"Pshh.. Hey .. Isa, wake up."
A soft voice spoke, waking up Isabelle who was still asleep.
".. Hmm … yes"
Isabelle replied, opening her eyes.
"I should go and start preparing breakfast, could you fetch some bread?"
Fre, her foster mother, told her, slowly standing up with a lovely smile.
"... Wait, I could do that ! you don't have to worry !"
Isabelle interjected.
"My, my. Don't worry, just go and get the bread. I will handle it."
Fre replied, comforting with another smile before leaving her room.
After last night's events, Fre had been comforting Isabelle in her room until she fell asleep. Isabelle cried the whole night about lying to her foster parents. Fre decided to stay with her until she calmed down.
With a quick wash-up, Isabelle left the inn and went to the bakery where she used to work at.
"... Good morning, Mr. Rot and Mrs. Rosa?"
Isabelle greeted the owners.
"Oh my, Isa, you're early today! The bread has just been freshly baked,"
Mrs. Rot replied, holding a batch of warm bread straight from the oven.
"Are you having the usual ?"
Mrs. Rosa asked her, packing 5 pandemain bread into a paper bag.
"Yes please."
Isabelle replied.
"Isa, good morning!"
A girl's voice called from the back of the shop as she walked slowly towards Isabelle.
"Good morning, Lisa. Don't you have school today?"
Isabelle greeted her, asking about her school.
"I do, but I still love to help out here. I enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread. Hehe,"
Lisa replied, sorting bread into a basket.
"... Hmmm... don't you go on an adventure today?"
Isabelle asked hesitantly.
"... Not today, but my brother does!"
Lisa replied, continuing with her chores.
"... Where is your brother then?"
Isabelle asked shyly.
"That good-for-nothing is still sleeping after drinking last night!"
Lisa said, gesturing with an annoyed expression.
"Don't talk ill about him like that!"
Isabelle shouted.
"It's funny that you hated all men except my brother, is it because of that time ?"
Lisa muttered, sorting another basket of bread.
"... Yes .. "
Isabelle replied softly.
The reason Isabelle hated men was not truly hate, but a deep-seated fear from a traumatic experience she went through when she was 14.
When Isabelle was born, her mother passed away during labor. She was left to live with her abusive and drug-addicted father in the countryside. When she was 8, her father decided to relocate to the city in hopes of making a living, but his addiction only worsened. Eventually, he abandoned Isabelle in one of the inns that they stayed in, where Rue and Fre took her in like their own daughter.
She was sad and depressed, but Rue and Fre looked after her and raised her, even though the two didn't make much money at the time. They even let her go to school and provided her with everything she needed, just like their real daughter.
At that time, she met Lisa at school, and the two became best friends. Isabelle matured quickly due to the circumstances of her foster parents. When she was 11, she asked Lisa's parents for work because they operated a bakery shop.
However, when she was 13, her father returned out of nowhere and dragged her away after she finished her shift. As Isabelle had grown into a beautiful girl, her father wanted to sell her and use the money to buy more drugs and gamble.
She then found herself in a dark place surrounded by furious men. As she tried to escape, they hit and abused her. Luckily, just as the agreement was about to be finalized, Bart, Lisa's older brother, and his party burst in and rescued her.
Lisa had noticed something was wrong when Isabelle left work that day. Her mother had asked Lisa to deliver some fresh bread to Isabelle, and as she was about to reach her, she saw a strange man approach Isabelle. Sensing danger, she tailed them to their location and later informed Bart when he returned home.
Isabelle's father quickly escaped with the money without signing the contract. He was later killed by the gang. Isabelle thought that her life would be free from her father, but little did she know, after the rescue, the gang would visit her foster parents' inn, demanding repayment for the debt that her father had accumulated.
It was a lot of money, and Isabelle fell to her knees when she heard the amount. Her foster parents decided to help her pay off the debt. From that day, the fear and hatred toward men grew inside Isabelle.
"You like my brother that much?"
Lisa asked, her face expressionless.
"... Ehh .. stop that … it's embarrassing"
Isabelle replied, her face reddening.
"You do know that he only looks at you the same way he looks at me, right?"
Lisa continued, wiping the tray.
"... I know, but... one day I want him to see me as a woman,"
Isabelle muttered, looking down at the bread.
Bart always considered Isabelle as his second sister because she was close to his younger sister and his family. He never developed any romantic interest in Isabelle, seeing her purely as a sibling. On the other hand, Isabelle felt comforted by him and liked him ever since the day he rescued her.
"You won't beat your senior, hahaha,"
Lisa spat out, accompanied by a laugh.
"... Ms. Via..."
Isabelle muttered softly.
"Don't worry about it, I'll be rooting for you! Oh yeah, did I tell you about yesterday?"
Lisa asked, preparing another basket of bread.
"Yesterday?"
Isabelle asked, wondering about it.
"Yeah, yesterday I was saved by a strange guy while testing my spell at Silvershade Forest with my brother,"
Lisa began, as Isabelle nodded, listening intently.
"He said he lost his memory, so my brother decided to pay and let him rest at your inn,"
Lisa continued.
"At my inn? Wait, is he around our age with black hair?"
Isabelle quickly asked.
"You already met him ?"
Lisa asked with a surprise.
"..Emm .. I think I better go, see you later Lisa and everyone !"
Isabelle suddenly said, hurrying off.
"What's wrong with that girl? Anyway, I better wash up and go to school. I heard some important people are coming from the neighboring country today,"
Lisa thought to herself before finishing her chores.
===
"Oh god, I totally forgot about last night. That guy was helping us. I didn't express my gratitude to him, and I even treated him harshly at the guild. I better apologize and thank him properly,"
Isabelle thought to herself as she rushed back to the inn.
When she reached the inn, she heard a loud noise coming from inside.
"YOU RASCAL!"
A male voice shouted.