SLV Chapter 13: She Actually Does Want His Body?
April 12
"Good grief..."
Lin En's eyes went wide, and he couldn't quite hold back the surprise rising in his chest.
The chest wrap straining across Medya's figure from not far away looked as though it were holding back a pair of watermelons.
No, calling it a chest wrap wasn't right. It was more of a chest-containing device.
That was genuinely extreme.
Lin En drew a deep breath without thinking, and felt as though those watermelons had already been pressed against his face, leaving him on the verge of suffocation.
"My child, I heard about your father."
"I'm truly sorry. Unfortunately I had far too much to attend to, and was unable to go to his funeral."
Medya's face settled into a look of natural, effortless sympathy as she spoke to Lin En.
Hearing that particular form of address made something in Lin En feel slightly off.
This body had only just come of age in this world but the real him was nearly thirty years old.
He looked at Medya's refined face, not a single wrinkle anywhere, with a faint beauty mark at the corner of her lips.
She looked to be in her early thirties, he guessed.
Being called "child" felt strange in a way he couldn't entirely shake.
"Think nothing of it, Lady Medya. Could I ask what you needed to see me about?"
Lin En had no time for pleasantries and preferred to get to the point.
Hearing that, Medya's expression stalled for just a moment then she spoke again, her lips parting and closing with graceful deliberateness.
"It seems that losing your father has helped you grow up a little, my child."
"That is a good thing."
She said it the way a genuine elder might, with approval, while quietly composing a new approach in her mind.
After a short pause, she continued.
"Kalil mentioned that you've managed to repair a sand spirit arrow tower."
"It may be enough to survive an ordinary night, but it won't carry you through tonight's blood moon, my child."
As she spoke, Medya was watching Lin En carefully.
She had the odd feeling that the slightly unpolished young slaveowner in front of her was somehow different from what she had expected.
"So I intend to give you 20 source stones. You could repair your other two towers with them."
"Of course, you're also welcome to take shelter on my oasis for the time being."
Give him source stones?
Lin En had been watching Medya the entire time.
On the surface, her face was all warmth and gentle concern, and he could even detect a faint note of something almost maternal but at the same time, drawing on the hard-earned experience of his previous life spent navigating the real world, Lin En was quite certain this widow had something else on her mind entirely.
Who handed out something for nothing like this?
Free source stones?
Twenty was barely anything to a woman of Medya's wealth, a drop in the ocean.
And besides, the original owner's father had never been close with Medya in any way that would explain this kind of gesture but what was her actual purpose?
Lin En had no interest in playing a careful game of indirect probing, and he wasn't about to accept the 20 source stones without understanding what he was accepting.
After a moment's thought, he decided to simply lay things out plainly.
"Lady Medya, since you're offering me 20 source stones, what is it you need me to do in return?"
The warmth on Medya's face froze the instant Lin En's words landed, then slowly drained away entirely, settling into cool indifference.
"My child, you really have changed. Far more grown-up than I gave you credit for."
The moment he asked that question, Medya understood completely.
The person in front of her was nothing like the figure she had imagined.
A man who already understood the language of interests and returns was not going to be steered the way she had planned.
He might even become a liability.
In that instant, Medya quietly reclassified Lin En alongside those slaveowners who had been circling her with eyes on her body and her wealth.
Even if he wasn't that yet, he would be one day.
"I don't need anything from you. Take it and go, my child. Just remember that I helped you."
Her interest fully extinguished, Medya offered the dismissal with lazy ease and stood, wrapping herself in white silk that left only the slender curve of her calves visible.
She was clearly put out, and began making her way toward the stairs.
Kalil was already at the chest, pulling out a small pouch.
He gave it a casual toss to feel the weight, then dropped it in front of Lin En and spoke with his usual air of disdain.
"Take it. My mother's charity. Then go back to your oasis."
Lin En did not stand. He kept his gaze on the smooth, pale line of Medya's back.
Why?
He rubbed his chin out of habit and let his thoughts move quickly.
Why had just a single question from him caused Medya to shut down like that?
In this world, there were no social norms demanding careful, roundabout speech. Speaking directly was entirely ordinary and there had been nothing offensive in what he said.
Unless the widow had read something in his response and decided he had lost a certain value she had been counting on but what value could he possibly have in her eyes?
And what kind of problem could a widow be facing that he was in any position to solve?
Unless it was...
"Leave, Lin En."
Seeing Lin En still hadn't moved, Kalil spoke again with a sharpness creeping into his tone.
Especially since Lin En was still openly studying his mother's figure.
Kalil's patience ran out. He thought it over and decided he would simply pull the shabbily dressed Lin En to his feet.
"Wait."
Just before he reached out, Lin En's voice filled the room.
"Common Law, isn't it, Lady Medya."
Lin En stood, his gaze still resting on Medya.
The room fell instantly silent, broken only by the faint sound of wind passing over sand outside.
Medya turned slowly and looked at Lin En. There was some surprise in her eyes, but only that.
"You're not bad at all, my child."
"I never imagined your father's passing would make you grow up this quickly."
Hearing Medya's acknowledgment, Lin En finally allowed a faint look of ease to cross his face.
He hadn't expected a vague impression of Common Law to land him on the right answer.
So she really did want his body. Just in a different sense than the obvious one.
In truth, if his soul had not descended into this body, the original owner might well have made an ideal puppet. Someone to be played effortlessly by this experienced widow, providing her with a temporary shield against losing the oasis under Common Law.
If he were to actually become Medya's husband in name...
Lin En turned it over briefly, and a strong sense of interest rose in his chest.
Having that kind of standing would be genuinely useful.
Not only would it make him something of an ally with this widow, who had wealth he couldn't yet fully estimate, giving him access to resources he needed.
It would also let him conceal his true strength behind that identity for a while, avoiding the kind of attention that came with standing out too soon.
After all, someone would eventually notice what had been done to his sand spirit arrow towers. And until he understood the full picture of what source arts masters were really about, Lin En had no intention of exposing himself.
Beyond that, there might even be unexpected opportunities waiting.
Thinking along those lines, Lin En's gaze drifted instinctively toward Medya's chest.
Desert watermelons always made one thirsty, with an irresistible urge to take a bite.
He moistened his lips, then spoke.
"Lady Medya, I believe I can actually help you."
Hearing that, Medya looked at Lin En, all remaining interest gone, her gaze replaced entirely by contempt and revulsion.
"You? My child, if that was truly your intention, then you should have kept playing ignorant."
"Not done what you just did."
A dismissive smile, and then she turned and moved toward the stairs, clearly done with the conversation.
"No, Lady Medya."
Play ignorant? Act the adoring fool being strung along? And pocket source stones in the process?
Trying to play that game in front of a woman as calculating as Medya would fall apart far too easily.
Better to be direct about it.
She wanted his name. He wanted her resources.
A marriage of convenience, with clear benefits on both sides but the framing had to change, or Medya's contempt would never soften.
"Lady Medya, your plan doesn't actually work in the long run."
"Even if you find the puppet you're looking for, no one stays that way forever. People shift, just like the dunes in the desert."
"I have a proposal that would mean you never have to worry about this problem again."
Lin En spoke without rushing.
"Partners, each taking what they need. Lady Medya."
"We could be partners."
"Partners?"
The word sounded almost laughable as it reached her ears, but Medya's feet stopped.
She turned her head again, and for the first time, looked down at Lin En with genuine curiosity.
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