QBSLB 40

Chapter 40

“Ehh?”
I widened my eyes as if what I’d heard made no sense.

The noble society of the capital was small, if not tiny.
Therefore, it was an unspoken rule that tea parties should not overlap.
Invited guests would have trouble choosing which to attend, after all.
So, not only was this behavior extremely rude, it was reckless.

“Who in their right mind would skip Lady Aerington’s resuming-society party to go to the Morgans’ party…?”

It seemed that only Sophia and Mykaila didn’t know what even a child could understand.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Mother! We should teach those who ignored Mykaila a proper lesson!”
“Exactly! And you, never let anyone intimidate you, my dear!”

I watched their ridiculous back-and-forth in disbelief.

‘Well, whether I get humiliated or not is the Morgans’ problem, not mine.’

I thought that way, as if it were someone else’s business.
But then, suddenly, trouble fell right onto me.

“And you, Aelin, will handle the preparations for that tea party!”
“Ehh?”

Sophia looked at my shocked face and shouted triumphantly.

“I’ll make sure the other ladies know as well. It’s a tea party prepared by our precious daughter-in-law, so they must attend!”

Watching her face, I realized her scheme: she wanted to make me clash with Lady Aerington.
As if I had deliberately scheduled my tea party on the same day.

‘Huh, she actually put some thought into it.’

Did Sophia only show special talent when it came to tormenting her daughter-in-law?

So, I gave an answer I knew she would absolutely hate.

“…But preparing a tea party requires money and servants.”

Sophia pursed her lips tightly.
She wanted to trouble me, but didn’t want to give money.
What on earth was I supposed to do?

“…I see. Money, yes. You’ll need tea, snacks, and flowers for the party…”

After a moment of internal struggle, Sophia finally spoke as if granting a favor.

“Alright. I’ll give you, specially, 100 gold coins.”

That was roughly ten million won.
It seemed like a lot, but it really wasn’t.
Hosting a party for nobles would cost far more than that.
Just buying flowers to decorate the mansion could easily cost 50 gold.
The remaining gold wouldn’t even cover premium wine.

So her promise of letting Mykaila have her revenge was probably just an excuse.
This tea party’s real purpose was simply to humiliate me and prevent me from befriending the other ladies.

‘Why… go this far…?’

A question I’d asked constantly since coming to this world resurfaced.
Why did Sophia want to restrict Aelin’s activities so severely?

However, Sophia didn’t know one thing:
my account was piled high with coins.

“Yes, Mother.”

If I played it right, this could turn into my chance for a comeback.
With that thought, I smiled confidently.

“Since you’re giving me the opportunity, I’ll prepare it with all my effort.”

Of course, even at that moment, a tiny recording device in my pocket was running.
It was recording how kind and proper I was, and conversely, how malicious Sophia and her family had been.

“…Very well. I feel annoyed just looking at your face, so go back to your room quickly.”
“Yes.”

I felt the same way, so I turned and left without a word.

“She doesn’t know money, so she probably thinks that’s a lot, Mom.”
“Well, after ten years without an allowance, suddenly receiving 100 gold would feel like a fortune.”

I heard them whispering and laughing at me from inside.

‘Go ahead, laugh your fill.’

I leaned against the door, lifting the corner of my lips in a sly smile.
In two weeks, when the tea party is held, the ones regretting this will be them.

The next morning, at August Confectionery, located at the end of the shopping street.

“Oh my, is all of this a line?”

Seeing the long, snake-like queue in front of the store, I exclaimed in surprise.
Even though I had come early to avoid items selling out in the afternoon, there were already so many people.

‘Do I even have to do an open-run in a world from a novel?’

Feeling a little discouraged, I joined the end of the line.

The reason I came here today:
‘I said I’d use the tea party as a new opportunity.’

The comeback I had in mind was this:
at the tea party, I would showcase coffee-based desserts to the ladies!

Choosing drinks and tea foods was solely up to the host of the party, making this plan possible.
I intended to meet Teyon at the royal palace party and ask to be employed in the coffee department.

‘For that, I need to lay the groundwork first.’

What could a woman who had been secluded for ten years possibly expect him to believe if she suddenly appeared?
So, essentially, I was creating a portfolio.

‘To get a job with no experience, you must first gain as much industry-related experience as possible!’

Of course, this was a very daring attempt.
Since the noble ladies were used to tea, they might initially dislike bitter, black coffee.
So I planned to first introduce a ‘coffee-scented dessert’ before showcasing actual coffee.
Coffee is a perfect ingredient for desserts, after all.
The strategy was to neutralize resistance to bitter coffee with sweet desserts.

Two things were needed for this:
Fresh coffee beans.
A skilled patissier to create new desserts.

Naturally, I chose the owner of August Confectionery, currently the most popular patissier in town.

‘The problem…’

How could I manage to contract with such a popular confectioner?
I had heard that even Roderick Tea House’s proposal had been rejected.
Would he really accept a request from a minor noblewoman like me?

While I fretted over this, the line steadily shrank.
Not surprisingly, since it was a dessert shop, most of the customers in line were women.

“I heard their desserts are so good!”
“And the owner is said to be extremely handsome!”
“Yes, the desserts are great, and the owner is… no, I mean the desserts are delicious.”

While standing in line, I heard equal praise for the desserts and the owner.

‘The owner is that handsome…?’

After waiting for about two hours, the entrance of the confectionery finally approached.
Only three people remained in front of me.

‘I’ll be inside soon…!’

Just as I was patting my tingling legs in excitement, ding-dang—
The shop door opened, and a man in a brown apron appeared.

“Uh, that person is…”

Seeing his face, I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
It was the man I had bumped shoulders with yesterday nearby.
A man with long silver hair.
Today, without tinted glasses, his blue eyes were clear.

The women in line quickly whispered to each other.

“Oh my, he’s really handsome.”
“This place really is a gourmet spot.”

I agreed with that.
Yesterday, we hadn’t noticed each other properly, but he was undoubtedly a handsome man with delicate, pure features.

Amid the excited murmurs of those in line, the silver-haired man shouted loudly:

“Sold out! Thank you all for coming, but all the desserts have been sold!”

Sold out…?
‘We’ve been waiting here for two hours!’

“Ah, what a waste.”
“Really popular. I’ll have to come earlier tomorrow.”

People grumbled and dispersed.
But I couldn’t just leave.
I approached the shop with pleading eyes instead of going home.

“No… it has to be here…”

At that moment:

“It’s the person I saw yesterday, isn’t it?”

A strange voice sounded beside me.
I turned hastily to see the man in the brown apron looking down at me.

Fortunately, he remembered me!
I nodded quickly at the familiar face.

“Indeed. Here we meet again.”

Facing him, I felt the same strange sense of familiarity as yesterday.
Did he also feel an unexplainable closeness toward me?
Or was it my pitiful gaze staring through the window?

“You really seemed eager to try our desserts.”
“Yes! Truly! Absolutely!”

I shouted immediately at his question, and he smirked.

“…We’re making cookies for a new product.”
“I’ll buy them!”

I raised my hand and exclaimed quickly.
I couldn’t miss this golden opportunity.

He smirked once more.

“I never sell desserts I’m not satisfied with.”
“Ah…”

I couldn’t hide my disappointment, but then he reached into the shop and added:

“So, if it’s alright, please eat them inside.”