nice in her outfit? She reminds me of Elara.” I paused, smirked at Amelie and continued. “Isn’t green your favourite colour?”
Konrad took a second to examine what Amelie was wearing and looked away. His ears were red.
Yep, he was into her.