I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game Chapter 17

“Then, I was thinking of giving Priam… an apology letter and a small gift. Would that be okay? I’m worried he might feel burdened by it.”

“A letter… I’m sure Priam would be happy to receive one. However, I suggest waiting until you’ve grown closer before giving him a gift.”

“Huh? Why?”

“If he receives a gift as well, he might blame himself for making you feel like you have to be so careful around him.”

“Is that so? Thank you. I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

Siad reached out his hand. His palm gently rested on my head, softly stroking it.

It was a comforting gesture that put my mind at ease.

“By the way, Siad. Do you happen to have a spare sheet of stationery?”

“Of course. Will one sheet be enough?”

“If possible, I’d prefer two.”

Siad returned to his room and soon came back with stationery and envelopes.

“Let me know if you need more.”

He gave me no fewer than five sheets of stationery.

“I’m sure things will work out.”

He offered a little encouragement along with a warm smile. I hugged the stationery tightly and nodded.

“Thank you. I’ll write it carefully and give it to him.”

Back in my room, I sat down at the desk, picked up a pen, and carefully chose my words.

I deliberated over every single word to make sure there was no room for misunderstanding.

I spent the rest of the night doing nothing but writing letters.

Ding!

I woke up bright-eyed before dawn.

“I have to send the letter!”

I shouted energetically as I got out of bed.

After spending years confined to a hospital bed, there was nothing more torturous to me than being told to lie around doing nothing.

I’d rather pull weeds from a hundred-pyeong field by hand.

Click.

I quietly closed the door and stepped outside. Even in spring, the early morning air was rather chilly.

“It’s refreshing.”

Glad to smell the dirt and grass along the road again, I took a deep breath of the fresh air.

“Did I forget anything?”

I hurried along, rummaging through my bag to check its contents.

The letter and gift for Priam, my money pouch, and even the cat doll I was told to carry around at all times…

“Huh?”

I paused for a moment as I looked inside my bag.

Then I lifted the cat doll in front of my face and let out a small gasp of admiration.

“It changed!”

Its fur had been white when I left the house, but now its color had changed.

“Is this a ginger cat?”

It now looked like a cat with orange fur and tabby markings, the kind commonly called a ginger cat.

“So cute!”

I slipped the doll into my breast pocket and continued stroking its soft fur as I walked. Before long, I arrived in front of the Town Hall.

[Town Hall Operating Hours: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM]

I found the mailbox beside the door, where a sign was hanging.

[Please insert one gold and place the item you wish to send inside the mailbox.]

“Gold…”

While I was reading the large letters, the mailbox clicked open by itself.

[Free Postal Pass User Detected.]

“Does it recognize the pass automatically, too?”

This was incredibly high-tech. The mailbox recognized users and opened automatically when they stood in front of it!

After looking the mailbox over from every angle, I took the envelope out of my inventory.

Just as I was checking the address one last time, I heard footsteps rustling behind me.

I turned around to see who it was, only to freeze like a statue when I came face-to-face with someone unexpected.

“Miel?”

Priam smiled gently as he pronounced my name correctly.

I hurriedly hid the letter behind my back and greeted him.

“P-Priam! What a coincidence, running into you first thing in the morning!”

“Right? It’s nice to see you.”

The expression on his face reminded me of a dog wagging its tail excitedly after spotting someone it knew.

“It’s nice to see you, too, Priam. Good… morning?”

I fidgeted with the carefully written letter behind my back.

My plan had been to send him an apology letter first, then gradually approach him and repair our relationship.

I never expected the person in question to greet me in person the very next morning.

“You too, Miel. Good morning.”

Priam’s nose was slightly red from the cold air. Glancing at the mailbox behind me, he asked curiously,

“But what are you doing here at this hour? Sending mail first thing in the morning?”

“Y-yeah. Something like that… I woke up early! What about you, Priam?”

“I came out to take care of the trees around the village. Once I’m done, I’m heading to the orchard.”

“I see. You’re so diligent.”

I fidgeted nervously, keeping the letter hidden, before hurriedly changing the subject.

“Oh, right, Priam. Thank you for the fruit. I ate some cherries yesterday, and they were so delicious!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I washed one whole cluster and ended up eating every last one right then and there!”

“I’m glad. I wasn’t sure which fruits you’d like, so I picked a variety from the harvest and put them all in the basket.”

Looking at Priam’s genuinely delighted face, I almost wondered whether he’d already forgotten everything that had happened yesterday.

Or perhaps he was deliberately pretending not to remember.

He didn’t seem particularly eager to talk about it in detail yesterday, after all.

I glanced down at the tools Priam was holding and offered a parting remark.

“You must be busy thinning the fruit and applying nutrients to the trees today. Good luck, Priam!”

At that, he looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Huh? You know about that? Have you taken care of trees before, Miel?”

“Ah. I haven’t done it myself, but I’ve often watched other people do it. I lived in the countryside with my grandmother when I was little.”

“The countryside?”

Priam’s eyes began to sparkle so brightly with anticipation that it was almost overwhelming.

Priam’s Affection +10

“Really? Did you farm, too, Miel? Could you tell me stories about the countryside?”

I’d been trying to wrap up the conversation quickly, but I’d ended up attracting Priam’s intense interest instead.

“W-what kind of stories?”

“Stories about your village! I’ve never been outside Node. You’re the first visitor I’ve met who came from the countryside.”

Priam stepped closer in a sudden burst of enthusiasm. His emerald eyes glittered with curiosity.

“Of course. Next time I have some free time, I’ll tell you all about it…”

I stumbled backward and bumped my arm against something behind me.

The letter slipped smoothly out of my hand.

Thud.

Priam and I both looked down at the same time.

The moment I saw the envelope lying beneath the mailbox, I screamed internally. Priam immediately bent down and picked it up.

“What’s this?”

Priam tilted his head as he held my letter.

“Th-that’s, that’s… my letter, Priam!”

“Oh, is this a letter you received, Miel?”

Priam handed the letter back to me.

Then he tilted his head again and murmured,

“But didn’t you say you came here to send mail?”

I’m doomed.

I swallowed the words that sprang to mind.

I couldn’t figure out what excuse to make.

“Ah, well…”

I fiddled with the envelope for a while before finally making up my mind and holding it out to him.

“Oh, if it’s a secret, you don’t have to tell me…”

“Actually, I was going to send this letter to you!”

Our words came out at the same time.

“Huh?”

“What?”

Priam looked back and forth between the letter and me before asking in a bewildered voice,

“To me?”

“Ahahaha! So that’s what it was?”

After hearing my explanation, Priam burst into a bright, cheerful laugh.

“Y-yeah… That’s why I was trying to make up some excuse.”

“I see! I thought you were hiding some huge secret since you kept concealing something behind your back.”

Priam looked at me with a smile full of amusement.

My face burned with embarrassment, and I fanned myself as I looked away.

“Of course not. I was going to send the letter and then talk to you properly afterward, but I was startled when you suddenly showed up in person.”

I certainly hadn’t expected to hand it directly to him before I’d even had the chance to send it.

Priam looked down at the letter quietly for a moment before speaking.

“About what happened… it’s okay.”

His expression darkened slightly. Then he added in a voice tinged with guilt,

“It’s partly my fault for overreacting in the first place. You were only trying to become friends with me, Miel.”