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chapter 32
Even if Andrew did something a little dirty, Edgar would usually just frown or quietly admonish him with words. But this time, it had gone far beyond what could be handled with words.
“Y-your sister?”
Andrew’s voice trembled.
Seeing such a subordinate, Edgar’s expression contorted. He wanted to make a scene inside the shop, but unfortunately, there were other customers, so he held back. He didn’t want to cause a fuss that could negatively affect Lynette, so he pushed his patience to the limit.
Moreover, if someone inside recognized him, it might reveal that Lynette, who lived like a commoner, was actually a blood descendant of the Count of Pruin. So Edgar forced himself to hold back and, once outside, finally shouted at Andrew.
“Yes, she’s my sister, you bastard! Are her breasts that full? Then how about this!”
Edgar grabbed Andrew’s hand and pressed it against his own chest.
“I’ve got a full chest too! How does it feel?”
Andrew shivered as if goosebumps had risen the moment his hands touched Edgar’s body. Seeing this, Edgar roughly pushed him away.
“You deliberately tripped my sister. Your right wrist isn’t in great condition, and if you had sprained it, you would have been dead by my hands!”
Lynette had injured her wrist, locked herself in her room, and cried for a month as if the world had ended—and no one even knew. Edgar had seen it all but didn’t know how to comfort her, only watching in secret. Just thinking about it still made his chest ache.
Edgar told Andrew to meet him at the royal palace training ground.
“I-I didn’t know she was your sister! If I had….”
During his time as a knight, Edgar had never spoken about his sister. He only ever said she was pretty, without any detailed descriptions. So his comrades knew nothing about her. At most, Esther knew that Edgar had a pretty sister who appeared at parties but didn’t resemble him. As for the youngest sibling, she never revealed anything, no matter what gifts were given. She would turn away without a word.
“Am I crazy? You’re not going to touch Lynette. She’s delicate—so don’t even look at her. Just shut up and follow me.”
Edgar didn’t outwardly display his love for his sister; he kept it hidden, though they often fought whenever they met eyes.
“E-Edgar, please, I’ll apologize. I’ll apologize to your sister directly…”
“Stop with that nonsense. If you apologize, she’ll have to see your face again! Let it end with me. I’ll tell her the results later.”
Usually quiet, Edgar had begun speaking more. His comrades often said that when Edgar talked this much, he wasn’t just angry—he was losing control. And no one could stop him once he snapped.
Even the former captain, who had trained with sheer brute strength, had his wrist sore after sparring. Anyone caught by Edgar, like Andrew, would be dragged along helplessly.
Their friends silently prayed for Andrew’s luck. Who in their right mind would touch Edgar’s sister without thinking?
“Still, she really is pretty.”
“She does resemble Edgar, but I never imagined she’d be his sister, she’s so beautiful.”
They glanced back slightly, but the closed door blocked the view.
“Hey, you guys! Don’t look! You’ll wear her out! Stop staring and follow quickly, or do you want to die too? And if you say anything about Lynette to anyone, you’ll die too!”
Hearing Edgar warn them not to even look at the door, the two friends shook their heads and quickly left.
❅
After Edgar left, the outside became a bit noisy, but Lynette didn’t bother to look. She feared that if she saw Andrew’s face, her hand would act before her brain could.
“Ugh! If only it weren’t for those damn guys…”
Lynette bit back her curses, knowing there were other customers inside. As she sulked while cleaning the broken cup, Angela returned from buying cookies.
“Lynette, what happened?”
Angela helped pick up the broken pieces, sweeping repeatedly because of the tiny shards.
“Some troublesome customer came in… whew. It was so hard to hold back.”
“Are you talking about that customer?”
“Yes.”
“I saw a man dragging another man earlier, with hair color similar to yours.”
He must have misjudged his coffee order. Normally, Lynette wouldn’t care.
“He said something about my brother while being dragged, and the man he was dragging was begging.”
Even seeing Edgar act normally seemed strange.
“I wish I had an older brother like that. Big, strong, handsome, and protective of his little sister.”
“Angela, working here all the time has made you oblivious to men. What to do about that…”
“No, he really was amazing. Strong enough to drag them around. And he looks a lot like you, Lynette.”
Lynette handed the dustpan to Angela while squinting.
“They say there are three people in the world who resemble someone, but don’t say he looks like me. It’ll just annoy me.”
Even though he did resemble Edgar, Lynette didn’t want to admit it. Angela didn’t bring it up again, instead just cleaning and attending to incoming customers.
❅
After work, Lynette quickly went home and bathed thoroughly. Only then did she eat slowly and apply the ointment Edgar had given her to her wrist.
“What happened?”
Seeing Lynette apply the ointment, Katrin asked cautiously.
“A customer looked at me inappropriately. He tried to grab me, but my brother stopped him. He tripped, and a cup broke.”
“What did you say? What happened to that bastard? How dare he touch our precious lady…! I haven’t even touched her recently!”
Lynette smiled at Katrin, who was angry for a different reason.
“He was one of my brother’s comrades. According to Angela, he was dragged away by my brother.”
Luckily, Edgar was there, so she hadn’t faced a severe ordeal.
“From now on, we should mark ‘no knights allowed’.”
“That might be…”
The café was visited by many people, regardless of status—commoners, knights, nobles. Most nobles and knights didn’t reveal their identity and behaved politely, so no one knew who was who.
“If that’s the case, I’ll help out at the shop even for a little while starting tomorrow.”
Though Lynette said it wasn’t necessary, Katrin insisted, determined to deal with troublesome customers. If Katrin got involved, she’d likely demolish anyone, regardless of gender.
“Alright, but you can’t touch the customers. And no swearing—if you must, do it behind your back quietly.”
Katrin nodded vigorously, understanding the warning. Lynette held her hand and gently patted her own bottom with it.
“Oh! Miss!”
“Pat yourself on the back for working hard today.”
“W-what are you saying, Miss… suddenly being so forward?”
Katrin patted Lynette’s bottom, reminiscing about the days when Lynette was a child, clinging to her skirt and crying if separated. Now, the little girl was grown, but still felt childlike. Katrin watched her fall asleep, exhausted from sharing all her daily details.
“The lady should have seen this… then no one would have left her hurt.”
Katrin laid Lynette in bed and held her small hand while singing a lullaby. Even though her hands were scarred, she gently kissed them, wishing Lynette didn’t have to endure such pain.
“Miss, may your path always be filled with flowers.”
❅
The café was unusually busy today, with customers waiting even before opening. Luckily, many were takeout orders, so there wasn’t as much dishwashing.
“Oh my! Lynette, you’re even busier than usual today.”
“Yes! Ah, there’s a seat available—please sit.”
Lynette seated Rosemary and Cloud at their usual spots and immediately began taking orders. Today was busy from start to finish, unlike the usual quiet after their visits.
“Look! I ordered a cappuccino, not a latte! Did you forget?”
A male customer shouted at the counter. Lynette checked the order slip—it did say latte. The man shouted again.
“Are your ears blocked? I clearly ordered a cappuccino!”
Seeing Katrin clench her fists, Lynette quickly stepped in. It turned out the man was an employee of a men’s clothing store, accompanying his boss who occasionally visited. Lynette smiled to prevent a scene.
“Sorry, I must have misheard. I’ll make your cappuccino immediately. Would you like it hot or iced?”
“Iced, not sweet.”
Despite intending to throw away the latte, Lynette made the iced cappuccino as requested.
The customer held the cup and complained.
“It’s too cold!”
“Iced cappuccinos are naturally cold.”
“How am I supposed to hold such a cold cup?”
“Then use the straw.”
Lynette gritted her teeth, frustrated by such a trivial complaint. She ended up discarding the cappuccino.
“I don’t think I can make the coffee you want. Goodbye.”
“What did you say? How dare you talk back to me when you can’t even make my coffee!”
Angela subtly opened the door behind him, signaling him to leave. Lynette returned his money and pointed to the door.
“Please leave. If not, you may be forcibly removed, which could be embarrassing.”
Seeing Katrin ready to act, the man frowned.
“I’ll never come here again!”
“You’re welcome not to. Please leave now. People like you ruin the atmosphere.”
Katrin followed him outside, sprinkling a pinch of expensive salt in frustration. Lynette smiled, finding Katrin’s tiny rebellion cute.
“Next time, I’ll earn enough to sprinkle a whole container of salt.”
