2 Days Prior

Tears threatened to spill from Irene's eyes.

"Breathe," she murmured to herself, the edges of her nose crinkling while her teeth clung to one another as if afraid of the words they might release. Summoning every ounce of strength, she hoisted her spirits up, pushing the tears deep down and shaking her head until she almost completely dispelled the pain from seeing Joey kiss another woman.

The ludicrous defense Joey had offered, blaming Flaminia for the stolen kiss, hung in the air like rotten fruit—unwanted, intrusive, and leaving behind a bitter taste. Irene sped up, the cobblestones beneath her resonating with determination as she approached the Three Roses.

She hoped no one would bother her, but it had been wishful thinking since the day she let people there know she had been dating Joey.

"Irene!" A voice, as shrill as a jay's cry and impossible to ignore, came from the pint-sized dynamo that was Camilla, the youngest owner of the Three Roses. "How's it going with Joey?!"

Might as well nip this bud before it flowers, Irene mused as she caught sight of the hyperactive Elf hopping on the balls of her feet with unabashed curiosity.

"Well, Camilla…" Irene briefly explained what had happened.

"It just wasn't meant to blossom," Irene added at the end.

Camilla trembled on the spot, her fists balled.

"What?! That slut!" She hissed.

"Listen—" Irene felt the kind of tiredness brought forth by exhausting events and just wanted to get to work, but Camilla started barking insults.

"Joey said Flaminia kissed him?! Why didn't you stop to ask questions?! What if he told the truth?!"

"So what?" Irene snapped back. "The big, bad Human couldn't push Flaminia back? Do I look that green-eared, Camilla?"

Camilla's eyelids twitched.

"Irene, take your molded brain to that man and ask him what's going on," Camilla fumed.

"Rot in a ditch, Camilla," Irene said, beside herself. "I am done with all this. Stop squeezing your ears into other people's business. I have work to do."

Before Irene could walk away, Camilla growled in a low voice.

"Go home and clean your head," the short Elf said, "I don't need useless employees today."

Before Irene could reply, Camilla had already stormed out of the bakery.

…

Fidatus was sleeping soundly, and Anatolia was out buying paints for her pots.

Irene sat at their kitchen table, restless. She still couldn't believe Camilla had actually forced her to go home—and why would she do that anyway?

Irene had always been a stellar employee, not only high-leveled but also reliable. She had been the only employee ever to get the privilege to partake in the decisions of the bakery alongside the Saturnia sisters.

Then again, why did she feel like the least important piece in that place? Why did she feel like if she disappeared into the night one day, everything would be the exact same, and nothing would change for her employers?

They had never worked together, but clearly, Camilla regarded Joey's possible collaboration with the bakery much more than she appreciated all the work Irene had done for her.

Ungrateful bitch, Irene felt her blood boil. She knew she had a temper, but with all the expenses her family had, she could not afford just to leave a job on a whim and try her fortune somewhere else.

She eyed a drawer in the kitchen — the one drawer only she had a key to. There…

She shook her head.

No.

Fidatus needed money to survive, and she had promised Plinius that she would help him pay off his debt. However, now that he was about to become a [Captain], there was a big chance that his debt would only increase instead of becoming smaller.

"Rotten roots," she swore, frustrated.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

She really felt like going back to the Three Roses and punching Camilla straight in the nose. That little neurotic goblin had really gone too far this time.

I can't lose my job, Irene told herself to avoid giving in to her instincts. They need me.

As she was nursing these thoughts, she heard a knock on the door, and the wooden frame creaked open around its hinges.

Irene saw Plinius’s figure slowly enter the house.

"What are you doing here?" Irene asked with a frown.

"I think we should talk," Plinius said with a slight smile on his face.

Irene, familiar with her little brother, already knew he had done something and was more than satisfied with himself.

"Talk?" Irene raised an eyebrow, feeling anger mounting in her chest. "Talk about what?"

"Listen, Irene, I know you think Humans are good," Plinius said with a condescending tone. "But I've fought Humans. They are a scourge. Listen, why don't you get up so we can go for a walk? Maybe we can ask Fidatus as well—he needs some sun."

"You have no idea what your brother needs, Plinius," Irene spat back. "What are you doing here?"

"This is my house too," Plinius retorted, getting upset.

"Is it? You are not paying for it. You are barely paying for anything, not even your own debt. This is my house, and it follows my rules. So, spit out whatever you came here to gloat about."

"I—I," Plinius stammered.

"You what? You’ve prepared some tales on how Humans are bad and they all deserve to die? What's up, Plinius? Do you dream of Humans in your sleep too? Do you want me to hold your hand like when you were a little kid?"

Plinius reddened at that but used his anger to push through it.

"Humans are a damn scourge and the reason our parents are dead!" Plinius roared.

"Are they?" Irene took on a manic smile. "Are they really? Our parents are dead because they had four children they couldn't take care of and needed to make money for their family. When they died full of debt in another stupid skirmish, we almost ended up on the street, Plinius. It's almost like the military killed them."

"How do you dare?!" Plinius shouted. "Humans killed our parents, and you think it was the military?! The military fed us! The military feeds me!"

"You could have become many things, Plinius. You could just work hard and pay off your debt and find another job," Irene shook her head. "I've always told you I didn't want you to become a [Soldier]. You are going to die a miserable death just like our parents."

"Miserable?! I am going to become a [Captain]! You have no idea what kind of life is expecting me!"

Irene was now feeling sad, not angry. Her little brother was still childish—he was yet another failure in her life. Their parents had indeed died because they did not have money, but she had also omitted a very important part, something that had weighed on her since she was barely a teenager.

Plinius, now, seeing that her older sister was ignoring his outburst, needed something to grab her attention, to hurt her with. And he had just the right thing.

"Oh, and by the way, the little worm in Amorium will soon be purged, and we can all go back to our normal lives."

Irene’s head was facing away, but she snapped it back to look at Plinius, falling into the provocation head-first.

"What?"

"The worm, Irene. My [Corporal] had him accept a Military Duel. You know how those work, right? So many people die because they can't give up in time. Oh, and even if he didn’t die, he's agreed to leave Amorium forever in case he loses. It's a pity that a Human who can do some magic didn't know that Military Duels are a tradition that relies on physicality only, isn't it?"

"You…" Irene's face paled for a second before reddening as she got up, like when a hurricane suddenly materializes out of scattered winds. "You want Joey dead?"

"Joey?" Plinius frowned. "You know the worm’s name?"

"The worm is my boyfriend! I have kissed him too!" Irene had kept the tone of her voice low not to disturb Fidatus until now, but she decided to erupt. "You little, pathetic loser! Get out! Out!"

"What?" Plinius looked at a loss for words, not understanding what his sister was saying.

"OUT! I WANT YOU OUT OF THIS HOUSE AND OUT OF MY LIFE!" Irene shouted, going up to Plinius and pushing him with all her strength.

"You… the Human…" Plinius’s brain was clearly molding in real-time.

"Yes! Me and the Human! Now, get out before I call the Watch! You are not welcome in this house anymore, you bastard! We are done, Plinius, done! Go die in a ditch like our parents and choke to death on your stupid class!"

Irene pushed Plinius out of the house and slammed the door in his face.

Throughout the whole fight, Plinius had barely said a word, not able to process what his sister was telling him. He knew it to be true for some reason—he had a clear sense that Irene wasn't lying even if he didn't have a truth-stone on him.

And deep in his heart, an inextricable sense of unease started bubbling.

…

Irene, huffing and panting, kicked a chair upside down, shouting in frustration.

Fucking animals! Why?!

She knew the military all too well. She had been born into a military family, and her brother was climbing their ranks now. She knew for a fact that Plinius's underling would try to kill the Human as fast as possible, without giving him a chance to surrender.

Rotten bastards! She fumed, but then, she caught herself. Boyfriend? We are not together.

Confused, she picked up the chair and sat down. She couldn’t make complete sense of what she had said.

"Am I going crazy?" She whispered.

No, I can't deal with Plinius anymore. I can't. He's too far gone. I can't do anything for him anymore.

Perhaps, she had been worried about her family for too long. Perhaps, it was time to, for once, worry only about herself.

There was nothing she could do for Joey now other than pray that he would be smart enough to give up immediately. However, she could take that one thing he had left her and maybe make something out of it.

Irene fished a key out of her pocket and went to open the drawer in the kitchen.

As the lock was pried open, she thought of Flaminia, one of the best [Bakers] in all Amorium. She had known of her, her laziness, and her ambition since she was a little girl. A part of her intense hate for the pink-haired [Chef] was now tempered by thinking of what the woman had achieved by herself.

I need to look after myself, Irene stared into the drawer.

Inside, a few pieces of chocolate lay atop a cheap cooling rune.

She thought of her future, her current employment, and her family. And a million other things.

But she still decided to go forward with her idea.

"It's time to study," Irene said, picking up the chocolate treats from the drawer.