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Chapter 43
Bread Eight. Next to the Dog, Next to the Madman
Not long after leaving the villa, the carriage stopped in front of the back door of a certain mansion.
“Where is this place?”
“Hm, you trust me, right?”
“I’d rather trust a passing dog.”
“Just trust me. If you follow me, I’ll give you chocolate.”
What kind of line was that, like something a kidnapper would say? And using chocolate to lure a six-year-old child? Of course, it worked perfectly.
Ellie didn’t want to talk to someone spouting nonsense, but since he had chocolate, she had to humor him a little.
She didn’t want to join in on the barking, so at least she would pretend to follow orders… As she obediently followed Maurice, Edmund and Van trailed behind her. Maurice stopped them.
“Wait, you two stop here.”
“No. Why should I listen to you?”
“……”
Edmund reacted sharply right away, while Van silently expressed his objection with a stern expression. Maurice waved his hand as if he expected this and said,
“You planning to watch me change clothes too? I’ll guide you to change as well.”
Edmund and Van were skilled at conveying their intentions with just a raise of the eyebrow. Ellie watched their “male lead skills” with interest.
“Don’t you want to find out where this is? Hm? Ellie won’t leave until she gets the chocolate, right?”
“……Coward.”
“We’ll see about that, Maurice.”
Edmund gritted his teeth, and Van left a villainous line. Maurice left them behind and nudged Ellie forward. Excited, Ellie asked Maurice the question she had been dying to know.
“Maurice, do you have nine lives?”
She thought he was a sly man, but seeing how he acted like he had several lives, he must be a gumiho (nine-tailed fox).
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“You might want to be careful, since Van and Edmund seem like they’ll try to kill me soon.”
“……Uh, is that serious advice?”
“The other day, I stopped them from really trying to kill someone. You know Van doesn’t joke, right?”
“……He’s my lifesaver……”
She snorted.
“Then change clothes and follow me to where I’ll guide you. I need to change too, so I’ll go first.”
“Wait, Maurice.”
“Trust me. See you later.”
Maurice closed the door. Ellie looked around. The small, old room—perhaps used by a maid—contained only two metal beds.
On one of the old beds was a large box.
‘Is this the clothing?’
If it was a needlessly fancy dress, she’d rather skip changing and go yell at him. If Edmund and Van were on her side, Maurice would be easy to take down.
“This is…”
Even in this world, there were chef’s uniforms.
Most chefs at the McClure mansion also wore chef’s uniforms. Many were black, probably due to stains, and the style wasn’t very different from what Ellie knew from her previous life.
However, since the kitchen only had male chefs, there were no female uniforms.
Even if Ellie was a bit chubby (by generous standards), she couldn’t wear a male uniform. In the end, when baking bread, she wore a white headscarf to neatly hide her hair and dressed as neatly as possible.
The chef’s uniform prepared by Maurice fit her body perfectly.
‘How did he know my size?’
Luckily, it wasn’t the type that required precise measurements. The chest area was loose, and the tie at the waist was wide. Ellie fastened the buttons and put on the chef’s hat.
She was a little bothered that her side hair, previously used to hide her chubby cheeks, had been uncovered. But it didn’t matter much since the headscarf used for baking would hold the hair down carefully anyway.
When she first wore the headscarf, she thought she looked like a pirate.
Not a great pirate, just a low-ranking one who would be the first to die with a “Ugh!” when a fight broke out….
“I’ve changed my clothes…”
“Follow me.”
The maid waiting at the door inadvertently looked Ellie up and down. Ellie quickly read the suspicion, doubt, and caution in her eyes.
Seeing a female chef was probably a first for her. It was more accurate to call her a baker rather than a chef, but in any case, in this world, men were generally the ones in charge of “cooking.”
When Ellie arrived in the kitchen, she instinctively took a step back.
“Eek?!”
She had met him only once, nearly two months ago, but she could never forget that face.
“How rude to react like that,” he said.
It was Damian.
“I-I’m sorry. I was just surprised.”
“Hm.”
His black hair was slightly longer, but his sharp eyes, gray irises, and elegant features were even more beautiful than she remembered. His face was completely out of place in a kitchen. Ellie felt as if she were looking at a high-fashion magazine model—like a model standing in a market street.
Her body tensed, and her fingertips and toes tingled.
Seeing Ellie tense, Damian smiled and asked,
“Do you like my gift?”
“Huh? Ah, this chef’s uniform… thank you. I’ve always wanted one.”
“I’m glad you like it. I spent a lot of time wondering what to give you.”
“But, um, sir… I mean, uh…”
“Call me Damian.”
“What?! N-No, I don’t think that’s appropriate!”
“So you’re not perceptive, but you show it in the wrong places.”
“……Then, elder…”
“Do I look old? I’m only twenty-seven this year, and my birthday hasn’t even passed yet.”
“Not at all! You don’t even look your age. Honestly, your beauty is ageless!”
“Call me Damian. I’m giving you special permission.”
“….”
Ellie’s blue eyes rolled. Maurice, give me the answer. But she couldn’t read Maurice’s expression. Was this a trap, or did he really mean it literally?
Damian raised an eyebrow and said crookedly,
“Are you trying to refuse my kindness?”
“No! That would be rude! Yes, I’ll call you Damian, sir!”
Damian chuckled. Ellie felt a brief pang of self-deprecation, thinking she was too submissive. At that moment, she met Maurice’s eyes, and he silently moved his lips.
Your little dogs should see you acting like this.
Who are the dogs?
You know, your kids trying to kill me.
They’re older than me, you know?
Maurice shrugged, as if he didn’t care. Such an annoying man.
“Ellie, come here.”
“Yes!”
Ellie shot Maurice a glare but perked up when Damian called her. Maurice’s laughter echoed, but his face remained the professional, polite smile.
She knew she was being excessively submissive, but Damian naturally made people act that way.
‘Even the Duke McClure never intimidated me like this, but why does this man feel so scary?’
Maurice quietly muttered to himself, enjoying the sight of Ellie showing a sycophantic smile to Damian.
“She’s good at sensing danger.”
Instinctively knowing what’s risky and what to avoid, and instantly lowering her pride, wasn’t something anyone could do.
If she were someone who habitually flattered the powerful, it might be different, but Ellie had nothing and had to hide, yet she maintained a cheeky attitude toward the Knight Commander and the Tower Lord.
She thought she was giving a polite, professional smile, but her stiff neck made her look very confident. She had even cursed Maurice, her patron and investor, pretending it was a mistake.
Damian wasn’t exactly easygoing, but his appearance and tone were gentle enough that most people would mistake him for kind-hearted.
‘It’s accurate to say he makes you think that.’
By smiling and claiming he valued you, people believed it was genuine. That broke down their guard, but Damian ruthlessly cut anyone who made a mistake.
He enjoyed testing people in every moment.
But you couldn’t ignore his words or refuse his instructions. He was complicated in many ways.
Like a game, he repeatedly picked and discarded the many cards in his hand, seeking amusement and pleasure.
As far as Maurice knew, Damian was the person who best utilized Ellie’s appearance.
Using his archangel-like, beautiful, and benevolent looks to captivate, hurt, and manipulate people unpredictably.
‘But while he’s interested, he becomes a reliable ally.’
Damian was the strongest shield Maurice could prepare for Ellie.
A shield that was also a poison, but nothing in life comes free.
Maurice believed Ellie could overcome Damian’s tests. She had no choice but to.
After all, the Duke McClure was currently searching furiously for “Ellie McClure.”
“He wanted you to have this.”
“Whoa, it’s really chocolate…!”
It wasn’t just cocoa beans but properly processed dark chocolate. There was also milk chocolate and cocoa powder.
Ellie, forgetting both Damian and Maurice, cheered with delight.
“With this, I can make gâteau au chocolat, brownies…!”
“Good. In exactly six hours, there will be a banquet here.”
“Huh?”
“Make desserts. I’ll provide obedient workers who won’t gossip.”
There was no option to refuse. Next to Damian, who gave the simple order, Maurice clenched both fists in encouragement.
“Now, make as much as you want, Ellie!”
Yes. First, let’s start by breaking your shins.
