Chapter 3: Birth of A Bitter Feeling

----------------------------------------

It was not normal for young girls to be alone. Marissa stood out like a sore thumb, and she knew it.

She had to bear it. The innkeeper, who bore down on her with his judgmental eyes, relented and granted her a room after bickering back and forth.

It had started innocently enough.

“Hello!” she said, injecting false cheerfulness into her voice. “I would like a room.”

The sheer dismissal in his eyes was palpable. “And?”

She flinched. “And, um, I have the money right here.”

His brow raised, “Oho? And where did you get that money from? Did a little pickpocketing, little miss?”

She didn’t understand. “No, I-I didn’t. This money is mine,” Her smile faltered. Why would he assume that?

“Look, missy. I don’t need your money. Girls like you are bad for business.” Marissa felt thoroughly disgusted.

“Girls like me?” The old guy backpedaled slightly. “How vulgar! You want me to say it, don’t you? You know what I mean.”

If it was a normal day, back in her old village, Marissa would probably have bowed her head. She would apologize. Back then, it wasn’t about who was wrong, but how to keep her family’s reputation upright. A lightning strike thundered in her heart.

Honor? Reputation? Protection? What a joke. Marissa was breaking her back, toiling away, all for what? Protecting a family that demeaned her sacrifice every day? What honor lied upholding a degenerate’s reputation? She had just barely calmed down from that betrayal. Focusing on her lengthy travel, she ignored the misery, the hardship, the hunger.

All for some bald-headed pervert to insinuate she was some...!

Marissa narrowed her eyes at him. “No, I don’t. For your information, you are the vulgar one here.”

“W-what did you say...!”

Marissa slammed her hand down his desk. “I haven’t done a single thing wrong. I am a twelve-year-old girl. How dare you insinuate that I’m selling my body. How dare you think that of a child!”

Speechless, the old man simply stared at her, unable to make any coherent sense. "W-well, If you know what I'm talking about, then you're not as childish as you claim. I don't care what you say, this is a respectable establishment..."

Marissa could clearly see the decrepit state of this inn. It was old, maintenance was long overdue, and it was dirty as well. She grit her teeth, willing the fury to subside. It wasn't enough to slander her, but to lie to her face as well...!

"...And I won't have this place tarnished by the likes of some low-level scum such as yourself. Hmph." As he said it, Marissa could tell he was shaking slightly. She directed her glare at him, no longer mindful of keeping the peace. She was done.

"Shut it."

The man spat, "W-what?!"

"I said, shut your mouth. And if you can't, I'll sew it shut myself."

There was nothing more she'd like to do than to jump across the counter and beat this man up, but she was running on fumes and needed rest. That didn't mean she had to take this abuse from a balding sweaty old man spewing filth for no reason.

Eyeing an array of room keys beside him, she snatched one and threw the coins in his face.

He didn't stop her, but that meant nothing to the young girl. He was suspicious, and she wouldn't trust him longer than she could throw him, which wasn't far. But he was her only hope. She would surely die if she camped outside.

Once she made it to the room, Marissa made sure to close the door, lock it, and push a clothes stand by the door. She didn’t trust that old man.

Left alone with her thoughts, the sheer impact of the past three days slammed into her, leaving her reeling.

Marissa learned two things about herself that day - she had a hatred inside that she began to fear. Because at that moment, she could barely stop herself from assaulting that man and beating him to a bloody pulp. She removed her hood with a groan. It had been a tiring day, full of developments...but she dreaded going through them more than anything.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

What had she done? Had she really run away from home? Where would she eat? Where would she sleep? Ghislan was three days away, if she walked without taking a break.

It wasn’t safe for her to continue. There could be bandits, thieves...she might get killed, and no one would care. No one would know. And then, she would prove her father right.

So that was it. She would fail, and they would live happily without answering to their crimes.

Her face hardened.

Her thoughts shifted from Peter Rice to the old innkeeper. Her body trembled with disgust. Who was he to lecture her? What did it matter that she was alone? She had enough money to pay. That was enough. That should be enough!

Marissa clenched her hands. She could do this. She could, couldn’t she? A deep sense of tiredness washed over her.

How maddening. There was nothing she could do.

Thinking such thoughts, the night-time moon loomed over her. Its tender shine lulled her to sleep.

It was a quiet night.

----------------------------------------

The next morning came quickly. Marissa awoke to a banging noise from her window.

At first she was suspected the innkeeper, but then thought against it. Inching closer to the window, she removed the curtain to find a bird banging its beak against the window. She opened the window, and it flew inside. It was a gorgeous little thing. Feathers that were dotted in an exotic yellow shade. Small and adorable, the bird’s head moved from side to side, as if to tell her something. But what? From its talon fell a note. Marissa was thoroughly confused.

She picked it up. It said:

‘Meet me at the town gate. You better not be late.

Hugo Kellner.’

Marissa didn’t know this person, but she figured she might as well check out the mysterious sender. After getting dressed, she ignored her rumbling stomach. It was unlikely that the innkeeper would allow her to eat at the connected restaurant. To call it a restaurant would be generous. It was a lowly hut that sold beer at all hours. It wasn’t a good idea for her to venture there – not when she was so weak. Once again, she cursed her weakness. An indescribable feeling, burning her insides black with misery. Yet at the same time, it gave her determination to change her fate. She could do this.

She hurriedly trudged downstairs and exited the inn with all her belongings on her person. Then, she headed towards the gate.

The longer Marissa stayed in this town, the longer she felt like she had made a horrible mistake. Bugle Town was big enough to attract all kinds of investors and stores, but small enough for the townspeople to notice strangers. Maybe there was a reason why children, no matter their home circumstances, stayed with their parents until marriageable age. That whole morning, Marissa learned a fatal fact.

No establishment would hire her.

She noticed the glances she was receiving from the townspeople - ranging from concerned to judgmental - and she vehemently tried to ignore how lonely she felt. Then again, she knew she had made a good decision. It had been good for her to leave. She had to find a new place to stay - whether that was through a job as a maid, an internship at a store, or through other means, she was ready.

While ruminating on her situation, Marissa arrived at the Town Gate. She was absentmindedly thinking of other things, and thus, she didn’t notice speeding past her mysterious note-sender.

He yelled out to her. “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?!”

Marissa turned back and saw the freckled boy from the day before. He was crossing his arms in annoyance. So, that was his name? Hugo Kellner.

Marissa felt annoyance surge forth. “What do you mean? I’m waiting for someone. I only have their name, so I’m waiting for them to introduce themselves.”

The freckled boy’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Oh? And who are you waiting for?”

His demeanor annoyed her a little, so she decided to mock him.

“Why should I tell you? I don’t even know you, and you were pretty rude the last time we met.”

“Eh? I was rude?! You were the one taking advantage of my adorable sister’s kindness!”

“Um, excuse me? I never asked for your help. If your sister decided to help me, isn’t that on her?”

“How dare you say that about Claudia!”

“What did I say? It’s common logic.”

They had gotten close, those two. Eyebrows furrowed, faces taut with tension. They were glaring at each other, wondering how stupid the other one must be.

Hugo was loud. He was quick to anger, frequently misunderstood, and was overly overprotective of his younger sister. It was a little creepy, actually, to Marissa. She thought he was babying Claudia, who seemed like a sweet girl with a functioning moral compass. In other words, the girl would be fine even without Hugo’s attempts at helping.

This irritated her as well, since she knew what it was like to parent her younger siblings – but while Andrew and Evan needed continuous guidance due to their horrible temper tantrums, Claudia was thoughtful and empathetic. They were not the same.

Making such a fuss about something so unimportant…it really pissed Marissa off. Through gritted teeth, she said: “You don’t like me, and I don’t like you. So why are you even here?”

Hugo scoffed, “You think I want to be here? I wanted to forget our meeting the most! But Claudia spilled the beans to Mother, and she ordered me to give you a tour of the city. ‘Take care of that poor little girl and help her’ Me! Ugh, she can’t be serious! I have a million things more important than this,” he grumbled, not caring that he was right in front of Marissa!

Marissa shot him an unimpressed look as her blood boiled. This little piece of crap!

“Okay. If you really are “so busy”, you can give it a rest.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me, beat it. Leave. I don’t remember ever asking for your help.” Marissa turned and started to walk away, leaving Hugo in disbelief. How could she refuse him? She, wasn’t she broke and starving?

He was even supposed to invite her back home…Feeling embarrassed, but not willing to back down, he spluttered.

“B-but, you’re a foreigner! And you don’t know anything or anybody here!”

Marissa’s barely contained anger slipped out when she said, “And? That’s still better than hanging around you. Go back to your mother’s arms, I have no need or want of you.”

His frown deepened. That girl, she was definitely making fun of him, wasn’t she?

His face reddened. “Is that how you show thanks for a favor?! Insulting me, who’s helping you?”

Marissa felt like someone had dumped fecal waste all over her. She wanted this to end.

“This is ridiculous. You’re tired, you’re inconvenienced? And not just that, by rattling on like that, you’re spitting on your mother’s generosity and your sister’s kindness. As for you, you’re nothing like them. So, do me a giant favor and leave me alone."

Every word was like a knife wound to him. Precise and hurtful. She ended it with a curt, "You don't understand how annoying you are.”

With that, Marissa trekked back to the Inn. She’d be fine, she decided. She would be fine even if no one helped her. After all, it had been a while since someone did. Marissa’s hand combed over Mrs. Cobble’s pendant as she trudged on, ignoring the cries of the boy behind her. It was enough.

“H-hey, stop! That, I- Wait! I’m not finished with you! Wait!”

This was a foundational day in the life of Hugo Kellner – the son of a retired courtesan, the brother of a sickly little girl, and the progeny of an unknown man. He, who had been taken care of since birth by his mother whose profession he never knew. He, who had never witnessed or understood strife, but claimed he did, received a brutal blow to his ego that day.

Shame, regret, hatred and bitterness interlocked. They festered and grew inside his small heart from that day on. And he would later in life regret it, and regret his bond with the knight Marissa. But their story had intertwined them for a long, long time yet.