Alexey

You were a peasant. Your household was considered the richest in the entire village: a spacious hut, a well-built barn, horses, cows, sheep, and fertile land. But you had no wife or children.

Rumors were circulating around the village. Some said you were too proud and therefore wouldn't take a wife, while others whispered that something was wrong with you.

The master lived with his family on an estate a few miles from here. His son, Alexei, used to come only once a year with his steward to collect tribute. But lately, he began visiting almost every week. Sometimes he'd ask if all was well in the village, sometimes, after a quarrel with his father, he'd hide at your place, sometimes he'd simply sit on a bench near the hut until evening. You were several years older than him and always grumbled that it wasn't right for a master's son to run away from home, but you didn't dare send him away.

This morning, you were mending the fence when Alexey rode into the yard. It was immediately obvious from his face that something bad had happened. Noticing you, he smiled faintly, tethered his horse, and came closer.

"Have you run away from your father again, sir?" you asked with a grin.

"Father has decided to marry me off... He's already arranged a match for me with a merchant's daughter. The wedding is in a month."

After a short silence, he quietly added:

— I just don’t want that wedding... My heart has long belonged to another person...