Chapter 802

Ivy asked him again, “Is he like this with everyone?”
“I don’t interact with him much, but he’s usually like this, not caring about much,” Wes replied, trying to comfort her.
This made Ivy feel a bit better. She asked, “Where does he go when he’s not here?”
“He likes to wander around the nearby villages.”
“He has the leisure for that? What’s so interesting about those places?”
“His thoughts are different from most people.”
“And Dad doesn’t mind?”
She wished her father would control him more. Who else dared to treat her with such indifference?
“No, he doesn’t,” Wes said.
Ivy grew curious about what was so interesting about those villages. She wanted to see for herself.
—
“Why do you and Captain seem so awkward and distant?” Arin felt they had missed a great opportunity. “It looks like you’ve known each other for a long time, not just met.”
“You’re right,” Nina replied.
“Really?” Arin was shocked.
Nina’s mind was not on Nash. She had been in the village for a while and still hadn’t found any new information about the Pharaoh. “You mentioned that the Pharaoh used to protect your village? Now that it’s been attacked, I thought he’d come to help.” Arin sighed deeply. “Our village used to be peaceful, but recently we’ve been targeted by other allied forces. We don’t know what the future holds.”
“But the Pharaoh has been good to us. He taught us many things and sent supplies. The government can’t even handle the internal conflicts, so what can we do?”
“Sent supplies?” Nina asked. “When? I haven’t heard about that.”
Arin continued, “Not recently. It used to happen before Captain’s team protected us. Now, no one else can get in. I don’t know if we’ll stay safe after they leave. Maybe one day, if you come back to visit, you’ll find I’ve died in the conflict.” Nina felt she might have said the wrong thing. “I’m sorry, Arin. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Arin smiled faintly. “It’s okay. Living in this country, going through these things, there’s nothing we can’t talk about.”
Nina felt sympathy for them but knew she couldn’t interfere in their politics. She felt helpless.
“Nina,” Chana suddenly called out, standing nearby.
Nina turned to her. “What is it?”
Chana said, “I’m cooking and wanted to try making some Birkhamese dishes. Could you teach me?”
Nina walked over. “I don’t have much experience. My cooking isn’t very good.”
Chana responded, “Cooking and washing are women’s duties. I thought you’d know how.”
Nina didn’t like that comment. She replied, “In our country, cooking and washing aren’t just women’s duties. Men and women are equal. Men can do women’s work, and women can do men’s work. There’s nothing that has to be done by one gender.” Chana didn’t view Nina as a modern woman after hearing her response. She believed that cooking and washing were ingrained duties for women. Thinking Nina wasn’t as capable as her in this regard, Chana decided to play to her strengths. “Really? But isn’t a woman’s role to take care of her husband and children?” Chana said modestly. “I wanted to surprise Captain with some Birkhamese dishes. If you’re not experienced, I don’t know who else to ask!”