Episode 20

Mrs. Mera, bewildered by the empty table and sofa, looked around and asked again.

“Why is there no one here? Huh?! Butler! Come out! Quickly!”

At her irritated tone, the butler, who was swatting a fly flying on the table, suddenly ran towards her.

“Why is no one here?”

“That, that’s it. That’s why…….”

“Why are you stuttering? Ah……!”

She narrowed her eyes and smiled as if she had noticed something.

Then he whispered very quietly so that only the butler could hear.

“You’re all throwing me a surprise party right now, right? You’re trying to surprise me. Right?”

“yes……?”

Yeah, I can gladly accept such a childish hospitality.

Mrs. Mera sat at the table with a very excited face and waited for the people.

“Duchess Mera, you’ve regained your reputation as a socialite! Congratulations.”

I’m sure you’ll welcome me with such a welcome and surprise.

I wait with a pounding heart, but even after waiting for several minutes, it doesn’t appear.

Meanwhile, the butler was fidgeting with a pale face.

“Okay, everyone, stop now and come out.”

Mrs. Mera, her patience slowly running out, grits her teeth as she speaks.

“I, ma’am…….”

“It’s really not fun anymore, so everyone stop hiding and come out. Let’s just have a party among ourselves.”

“Madam.”

“No, why are you all so toxic? I get it, I lost. Since you lost, come out quickly, everyone!”

“That’s not it, ma’am.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s not like everyone was hiding for a surprise party… they really didn’t come.”

“What? Why aren’t you coming? Did we get the meeting date wrong? No, I personally made and sent out all the invitations.”

“Yes, the meeting date is definitely today, but… everyone really, really didn’t come.”

“……So, you’re saying my salon is completely empty?”

“yes…….”

“Then where did everyone go?”

“I don’t know that either…….”

It’s not just the salon members who are missing.

I was wondering why the salon seemed so empty today, and there weren’t many people serving customers.

“Wait a minute, something feels strange. Where are the other servants?”

“Everyone has given up.”

“What? Why?!”

“Well, that’s because your wife uses you as much as she wants and doesn’t give you much money…….”

“What? You lowly bastards who only care about money! They only give me that much because I’m the one who’s getting paid. I thought you could find work somewhere else!”

“there is.”

“……what?”

“I quit my job and moved there because everyone said it was a great place where people were treated well. They paid me my salary on time, and they even had incentives. They even had set work hours. They even said they’d give me extra money if I left work late.”

Mera asked the salon butler, who was speaking in a twisted manner with a face filled with discontent.

“But why do you look so disgruntled? As if losing your subordinate is something to be proud of!”

“Madam, do you remember not giving me my last paycheck? You said it was my fault for the dishes you broke, and you deducted that from my paycheck.”

“How can I remember each and every one of those things?”

The butler chuckled, then took off the jacket that only salon butlers could wear and threw it at Mera.

Then, the few remaining maids also took off their aprons one by one and gave Mera a hug.

“We can’t take this anymore. We were fools to expect anything.”

“What, what is it?”

“We’d rather have a master who treats us like human beings. We don’t want to be treated like this, where we’re treated like slaves, treated like slaves, treated like slaves.”

“How dare you approach me, a noble person bestowed by heaven!”

“Oh, what a blessing from heaven! You were just born with a golden spoon in your mouth! How long do you think you’ll remain noble? The world is changing, you woman! Your ignoring and single-handed approach won’t work anymore! That’s why everyone’s heading down to the cafes in the south!”

“What? When you say Southern Cafe, you mean Eileen’s Cafe?! Are you saying you all just quit here and went down there?!”

“okay!”

“Ha!” The butler chuckled, as if relieved, as he had said everything he had wanted to say. He passed Madame Mera and left the salon.

The maids also followed the butler.

Mera, who seemed to have lost her mind for a moment in this absurd situation, looked at her salon, which was empty and empty, and then, gritting her teeth, got into the carriage.

“Go to Cafe Kawaro, quick! Why is this fucking bitch embarrassing me like this?”

It was clear that this was Eileen’s plot.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Eileen’s Cafe Kawa.

The young ladies gather in groups of three or five, savor the aroma of coffee, and then sip their coffee.

Everyone was still licking their lips, as if the bitter taste was still awkward.

Eileen, who had been observing the scene closely, raised one eyebrow as if realizing something.

“Those women are the same ladies who came with Madame Mera last time, aren’t they? I heard they’re the main members of the salon.”

Eileen, who was watching with narrowed eyes, could immediately tell that they were not there to keep them in check, but to truly enjoy themselves.

First of all, Madam Mera is nowhere to be seen.

I’m talking about that girl in a teen romance movie who always stands in the center and commands like a queen bee.

At first glance, it’s a fake.

“The way he’s looking around doesn’t seem like he’s trying to find fault, but more like he’s trying to keep an eye out for someone who might catch him. Did he sneak in here without Mrs. Mera knowing?”

Thinking so, Eileen called over the employee who had just served coffee to that table.

“The guests at that table, do you like the coffee?”

“Ah, yes. I’m not sure about the taste yet, but the aroma and the view outside the window are so beautiful—that’s what we talked about.”

“Okay? Got it.”

Eileen asked them to make samples of new desserts in addition to those already in the showcase, and then she carried them over to their table.

“You all came again.”

When Eileen appeared in person, the young ladies seemed slightly taken aback.

“Your Majesty, Grand Duchess. Good morning.”

“I thought you might not be used to coffee yet, so I asked the pastry chef to make a special, slightly sweet dessert. I’m currently making samples of various desserts for a future launch. If possible, could you please give me a taste?”

At the mention of sample desserts, the girls began to take one by one the small desserts that Eileen had placed on the tray and eat them.

Meanwhile, Eileen naturally brought a chair and sat down.

“It’s sweet, so I think it would go well with bitter coffee.”

“I like it because the chocolate flavor is strong.”

“Is there anything you would like to add a little more?”

“Uh, um, I—”

As the young lady in the yellow dress among them opened her mouth, another young lady quickly patted her side.

“No, please don’t be afraid to tell us. We appreciate this kind of feedback the most.”

Then, Young-ae, who had been feeling intimidated, quietly continued speaking.

“I think something with butter flavor would be good too.”

“Oh, that’s such great feedback. If it tastes like butter, what kind of bread? Or maybe a pastry?”

“The pastry side…….”

Eileen opened her notebook, wrote down a few things, tore it up, and handed it to the employee.

“I’ll pass this on to the pastry chef for reference. And I’ll say, ‘Ah, please.'”

“Yes, sir.”

Then the young ladies asked curiously.

“How can the employees call Her Highness the Grand Duchess ‘CEO’?”

“I have a clear distinction between public and private life. The Grand Duchess only handles state affairs, but right now I’m the owner of a café. I’m the owner, and they’re not servants, but employees. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, isn’t it? I believe the meaning behind my title is very significant.”

“Then what is ‘Ahh’?”

“It’s espresso with a lot of water and ice. Well, some might say that’s not coffee—but I respect diversity. Oh, ho. I drink it with ice every morning. It’s really effective for reducing morning puffiness.”

Before I knew it, the staff member was saying ‘Ahhh’ in front of Eileen.

The girls’ eyes lit up in wonder at the sight of Eileen speaking while gently lifting an iced Americano with ice floating on top of a tall glass.

“Can you reduce swelling in the morning?”

“You don’t have to bury your face in ice water and suffer through all that pain. Just gulp this down. Also, this is something only women do, but why not add a few more shots? It’s also great for constipation.”

“Oh my. Ma, this is embarrassing.”

Everyone’s faces turn red and they pretend not to hear, but they still raise their hands and shyly fan the staff.

“Then, I’ll try ordering ‘Ahh’ too.”

“me too.”

“If you don’t like the bitter taste, you can add sugar or top the strong espresso with whipped cream.”

Eileen’s cafe had a wide variety of items.

There are dozens of coffee recipes to suit everyone, from those who prefer bitter to those who prefer something sweet.

‘It was fate that I once worked at Starbucks. It was crazy hard, but thanks to that, I was able to open this 17th century-style Starbucks.’

The young ladies each ordered coffee in their own style, hoping that some would have their facial puffiness go down, while others would have their constipation cured.

Someone else took a sip, hoping it would satisfy their sweet tooth.

“This has a different taste in its own way.”

“Definitely, something—it tastes like it’ll make your face puff out.”

“Wow, this is so sweet and delicious, Your Highness! Oh, no, sir!”

So, Eileen naturally changed the subject by recommending desserts that would go well with the coffee they ordered.

At some point, the young ladies didn’t even seem to notice that she had joined them at the table and was chatting with them.