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Chapter 22
Lynette quickly realized what was happening. Having had a boyfriend before, and even been married once, she immediately pulled her hand away. Then, as if nothing had happened, she turned away.
“As thanks, I’ll give you some coffee. On a day like this, a warm Sefiano should be nice, don’t you think?”
In the empty shop, Sian sat with his face flushed, sipping the Sefiano, suffering in silence.
“By the way, Sian, did you come here on purpose today? Or did you just happen to bump into me on your way somewhere?”
While she was putting away fruit that had been thoroughly washed clean by the rain, Lynette peeked up at him and asked.
“I was on my way to E끌림. You probably don’t like it, Lynette, but I thought there wouldn’t be many people out in this weather.”
Sian, who seemed to dislike crowded places, drank his coffee slowly, almost as if chewing on solitude itself.
To him, Lynette offered some savory pancakes she had made earlier. After all, pancakes tasted best on rainy days.
She brewed herself a cup of Sefiano and sat across from him, eating together with the pancakes.
“This is on the house. Eat. On rainy days, having these makes you feel better.”
“Is this something your family always makes on rainy days?”
“Nope, it’s just me. But hey—don’t tell me you’re only going to eat the edges? That’s not allowed.”
“C-couldn’t I? The middle part is good too, but the edges are crispy and delicious.”
When he carefully picked out only the golden, crispy edges, Lynette firmly shook her head. Sian’s ears drooped like a scolded puppy, and he lowered his head slightly, sulking.
“Where did you learn to make food like this? It’s really good.”
It was just ordinary pumpkin, yet once cooked it had a sweet flavor. The fragrant perilla leaves, chives, and green onions transformed the simple flour batter into something wonderful.
“Well, I just thought—if you bake flour with basic ingredients, it turns into bread, right? So what if I added vegetables instead? And it turned out to be a success.”
Of course, she couldn’t say that back where she used to live, she often made this kind of pancake. If she said that, people would think she was crazy.
“I see. I had a friend once who would make unusual things, and when I asked him where he learned it, he’d joke and say he picked it up in his previous life. I thought maybe you were the same.”
Lynette flinched for a moment, then forced a smile.
“What a strange friend.”
“Yes. So I asked him what happened to his family from his ‘previous life,’ and he just said it was all only in dreams.”
“Family…”
When she was Lee Seoryul, she had no family. Her parents and older brother had already passed away. The only one she had was a boyfriend, but their clashing personalities led to constant fights, until all affection had died out.
In the end, after another quarrel, she fell down the stairs and died. She had no lingering attachments to her past life.
Even though she regained her memories as Lee Seoryul, she never once looked back. She didn’t even have the luxury of whining about it—she was too busy trying not to become the villainess in this life.
Up until now, escaping from home, the memories of Lee Seoryul were only useful as a source for work. They weren’t absolute. Perhaps the lack of family in that life made it easier for her to adapt to this world.
“And this odd friend of yours, where is he now?”
“In heaven. He passed away way too early. He was a good guy, too…”
Pitter-patter, shaaa—
The rain, which had briefly stopped, began pouring down again. Feeling she had asked something she shouldn’t have, Lynette quietly sipped her coffee.
“Perhaps I brought up something gloomy. But to me, talking about him isn’t sad.”
“Why not?”
“Because he laughed and promised he’d come back, even though he was dying. He was fun until the very end.”
Sian shared a few anecdotes about his friend, smiling faintly as he drank his coffee.
“Could I ask… what his last words were?”
“Ah, it was something silly. He said if I ended up with my first love, he’d kiss my butt even from the grave.”
“So I should be glad you didn’t get together with your first love?”
“Who knows? Things are uncertain now, but maybe it’ll happen someday.”
Since no one could predict the future, Lynette just nodded slightly.
Because of the all-day rain, no customers came in. Sian was the only one who kept her company, holding the space as he always did. After paying for the coffee that had been given as service, he finally left.
“Whoever Sian’s first love is, he sure is batting away blessings with his own two hands. At this rate, he’ll be crowned home run king. Hehe!”
Lynette chuckled softly, then stared absentmindedly at the flour before clapping her hands.
“That’s it! Let’s try making that. I can ask Katrin to help.”
As soon as closing time came, Lynette dashed out, gathered some ingredients, and rushed home.
“Katrin, help me out!”
❅
With Katrin’s help, Lynette made something and hurried to put it in the shop refrigerator the next day. Thanks to the ice stone, the refrigerator stayed wonderfully cold.
Then she ran the café as usual. As expected, Angela’s “stomach clock” rang midway through, and Lynette pulled out what she had made the day before.
“I like it grilled, but Katrin says it’s better steamed. So this time, Angela, you taste it and decide.”
“Yes, ma’am! Leave it to me. Eating is my specialty.”
Lynette began steaming some of the dumplings, while grilling others on the side. When the steamed ones were nearly done, the grilled ones were ready at the same time.
“What is this?”
“Dumplings. I rolled flour dough thin, cut it into wrappers, and filled them with minced pork and vegetables. Try them and tell me which you like better.”
Angela blew on the steaming dumpling and popped it in her mouth.
“Ahhh… this is… unbelievably delicious!”
After trying both steamed and fried dumplings, Angela could only gasp in awe. Lynette, unsatisfied, called Angelo over as well.
“Angelo, eat and tell me which is better.”
“Yes! Angel-sis.”
After tasting both, Angelo just blinked in shock. The taste was so good that he forgot the heat and stuffed them into his mouth.
“Sorry, Angel-sis. They’re both too good. I can’t choose.”
Watching them, Lynette set a plate before Sian when he arrived, waiting for his verdict.
“Could I… buy these from you personally?”
“No, they’re not for sale. So—which one’s better?”
“I can’t choose. The steamed ones are soft and chewy, but the fried ones are crispy and savory. Don’t torture me by making me pick, Lynette.”
Even as he said that, Sian polished off every last dumpling with a smile.
“I think the fried ones are better.”
“Then I’ll say the fried ones too.”
“Miss! You know leading questions aren’t fair!”
Suddenly, Katrin appeared. Angela and Angelo immediately greeted her.
“Katrin and I made a bet. She says steamed dumplings taste better, and I say fried ones do. If steamed wins, she gets to do what she wants. If fried wins, she has to rest, no excuses.”
Lynette wanted to make her rest somehow, since Katrin never stopped working around the house. But Katrin always insisted she felt energized when Lynette was around, refusing to take a break. Lynette hated seeing her bent over all day doing chores that didn’t need to be done.
“Then I’ll vote fried. No matter how strong you feel, fatigue builds up in the body.”
With Sian’s biased vote, Katrin turned to the siblings.
“They’re both delicious…”
“We abstain.”
With their abstention, Katrin had no choice but to take the day off Lynette designated.
“By the way, did you make these too, Lynette?”
“Yes. I guess I dreamt them up from a past life, just like your friend did.”
Joking lightly, she made Sian chuckle and nod as he sipped his coffee.
“Angel-sis, you’re really a genius. Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Hmm… fighting with my body?”
“That’s fine. Because I’ll grow into a cool man and protect both my sis and Angel-sis!”
“Oh! Really? Even if it’s just words, thank you. I suddenly feel so much safer.”
Lynette ruffled Angelo’s hair, then sent him home when more customers arrived. Katrin, rolling up her sleeves, stayed to help.
“Did you hear? The empire of Sepia’s relations just soured badly.”
“Really? There won’t be a war, will there?”
Hearing the customers’ talk, Lynette froze. In the original story she remembered, there had been no war.
“Could the plot have changed? Or maybe something happened between Sharon and Mason over in Sepia…”
Muttering to herself did no good; all she got in return were more orders and empty cups. With business picking up, Sian left earlier than usual.
“I hope there won’t be a war. That mustn’t happen.”
Katrin sighed as well. If war broke out, the nation’s young men would be dragged away to die.
“Wars happen because nobles mess up diplomacy, but it’s always commoners like us who get dragged into it. Hmph. If a war breaks out, they should go fight themselves and pay taxes for it.”
“Hey! Don’t say that too loudly, or the guards will haul you away.”
The one who warned their friend took his coffee and left.
“What if the young master gets drafted too?”
“What else? That’s a knight’s fate. He swore an oath to give his life to the kingdom and emperor. He has to pay that price.”
“Still, miss, don’t speak so coldly. Even if you dislike him, he’s still your brother.”
“It’s not like I can go in his place. If worst comes to worst, I’ll rip out the eyes of the fool who picked someone unfit to be a royal knight and shoved him onto the battlefield.”
No one could tell if Lynette was worried about Edgar or not, but she frowned deeply. She only hoped this would end as a minor incident.
But her prayer wasn’t answered—heaven seemed to have abandoned its duties.
