I Remember Nothing, But I Have Four Husbands

After eating lunch, Isabelle volunteered to do the dishes. Without Felix chattering around, she found it was a rather soothing task. She had time to think or just space out, looking at the landscape of green mountains and a blue sky while scrubbing the dishes and leave them as clean as possible. It was a really peaceful life, unlike… another subconscious and intrusive thought.

She guessed she would have several of those in the unforeseen future unless she recovered all her memories. Well, as long as they did not affect her day-to-day life, she was fine with them. Maybe they could even be useful.

After she was done with the chore, on Felix and Joseph's insistence, she headed into the house to nap. They repeatedly reminded her that she needed to rest to fasten her recovery after seeing her looking for something else to do. She would not deny she was a bit sleepy, so she did not argue that much and easily went to sleep.

Sometime later, Isabelle woke up to the sound of snoring. She felt lethargic and sore. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed she was running a fever from the heat coming from her face and how dry her eyes felt. She did not want to get out of bed, yet she needed to splash some cold water on her face and ask the brothers for some medicine.

Following the snoring sound, she peeked behind the partition and saw both Joseph and Felix were napping. It seemed medicine had to wait. Cold water became her priority then. As silent and as steadily as possible, she made her way out.

Looking at the bare yard, her feverish mind came up with the thought that maybe some flowers would make a wonderful addition to liven up the place. With four men in the house, the place was very austere, with no decorations or liveliness, except for the noisy brothers.

She threw those thoughts aside as her fever brought a headache, so she quickly headed to the well to wash her face. On her way there, she saw Lucas coming back from his hunting.

He was carrying four plump pheasants in his hands and a big basket on his back. Both Joseph and Lucas were a bit intimidating at first sight. Joseph was intense, noisy and crude-speaking while Lucas felt like a silent bear or as if a mountain pressed on you. Though, she could not deny that both were much to her liking.

Lost in her wicked thoughts, she failed to notice how Lucas had rapidly unloaded the things he had been carrying by the well and approached her. Feeling his broad and cool hand on her forehead, she blinked up at him.

"You've a fever." He stated. He turned towards the well and easily hooked the bucket to pull up some water.

"Welcome back, Lucas." She greeted him with a smile, ignoring her condition; or more like, her condition made her ignore everything but him. He paused in his actions and nodded after glancing at her. His unenthusiastic reply did not discourage her, and she continued talking to him. "Are these for us or for selling?" After all, they also needed to earn some coins.

He shook his head. "To eat." So extravagant! With how much he had brought back, they could eat meat for a couple of days! Although they could not make money by selling the game, the thought of having meat in the future won over the profit.

"That is nice. Ah! You are hurt." While ogling his powerful arms as he moved around, she noticed a fresh scratch on his forearm when he unhooked the bucket.

With a bucket in one hand, he used the other to take her hand and lead her inside the house. "Lay down." He gestured at the bed where the other two were still sleeping.

"Huh? I… why?" Her addled mind left her unable to comprehend what he was asking of her.

"You're running a fever, so lay down." Lucas repeated, this time not waiting for her to move and just pulled her into the bed. Any other time, she would have been excited at his daring moves, but she was sick, so the moment her body laid down, she melted.

Noticing the pieces of fabric on the small table inside the room, Lucas grabbed them and threw them in the bucket. "Your arm, Lucas." Isabelle feebly commented, seeing the cut again as he pressed the wet and cold cloths on her forehead and neck.

"Doesn't matter." Lucas said, a bit vexed that she cared more for his superficial wound and not her serious condition. Because of the noise the two made, Felix and Joseph woke up from their naps.

After assessing the situation, Felix immediately headed to the kitchen to boil some fever medicine. The last packet they had. He had to tell Ethan they had run out. Meanwhile, Joseph helped with taking off her shoes and rubbing another cold cloth all over her legs and arms. He had seen Ethan do it, and it was the most he could do without his brain going to the gutter.

Though, it was impossible to have improper thoughts with her delirious talking.

"You are a good person… why did you leave before?... Will you stay this time?..." She mumbled, looking at Lucas with wet and limpid eyes. She did not even notice when he put more wet pieces of cloth in her groin area and under her armpits after taking off the shirt she was wearing.

"I will." Lucas nodded. He was sure she was not talking to him, but he still replied.

"… liar." Isabelle wryly smiled as tears started falling down.

"Not lying. Here. Hold my hand." Lucas offered his hand once she was tucked in. She took out hers from under the sheets and tightly held his. She happily closed her eyes and fell asleep. She was barely lucid when Felix returned with the bowl of medicine. It was bitter, but she drank it all and fell asleep again, not forgetting to hold Lucas' hand.

When Ethan returned, both Felix and Joseph were gutting the game while Lucas still sat on the bed, his hand trapped in Isabelle's clutch. He rose an eyebrow at his brother, silently asking what was going on.

"Fever." Lucas explained. Ethan nodded and approached the bed to check on Isabelle. The fever luckily was gone, so they hoped she woke up to eat dinner. She had not eaten well the past few days and they were starting to worry if the lack of food was slowing down her recovery.

As Ethan used the cloth on her forehead to dry the sweat on her face, Isabelle opened her eyes. "How're ya feelin'?" He immediately asked.

"I…" She coughed, her dry throat impeding her to talk. Ethan quickly stood up to fetch some water from the kitchen; meanwhile, she looked to the side and locked gazes with Lucas. Only then, she realized she was holding his hand. His big and warm hand. Flustered, she slowly let it go and averted her gaze.

"Oh, you treated it…" She hoarsely said, looking at the cleaned and bandaged wound on his forearm. He just looked back at her with unfathomable eyes that made her extremely nervous. Being stared at by a handsome man with his wild beard and manly aura, she...

Her thoughts were interrupted by the returning Ethan carrying the bowl of water. She tried to sit up to drink it but ended up being helped by both men as she was still weak. As the water trickled down her throat, she felt more awake, and aware. Aware that she was not wearing clothes, only her underwear.

Huh? What?

She looked down and, effectively, she was only wearing her bralette and panties. Quickly, she covered herself with the sheets and peered up at both men's expressions, wondering if they saw. Though, of course, they saw! How could they not? Besides, for her to be in that state, it only meant that one of them had taken it off. She felt her face heat up and her heart race at that thought.

She startlingly and suddenly realized that maybe staying with them was not a good idea after all. Not only because she was the only woman there, but because there was no relationship between them that could justify her stay. What would others say?

Although she claimed she was fine staying with them as they were the only people she knew, there were many other things she could have done instead. She could have asked them to take her to the authorities to investigate who had attacked her and left her to die in the mountains, or simply…

No, it does not matter anymore.

Isabelle was taken out from her convoluted thoughts when Ethan spoke up. "If ya feel up to eatin', ya can come out." Then, both brothers tactfully left to give her the chance to dress up having seen her reaction to her state of dress.

Isabelle was not that hungry, but the thought of getting some fresh air sounded nice, so she dressed up. Coming out to the deck, her eyes stopped on Ethan, who was working on something with some wood that was definitely not there before. Getting a bit closer, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"Ah, got a temporary job at a carpentry. I was paid today with some o' the leftover wood." Ethan claimed it was 'leftover wood', but it was quite a lot. And he had been carrying it from town! He was skinny but he was also quite strong. "I thought it'd be nice if you've yer own tub instead of goin' to the river to wash."

"That would be lovely!" Isabelle cried out delighted. After he mentioned it, she also was beginning to think that going to the river to bath was not good, what with her feverish body. Moreover, after Lucas found her bathing, she reasoned that he would not be the only one in the future. So, it was best to have a bathtub in the house, no matter how small.

"Thought so, too." Ethan smiled. She blushed at his attractive smile and ducked her head. "Ye can sit down. The guys'll be done with the game, soon." Isabelle hummed and turned, though instead of sitting, she wanted to see what they were doing by the well.

On the way there, Lucas intercepted her as he came from that direction. "Come sit." He beckoned as he walked to the table area with a basket in his arms.

Isabelle hesitated for a moment but still followed behind Lucas, curious to know what he wanted. As soon as she sat on a stool, Lucas put the basket on the floor, took off the lid and gingerly pulled out something. Her eyes widened, seeing the cute ball of fluff twitching its nose and staying in Lucas' arms like a docile child.

He then extended the animal to her and spoke in his gruff voice. "For you."

"Eh?" She quickly reacted to his words. "Are you giving this rabbit to me?" He nodded and placed the animal in her arms. She stiffly held it, unsure what to do with it.

"It's pregnant." Lucas added. Isabelle gasped.

"Is it?" She stared at the rabbit that did not look like a female. Well, she knew nothing about rabbits so, how would she recognize the gender? Her mind, though, quickly came up with an idea regarding the pregnant rabbit. "Should we start raising rabbits to sell?" She looked at Lucas with sparkling eyes.

Please, tell me it is a good idea!

However, Lucas only looked at Isabelle with complicated eyes, so she rapidly backtracked. "Ah, we possibly cannot… we would need to build a pen, care for them, then get them food… what do rabbits even eat?" He sweetly smiled at her rambling. Her heart started beating really fast, her face was getting hot, and her palms were starting to sweat after seeing him smile with crescent-like eyes.

I… Am I falling in love? No, no, no… I possibly am just attracted. Yes, that is it!

"We'll do as you say." Lucas' words saved her from her spiraling thoughts. She repeatedly nodded like a pecking chick, not trusting her voice.

"Oh? Why's Lucas so happy?" A voice suddenly said behind her, making her jump in fright. Felix and Joseph stood behind her, thus unable to see what she was carrying but had a clear view of their brother's face.

"Lucas gave me this rabbit." Isabelle replied, turning to show the ball of fluff.

"Oh! It's been a while since we last had rabbit stew!" Joseph exclaimed, looking at the animal as if he could already taste the dish. Silence followed his words. Even Ethan, who had been listening to the conversation from afar, stopped working. "What?" Joseph asked, confused at the others' weird expressions.

"It's a gift, Joseph." Felix muttered to his brother.

 Before Joseph could take his words back and probably make the matter worse, Ethan spoke up. "Come help me cut the wood, Joseph, yer gonna build a pen for the rabbit."

"Yes! Sure! A pen for the rabbit! And, uh, sorry, Isabelle!" Joseph hurried an apology and rushed to his brother.

"I… um… will… bring food for the rabbit!" Felix excused himself, also running away from the awkward situation. Isabelle felt bad for the rabbit. Actually, even she had thought that eating rabbit meat would have been nice, but the thought was dashed when Lucas mentioned the animal's pregnancy, that was how her other idea came up.

Lucas silently asked for the rabbit and put it back inside the basket. Before he closed the lid, Isabelle was able to see it munching on some leaves. The rabbit already had food there, so Felix's errand was unnecessary. The second brother, then, went to help Ethan and Joseph with the wood. Only she had nothing to do.

The rabbit was well-behaved and did not move much inside the basket, so she did not have to keep an eye on it. She was only left with naming it… Though, she was not sure if it would be sold or eaten in the future. After all, the family needed the money, and to eat.

I guess no name for Mrs. Rabbit. Oh… it was named.

After accidentally naming the rabbit, Isabelle started feeling useless. The sun was starting to go down and Felix had not returned from his supposed errand. Before any of the other brothers realized that Felix was missing, she decided to make dinner herself; to show her gratitude for everything they had done for her.

Her intentions were good, yet there was a problem: had she ever cooked before? Could she cook? Would she be able to use the kitchen and everything in it? Either way, if she did not try, then she would never know.

Entering the kitchen, she started rummaging around, opening this and that pot and jar and checking on the utensils and stove. There were a couple of mushrooms on a table, some semi-cured meat she found in a jar, yet another jar – this one smaller – with dried herbs and a big vat filled with water.

Thinking back to the soups Felix gave her, she thought the ingredients were perfect for one. So, she took a pot, poured in some water, added the meat cut in small pieces, a nice amount of dried herbs and badly cut mushrooms. She did not think she did that bad on the first try. Now, the fire.

As there were some embers still crackling in the burner, she only threw some firewood in and blew on it. She coughed some, but managed to lit up a good flame. Only then she put the pot on the stove. As the heat increased, the soup started cooking itself. She did stir the soup from time to time. Once it started boiling, she took a sip with a wooden spoon to taste it.

Oh! Not bad! It is edible. The saltiness from the cured meat even gave it a nice touch.

She paused in her musings, suddenly feeling observed. Turning around, Isabelle found the four brothers intently looking at her from the kitchen's door. It was a like a dream come true, to have the sole attention from a group of handsome guys. She was very happy!

"Dinner's ready!" She cheerfully called out.