Chapter 22
“…What did you say?”
“I have not stolen a single thing from anything belonging to you, madam.”
“Hah! You even lured away my servants and all my salon members!”
“I have never bought anyone over with money for my business interests, nor have I coaxed anyone with words. If I have coaxed anyone, it’s purely because of the taste of my coffee.”
“What?!”
“Madam, I don’t know what’s going on, but I truly have no intention of causing you any harm. Even if someone intentionally posts mocking articles about my café in the newsletter, I wouldn’t care. I’m only interested in the coffee in my café.”
Aelin had genuinely never intentionally bribed or enticed Mera’s salon employees.
She had simply treated the employees working in her café sincerely, as employees.
For the lower-class people of the 17th century, who had never even been treated like human beings, receiving a salary on time was almost miraculous.
Let alone the overtime pay, the five-day work week, paid leave, weekly holidays, and so forth that Aelin provided.
“And for that sincerity, I simply gave the employees who work with me proper treatment.”
At those words, Mera glared silently at Aelin.
She had come back to the empty café earlier expecting to sneer at Aelin, but what was this?
The employee she had yelled at before was a servant whom Mera herself had fired last week from her own salon.
It definitely seemed like some kind of setup…
Otherwise, how could her servants be working here as employees? And with such an arrogant face, glaring at their former mistress with hands on hips and a disgusted expression.
“Please don’t be like that. To clear up the misunderstanding, let me treat you to some coffee.”
Aelin quickly led Mera to a table.
Mera sat down with a reluctant look.
Honestly, when she had boldly appeared earlier, she had felt a bit tempted by the fragrant aroma of coffee spreading all around.
“Very well, then.”
When Mera tried to find some fault with Aelin but their eyes met, Mera’s expression softened into a smile with a wink.
Aelin thought: Attention seekers recognize other attention seekers.
Having survived fiercely in the celebrity world even more ruthless than the 17th-century social circles, Aelin knew this well.
Just by looking into her eyes, she could tell whether admiration outweighed jealousy or vice versa.
‘There’s no way this will go smoothly, so I’ll try to appease her as much as possible. It won’t do any good to act proud or give attitude.’
People like Mera were exactly the kind of characters Aelin had faced countless times in her previous life.
So dealing with their temperaments was easy for her.
At least, Aelin had no intention of openly clashing with her.
No matter if it’s high society or not, human relationships are stubbornly persistent; if you react rashly to momentary displeasure, it could boomerang back at you anytime in unexpected ways.
Aelin, who had survived the ruthless influencer world, knew this better than anyone.
‘Even if they mock and sneer, I won’t get caught up in it.’
So she calmed herself and personally brought over the menu to recommend various drinks to Mera.
Mera didn’t dislike this situation as much as she had thought.
After all, just the fact that Aelin didn’t openly defy her was somewhat satisfying.
And above all, Aelin’s flattery as she carefully selected and offered special menu items felt almost like…
‘She’s trying to please me, isn’t she?’
Others would probably see Aelin as groveling before Mera.
Mera maintained her haughty expression as she looked around the café’s interior.
‘There are quite a few people here. Why do so many come crawling like ants?’
Was everyone crazy about this mud puddle?
As she stared at the coffee cup being brought by the staff, as if preparing to give a warning…
“Eek!”
“S-Sorry!”
At that moment, Mera’s elbow bumped into the employee’s arm, causing the employee to lose balance and spill coffee on the table.
The white cotton tablecloth was stained, and the coffee cup rolled over, spilling the coffee onto Mera’s pale pink chiffon dress.
“My dress!”
“I’m so sorry, madam! I’m sorry!”
The employee hurriedly brought a towel to wipe the coffee stains off Mera’s dress—
Scrape!
A harsh scraping sound echoed through the café.
Naturally, everyone’s attention was drawn to the scene.
It had happened in an instant, and the employee who was hit looked shocked; Aelin, sitting next to her, was also quite startled.
Only Mera was not taken aback.
“You stupid woman, do you even know how much this dress costs? You spilled it on purpose, didn’t you?”
With the same threatening attitude she had shown before, Mera exploded in anger.
Of course, this dress was her most treasured one, extravagantly decorated with jewels and embroidery, purchased for a huge sum.
Because the employee had worked in Mera’s salon for quite some time, she seemed used to Mera’s frequent acts of violence.
“I’m truly sorry, madam, but I swear it was not spilled on purpose!”
“Don’t deny it!”
With great indignation, Mera raised her hand again to slap her.
Having been hit on the left cheek, the employee closed her eyes tight and braced herself, hoping the second slap on the right cheek would reduce the pain.
She planted her feet firmly to keep her balance.
It was said among salon employees that:
“Mera’s first fit of rage is just the prelude, the second fit is the main event, and the third fit is pure catastrophe.”
Anyway, as she prepared for the second blow, something strange happened.
Why didn’t it hurt?
‘Did the pain cause numbness?’ The employee opened her eyes a little and was shocked by what she saw.
“…What are you doing?”
“That’s what I want to ask you, Madam Mera.”
Aelin, who had somehow stood up, grabbed Mera’s arm and asked in a low voice.
Her expression was unlike her usual cheerful self.
Their eyes met, not with sharpness but with overwhelming gravity.
“B-Boss…”
Aelin soon released Mera’s arm as if brushing it off, and hid the employee behind her.
“Once again, I ask you: what do you think you are doing, Madam Mera?”
“I was just trying to show her how to train servants properly since it seemed like you weren’t doing it.”
“All my café’s employees have completed all training and guidelines. There was no instruction left undone by me, nor any disobedience by my staff.”
“So I guess you taught them to spill coffee on customers’ dresses?”
Hearing that, the employee flailed her hands in denial.
“No, our boss never taught us such a thing. I’ll do the laundry for you, madam. Please forgive us. If the stain doesn’t come out, I’ll pay for the dress myself. Yes?”
Apparently, the employee thought Aelin would be troubled because of this.
If this escalated further, it would harm Aelin and the café as well.
But Aelin seemed uninterested in quieting the uproar.
“My employee made a mistake but has apologized. You were the first to lay a hand. Besides, this accident happened because you moved and caused the commotion.”
“That sounds like you’re saying I deliberately bumped into you and then acted upset.”
“If you heard it that way, you misunderstood. I understand you’re angry because your precious dress got stained…”
Aelin’s gaze toward Mera was firm.
“Nevertheless, you have gone too far. I will take responsibility for compensating for the dress.”
“This dress was sewn by my designer, bead by bead, with embroidery. It’s worth more than any off-the-rack dress.”
“Yes, since it’s that valuable, please tell me the amount you want, and I will compensate you accordingly.”
“Do you think I’m doing this because I don’t have money?”
She could just buy another dress, and it wasn’t that she lacked the money to afford an expensive designer or fame.
Mera was simply irritated by Aelin’s persistent attitude.
“I have more money than I could ever spend in a lifetime. This isn’t about the dress, it’s about attitude. Your arrogant attitude.”
“I apologize if you had an unpleasant experience, but my employee sincerely apologized.”
“An apology isn’t an apology unless it’s accepted by the other person.”
Mera sneered and continued.
“Fire that employee. I mean it — throw her out right now. Then this whole mess will be forgotten. No need for dress compensation, no need for us to embarrass ourselves like this.”
“……”
“If not, I will storm out right now and never forget this unpleasant incident. Reputation is hard to build but easy to destroy, isn’t it?”
“…Ash, open the door.”
Aelin learned for the first time that the name of the servant Mera slapped was Ash.
That didn’t matter much.
What mattered was that Aelin had now forced Mera’s hand, and that the employee would be fired in front of everyone.
The employee seemed to accept the firing humbly, knowing well that Mera’s third fit of rage was a catastrophe.
At that moment, Aelin grabbed the employee’s wrist as she was about to leave and stared directly at Mera.
“…?”
“I’m here to see madam off properly.”
Mera’s smug, triumphant expression immediately turned wide-eyed.
“What did you say?”
“You said you wouldn’t come back anymore, so this must be the last time, right? Now please leave.”
“……”
Mera quietly walked up to Aelin.
Click, click, click.
No one dared say a word in this tense moment, swallowing hard.
They just quietly watched the situation unfold.
Then, standing before Aelin, Mera asked softly:
“You are kicking me, a noblewoman, out and protecting lower-class people? Is that what you’re saying, Duchess? My husband is a duke awarded a medal by the emperor, and my cousin is the empress. I stayed silent all this time despite what people said, to preserve my dignity. But how dare you humiliate me like this?”
Her trembling voice was full of rage, but Aelin spoke expressionlessly:
“I am not humiliating you; I am protecting my employee. You are causing unrest in this café. Anyone who treats employees poorly will not be welcomed as a customer.”
Aelin spoke quickly and blandly as if Mera’s threats had no effect.
She motioned toward the door.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on her back.
Mera knew this perfectly.
Leaving means humiliation, staying means humiliation.
“How dare you treat a customer like me this way? Is this woman really insane?”
She must not realize that aristocrats who come here to spend money would mock her for siding with the lower class.
She knows only one thing but misses the other.
Does she really think the upper-class aristocrats will appreciate such ridiculous and troublesome behavior of being polite to employees while spending their money?
