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Chapter 80
Twelve Breads. Bad Things Come in Droves Mansion (6)
“L-Lady Ellie. It’s all my fault…”
“……”
Ellie knew she had to say something to Marlina, but no words would come out.
Maybe this was the most shaken she had been since that day, at eight years old, when she realized she had been reborn in this world. That’s how overwhelming it felt—an emptiness like a piece of her own body had been torn away.
“Lady Ellie…”
“Marlina, hurry and beg forgiveness. Get down on your knees if you have to.”
“Should all of us kneel? Who was the last person to check the fermentation room?”
“Wasn’t it Hop? Or Colin?”
Murmurs drifted from nearby.
Ellie collapsed to the floor where she stood.
The sight inside the fermentation room was indescribably horrific.
The dough she had carefully kneaded, stretched smooth on the surface, and shaped into soft, plump rounds—was all thrown across the floor. Not only was it filthy, but shards of broken glass were embedded everywhere, making it impossible to salvage.
The dough—well, losing a day’s worth of sales could be endured.
The real problem was the levain jar stored in the fermentation room.
Since she had to make large quantities of bread, she’d been cultivating her levain in bulk. Now, all of it lay shattered, the spilled contents spreading in a white layer across the floor.
Memories flashed through Ellie’s mind.
The days she had held the glass jar with both hands, praying for it to rise.
The days she almost hurled the jar away when it wouldn’t rise a single centimeter, no matter how many bubbles appeared.
The days she thought she had finally succeeded in cultivating a natural yeast starter, only for it to collapse within days.
The days when the levain stabilized enough to bake bread, but then the dough itself refused to rise, leaving her disappointed…
The countless struggles with the maddeningly sensitive levain—but because of it, she had also been able to taste fluffy, risen bread and felt happiness.
“M-My…”
“Ellie…”
Morris approached her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“My beloved yeast!”
Ellie fell face-down onto the ground, sobbing.
“My partner is dead—!”
“…Ellie, if anyone hears you, they’ll misunderstand. Don’t leave out the qualifiers…”
“It was my oldest friend!”
“……”
Morris, Marlina, Hop, Colin, and the other bakery staff, as well as the Cookie Walking team who had rushed over after hearing the news, all looked at her with pity.
What kind of life had she lived, for her closest friend to be fermented flour?
Morris tried his best to comfort her.
“I’m sure it passed peacefully.”
“How could it pass peacefully? It’s not even a person.”
“…Why are you suddenly like this?”
“I meant that’s how sad I am. Up until just a year ago, it was the closest living thing to me…”
The starter hadn’t just been spilled—it was full of glass shards. There was no way to scoop it back up for use. Even if the floor was cleaned spotless, it was already contaminated. With or without glass, reviving it was impossible.
“It was my oldest friend…”
Ellie had been cultivating this levain for almost nine years.
When she escaped from the McClure estate, the very first thing she took with her was that levain jar. That’s how deep her attachment ran. It was her treasure number one.
She thought she needed to pull herself together, but as she spoke, tears welled up on their own.
Yeast, do you know how many years we spent together?
Afraid Morris might see, Ellie quickly tugged at her sleeve to wipe her eyes. Morris sighed softly, lowered her hand, and gently dabbed her eyes with his handkerchief.
“Rubbing just makes it smudge under your eyes, you know.”
“I wasn’t even rubbing that hard.”
Ellie turned her head away and pushed Morris aside. He let himself be lightly pushed back.
Marlina, flustered, stepped forward.
“I’m so sorry, Lady Ellie. I was in charge of the levain, and yet something like this happened…”
“What can we do when someone deliberately targeted it? This isn’t your fault.”
“But—”
“You couldn’t possibly stand guard outside the fermentation room 24 hours a day. If they struck when the shop was empty, there was nothing you could do.”
“…That method…”
“Marlina, when your shift ends, you must go home. Don’t even think of sleeping at the shop.”
Hop spoke up.
“The only thing hit was the fermentation room. Whoever did this knew exactly when the shop would be empty and where the fermentation room was. No doubt about it. Unless… it was an inside job.”
“I don’t think it was anyone on the inside…”
“I agree, but you never know. What if one of us was paid off to do this?”
Ellie blinked.
The destroyed dough, the dead starter of nine years—it all hurt. But what hurt the most was having to suspect her own people just to find the culprit.
“Boss, I know you’re sad, but finding the culprit is a separate matter. You need to think calmly.”
Ellie was fumbling for words when Morris raised his hand.
“I just received word. The levain jars at all three bakery branches were also found shattered this morning.”
That meant they couldn’t even share starter from the branches.
“It was definitely an outsider. This afternoon, all four of the staff present—including everyone here—were with Marlina in the main kitchen practicing baking. Don’t bully Ellie, Hop.”
“I-I wasn’t trying to bully her…”
“Don’t do it again. Anyway… Ellie?”
Ellie pressed a hand to her forehead in relief.
“Oh dear, you’re so fragile,” Hop muttered apologetically, scratching his head.
Hardships she could bear alone—but when it came to people, she didn’t know what to do. Ellie mumbled:
“Thank goodness… Marlina won’t have to kill anyone…”
“Huh?”
“Marlina said if any employee she picked caused trouble, she’d take responsibility by killing them herself.”
“……”
“Thank goodness. If it had come to aiding murder or hiding a body, it would’ve been a nightmare…”
Marlina gave a bitter smile.
“Lady Ellie, I’m not careless enough to ask for your help. I’d handle it myself.”
Ellie gave a weak laugh. She hoped it was a joke, but Marlina’s eyes were too serious, so she truly felt relieved.
“Morris, in this state, we can’t open for business for now. It’ll take days to make a new starter.”
“Yes, I agree.”
“The pastry kitchen isn’t affected, so we can still meet existing orders… but what about rumors?”
Of all days, a closure on the same day Seth caused a scene.
Rumors could go either way.
People could say the owner was hiding because of guilt.
Or they could whisper that it was suspicious for a shop that never closed to suddenly shut its doors.
“Duke McClure must be behind this, Morris.”
“Most likely…”
Morris didn’t look surprised; he had already suspected the same.
“It’s fine. I’ll have Edmund release a statement quickly that your bread is perfectly safe. Ban won’t let rumors spread unchecked.”
“…Will it really be that easy? Edmund said the Research Department of the Mage Tower is especially strict.”
“There’s also a Mage Tower in Yan, Ellie. I’ll send samples there too.”
“…Wow. Lord Damian being angry is scary though… What if the results come out strangely?”
“Your goods already passed inspections. Everything delivered to the Yan Imperial Court goes through the Mage Tower’s most rigorous tests. Your bread and pastries are officially approved. The Mage Tower in Rosso can’t openly contradict that.”
Still, it could take time before results were released.
“They’ll catch the culprit soon, right?”
“Ban might catch him as early as this afternoon.”
“…Maybe so.”
“It’ll be fine, Ellie.”
Morris held Ellie’s hand. She looked up at him.
“No matter what happens, I’ll take care of it.”
“……”
Ellie slipped her hand out of his grip and glanced toward Marlina.
Morris sighed.
Several days passed after that, with still no word from either Ban or Edmund.
