Isabelle sighed dejected.
The teen in front of her tried his best to look back at her, but their positions did not allow it. Whenever he moved, she poked at him and returned him to the original position. Although she was focused on her work, from time to time, a sigh would escape her lips. Finally, after sighing yet again, the teen inquired, "Is something wrong?".
Isabelle hummed, a pin in her mouth. Once she put the last pin to join the sleeve with the torso part, she spoke: "I think I made a big mistake."
"You've been sayin' that for a couple of days now." He rose an eyebrow in askance, staying still as Isabelle pulled at the fabric, looking for places that needed to be pinned up on his shirt.
The pants were easy to sew. It was the shirt that was still giving Isabelle a headache. Not because she did not know how to sew one, but because of the design. The original idea, when tried on Felix for the first time, left her unsatisfied. So, she has been trying to change the design into something that she could be proud of.
Not only was this conundrum the reason for her sighing.
"Because I have to convince myself it is a mistake." Isabelle huffed.
Felix frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Why's it a mistake when you've earned a lot of money?" He returned. And it truly was a lot of money in his opinion.
100 coins!
When the brothers had returned from the plot, they found Isabelle sitting at the table and staring at a pile of coins. Worried, they asked her if something was wrong. They thought she was counting her money and found something amiss. Maybe a part had been lost? In reply of their question, she just cursed the Commissioner and venomously glared at the coins in front of her.
Confused, the brothers basically interrogated Isabelle then and there. What did the Commissioner need? Had he threatened her? Was she in trouble? Why was she staring at the money as if it had deeply offended her? Did she need help in anything? Did they have to move out of the village or the country?
Before the barrage of questions, Isabelle slowly recounted her conversation with the Commissioner and what he had asked of her. The money she was glaring at was just to buy materials; nothing more, nothing less. Still, the four of them looked at the coins with different feelings and thoughts. There was only one thing they coincided with: the situation was a bit troubling.
And, to make things worse, some villagers came asking around who the persons in the carriage had been and what they were doing in their house.
There was no way they would easily share the fact that the Commissioner and his daughter had visited them because they hired Isabelle. Who knew what wild gossiping would fly around? Something unsavory for sure.
The pair sure were trouble for a humble and simply family like the Edris. Sadly, the troublesome pair paid well. Isabelle did not want to say she succumbed to money – when that was what actually happened with the Commissioner. They were not impoverished and destitute, she reasoned with herself after the matter, but they did need money to invest on the new plot of land.
They needed money to make a shed, to buy new vegetables, to buy a cow, to fix the house…
We need money for everything!
So, Isabelle got to the conclusion – and convinced herself – that she could not completely reject the order. Especially, when she was thinking of quitting her job at Mrs. Priddy's workshop. Not when the business with Mrs. Attile had yet to take off. And, not when money was always good to have in case of emergencies.
"Money is not the problem. The people who gave me the money are." Isabelle replied to Felix's question. "The more I get involved with them, the faster problems will appear."
"But, why?" He frowned. She gestured at him to take the shirt off to start sewing the modifications she marked, finally finding a design she was pleased with.
"Well…" Actually, Isabelle could not expound how she inherently knew that well-off people were hard to deal with. They were like the flu; easy to catch, hard to get rid of. It was best to look at them from afar. "Let us hope I am just thinking negatively, and that nothing happens in the future." She half-smiled at him, avoiding the question, not wanting for the teen to live in unwarranted paranoia like her.
Felix blinked and slowly nodded, totally unconvinced but not wanting to pursue the matter any longer. Isabelle sounded like she knew what she was talking about. And, although it was infuriating that he was still being treated as an ignorant child, he also trusted Isabelle.
Luckily, the days went by normally.
The brothers finally finished the bamboo fence, not only around the new land, but at the front of the house, too. They also placed the traps between the house and the plot they had agreed on. Ethan kept going to work from mid-morning until late at night. Felix fully returned to doing the house chores while Isabelle fully focused on sewing the brothers' suits for the big day.
Which was coming even closer!
Two days before the big day, they gathered to discuss something very important.
"So? What're we gonna eat that day?" Joseph voice out.
The five sat on benches around a table they built under the birch trees. It was a marvelous site. Especially at night. They had the soft sound of the running river, the crickets, the toads, and the sporadic flapping of a bird that awoke around them. Above, there was a canvas of dark blue sprinkled with white twinkling dots. And, on the table, a candle's light slightly flickered to the breeze, protected by the four walls of a lantern the brothers bought at a second-hand shop.
The mood was perfect for the conversation they were going to have, not heavy but still serious enough. It had a taint of intimacy, the coziness of a home, and a soothing air to open up.
"Do we hafta do something special?" Felix countered. His question was valid as they had all tacitly agreed that the celebration was going to be between them. Nothing too grand. So, the usual dishes were fine, right?
"Of course, we have to! Even if it's between us, we need new dishes!" Joseph argued, slapping the table. Maybe a new dish was something simple in the big picture, but it would mark the beginning of their lives together.
The thought excited Isabelle, so she quickly seconded Joseph's opinion. "Joseph is right! We need good and new food to celebrate our special day!" Her words unintentionally stopped yet another argument between the third and fourth brother.
"Any ideas?" Lucas also piped in, looking forward to the food.
"Wha' kinda food's served in weddings?" Ethan drawled. He had had a busy day at work and expected to have a quick bite and then go to sleep, yet he sacrificed his rest in favor of such an important topic. How could he miss it?!
Joseph tapped his finger on the table, thinking. Felix furrowed his brow. Lucas pursed his lips. None of them had an inkling as to which dishes were necessary to have at such an event. Luckily, there was someone who had hidden knowledge and, more often than not, spewed facts and information even she did not know where it came from.
"That will depend on the type of meal we want. There are Three-Course Meals up to Six-Course Meals, but there are also Eleven-Course Meals. However, I think a Three-Course Meal is best for us. It includes an appetizer, an entree and dessert." Isabelle immediately rambled on.
The brothers' expressions became somewhat slack at the onslaught of information. The what-of-the-who-meal? They thought, completely confused. Isabelle realized she once again said things that were a bit difficult for them to understand and wanted to apologize, but Felix beat her to it and asked, "what are those?"
Isabelle played with a strand of hair that came out from her messy bun and pondered on her words. "Well… the appetizer is a small serving that rarely or never includes meat, it is usually something light like… like a salad or even small pieces of fish." Her mind worked fast enough to translate all the complicated information she had in her head into something simple. "Then, the entree or the main dish typically has heavy dishes, like the ones we have for lunch. And the dessert is something sweet."
"Like the honeyed lemons!" Felix exclaimed, finally understanding what entailed to have a Three-Course Meal. "Let's think about it now! We got it, right?" He excitedly looked at his brothers, who nodded in confirmation.
If the Three-Course Meal was just that, then it was easy for them to think of something. Although their meals before had been poor in ingredients and preparation, with Isabelle's arrival, their eyes were opened to more possibilities. Furthermore, Ethan did work at a restaurant, so he could also propose a few dishes.
"How 'bout the fish balls we had at dinner? Can be used as those apetizur thing, right?" Joseph suggested, butchering the word but still comprehending the concept.
Isabelle nodded and leaned forward to tap on his lips. "Appetizer," she repeated, so he could remember the word in the future, "and yes, they can." The fish balls dish was something Felix created; Isabelle only taught him how they could stay together and not crumble while frying them. If they could be a bit smaller, then it was the best appetizer they could have.
They could even add other ingredients!
Both Lucas and Ethan nodded, also agreeing with the third brother's input. "Then, as the main dish..." Felix hummed, most likely thinking on all the possible dishes he could cook that were good as a main dish. He had been trying new recipes, so maybe he could whip up a new dish.
"Rabbit?" Lucas quietly proposed. The thought of killing Mrs. Rabbit or any of her little ones made Isabelle pale and shake her head immediately in the negative. "Pheasant?" He tried again.
"Could be." Ethan nodded but paused. "What ya'll think of duck?" He slowly inquired.
There was a dish at the restaurant that was famous among the customers on the second floor. It was a mid-range dish that used quite a few unusual – for villagers – ingredients. With Felix and Isabelle's cooking level, he thought they could pull it up. Hell, if he paid close attention to the preparation, then he might also be able to cook it.
As Ethan described the dish and what he knew of the preparation, the other's expression brightened up. That was it! Isabelle was even thinking of replacing some ingredients to spend less on them. The following day, they would have to go to the market very early in the morning to buy all the stuff they needed to prepare all the dishes.
Though, to finish that list, they had to also think on the dessert, with which their enthusiasm halted as they became stumped on what to do. The only option was the honeyed lemons, yet Felix did not think it was a fancy enough dish for their wedding. Ethan knew a few recipes, but they all required an oven, which they did not have.
That alerted the older brother that there were still many things missing at home.
"We'll be going to town tomorrow. Maybe I can ask Corey or David about desserts." Isabelle proposed. The couple had been helpful in other matters so maybe they could have a good simple dessert recipe. At most, they could simply buy pastries or something like that at the market or some shop.
The brothers nodded, agreeing. It was not as if they could come up with anything else. It was late anyway, so their brains were on their limit of thinking. It was best to rest.
Once the sun rose on the east the following day, then the real countdown for their wedding started.