Chapter Thirty-Seven: An Appearance Worthless

"Those are the Jarl's wife and the noblewoman from the raid on the territory!" Oni reminded herself.

She took a long breath, suppressing her irritation. This was critical—it concerned persuading the Jarl of the Slomsfalls town to surrender. There could be no mistakes.

"My lady, Lord Ralph ordered them both to be locked in the dungeon!" the maid replied.

Typical men!

Oni rolled her eyes, inwardly despising the cold-bloodedness of Ralph and his men. To lock two such beautiful women in a filthy, damp, and oppressive dungeon!

From her conversation last night, she had formed the impression that Marin and Anna were well-educated women. A thought crossed her mind: perhaps she could set up a literacy class. These educated women could be put to good use teaching the officers and officer-candidates. They didn't need to be highly cultured, but they at least needed to be able to read written orders. A bunch of illiterates who couldn't even understand military commands wouldn't do; she had only refrained from teaching them herself before because she found it too troublesome.

Closing the door and sitting on her private barrel, Oni exhaled, her face flushing slightly at the sounds outside. Her heart rate finally settled.

After stepping out, she smoothed her dress, feeling a wave of relief. Her stomach rumbled; she was famished and parched.

After drinking some honeyed water, the dizziness eased. She stood up and headed for the door. However, as she crossed the threshold, she tripped on her hem and stumbled, nearly falling.

"Damn it!" She steadied herself against the doorframe, muttering under her breath.

She had nearly made a fool of herself. She realized that being hungover was hardly the state for walking around. Yet, to her surprise, her clarity was returning remarkably fast.

She made her way to the public canteen, where the remaining women were already busy. They were making barley cakes, slapping the kneaded dough onto the brick walls of the oven before shoveling in charcoal to bake them.

Oni gestured for the women to bring over a large cauldron and set it over the fire. She personally supervised the butchering of a deer from the shed, chopping it into chunks and tossing them into the pot to simmer.

She didn't forget to add substitutes for Chinese seasonings, such as "Kernsmonita herbs," to enhance the soup's flavor without overdoing it.

As the soup began to bubble, Oni felt her appetite surge. She scooped it with a ladle, sniffing the fragrance and sighing, "It smells divine!"

"My lady, your bowl!" A quick-witted maid handed her a wooden bowl.

Oni took the bowl, ladled out some steaming soup, and sipped it slowly, blowing on the heat. Though it burnt her tongue, she could taste the richness and warmth. It spread through her belly; it was truly wonderful.

Just then, a woman brought over a few barley cakes, looking at Oni with a hesitant expression.

As Oni chewed the sweet, crispy cake, she looked up, realizing the woman wanted something. She asked as kindly as possible, "Is there something else?"

The woman fidgeted, feeling awkward. "No... nothing..."

Oni encouraged her, "It's fine, I don't mind. Feel free to say whatever is on your mind."

The maid's eyes lit up. "There is something. My husband died in the Viking wars near the Ross coast last year. I saw you bring back many men from outside. Could you let me pick one for a husband?"

She added, "I want one who is strong!"

"And handsome, too!" she added again.

Oni paused, then understood. She replied, "Go take a look then, they are in the room I used to occupy at the smithy. If you like someone, ask them if they are willing. If they are, take them!"

"Thank you, my lady!" the woman said gratefully.

Oni waved her hand dismissively and went back to her soup. However, she soon found herself surrounded by a group of women with eyes gleaming with hunger.

"My lady, we..." they started, trailing off.

Oni understood instantly. She was speechless for a moment, then waved her hand. "Fine! I agree!"

The women were overjoyed and scattered immediately, fearing that if they were too slow, they wouldn't get a strong man, leaving Oni standing there alone.

Looking at the empty canteen, she felt annoyed. "Look at how desperate you all are!"

Watching them leave, she wondered if those men would be eaten alive by these ravenous women. With more women than men, her earlier concern about the men gathering and committing crimes now seemed unnecessary.

They were begging for this.

With food in her belly, she felt much better and smiled happily, continuing to enjoy her soup.

So fresh!

She was about to leave when she was drawn by an argument to the east, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"He's mine!" a woman in an apron shrieked.

"I saw him first!" another retorted, refusing to back down.

The two glared at each other, each pulling on one arm of a tall, bearded man. The man looked strong, but being tugged back and forth by two women, his clothes tattered, he seemed to enjoy the attention, swaying like a "Rafflesia" in the breeze.

They walked toward Oni, and a suffocating stench of body odor hit her, nearly making her throw up her breakfast.

"It's like this, my lady, I saw him first!" one woman argued angrily.

Upon seeing Oni, the man being fought over looked at her with awe. Oni, long accustomed to such "critical" stares, paid him no mind.

It seemed that in this society where women outnumbered men, her worries were indeed misplaced. Now, she only wondered if these men had enough "vital energy" to satisfy the widows in the territory. They would probably be reduced to mummies before long.

"No, my lady, don't listen to her! I grabbed him first!" the other woman countered.

"Are you willing to take two wives?" Oni didn't look at the women, but at the man. "Or choose one of them!"

"No, my lady, please forgive me, I refuse!" The man stepped forward, staring at her intently, his eyes burning.

"Thank the gods for the honor of meeting you!" He took another step, spread his arms, and knelt on one knee, looking like a blooming, stinking Rafflesia in Oni's eyes. "This must be the arrangement of the Goddess Frigg, that you and I should meet!"

Oni stepped back to avoid the pungent odor, covering her nose and mouth.

"Please allow me to offer my sincere love to your beautiful self!" he said, giving her a wink.

Oni looked at him deeply, a strange smile on her lips. "You don't seem to know who I am?"

"If I am fortunate enough to learn your name, I shall cherish it for a lifetime!" He clutched his heart.

Thinking of something, her smile widened. She glanced around and beckoned to Ralph and Robert, who were walking toward them while arguing about something.

Ralph and Robert looked over, trotted toward her, and bowed respectfully. "My lady? Do you have any orders?"

"My lady?" The man's face turned pale with shock.

"What were you arguing about?" She ignored the stranger and asked Ralph curiously.

"Robert and I discussed it and felt that you shouldn't have to go to those villages yourself. We can handle capturing the remaining prisoners!" Ralph glanced at the frozen man, looking at Oni expectantly.

Oni chewed her barley cake, then shook her head, rejecting his proposal.

"You don't intend to capture the people from the remaining villages?" Ralph looked disappointed.

"No! Not now. In a week, I will send troops to bring them all back!"

"Why?"

"The villages aren't far. The fire in Slomsfalls last night served as a warning to its subordinate villages. Some of the people there will have seen the smoke and hidden in the forest. If we had gone last night, not only would we have failed to catch them, but we would have spooked them. It will be better to go once they feel safe again!"

"Also..." Ralph looked at the stiffened man. "He is not one of ours, and he has heard our military secrets."

The man looked at her in terror. "No, my lady, I didn't mean to!"

"Are you willing to do me a favor?" Oni crouched in front of him, drew the dagger from Ralph's belt, and used it to tilt the man's chin up.

"Please, command me!" the man said, forced to look up by the blade.

"Very well. I want you to report something to the Jarl of Slomsfalls when he returns from the Viking raids—something I want him to know. For instance, that his wife and sisters are in my hands!"