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Chapter 75
Twelve Breads. Bad Things Collapse Mansion (1)
‘No wonder my luck’s been so good.’
When Ellie saw the pile of food waste abandoned at the shop’s entrance, she felt a quiet sense of relief. She had expected this.
Since leaving the McClure mansion, Ellie’s life had gone unusually smoothly, like a sail catching a perfect wind.
‘God wouldn’t be that fair.’
If God were fair, her luck at the McClure mansion should have matched the 19 years she endured there. But Ellie firmly believed the world wasn’t that kind.
In fact, her luck had been almost too good after leaving the house.
Among the many loan sharks she met through her uncle’s introduction, it had been Maurice; the male leads she had tried to avoid, thinking they were omens of misfortune, had become precious friends; the first person she had hired for a part-time job had been Malina…
Not a single real problem had arisen.
‘Well… except for Ban.’
But Ban was polite as a customer. His good looks and build drew attention, but that wasn’t his fault.
He was famous and popular within Rayard, which made him burdensome, but it wasn’t fair to classify him as a nuisance.
‘No, Eddie was quite a handful too…’
It didn’t seem right to call a guest who refused to leave the house anything but difficult.
So it turned out all the real troublemakers were internal. Still, Ellie had managed to run her business smoothly without encountering a single major issue.
She had repaid her debts, created a dessert label, met a reliable and formidable benefactor, and expanded her business faster than expected.
It was about time she faced some hardship.
“Let’s find the culprit immediately.”
Malina’s face turned fierce as she growled. Hop, her attachment mixer, flinched as she tried to hold her back.
“W-wait. Calm down. With that face, you look like the culprit yourself.”
“Call me manager.”
“Manager, calm your expression; the boss might get scared.”
“….”
Malina glared down at Ellie. Ellie blinked. In a moment, Malina’s face softened into the kind and warm expression of a middle-aged woman.
“I’ll catch the culprit… no, I’ll find them for you, Ms. Ellie.”
“No, Malina, you’re far too busy.”
“But…”
“Without Malina, the staff can’t make bread…”
Malina was essentially the brain of the operation. The still-untrained employees were nothing more than her many hands.
“That’s right, Mal, manager. Without you, we can’t do anything.”
“These incompetent fools…”
“They do listen well, though.”
Malina had selected them for their unquestioning obedience. Hop had been the type to follow a leader’s orders without hesitation even as an active mercenary. The other eleven mixers were all similar.
Ellie chose to ignore Malina kicking Hop in the shin.
“Let’s keep this a secret. If Ban or Eddie finds out, they’ll throw a fit.”
“Should we keep it from Maurice too?”
Malina had started calling Maurice casually, without honorifics. She said there was no need for politeness since he wasn’t her employer.
“There’s no need to tell him. Maybe this only happens today.”
“Cowards who sneakily throw away food waste think they’re clever, but they just deceive themselves if you don’t show them otherwise.”
“Still, we can’t stop the shop from opening just to find the culprit.”
“But…”
“When they realize their tricks won’t work, they’ll stop.”
Ellie knew that wouldn’t happen. But for now, it was the best approach. The more fuss they made, the happier the culprit would be.
“Report this to the guard, and let’s get the shop ready.”
“If we report it, the Badger Knights will also get informed.”
“Eh, no way. The Badger Knights also guard the capital, but they have a different role. Small complaints like this, the guards will handle themselves.”
“Well… Edmund is sensitive; if he finds out later, won’t he get mad?”
“….”
“It might be better to ask the two of them to catch the culprit, or tell Maurice.”
“I absolutely don’t want to tell Maurice.”
She didn’t even want to see him for the time being.
Ellie recalled Maurice smiling yesterday and saying, “I like you too.” Her fists clenched involuntarily.
She should have punched him in the face back then.
“Maurice will probably notice soon anyway…”
“He’ll get over it. It’ll be fine.”
Trash terrorism wasn’t that threatening. No thug had come to cause trouble, and if they cleaned it before opening, it would be fine.
Trying to stay positive, Ellie grabbed rags, a broom, and gloves to clean up the waste.
She was caught immediately.
Not long after opening, Maurice arrived and summoned Malina and Ellie to the conference room.
Did Malina say something? I didn’t say anything. Then who did?
Maurice, looking incredulous, spoke to the whispering staff.
“You thought you could hide this?”
“…How did you know right away…?”
Maurice shrugged.
“I’m very interested in you.”
“Maurice, are you free?”
“Ellie.”
“It’s nothing serious. Someone probably got drunk and made a scene.”
“Drunkards don’t carry around food waste.”
“Maybe they vomited.”
“Someone has malice against the shop, or against you.”
“The level of malice that just throws away trash…”
“Ellie, I don’t like it.”
Maurice’s tone was firm and strict. Ellie pursed her lips.
“What do you mean you don’t like it…”
“Like Malina said, dealing with this decisively now prevents it from escalating. Did you report it?”
“Yes.”
“Then Ban will be informed soon. At the latest, he’ll know tomorrow.”
“Ban’s duty is the capital guard, not handling complaints.”
“It’s your duty too.”
Ellie found it strange that he acted as if this was enough explanation. If it were truly Ban’s duty, should he drop everything to come running? Of course not. They were friends and close now, but their responsibilities came first.
Ellie didn’t want to bother Ban or Edmund.
Ban had many duties as the Knight Commander. He didn’t have the luxury to hang around a bakery.
Same for Edmund.
Even before his vacation, no matter how many times she told him to leave, he hadn’t listened. But since returning to Rayard, Edmund no longer avoided the duties of the Tower Master. Even though he complained about being busy, he no longer ran away as he used to.
They probably had many headaches and were very busy. Thanks to that, they now only had time to have lunch together.
Ellie liked that.
Ban enjoyed his knightly life, and Edmund loved magic, just as Ellie loved bread.
You shouldn’t give up what you love easily. Things you can give up anytime aren’t precious. She hoped they would treasure what they loved.
It would be shameful to bother them over a single act of trash terrorism. Maurice said:
“Even if you don’t tell Ban and Eddie, I’m a co-manager, so I hope you can rely on me in situations like this, Ellie.”
“I don’t want to bother anyone. If it feels suspicious, I’ll stake out at dawn and catch the culprit myself. Is that okay?”
“I’d really leave it to you to catch the culprit alone, huh?”
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
“Should I tell you?”
“No, shut up.”
“I do it because I like you, umph, ugh.”
“Ah, seriously, shut up!”
Ellie tiptoed and covered Maurice’s mouth. Malina looked at him as if he were insane, but Ellie found it harder to bear when Malina stayed silent. Maurice smirked and leaned forward.
“It would be better if I touched with my lips instead of my hands.”
“You’re crazy! That’s sexual harassment!”
“Technically, you’re harassing me. You touched me first.”
Maurice grinned slyly, and Ellie flinched and pulled her hand back.
“Ms. Ellie, shall I block him for you? I can tear him apart too.”
“No, Malina. I can’t let another woman touch my lips, aargh!”
Ellie hit Maurice’s stomach with a thud. Maurice made a whining sound.
“Ellie, where did you learn to punch…”
“Malina.”
“Indeed, you hit the weak spot perfectly…”
Maurice held his stomach but still smiled. In truth, he wasn’t even hurt; he was pretending. Ellie’s shoulders twitched at the sight.
‘What’s with that composure?’
Infuriating. He was clearly teasing her.
The awkwardness turned into anger.
“Malina, sorry, but let’s work late tonight. Let’s turn off the lights and wait. The culprit will surely appear again at dawn.”
“I was planning to anyway. Hop alone is enough for the morning shift tomorrow.”
Ellie hurriedly said:
“Malina, take the rest. I’ll handle it.”
“Ms. Ellie, do you want to pay overtime or make me work without it?”
“The choices are strange.”
“I’ll work for free if you say so.”
“…I’ll give you overtime pay…”
“Thank you.”
She wanted to be someone like Malina, not like Maurice.
Ellie warned Maurice, who had straightened his back from holding his stomach.
“Know your limits when teasing people. Before I really get angry.”
“Even if you say you’re not teasing, I won’t believe it, right?”
“…You have to behave in a believable way for me to believe you.”
Ellie was also unsure. Maurice gained nothing from teasing her. If he truly saw her as a “commodity,” he probably wouldn’t risk an awkward relationship.
It was better to refuse firmly and draw the line skillfully than to play along.
No matter how she thought about it, Maurice didn’t seem like the type to pretend to be a lover to gain favor. Yesterday, she had been angry thinking he was mocking her.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to believe me immediately.”
Maurice held Ellie’s hand. She tried to pull away, but he didn’t budge. He kissed the tip of her finger and grinned.
“Just acknowledge it, like this.”
“….”
“If you act too cute, it’ll be hard to resist, so behave.”
Behave? What?
Ellie, red-faced, threw whatever she could grab at him but missed.
