Somewhere in Escondido, where the fields are located, a middle-aged man is riding his bullock cart and urging his cow to go faster. If he could, he wants the cow to fly just to reach his house.
When he reached his house, he jumps from his bullock cart. And he almost lost his footing and fell down, but he didn't mind and continued running inside the house. "Greta!" the man shouted when he reached the door of his house.
At this time. Most of the women in the village are cooking, so a woman named Greta is currently in the kitchen and cooking when she heard her husband shouting from the outside. She immediately runs toward the door with the spatula in their hand, fearing that something dreadful happened to her husband. At the door, his husband is panting, and there is sweat all over his face and forehead. When Greta saw this, she becomes nervous and runs towards her husband. "What happened to you?" she hurriedly asks her husband. "Lena, quick get a glass of water for your father!" she called their daughter, who is already at the door of her room when she heard her father shouted. "Yes," Lena answered and nodded, then run to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
Greta supported her husband to a chair, and she asks again. "What happened to you? Why are you like this?" At this time, Lena already went back from the kitchen with a glass of water and handed it to her father.
"I..." Julian tried to speak, but unfortunately, he runs too fast, and he's having a hard time to breath at the moment and still catching his breath.
"Drink the water first," Greta urge her husband. Julian nodded and drink the water and take a deep breath, and tried to relax.
"Father, why are you so excited that you've become like this?" Lena ask. She saw his father's states when he came home and when she sees that her father is alright and able to speak she didn't hesitate to ask this question. She's too curious to know why her father is acting like this.
Julian looks at his daughter and then to his wife, whose nervously looking at him and waiting for him to speak. He faces his wife and grasps her hand. "At the gate, I saw him," he excitedly said and continued when he saw the puzzled look of his wife and daughter, and he smiles, "At the gate this morning, I saw Ren! I saw your brother!"
"Really? His here? You saw him?" Greta is so shocked that she gasp, hand on her chest, and she stood up with her knowing. She's so excited and happy to know that Ren is here in the village. It's been a long time since. She last saw him. Even though they left him at the palace, Ren is still her eldest son that she took care of since he was a child.
"Then where is he? Is he with you? Is he outside? Why isn't he coming inside?" Greta said and is about to walk outside to see Ren but was stop by Julian.
"Greta, relax you, sit down first," Julian pulled his wife to sit. "I just saw him from afar. There are soldiers around him. I can't go near him,"
"Why is he here?" Lena cut in with a displeased tone in her voice and a slight frown on her face before Greta could ask.
She did share the same enthusiasm as her parents. Lena is the eldest daughter of the couple. Since they were young, she didn't like her elder brother, who's one year older than her. Ren will always be the sensible child and good-hearted. Although their mother always scolded him every day and their father will bring him to work. She knew that her elder brother is loved by their parents.
When Ren was still with them, he always wears clean clothes, and he didn't even wash his own clothes. It was their mother who will be the one to wash them. Sometimes her mother will ask her to wash their clothes. When she disagrees her mother will scold her. But he will never ask Ren to do these chores. There's one time that she asks her mother for a hairpin, but her mother refuses and said that there's not much money in the house and that they need to save it. A week after that, father went home with new boots for her elder brother. She knew that her brother's shoes are fine and not broken yet, but her father still spend so much money on that shoes because it was his brother's birthday. She felt aggrieved after this and hated Ren so much. She even hated him when their parents choose Ren to send in the palace to serve, and she even secretly wishes that she become a lowly slave in the palace and die.
And now that their life is getting better in this village. Everyone praises her for being pretty and a good girl. Some of the wealthy young men in this village are trying to get her attention. She's actually living a life that no Ren is blocking her, and now he's back! She is not happy to hear it, and she will not be reconciled. She caught up to her father that there are soldiers around him she lowered her head and sneered.
When she lifted he head she gasp, and her eyes went big as if she was shocked and worried, "Is brother being caught by the soldiers? Did he escape from the palace and they bring him back to us, or is he being punished and he wants to implicate us," she said sounding worried.
When Greta heard this, he clutches her husband's hands nervously, and tears starting to come out of her eyes. "Julian, our son did they caught him? We need to save our son Julian,"
"What nonsense are you talking about, you stupid girl! Let me finish first before you had these horrible ideas! Watch your word, someone might hear you, and it will not be good for us! And don't make your mother worried," Julian scolded his daughter and rub his wife back to calm her.
He lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry, it doesn't look like what your daughter said. Actually, Ren is with the King's entourage, and the soldiers are around him to protect them and the King. In the looks of it, I think Ren is being taken care of. He doesn't look like a servant. He even has his own horse, and he's riding beside the Prince and the other confidants of the King."
The heavy feeling in Greta's heart loosens after hearing this. Knowing that his Ren is safe and living a good life at the palace made her heart relax. This thing became a burden in her heart when she left Ren in the palace.
Looking at the relieved face of his wife, Julian feels happy too. He knows that his wife always thinks about their eldest son and his the same. He always feels frustrated when he sees the sad face of his wife, and he sometimes hears his wife's cries at night, praying for the safety of their eldest son. He sometimes wants to go to the capital to see Ren. But by doing this, he may cause danger for his family and have to grind his teeth and pray for the safety of their eldest son.
Hearing that Ren is with the King's entourage and he is beside the Prince. Lena becomes more annoyed, and if anyone could see her eyes right now, they will know that this soft girl is full of hatred in her heart.
The husband and wife didn't notice the action of their good daughter and continued talking to each other. They both went to the kitchen to prepare to eat.