TSBSFVW 70

Chapter 70
Bread Eleven. Just Admit It, You Won’t Die (6)

They entered the four-story building on the main street of Rayad.

The interior, which had previously housed a different business, had been completely renovated. Despite the short construction period, so much money had been poured into it that it was practically perfect and ready to open immediately.

Ellie looked around the shop.

The interior, unified in white and light wood tones, featured human-sized potted plants placed throughout, giving off a clean and cozy atmosphere.

“They say they went with an elf living space theme. Since elves are vegetarian, they probably wanted to give an impression far removed from meat-based ingredients.”

“They didn’t even ask for my opinion.”

“Maurice said he consulted you, Ellie,” came a voice.

“Huh? When?”

“Before opening the store, they had long meetings…”

Now that she thought about it, that had happened.

It was before Ellie had escaped the McClure Mansion. She had once expressed her hope of eventually opening such a store and having multiple branches.

‘Looking back now, it seems so absurd.’

Ellie had been confident that her bread would sell well, and that confidence had probably come off as overconfidence. Maurice, however, had listened carefully and even took notes.

‘Though back then, I was angry because it was obvious from his expression that he looked down on me.’

The first and second floors were for sales and display, while the third and fourth floors were for production.

It had a full setup: an oven, a fermentation room, refrigeration, and a freezer.

There were around ten tools including oven thermometers, mixers, and dessert ovens. Buying all of that must have cost a small fortune.

The workstations were spacious and clean—far too large for just Ellie and Malina to use.

“Where should we hire people from…?”

“If it’s okay with you, Ellie, I can recruit strong workers,” came Maurice’s suggestion.

“How would I live without Malina…”

Ellie clung to Malina’s sturdy forearms like a cicada. Malina smiled as if she found it cute.

Her heart raced like never before. She realized she wasn’t in love with Maurice—she was smitten with Malina.

“We’ll post the recipes. Tasks that require strength, like kneading, dividing, and fermenting, can be assigned immediately. They just need to be the type who follow instructions well. Training can happen gradually in between.”

“Post the recipes?”

“I think it’s more convenient. People learn at different speeds, so it’s better if they follow the recipes and check each step.”

“…Security…”

“If it leaks, so be it. Right now, we can’t manage everything ourselves. There’s no way just the two of us can handle it.”

“I’ll make sure to hire people I can strictly control.”

“Malina will handle the levain management entirely. Just the two of us.”

“Of course. Leave it to me.”

“For desserts, we can leave them to the <Cookie Walking> team as usual…”

“We’ll need extra hands. I’ll take care of that too.”

“Malina, isn’t this too much work? Aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Do you underestimate my stamina?”

Ellie was mesmerized by Malina’s flexing biceps and shook her head. How dare I worry about anyone.

“No, not at all. I’ll recalculate the salary and give bonuses. Thank you.”

Ellie was rich. Probably.

She wasn’t exactly sure how rich she had become. When she received the sales report Maurice had left with the store staff, she counted the digits and immediately shut it.

‘The scale has slipped out of my hands…’

It was frightening. Just a short while ago, she had been calculating daily sales to slowly pay off debts, and now the numbers were incomparably higher.

Only a few months had passed, yet it was like night and day. Ellie decided it was enough to just know she was rich.

Money attracts money.

When she had run the store alone, there were natural limits to production, but with Malina and the <Cookie Walking> team in place, those limits disappeared.

Ellie could only imagine how much larger sales would grow with new staff filling the workstations. The costs would rise too.

‘I’m already scared.’

Running a store alone suited her tastes better, but she couldn’t delay now under the guise of personal preference.

‘If it weren’t for Damian, I would have already been dragged to the McClure Duke…’

Even if Damian’s interest waned someday, she had to succeed to make sure the McClure Duke couldn’t easily interfere.

It would be much harder now since she couldn’t do everything alone like before, but with dependable Malina, she believed they could manage.

Naturally, the newly renovated store and <Cookie Walking> were a huge success.

‘Am I born under the star of a crazy entrepreneur?’

How could she possibly handle this talent and luck!

She must have been blessed by the baking gods, or this was the luckiest moment of her life. Nothing else could explain how smoothly everything went.

There wasn’t even a minor hiccup.

All thanks to Malina.

Malina was the greatest benefactor in Ellie’s life.

“Hop, if you’re tired, step back! Don’t relax too much!”

“Let’s take a break, Malina!”

“I told you to call me manager. If you don’t follow the rules…”

“No, manager! I’ll move, I’ll move! Please don’t stare at me like that, I can’t handle it.”

“Then quit before you wet yourself. Gross. Colin, wear your hairnet properly!”

“Yes!”

The sound of kneading dough was beautiful.

Looking at the disciplined human dough workers, Ellie was slightly intimidated.

‘I could ask Edmund to make a dough machine…’

But Malina firmly said it wasn’t needed yet.

“It’s important to set strict rules from the start, especially in the kitchen. Fire and food safety require everyone to stay alert.”

“But we could work more comfortably.”

“People are tricky. If it’s too easy, they slack off. Hard physical work during training is better.”

“Wouldn’t they be less effective if it’s physically exhausting?”

“There’s a method to managing, or rather training, people. Ellie, stay back. I handle this well.”

“You’re amazing, Malina…”

If Ellie were a man, he would have proposed right then and there. He would never have let her go.

They then checked the confectionery room. The <Cookie Walking> team’s teamwork was already stable, but they were busy learning and mastering a new chocolate-based menu.

While Malina managed hiring and training, Ellie set rules to keep the store running smoothly.

What breads to bake at what time, the pairing of desserts with teas, and the development of new items kept them constantly busy.

She remembered Edmund visiting a few times, but she barely remembered what he said—she had been half asleep.

Only after the store opened did she finally have some breathing room. Once production and sales stabilized, Ellie had little to do. All thanks to a competent manager—Malina was the best.

“Ellie, let’s have lunch.”

“Just let me finish this part…”

“Half.”

Before Edmund could speak, Half had already lifted Ellie. She resigned herself to her fate. She had given up resisting, knowing she’d only embarrass herself.

This was why she always lost track of time working before lunch.

Half and Edmund took a seat at a table on the first floor.

Ellie pulled out the meals she had prepared for them early in the morning. No matter how busy she was, she always made sure they had their own servings.

“Don’t you get tired of eating bread every lunch?”

“Not at all. We can only eat what you make, so there’s no way it gets boring,” Edmund replied first.

Even if the recipe was the same, Edmund insisted only on the egg tarts Ellie made.

“I’ll never get tired of it.”

“Don’t speak so easily, you don’t know life.”

“Eddie, that’s not your place to say…”

Half and Edmund seemed to stick together more often lately. Listening to their light argument, Ellie opened her mouth to eat her own baguette. She toasted it slightly, spread butter on one side, and sprinkled a little salt.

“Eh?”

At that moment, someone lifted Ellie onto their shoulders.

Since Half and Edmund didn’t react, it must have been someone they knew. There was only one person who fit that description—the one Ellie had been avoiding because she was always busy.

“Finally caught you, Ellie.”

It was Maurice. He gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice.

“Let’s have a little chat, okay?”