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Chapter 01
Jingle.
As the door swung open, the little bell hanging above the entrance rang brightly.
I looked up from the strawberries I had been slicing with a small knife to prepare a customer’s drink.
“Welcome.”
“Hehe, I didn’t expect to find a café in a place like this. I was out for a walk and stumbled upon it by chance. The exterior looked so lovely that I just had to come in.”
Keeping a perfectly calm expression, I glanced around the dim interior, where only the seats by the windows caught any sunlight. The old furniture looked ready to collapse at any moment.
“I’m sorry, but we’re full.”
And I wasn’t lying.
There were only five tables to begin with, and under normal circumstances every one of them should have been empty.
Instead, every seat was occupied.
Young noble ladies dressed as though they were attending a grand banquet sat elegantly sipping their drinks.
“Oh dear… Would it be possible to share a table?”
The lady who had just entered looked on the verge of tears as she pleaded pitifully.
Not a single person even looked her way.
“I’m afraid none of our guests seem interested.”
“But I came all the way here…”
“Didn’t you just say you happened to find this place?”
“My, you have such a good memory. Hehe. You see, I’m actually the second daughter of Count Edria’s family…”
She had leaned in to whisper confidentially, but the moment she noticed the identity plaques that the other noble ladies had casually displayed for everyone to see, she hurriedly changed the subject.
“Ahem… Then where does Lord Seniel usually sit? What’s his favorite drink?”
Apparently she had never intended to hide her true purpose.
Her eyes sparkled as question after question poured from her lips.
Ignoring her completely, I returned my attention to the cutting board.
“Seniel doesn’t come here.”
“I know all about it. I paid an outrageous amount to obtain this information.”
I was wondering how to get rid of her when—
Jingle.
The door opened again.
And this time…
The very person responsible for bringing all these pilgrims to my café walked inside.
“Kyaaah!”
“Lord Seniel! I can’t believe I’m seeing you this close! I could die happy now!”
His skin was so pale that the faint blue of his veins showed beneath it.
His strikingly handsome features were perfectly sculpted.
Silky silver hair fell to his neck, making his fair complexion stand out even more.
His dark sapphire eyes…
Well, they certainly explained the reaction.
Why did you have to show up yourself at a time like this?!
Every single customer filling the café was an obsessive fan of Seniel.
“Noona! I’m here!”
Beaming, Seniel ran straight toward me.
I grabbed him before he could reach the counter and dragged him behind it.
“What brings you here? I told you not to come during the daytime.”
“I was nearby for something, so I thought I’d stop by. But…”
He suddenly stopped speaking and glared toward Kaiden, who was quietly preparing drinks in the corner.
“Why is that guy here again? Isn’t he supposed to be praying at the temple? Actually… is he even a real priest?”
I cupped Seniel’s cheeks in both hands and turned his face back toward me.
“Seniel.”
“What?”
“Because of you, business is getting completely out of hand. Do you know that the people leaving because there aren’t any seats are all your fans?”
“So?”
“If you keep coming here, more people will hear about it. Then even more customers will show up!”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
Watching him tilt his head in genuine confusion, I barely managed to swallow the words threatening to escape.
It’s a problem because this isn’t an ordinary café!
How was a branch of the Dark Guild supposed to operate when it was packed with customers every day?
“Hmm…”
Seniel pouted after being scolded.
“If there are too many people, should I chase them all away?”
Dark, ominous energy immediately began radiating from him.
Though it wouldn’t help.
Anyone fanatical enough to track him all the way here would probably find even that attractive.
I was just about to stop him before things backfired—
Jingle.
The door opened once more.
“No sea—”
I was about to say there were no seats when I saw who had entered.
“…”
I collapsed into my chair.
“Rosia. The usual.”
Ignoring whether there were seats or not, the man marched straight to the counter, casually exchanging greetings with Seniel along the way.
I stared at him in disbelief.
“Since when did you have a ‘usual’ order?”
“Aren’t I a regular here?”
The prince blinked innocently.
I completely lost the will to answer.
“Noona, want me to mash the strawberries?”
“Excuse me? Please leave the kitchen. This is my territory.”
“Territory? You’re talking about territory while standing next to my noona? Want to settle this?”
Kaiden, who had somehow become my assistant, was every bit as handsome as the other two.
The three of them glaring at one another should have looked ridiculous.
Instead…
It looked like a painting.
A very, very beautiful painting.
Perhaps that was why.
The noble ladies inside the café had progressed from screaming in excitement to declaring they could die without regrets.
Some were even sliding right off their chairs.
Watching the absurd scene unfold before me, I slumped into my chair and muttered blankly,
“…Should I just shut the place down?”
