Chapter 63
Clink.
“Welcome—oh…”
The cheerful smile on Seres’ face froze and quickly soured the moment she saw who had entered the shop.
“If you make that kind of face when you see me, I might get hurt, you know.”
It was Delle, Kainel’s aide, who smiled pleasantly as if offended in jest.
“If you don’t want to see this face, you could just not come here.”
“Haha, well, once you sign this, I probably won’t have any reason to come anymore. Should I raise your salary instead, Miss Seres?”
Why did every conversation with this man—and his superior—feel like talking to a brick wall? She wanted to smash something.
“Kainel-nim, as you requested.”
Delle was holding several small boxes in both hands.
From the sweet aroma wafting over, it wasn’t hard to guess what was inside.
Soon, the table before Kainel was filled with an array of desserts.
“…You told him to buy those so you could eat them here?”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“How could there not be a problem?”
Seres stared at him in disbelief. Eating food from another shop inside her own café?
‘And this from someone who supposedly hates sweets.’
Had his tastes changed all of a sudden?
Given how he still picked out every bell pepper from his food, she doubted it.
“You plan to eat all that yourself? Since when do you like dessert?”
“You can have some too.”
“Me?”
“My aide seems to have bought too much.”
Kainel clicked his tongue and gestured behind him at Delle.
For a split second, Delle’s eyes widened—but he quickly returned to his calm expression.
You’re the one who told me to buy every kind of dessert from that specific café, my lord.
He complained inwardly but smiled politely and bowed his head.
“Can I have some too?!”
“…Do whatever you want.”
Cheyan, who lost her mind whenever sweets were involved, eagerly raised her hand. Whatever irritation she’d felt toward Kainel earlier was now long forgotten.
“Oh? These are from Laila Dessert Café!”
“Laila? You mean the one at the corner across the street?”
“Yup!”
“They’re still in business?”
“Of course. You know them too, Seres? Well, they’ve been around for over three hundred years, right?”
“…I know.”
More than 320 years, actually.
She could still clearly recall the owner and the pastry chef who used to travel around promoting the place.
She’d loved their desserts so much that even when busy, she’d made time to visit two or three times a week. When she couldn’t, Artea or Kainel would bring her some.
“They’re still as colorful as ever.”
Looking at the variety of bright, intricately decorated cakes filled her with nostalgia.
“I love their desserts!”
“Of course you do.”
Smiling faintly, Seres placed a slice of chocolate-dusted cake before Cheyan.
Then she picked up a piece of cinnamon-scented walnut pie and set it in front of Kainel.
“……”
Kainel stared quietly at the walnut pie.
It was the only dessert he would ever eat—one he’d always ordered at that café since childhood, thanks to Grace.
His gaze slowly shifted to Seres, who was happily enjoying a slice of fruit cake.
The same kind Grace had loved most.
‘…This doesn’t make any sense.’
It was absurd—completely irrational—but he couldn’t look away from her.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming up?”
“…Who are you?”
“Me?”
Ben, a member of the intelligence organization Sky, looked at the group of kids staring blankly at him and sighed deeply.
“A messenger.”
“A messenger? What kind of errand?”
“To watch you.”
“Why?”
“Good question. Why am I doing this?”
He honestly wanted to know that himself.
A few days ago, Seres had made a request to him—to watch over the children for a few days in her stead.
He wasn’t supposed to intervene unless they were overexerting themselves, in which case he was to stop them.
‘Why me?’
‘Don’t want to? Then don’t.’
‘…What’ll you do then?’
‘I’ll tell Sky’s leader to send someone else. I’ll also tell him that you’re useless—got caught by me ages ago, don’t follow orders, and need to be punished for tailing me without permission.’
‘I—I wasn’t caught because I’m bad at my job!’
‘……’
‘…Fine, I’ll do it. Okay?’
‘I’m good, you know! One of the best in Sky!’
To claim he’d been caught because he lacked skill—what slander!
‘She’s the weird one!’
Seriously, who could instantly detect his presence like that? What was she, a Sword Master?
But if the leader actually got that report… and his fellow operatives found out…
“…Kids, life isn’t easy.”
“Huh?”
“What are you waiting for? Move out!”
“Um…”
“The last one to arrive runs three laps from the stone ridge to the snow mountain and back!”
“Whaaa!”
“And with extra weights on your arms and legs!”
The children, startled by the same threats Seres always used during training, screamed and bolted ahead.
“…Haah.”
Ben sighed again, watching them run.
His pace quickened as he remembered Seres’ last warning:
‘If any of them get hurt… you know what’ll happen, right? No way you’re that incompetent. Right?’
“Damn it.”
Ben picked up the pace.
“Good morning, Miss Seres.”
Heading to her shop early the next day, Seres spotted Delle standing there in perfect posture and clicked her tongue.
What, are they planning to harass me from dawn now?
What time even was it?
“Your boss—Kainel—isn’t with you?”
“Not today. I came alone.”
“Alone?”
Indeed, there was no sign of Kainel nearby.
So he really had come alone… but why?
“May I have a bit of your time?”
At the polite request, Seres studied him silently.
What is he trying to say this time?
That mild smile of his no longer looked kind to her.
No wonder he got along so well with Kainel—he was just as good at politely applying pressure about that damned contract.
“…Come in.”
She couldn’t exactly leave him standing outside so early in the morning.
Once inside, Delle accepted the tea she offered, then went straight to the point.
“Could you think of this not as debt collection, but as a trade?”
“A trade?”
“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you could see it as making a deal with me.”
“I don’t see how that’s any different.”
Seres turned away, unimpressed.
“What are you playing at?”
“Kainel-nim hasn’t been able to eat lately.”
Her steps froze.
“…What do you mean, can’t eat?”
“He’s been refusing meals entirely.”
“What, completely?”
“Yes.”
“Has he lost his mind?”
Why would anyone just stop eating?
“It’s been going on for quite some time now.”
Delle exhaled softly. Ever since Grace’s body had shattered and vanished, Kainel had barely touched food.
“But he used to eat the stew you made, Miss Seres. That’s the only thing he could stomach for a while, so I was relieved…”
“And now?”
If he could at least eat stew, wasn’t that fine?
‘Wait…’
Had he recently eaten stew?
He came by often enough, but she couldn’t recall seeing him actually eat anything.
“He says it tastes different now.”
“Different?”
“Yes. He claims the flavor isn’t the same—that what the current chef makes is completely different from what you used to make.”
“…What?”
That made no sense. The stew she and Mark made tasted nearly identical, even to her own tongue.
‘Well… maybe just a little different.’
A very slight difference in flavor—but for him to notice that?
