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Chapter 19
Four Loaves of Bread. When Whales Fight, the Shrimp’s Back Breaks (2)
‘Why is she here?!’
It wasn’t a mistake. There was no way to mistake such a beauty.
The fair-haired beauty, who clearly showed signs of a sheltered upbringing, walked among the people without a care for the stares she was receiving.
There was no way the Duke’s little princess would be wandering the streets alone. Surely, there were guards nearby, hidden, placed there by the Duke.
‘I finally came out after being holed up for four months, and I have to run into the final boss right away?!’
Was this some twisted fate of blood ties?
If so, then no karmic retribution could be crueler. She couldn’t very well drain out all her blood to escape it—what a suffocating dilemma.
She couldn’t even bolt away recklessly. Making any big movements would only make her look suspicious.
If you meet a bear, you’re supposed to back away slowly while keeping eye contact…
If you turn and run, you only provoke the hunting instinct…
Muttering to herself the kind of pointless survival tips that were useless in this situation, Ellie broke into a cold sweat as she spotted the female protagonist—her half-sister.
She thought that once she left that mansion, she’d never have to see or get tangled with them again.
But to run into her on the very first day she had worked up the courage to go outside…
This could only mean that the gods hated her. Maybe this was punishment for once putting a pig’s head in place of the goddess’s statue.
‘But isn’t it a bit much to toy with someone’s life over something so petty?!’
She plastered herself against a building wall, at least to keep her back turned.
‘Why didn’t I go on a diet before now?’
Hadn’t she seen it in movies countless times? When someone reappears after slimming down, people fail to recognize them and ask, “Who are you?”
But Ellie was barely managing to maintain her current figure.
She was just a little plump—at best, an average figure if you were generous. Still, her chubby cheeks made her look heavier than she actually was, which felt unfair. She didn’t have much longer before she could no longer excuse it as baby fat.
Please, don’t let anyone notice me.
Even if she was pressed suspiciously against a wall, let people just overlook it.
Shrimp, be invisible.
Elaine argued briefly at the entrance of a building, then was guided inside by someone.
Only after Elaine completely disappeared did Ellie let out a long sigh of relief from her hiding spot in the crowd.
“Thought I was caught…”
“Did you commit a crime or something?”
“Kyaaah!”
“You’re going to burst my eardrum.”
Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest!
When someone suddenly talks to you in a moment of such tension, of course anyone would be startled. Ellie’s heart thumped so hard it actually hurt. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed, panting weakly.
Her head spun from the shock, her vision going hazy.
“W-who are you?”
“You don’t remember me?”
The calm voice that answered her sounded as if that would be absurd. Ellie, about to snap back with “Why should I?”, froze when she looked up and saw who it was.
Silvery hair that almost seemed transparent, faintly red-tinged eyes, a sharp jawline, high nose bridge—a beautiful man was sitting right in front of her. Even with his sensitive, irritable impression, his face was softened by a faint smile.
Ellie wanted to scream for an entirely different reason now.
‘Why me, seriously?!’
Her eyes flickered sideways involuntarily.
The future kidnapper and kidnap victim were now standing far too close to each other.
Ellie didn’t care if they went ahead and acted out their famous romance. But at least right now, couldn’t they leave her out of it?
She had barely escaped her role, and if she got swept up again, who knew what fate awaited her.
The leads could spend all the sweet time they wanted with each other. Just spare me.
Edmund stared at the nervous, sweaty Ellie, then rose first, brushing off his pants. His head suddenly rose above her eye level.
Ellie, almost hypnotized, looked up at him, realizing he was taller than she’d thought.
His thin, sickly image had made him look small, but he was surprisingly broad-shouldered and well-built despite his slender frame.
“Did that woman bully you or something?”
“No, it’s not that.”
God forbid the heroine hear that and misunderstand.
Ellie quickly denied it firmly. She couldn’t afford to make the mistake of accusing the heroine in front of a male lead candidate. That would be asking for a tragic ending.
“Then why avoid her?”
“I wasn’t avoiding her, I just…”
“I don’t like liars.”
“We… know each other, but we’re not close. It’s awkward, and I’d rather not run into her…”
Her explanation was clumsy. Ellie just wanted to make it clear that while she didn’t hate Elaine, she had no desire to meet her.
“That’s pretty much the same as saying you dislike her.”
“…I don’t particularly like her, but I don’t exactly hate her either.”
Ellie sighed quietly.
How could she even explain this?
‘It’s not that I had the luxury to care about other people…’
Just surviving her own situation was overwhelming enough.
A life prepared with a starving-to-death ending, no guardian, and an unsafe, barbaric world outside her door.
She had barely managed to cope with this alien life—so unlike her past personality and values—by throwing herself into baking. Her stress levels were already filled to the brim.
If she added emotions on top of that, she would break.
Lonely or not, painful or not, Ellie’s way of surviving was to bear it all alone.
Whoever Elaine was, to Ellie, she was only the heroine.
Accepting Elaine emotionally as “family” would mean accepting that wretched Duke as her father. She would rather die than do that.
The moment she gave any emotional meaning to the man who had scarred her, her soul itself would be torn apart.
Ellie staggered to her feet. She had to run from here, back to her paradise.
Just then, Edmund bent close and whispered in her ear.
“She’s coming back out.”
“Ugh!”
Ellie flinched and immediately hid behind him. Edmund let her guide him, shielding her without complaint.
“Please, just stay like this a moment. I’m begging you. Really.”
“No.”
“Ah, please! I’ll tell Maurice to treat you to something delicious later.”
Edmund hesitated.
“…Something smells good.”
“Huh? Oh, I have candy in my pocket. If you stay put, I’ll give you some.”
“Not candy. That’s not it.”
Sniff. His sharp nose brushed against Ellie’s cheek.
It had been so long since she felt another’s skin press against hers that she froze stiff. Only her eyes darted toward Edmund, whose purple gaze narrowed at their close proximity.
“It’s your smell.”
“…Sorry, but I’m not food, so you can’t eat me…”
“I know.”
Edmund chuckled as if he’d just heard a joke.
“Even I don’t eat people.”
“If you had, you wouldn’t be this skinny…”
Nervous about Elaine possibly spotting her, Ellie was blurting out nonsense.
“Are you suggesting I should?”
“With so much other meat around, why bother with humans? That’d be a hassle.”
“Pfft.”
Edmund burst out laughing, dropping his forehead onto the crook of her neck. Ellie couldn’t fathom why this inscrutable man was acting this way, but she didn’t dare move.
The commotion behind them told her Elaine was nearby again.
Elaine’s surroundings were always bright and noisy. She basked in attention and affection wherever she went.
Ellie held her breath, just like she always did whenever Elaine was near.
Edmund finally lifted his head, looking at Ellie’s pale, sweat-drenched face. Then he turned to check behind him—and suddenly froze.
Ellie, waiting impatiently for the moment to pass, found his stillness odd and glanced up.
“Um… sir?”
“You just need to get back to the bakery, right?”
“What?”
“I’ll help.”
She had no chance to refuse.
The moment his large hand cupped the back of her head, someone yanked his arm away harshly.
Almost at the same instant that Ellie was pulled into Edmund’s chest, she saw Ban’s face twisted in fury.
With a dreadful premonition, Ellie found herself slammed headfirst into the ground.
