TSBSFVW 69

Chapter 69
Bread Eleven. Just Admit It, You Won’t Die (5)

When Ellie said she was going back, Damian spoke up.

“Go ahead and wait first.”

“Huh? Wait for… whom?”

“For me.”

Ellie received a look filled with blame, as if asking why she had to wait for anyone at all. She didn’t know why she should wait for him, but there was an even more important question.

“Are you planning to come to Rayard…?”

“Of course.”

“Why… I mean, what brings you here…?”

“You’re using strange formalities. No need to be so stiff.”

“Why are you visiting?”

“To see you.”

“Hiiik?”

She had reacted too honestly without thinking. Damian tilted his head slightly and looked at Ellie.

“You look disgusted. As if I’m some kind of monster.”

“Disgusted? No, that’s not it.”

“Well, we don’t have time now, so let’s let that slide.”

“Thank you.”

Ellie could feel, even without words, that Damian was giving her a lot of leeway.

Above all, the fact that he listened to her wish to stay in Rosso and didn’t forcibly take her to the Yan Empire was the clearest proof. She had expected him to use his authority to force her, yet he didn’t.

“You said you’d only come to Yan if you succeeded in Rosso.”

“…Did I really say that?”

Hearing it from Damian’s mouth, it sounded like an audacious condition.

“Then you’d better succeed. First, move your shop.”

“Huh?”

“I heard you’re running a tiny little shop in a falling-apart alley.”

“It’s, it’s bigger than a tiny little dot…!”

Ellie defended herself with all her strength. Still, from Damian’s perspective, it probably looked no different from being in a rundown place, so he didn’t spare the alley.

“Being bigger than a dot is something to brag about?”

“People can fit inside.”

“…Maurice found a suitable building. Renovations started around the time you went on vacation, so it should be finished now.”

“Huh? Then what about my shop?”

“Is it so hard to throw away a little dot?”

“It’s not just a dot—it’s my dot!”

She wasn’t talking about an actual dot.

“Expanding or branching out your shop is my job.”

“You’re telling me to do it now?”

“But…”

“I won’t hear nonsense about succeeding on your own. I may be generous, but I have no patience.”

“…Is that how I seem…?”

“…You really walk a fine line.”

“…Sorry.”

Damian shrugged.

“Use every means necessary, work as hard as you can, and succeed as fast as possible. No longer than a year.”

He made it clear that he wouldn’t listen to objections or excuses. Even if time was short, with Damian’s name and wealth behind her, failure was unthinkable.

Even sand would probably sell well. When Ellie quietly said “yes,” Damian smirked.

“If you don’t want to, follow me right now.”

A tyrant through and through.

“I wanted to come with you, but I still have work to do.”

“Come or not, I don’t care.”

“Ellie, you’re so cold…”

“Did you expect me to be warm after you kicked me? How presumptuous.”

“…How does love change…”

Ellie snorted.

“How long are you going to drag up old stories? Pathetic.”

“…Didn’t our lines just change?”

It hadn’t even been a full day.

Maurice, who had been sulking, changed expression to a grin when he saw Ellie.

She could pretend nothing happened, but seeing her act so calm made his stomach churn.

‘So, it wasn’t a big deal for you.’

She smiled smoothly, and he had the urge to punch that smile. Rather than excitement, he felt violent impulses—and yet he liked her. Was that really right?

He doubted himself, but since he still couldn’t look her straight in the eyes, it seemed correct.

He was annoyed and angry, yet somehow he didn’t hate her.

“I’ll go ahead and prepare as Damian said, so you handle your own business.”

Ellie didn’t wait for Maurice’s response and slid into the carriage. She justified it to herself—she wasn’t running away, since she had said everything she needed to.

Maurice tried to follow but was blocked by Edmund.

“Eddie… if you think about it, all of this is your fault.”

“Well, to some extent.”

Edmund looked back. Half-closed the carriage door and pulled down the curtain.

Seeing the hostile look in Edmund’s eyes, Maurice knew he had heard the gist of what happened.

This made Maurice look like the jerk, but considering only the facts, that wasn’t entirely wrong.

She had cried.

But Maurice hadn’t meant to make Ellie cry. He wasn’t trying to seduce her for some advantage, like he had been spotted doing before.

If he had any such intention, he wouldn’t have been so embarrassingly flustered last night.

“I may feel sorry for Ellie, but not really for you. Did you lose anything?”

“I needed to prepare myself, too.”

“You kicked her, and now you need preparation? Just move on and act like yourself. Pretend nothing happened, like now.”

“Do you think I’m shameless?”

“Not?”

“….”

“Keep your distance for now. You touch people too much for no reason.”

“…Now you’re turning me from shameless into shameless and shameless….”

Edmund gave Maurice a look that said “so, you’re not?” and slid into the carriage.

Maurice signaled the driver, and the carriage started moving.

‘Looks like I won’t see her face for a while.’

Maurice still hadn’t told Ellie about last night. He didn’t even know what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her he was at least happy, that he didn’t think she was a nuisance, didn’t ridicule her—but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Still, your eyes aren’t too puffy.”

Good thing he had sent a cold, wet towel.

They stopped the carriage every two hours for thirty minutes.

The road to Rayard was well-maintained, but Ellie, who had never seen monsters in real life, couldn’t relax because she didn’t know what might jump out. She became even more exhausted.

“What are you worried about? Ban and I are here. Nothing will happen to you.”

“I’m just scared that monsters might appear….”

It’s hard to explain that watching a horror movie isn’t scary because of the ghost or killer—but because just watching it is scary.

“You’re quite timid, Ellie.”

“Ah, my pride is hurt.”

Ban smiled like sunlight, but Ellie interpreted it as teasing because of her insecurities.

Edmund said,

“No one will touch a hair on your head.”

“That’s not necessary…”

“And you won’t cry again.”

“That’s my choice. I have the right to cry too.”

“I swear.”

“I’ll pass.”

It was really burdensome. Ellie suddenly remembered that he had been an obsessive type male lead.

Though she now saw him as a person, sometimes elements reminded her of why he played that role in the story.

‘Eddie would be the obsessive type who’d kill you if I left, Ban would be the self-destructive obsessive type if I left, right?’

Now, it didn’t seem like it at all.

At most, they’d sulk alone or become a bit difficult—but kidnapping, holding her hostage, or threatening someone she loves? Unthinkable.

“I’ll just sleep. Wake me when we arrive.”

“Sleep safely.”

“Good night, Ellie.”

Those sweethearts wouldn’t do anything like that.

‘First, I need to organize the shop, apologize and thank Malina for working alone, check dessert sales, develop new menu items….’

Ellie erased the lingering images of Ireine, the Duke McClure’s voice, and Maurice’s disheveled hazel eyes rushing toward her.

Her tasks were like a mountain.

Malina said awkwardly,

“We’ll need more staff, I guess….”

“Indeed…….”

How much bread would they need to make to fill a four-story building?