Chapter 7

Cleaning up after dinner was, like it’s preparation, a communal activity, with only Safron as the youngest member of the household being free to go play before it was time for bed. The children all carried their plates and bowls and silverware into the kitchen, washing them and stacking them in turns as they bantered.

Kora continued to feel out of place as she copied the other children. She’d never once cleaned up after one of her meals before, that was what the servants were for. She didn’t look down on her family’s servants, she appreciated their work and was certain that they were paid well and treated with respect.

At least, she was relatively certain they were. She realized that she didn’t really know. Aside from a few servants who had looked after her when she was younger, she didn’t really know many of them. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to, but because as soon as she entered the room they quickly made their exit.

She frowned as she came to a realization. Was she an inconvenience to her family’s servants? Or were they afraid fo her for some reason? She frowned as she washed her bowl for the third time thinking of it.

“You look constipated,” Tan told her bluntly. “If you are you should tell mom. She’ll fix you up.”

Kora looked at the younger boy, then blushed. “I’m not … I was thinking about something.”

“If that’s your thinking face then I know why I haven’t seen it before,” the boy said.

She flushed as she realized she’d just been insulted by her prospective husband. “Are you this rude to every girl, or just me?” she asked.

“Dunno. Ko’s the only one from the village who still hangs out with me. The others are all weird now,” Tan admitted freely. “But give me one reason why I should be nice to you anyway.”

“We’re supposed to be married,” she said.

“No, we’re not,” Tan said bluntly. “I asked my parents and they honestly don’t care. Your family is the one who wants that to happen. We’re just not being rude.”

“You call this not being rude?”

“I’m being rude. My family is being polite,” the boy clarified.

Kora flushed. “What have I done to offend you, oh mighty young master of the Shen family?” she asked with a mocking undertone.

He frowned at her. “Who said you offended me? It’s Zephyr that hates you. Not sure why, aside from the fact that she really, really hates your family because they tried to trap her and do to her what you did to your own spirit.”

Kora’s eyes opened. “Is your spirit poisoning you against me?”

“I dunno. Probably,” Tan admitted. He yawned. “I’m going to bed. Have fun cleaning the chicken coop tomorrow.”

Kora watched the boy leave and frowned. If his spirit was predisposed against her, then she’d have to win over not just Tan, but his guardian spirit as well. She frowned, reflecting on her history with winning over spirits. Sensing her thoughts, Slake began laughing in her ear.

“Shut up,” she told the spirit, and she finished drying her bowl and stepped out of the kitchen. She was met by Lady Wensho, who smiled at her, but it was a smile that didn’t quite meet the eyes. Not like it did when it was directed at the other children.

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“Not what you were expecting, are we?” the matriarch asked.

“No. But it’s … It’s fine. I’ll adapt to your way of life if I have to,” Kora declared.

“You will, will you?” Wensho asked. The woman shrugged. “Come with me. We’ll fit you in some of my old work clothes for tomorrow before sending you back to the guest house. There’s no reason to get your pretty dress clothes dirty with sweat and manure.”

“Manure?” Kora frowned. “Wait, what?”

Wensho smiled at her, a bit of mischief behind her grin. “What exactly do you think it is that needs to be cleaned out of a chicken coop, Kora?” she asked.

Kora’s abrupt realization of what task actually lay in front of her hit all at once. She half-retched in disgust.

“It’s not nearly as bad as you might think,” Wensho assured the girl, “But if you don’t mind losing the respect of the other children, you can still back out.”

Kora glanced at the woman, who was taking an evil amount of pleasure in Kora’s situation. “I won’t back down,” she declared.

“Good. Now come on, let’s find some work clothes that will fit you.”

Thirty minutes later, Kora was carrying a bundle of cloth back to the guesthouse. The work clothes that she’d been given were surprisingly plain, and wouldn’t have looked out of place on a peasant. She supposed that made sense, considering the sort of work that was done in them, but it would still be the most humble outfit that Kora had ever worn.

Kora almost tripped over Tremble, who was laying in the entryway in front of the Dao painting on his side. He just grunted as he foot connected with him, but didn’t complain.

“Sorry,” she said quickly.

“My fault for laying her,” he said. “I was lost in the painting again.”

He got to his feet and dusted himself off. “Easy to do. Grateful to the master for painting it for me. Wish I could take it with me when I leave.”

“You’re leaving?”

“I’m a pig. This is all just to learn from the master. Once I understand my path better, I’m going to go back to the wild,” Tremble said.

Kora frowned, examining the man closer. His nose was slightly angled upward, and his hair was wiry and … she had a sudden shocking realization.

“Wait, do you mean that you are literally a pig? As in a spirit beast?” she asked.

“What did you think I meant?” Tremble asked, stretching. He Popped , resuming his natural form, his clothes falling to the ground beside him. “If you don’t mind, I sleep better in my natural form. Goodnight young mistress.”

Tremble the wild bore spirit animal calmly walked past her and into the bedroom where he slept. He jumped onto the bed and lay on his side, falling asleep within moments.

Kora spent a moment staring at the spirit beast for a moment before closing the door behind him and returning to the room she’d been assigned.

The Shen family was teaching a spirit beast, she realized. The spirit beast was working for them to pay for lessons .

She reflected on what her own family would do if it discovered a spirit boar on their lands and swallowed nervously. It seems that the subsumation bonding technique was not the only philosophical difference between the Shen and the Zang family.

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