"Shyam?"
A voice came from behind.
"Oh, Pallabi. Hi."
It was Pallabi. Shyam was surprised to see her.
"Hi," Pallabi said and sat down beside him.
"You're here early, why is that?" she asked.
"Well, I had nothing else to do, and I'll depart tomorrow. Thought I'd take a break," Shyam said as he picked up a stone and threw it into the river.
Five bounces.
"Is that so? Well then, I have to go help them out. The ceremony will start in just a few hours right after the sun sets. Make sure to be ready!" Pallabi said as she ran off to help the villagers.
Shyam, on the other hand, lay down on that big rock and decided to take a good nap. He had been reincarnated just two days ago, yet somehow, he felt like this world was where he belonged.
He could do anything he wanted now—no responsibilities or unwanted tensions.
Though he did miss his family a lot, especially whenever he was alone.
Which meant almost all the time.
And he still wished this was a dream and would end soon.
But reality hits hard when you realize it.
> Somewhere far away from Shyam <
"Should I tell him today?" Pallabi whispered as she put down the water bucket she had been carrying.
Ever since that day when Shyam saved her and made her believe in herself, she had felt something deep for him.
Something that made her heart race and mind go blank.
She herself didn't know what this feeling was. But she wanted to feel it more, stay with Shyam, and see the world with him. That's why she wanted to ask him tonight, after the ceremony.
"No, Shyam! Don't touch me there—ahhh!" she said while making somewhat naughty thoughts about being with Shyam.
Completely inappropriate.
HENTAI!
Shyam, still completely unaware of Pallabi's inappropriate thoughts, was in deep sleep above the comforting rock he had found.
Suddenly, having a cough, he whispered,
"Is my family remembering me? But the Yamdut said they were dead, right?"
And just like that, the sun soon backed off into a corner and the moon won the battle of the night.
Shyam woke up and was instantly surprised to see Pallabi sitting right next to him, making a flower sculpture out of wood.
Her hands were steady and precise, and her eyes only focused on what she did.
She wore a red dress, snow-white shoes, and had her hair tied back. Her light brown skin shined under the moonlight.
She looked as beautiful as she could be.
Seeing Shyam wake up, she instantly said,
"Did I wake you?"
"Oh, no. I'm just done napping. Has the ceremony started?" he said and sat down beside her.
She looked beautifully gorgeous, yes,
but Shyam had a wife and a kid—even if it was in another life.
"No, but it will in just a moment," she replied and put down her sculpture.
Suddenly, a voice of an old man called out for her,
"Pallabi! Come here, we have the offerings ready!"
He wore a white choga with an orange dhoti in Bengali king's style.
He looked like the highest authority in the entire village in that outfit.
"Coming, Dad!" Pallabi said and started walking towards the man.
"Wanna see it together, Shyam?" Pallabi asked, looking at Shyam with an undeniable face.
Shyam followed her with a,
"Sure."
"As the new lord of this village, my daughter Pallabi will do the honor of placing the first flower of the Blue Bloom Ceremony,"
the old man announced, his voice reaching to the far end of the entire crowd.
Shyam stood in silence, a little shocked.
"Lord of this village?" Shyam whispered.
"Yes, my dad is the current lord of this village.
But from now on, I'll have to take the responsibility.
That means no adventuring for me anymore, huh..."
she said.
Pure sadness and regret could be heard in her innocent voice.
Shyam knew this feeling—
when he had just graduated, his dad, Devprakash, also tried to make him the next owner of his business.
But Devprakash agreed to let him go once Shyam told him that he could provide for the family even without the business.
And he did.
But the way she spoke, it seemed she had tried her best to decline becoming the village lord—
but was forcibly put in this position.
Pallabi took the blue flower from Buddhadev Nilgram, the current lord of the village, and placed it in the silent river water to wave freely with the stream.
Just after she touched the water with the flower, hundreds more blue flowers came up from below the surface.
They sparkled with blue glimmers and glowed under the perfect moonlight.
It was the most beautiful scenery Shyam had ever witnessed.
Somehow, even though no music was played, Shyam could hear a soft, soothing sound coming from the flowers.
Shyam looked toward Pallabi.
She had tears in her eyes that she barely held on to.
She picked up one of the blue blooming flowers and put it in a pod—probably for the next ceremony.
After that, many people started putting blue flowers into the river and picked up a blue blooming flower in exchange.
Many left food, treasure, money, items, and so on.
And finally, when everyone was done with their offerings, Buddhadev Nilgram announced:
"From this moment onwards, Pallabi, my daughter, will be Pallabi Nilgram and the new lord."
Just as he said that, the entire village people started shouting—probably in excitement.
They drank wine, danced to music, and so on.
Shyam walked a little farther from the crowd and sat down on a rock again.
"Should I try to speak with her dad?" Shyam whispered.
He didn't want to interfere with their traditions and stuff.
But the way Pallabi smiled even in pain reminded him of the time when he couldn't say a single word seeing his little brother get married without his permission.
A funny example indeed.
"You shouldn't. Doing so will interfere with the planned timeline and potentially lead to world break,"
Raitha replied through his mind.
"What do you mean?" Shyam asked, surprised that this small action could potentially break the timeline.
And what does that even mean?
Raitha then explained the world rule properly.
"This timeline was created by one of the 33 koti Bhagwans. And everything that happens has been planned from the start.
Making Pallabi an adventurer again and removing her from her position as village lord will mess with the planned future.
And can cause intense damage to the world-building.
So, I recommend you let things stay as they are and try not to interfere, Master Shyam."
After hearing that, Shyam took a deep breath and let it all out as if trying to throw the tension out the window—
WITHOUT ANY WINDOW? DAMN...
"I guess it can't be helped, huh?" Shyam said and closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a touch on the shoulder from behind—
He felt it.
"Aren't you going to drink?"
It was Pallabi.
She didn't have much to do after the ceremony,
but from tomorrow, she would have to take responsibility for the entire village, its people, and herself.
A heavy weight indeed.
"I don't drink," Shyam said—
which was, of course, a lie.
He used to drink alcohol. Not a fan of wine.
"Anyway, congrats, Miss Pallabi," Shyam said in a teasing way.
"Not you too.
So, Kamalgram from tomorrow then?" Pallabi said as she took a sip from the jug of wine she held.
"Yes.
Though, your dad being the lord was a bit of a surprise to me.
Explains why Arna calls you 'Miss.'"
"Yeah, I'm sorry I hid that.
I didn't want you to treat me as a VIP as well."
Pallabi's face turned red as she looked at Shyam—
not as a friend, but as one whom even I, as the author, cannot describe.
"Shyam, I want you to know that...
I had feelings for you. I still do.
But I don't want to hold you back for me.
Please become someone you can be proud of.
If we meet again, you better be an A-rank adventurer," said Pallabi.
Her fingers slipped on the jug's sides.
She put the jug down and suddenly hugged Shyam hard enough to almost break his bones.
But he managed!
Her hands softened as she pulled away and started crying.
The tears she held back so harshly had made their way out.
She tried to dry them, but couldn't.
"It's okay. Let it out.
And I promise—next time, you'll see me as an A-rank adventurer," Shyam said and patted Pallabi's head like a father patting his child.
Pallabi cried a lot—
more than a kid who hadn't gotten their favorite toy.
For a moment, they didn't say anything else.
They stayed just like that—
the blue blooming flowers reflected on Pallabi's face, making her look more and more beautiful.
More than she ever was.
Her sharp eyes now held sorrow and pain.
Shyam barely slept that night after getting back.
The entire time he thought only about how soft her boo—
SHE HAD A WIFE, AUTHOR!