I'm So Glad This Person Is My Destiny
The villagers thought the price of the meat was too high, but it seemed Jinwoo’s set amount was perfectly reasonable to the merchants.
Later, they heard that not demanding the entire payment at once had been a relief for the merchants. They patted their chests in relief, saying they didn’t carry such large sums of money with them.
The villagers were in a festive mood. With the harvest finished and a hefty payment received, everyone was excited. They lit bonfires and threw a meat party.
They skewered the meat on long wooden sticks and grilled it over the fire, turning the pieces repeatedly. As soon as the meat was cooked, the waiting children snatched it first. They ate and immediately returned to sit and wait again, leaving no chance for the adults to have any.
Yet no one got upset. Everyone simply laughed.
Pudding occasionally received some meat and gulped it down in one go. It didn’t seem bothered by the heat. It swallowed piece after piece without cooling them first. The children shared bits from their own portions with Pudding, one piece at a time.
The children and Pudding got along wonderfully. Whenever people stroked its head and praised it for working hard every day, Pudding would happily extend its tentacles to touch their bodies, as if imitating human gestures.
Each time, it would glance over to see if Jinwoo was watching. It seemed to want him to witness the villagers praising it. Once the villagers realized this, they began deliberately praising Pudding loudly while stroking it.
When it grew noisy enough for Jinwoo to look over, Pudding would vibrate its body with happy little puru puru ripples, and everyone watching would burst into laughter.
The merchants observed all this with odd expressions.
“This village was strange to begin with, so I suppose it makes sense… but honestly, it’s really bizarre. A slime living among people, getting praised and looking happy about it. That thing is happy because it was praised, right?”
Perhaps the merchants had realized something too—that the meat’s exceptional flavor wasn’t simply due to the seasoning. Even if they hadn’t noticed before, they would have seen the truth after looking at the harvested fields.
But the merchants said nothing more about it and moved on.
“The village chief here really isn’t what he seems.”
“First-timers always get fooled. They think he’s naive.”
“I’ve been trading since I was a boy, but I’ve never met anyone who calculates so meticulously.”
The merchants laughed as they spoke. They were probably referring to what had happened earlier. Jinwoo had made it clear, even while creating the ledger, that from now on more than half the payment must be in cash. And that was only temporary. Once they began official deliveries to the royal family, they would receive more than two-thirds in cash.
The villagers had been nervous, worried the merchants might get angry and cancel the contract, but Jinwoo didn’t even twitch an eyebrow. The merchants simply nodded and agreed without complaint. It seemed the payment for this village’s meat was negligible compared to the profits they stood to make.
Jinwoo must have already guessed as much.
A small bowl sat a little distance from the bonfire. The villagers had cut the meat into pieces smaller than beans and placed them inside as offerings to the spirits. Because they set aside a little each time someone ate, the bowl was now overflowing.
The children also placed especially delicious pieces from their own portions into the bowl. The adults scolded them for offering food they’d already been eating, but Jinwoo and Marguerite told them it was fine.
It didn’t seem the spirits found human-touched food insulting. In fact, the spirits seemed to prefer the children’s saliva-covered meat. They would sniff it, take a bite, and then giggle with delight.
Perhaps what they consumed wasn’t the food itself, but the heart that came with it.
The spirits sometimes flew into the sky still holding the meat. Since the bowl was in a dark spot, the merchants couldn’t see the floating pieces. Even if they had, they would likely have convinced themselves they’d seen wrong and moved on. They often seemed to pretend not to notice strange things.
As the night grew late, the children fell asleep with meat still in their mouths. Popcorn dozed on their nodding heads, snoring softly. Jinwoo grumbled that these kids were going to bed without brushing their teeth, but there was nothing to be done once they were already asleep. They didn’t wake even when carried off.
When the villagers lifted the children to take them home, Popcorn suddenly woke and clung to the meat. Orange had followed Jinwoo around all day while it was bright but was now in the coop with the chicken couple. There had been some worry about integrating them, but Orange got along fine without fighting the rooster.
A few people were still absorbed in drinking and merrymaking, but most began preparing for the next day. The scattered bowls around the bonfire and the uncooked meat were mostly cleared away, leaving only a little alcohol and snacks.
For the young men, traveling to buy livestock was a chance to meet women. Several were excited at the possibility of finding a bride there.
The merchants would sleep in the village hall. Jerold seemed to have planned to stay there as well, but Jinwoo invited him to their house. Since they had met after so long, he said the siblings should talk comfortably. Jerold initially declined, but after Jinwoo insisted repeatedly, he agreed to stay one night.
Jinwoo spread harvested straw on the floor and covered it with cloth to make a simple bed. Before Marguerite could do anything, he brought out honey-preserved fruits and slightly bitter herbal tea, setting them before the pair.
“I have some work to do in the shed, so you two catch up on all your news.”
With those words, Jinwoo went outside. In this village where everything had to be done by hand, there was always work to be found. So it was likely true that he had tasks in the shed. But there was no real need to do them right at that exact moment.
He was a kind man. A warmth spread through Marguerite’s chest. Even if he hadn’t been the Saintess, she was certain she would have been happy marrying him.
“I’ve made things awkward,” Jerold said with a troubled smile.
It was a thoughtful moment her husband had created for them after so long. Marguerite sat on the soft hay and asked about the family matters she had been curious about. Were Father, Mother, and her other brothers all right? Had they suffered any disadvantages because of her?
“Everyone’s fine. We’ve always been poor, so that can’t be helped. They were all worried about you. Nothing else has happened.”
Her brother said so, but Marguerite remained doubtful.
“Has Eldest Brother married?”
The marquis had occasionally told her about her family as a reward whenever she behaved well. That was how she had learned her eldest brother, who had delayed marriage due to poverty, had become engaged. He would likely be married by now.
But at her question, Jerold’s expression stiffened just slightly.
“There was a problem on the woman’s side.”
The moment Jerold spoke, Marguerite understood. The broken engagement was clearly because of her.
“I’m sorry. Please tell Eldest Brother I’m sorry too.”
When Marguerite lowered her head in gloom, Jerold placed a hand on her hair. He patted it gently, just like when she was little.
“Actually, I felt bad for him too at first, but he himself seemed relieved. He was going to marry for the family’s sake, but it turns out he really disliked that woman.”
She thought it must be a lie, but Jerold’s face showed no sign of it. Perhaps it was true. Still, the fact remained that she had caused trouble for her family. Marguerite’s heart refused to lighten.
They talked a while longer, but Jerold kept repeating that aside from their poverty, nothing special had happened. In the middle of their conversation, Marguerite fetched two small bamboo containers from the shelf. They were made from thin bamboo stalks, with the tops covered in cloth and tightly tied with string.
“My husband is giving these as a wedding gift. This one is for you to use, Brother. Please send the other home.”
Inside the bamboo tubes was medicine made by Pudding. The one intended for her family contained the last capsules Pudding had created. Marguerite had protested sending the only two doses, but Jinwoo had laughed and said not to worry—Pudding would make more.
What worried her was that they had no idea what effects the medicine had, but he had assured her it wouldn’t be anything bad. After teaching Jerold that the sparkling powder could cure all stomach-related illnesses, Marguerite urged him earnestly.
“You mustn’t lose it. This is truly precious medicine. It was made by a legendary slime.”
He didn’t seem to believe her. Marguerite passionately explained how the black slime’s flesh had even saved people on the brink of death. When she untied the cloth to show the contents, Jerold quietly examined the capsule. For some reason the sight made her uneasy, and then he asked,
“What effect does this strangely shaped thing have?”
“I don’t know. No one has tried it yet.”
At her answer, Jerold let out a small laugh. The anxiety she had felt vanished in an instant.
“Your husband is taking a long time. He can come back in now.”
At her brother’s words, Marguerite jumped to her feet.
“I’ll go get him.”
“All right.”
Jerold smiled quietly.
The moment she stepped outside, she spotted Jinwoo right away. He stood motionless in the dark space beside the shed. Spirits had gathered around him, fluttering through the air. Jinwoo had his head slightly tilted upward, gazing at them.
Popcorn seemed to still be playing near the bonfire; it was nowhere in sight. Only the space where Jinwoo stood glowed with brilliant, multicolored light. The sight of the shining spirits dancing around him was as beautiful as a dream.
Not wanting to disturb them, she approached with soft steps. Then Jinwoo’s voice reached her.
“…If you all truly came here because of me, will you grant me one request? Go to the place where Marguerite’s family lives… enrich their land and protect them from danger. I don’t want to see my wife sad…”
The moment his words ended, several spirits rose high into the sky. Their gazes seemed to turn briefly toward the fields, though she couldn’t be sure. They spun once in the air as if to say not to worry, then flew off into the distant heavens.
Oh my goodness.
Marguerite stared blankly up at the sky. The spirits’ light grew smaller and smaller. They were—no, they were definitely heading for her family estate. Far more of them than the ones she had once summoned with her spirit rain were flying toward her home.
It’s all right now. Everything will be all right.
The territory would become fertile in an instant. Just like this place. Surely.
Her vision blurred with tears, and she faintly heard her brother’s voice.
Oh my goodness.
The gathered spirits must have created visible light. Suddenly the word “fate” rose in her mind. Perhaps everything had been arranged from the beginning.
If Marguerite had been unable to call down the spirit rain, if she had never caught the royal family’s eye, if the engagement had not been broken, if she had not been framed for stealing the World Tree sprout—if even one of those things had been different—she would never have met Jinwoo.
The same was true of meeting Popcorn. When her heart had been on the verge of breaking from fear, Popcorn had appeared before her like encouragement to hold on just a little longer. Had Popcorn not come, she might have chosen death to prove her innocence.
It hadn’t been coincidence that Popcorn found her. Some existence had deliberately arranged for him to appear at that exact moment.
Even when she was exiled to the frontier after being framed, without Popcorn and the spirits her heart might have shattered under the misery. Though her brother had urged her many times not to despair, there had been a real chance she would not have endured.
…Yes.
Meeting this man was not chance. It was a destiny set by the gods.
Marguerite ran to her husband and clung to his arm.
“Marguerite?”
Jinwoo was startled but held her without another word.
Each individual thing had seemed insignificant, yet when gathered together they became fate.
“Thank you.”
She was grateful to her husband who had asked the spirits for her sake, and to the god and Popcorn who had guided her to him.
Jinwoo gently stroked her back. Marguerite closed her eyes tightly in his embrace.
I’m so glad this person is my destiny.