Chapter 4: Need to earn

In my family, there were five male and four females.

My parents, my elder sister and her husband, my uncle and aunt, and my elder brother and his wife.

As I approached the dining table, my eyes first landed on the man of the house, Gustav.

He was a thin man with a balding head and a pair of green eyes.

His right hand was missing which he lost almost a year ago during a hunt. And since then, things have become quite difficult in our household.

Next, to his left, was my elder brother, Lex.

He was three years older than me and someone with a mean personality.

His only role in my life was to taunt me.

“Here comes the chief.” Here he goes, “I hope you had a good sleep after a fruitful day of earning, my lord.” He said with a mocking smile.

I ignored him and approached the seat beside my brother-in-law, Caleb.

He was a thin man with dark green hair and a timid personality.

If there was someone who shared my sentiment in this house then it was him.

“Morning, brother.” He greeted me with a nod.

I returned the greetings with a nod as well before I sat down.

Once seated, I watched two women emerge from the shadowed side of the house.

The first was unmistakably my older sister, Laila—her glossy brown hair falling in the same rich waves as our mother’s. Her breasts sat smaller, pert and high, but her hips flared dramatically, carving a lush, exaggerated hourglass.

She wore tiny shorts that clung uselessly to her body, the hem riding so high it exposed the full, thick curve of her tanned thighs—smooth, meaty, and gleaming under the late sun. Each step made the soft flesh quiver faintly.

Laila stalked toward me, lips curled in a familiar, dangerous snarl, “What are you staring at? Shouldn’t you be helping me cook?”

Ah, right. She doesn’t like me much…more like, no one likes a man who doesn’t hunt or do something to earn.

I sighed and told her, “Get used to it.”

She scoffed, “Yeah, like you are going to do much out there.”

I chose to ignore her. While she was hella hot and someone I would like to bend over this table right now, I would rather not talk to someone as sharp tongued as her

“Now, now~ don’t shout at your brother so early in the morning,” came the smooth, teasing drawl that instantly cut through the tension.

It was Aunt Clara, stepping forward with that signature wild grin splitting her face.

Her fiery red hair spilled loose over her shoulders. She stood tall and lean, yet every line of her body screamed deliberate, dangerous femininity: long, toned legs that seemed to go on forever, arms corded with just enough muscle to hint at real strength, and a waist that dipped dramatically before flaring into wide, generous hips and a thick, heart-shaped ass that strained the thin fabric of her clothes.

The dress itself was shameless—low-cut enough to frame the heavy, swaying swell of her breasts, the neckline dipping low to reveal a deep valley of sun-kissed cleavage. Every step made them shift hypnotically beneath the light fabric.

She drew closer and leaned toward me.

I barely stopped myself from taking a good view of the valley before me as I heard her husky voice, “You look quite handsome this morning, dork?”

God…this place is a nightmare for me. I couldn’t keep it down since this morning.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, “I say you should say that to your husband regularly. He is been skipping meals often these days.”

The woman chuckled, “As if my compliment could make any difference.”

That’s right…the only thing broken in this world was men’s lack of affection for women.

I hadn’t seen Caleb checking out his wife despite how delicious she appeared.

Sex is treated as something done out of necessity not desire. There is no intimacy in the act just put it in and get done with it.

But it wasn’t the same with me.

Seeing these sexy women all around had me distracted ever since I woke up.

Not so long after, mother returned as well, carrying a few pots.

While Laila joined us at the table, aunt and mom didn’t…some sort of custom of women eating after men.

“Where is Dalia?” Asked my sister.

Lex scoffed, “She is still ill. I will see if I can get some medicine for her today.”

Dalia was my sister-in-law….someone I always try to avoid because of her strict personality.

I focused on the food offered to me.

A bread. Some soup which looked more like water with some herbs, and a small piece of meat.

Yeah…we were hella poor.

More so ever since father lost his arm.

Not just in this family but it is sort of a custom here to earn for oneself and one’s family.

A boy is supported by their parents until the age of fourteen before they are forced to work. A girl has to help in household if she couldn’t work outside.

Because of my weak body, I have been depending on my parents solely and my father was somehow managing things…until he lost one arm a year ago and we started to take help of our family members.

When I say help, it’s basically a loan.

In the family, the richest one was my brother, that explains the big pieces of meat and those three loafs of bread on his plate.

“What are ya looking at? Want this?” He said while lifting the bread, “Lick my foot then I might think.”

My eyes turned cold, and for a brief moment, my impulsive self wanted to throw the hot soup on his face.

But then, I held back and started eating my food.

It was bland, to say the least, but I was hungry, so anything would do.

As I chewed on the soft, warm bread, the man of the house finally spoke. “Luke.”

I turned to look at him, my mouth still moving.

He paused before continuing, “You know we have to pay a price every seven days to the chief in order to stay within the tribe, right?”

I nodded in agreement. It was like a tax paid to the chief, and in return, he provided security to the village.

And he was the only Chosen One in the entire village.

“Because of that, every man in this family needs to contribute a certain amount to retain our standing.” He paused, glanced at his elder son, and said, “While Lex and my brother have been helping for a long time, it’s about time you take responsibility for the family.”

Once a person found their mate, they became a separate family. As such, I alone was responsible for my parents.

I sighed. Quite the cruel family customs, and they weren’t unique to this place.

“Luke… I know you’re afraid of the monsters lurking in the forest, but there are other things you can do,” Father continued, his tone carrying both concern and reproach.

I could almost feel my brother snarling at me, along with my mother’s worried gaze.

I had been a burden my entire life, that much was certain. I had wasted the last four years, hiding behind my mother because I was a lazy piece of shit. I couldn’t properly wield a weapon, nor did I have the stamina to help with farming.

Intelligence meant nothing here, or Luke would have been employed by now.

I finished chewing the bread before asking, “It takes eighty tora every seven days to stay in the village, right?”

Tora was the currency of this world, a coin based system.

My father nodded.

I hummed and said, “So I need to earn twenty tora to stay in this house.”

My mother immediately shook her head. “No, child, no one will throw—”

“You got that right!” Lex cut her off. “Earn twenty tora in seven days or get your ass out of this house. Plenty of people live by scavenging. If you can at least steal bread, then do that and stop being a burden.”

Mother glared at him through teary eyes. Caleb kept his head lowered as he ate in silence, while my sister remained indifferent.

Father looked straight at me, possibly in support of my brother’s words.

I hummed in acceptance. “Alright then. I’ll go and look for whatever I can do.”

With that, I stood up and left the house.

Well, there had to be something in this world that even a fragile guy like me could do. Right?

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Well, that’s it for the Chapter. You will need to wait a bit for the smut. Expect some action and more knowledge of the world in the next Chapter.

I will upload the character image here if WN allows me. They are a little risky you see.

Anyway, drop a comment.t

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