"Who are you?"

  Sienna was completely frozen. In her hands, she held a package of red dates she had planned to give to Roan. Could she really have come all this way without doing her homework? As soon as Elena moved into this dilapidated little yard, Sienna had started plotting.

  It didn't take long to find out that Roan’s house was right next door.

  Roan had no parents or grandparents, and his home was so poor it barely had a few stools, but he was tall and striking. His skin was a sun-baked bronze, and he had large, wary eyes. Yet, facing a clean, polished girl like Sienna, he didn't show a hint of an inferiority complex.

  Sienna’s curiosity about Roan grew by the second.

  She wasn't the only one. The girls back at the barracks loved to gossip about him. During the day, they discussed his startling good looks; at night, before bed, they discussed his physique.

  Someone claimed to have seen Roan bathing by the river—broad shoulders, sturdy arms and thighs, well-proportioned chest and abs, a long, lean body without a trace of fat. Another whispered that he bathed completely naked! Someone else countered that he actually wore flesh-colored, skin-tight underwear.

  Ugh... recalling these rumors, Sienna felt a flutter of excitement.

  And today, meeting him on the road—would he smile at her?

  Sienna had been beautiful since she was a child. Although her biological parents were ordinary and Octavia hadn't inherited any particularly outstanding features, the dragon-and-phoenix twins, Leon and Elena, and Sienna herself had all grown up picking the best of their parents' genes. All three were stunning.

  Sienna had her mother’s high nose bridge, rosy lips, and delicate chin. She had peach-leaf eyes and a face like a mix of an apple and a pear that flushed slightly when she smiled.

  Sienna decided to use that exact smile on Roan.

  She had practiced this smile in the mirror countless times and used it on many boys she liked; it worked every single time. This smile had brought her many perks—boys her age in the community would coax her, she’d get a share of every treat, and whenever she threw a tantrum, someone was always there to soothe her. Boys two or three years older were even more obsessed, sometimes blocking the classroom door just to wait to walk her home.

  This memory fueled her confidence. She was now convinced she was clever—Elena and Roan probably had some improper private relationship.

  Hmph, moving house is definitely just an excuse!

  Elena, oh Elena, why don't you just move in with Roan? Why pretend to move into a haunted house? I bet Roan crawls into your room in the middle of the night.

  Shameless!

  Sienna resolved to ruin Elena’s good thing. She would make Roan notice her obsessively, making him treat her well right in front of Elena’s face.

  But as Roan walked toward her, Sienna actually stuttered for the first time. "I..." The thousand-word script she had prepared in her head came out as a single syllable.

  Roan treated her like she was made of glass. He bypassed her, head held high, and walked right past.

  "I'm going to explode!" Sienna didn't even dare to look back, terrified that Elena was watching and laughing at her.

  Wait, did Roan frown when he saw me? What does that mean? Does he think he's special just because he’s handsome? There are plenty of handsome men! Does he think his looks give him the right to look down on me?

  Hateful!

  Sienna bit her lip and stomped her foot, but she lacked the courage to chase after him. Looking at the red dates in her hand, she wanted to throw them all away. She had even specially picked out the largest ones before coming.

  And for what? Roan didn't even appreciate it!

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  Watching Sienna stomp off in a huff, Lucy looked shocked, her mouth hanging open for a long time before she could find her voice. "What was Sienna trying to do? Does she like Roan? She’s certainly bold."

  Bold was an understatement. This was a place under military management. For a man and woman to date, they needed the battalion commander's permission.

  After nearly a decade of war, some veteran couples held different political views or supported different factions and were separated by borders. Those married veterans were allowed to date and remarry.

  Others had wives and children back home, but because war had caused lost records, it was hard to tell if someone was committing bigamy. Such cases were handled strictly.

  The Beldora camp had already punished over twenty people for bigamy-related issues. Of course, if a soldier could prove their spouse was dead or had remarried on their own, it was a different story. But if a soldier was involved in such a scandal, even the commander of the Beldora district would face punishment.

  In short, dating in the camp was almost a taboo.

  So for Sienna to randomly block Roan’s path and try to give him a gift?

  Who knew what was going on in her head? If she and Roan liked each other, it wouldn't be so bad; they were both single, and a report to the commander might be approved. But Roan didn't even know her, and she acted like that—it was embarrassing. And Roan had rejected her without hiding his distaste.

  Heh... Sienna, the desperate one, Lucy thought, finding the whole thing more amusing the more she considered it.

  "Her courage has never been small. Ignore her," Elena said. "Tonight we’re having red date porridge. It's a high-grade tonic." Elena didn't care what Sienna was thinking; it was none of her business.

  Lucy’s attention snapped back. She nodded heavily. "The most important thing is saving grain. We need a plan for our meals, or what will we do if we run out?"

  Lucy didn't mind being hungry, but it would be bad if Elena missed meals. Elena’s body was so frail.

  She didn't know why, but even though Elena looked weak, she was incredibly decisive. She was nothing like the Elena Lucy knew in school, who would just hide and cry when bullied.

  Why did she change?

  Honest Lucy couldn't understand the cause and effect, but she knew Elena was still good to her, so she stopped overthinking.

  "Don't busy yourself, go cook. I'll finish the rest," Lucy urged, pushing Elena along.

  Compared to cooking, clearing the vegetable garden was definitely more exhausting. The weeds here had roots buried deep in the mud; just pulling them could turn one's hands red, not to mention the various bugs crawling through the grass. Elena wanted to do more—Lucy had already cleared a patch while Elena was out running this morning—but Lucy refused, insisted on driving her to the kitchen.

  The dates Sienna brought weren't many, but they were plenty for two pots of porridge. Elena also happened to have two blocks of brown sugar in her luggage.

  Brown sugar and red date porridge could turn a pale woman’s face rosy if eaten often enough. Lucy had heard that wealthy people ate like this, but she had never tasted it.

  There was a shop in Beldora that specialized in clay pots—something almost every household needed. They shouldn't be expensive. Elena planned to pick a few up when she had a free moment. She had bought them in her past life, but in this life, she couldn't act like she knew the way; she’d have to find someone to lead her.

  While Elena pondered how to make her life more comfortable, Sienna pondered how to get Roan’s attention. She had her pride; after having her dignity stepped on, she’d be fuming until she got her revenge.