Chapter 7
“It’s a good thing Eustia was the one who spoke to me first.”
“True. If it had been anyone else, they would have probably tried to buy it for a low price. And there was a lot more wine that couldn’t be consumed than I expected.”
At the mention of the wine being undrinkable, Yuliana ruthlessly tossed the wine bottles into a large bag. When the bag became quite full, Henry silently picked it up and carried it behind the shop to place it down. Watching him effortlessly carry the heavy sack of wine bottles, Yuliana couldn’t help but mutter.
“Wow, Henry. You really look like a knight.”
Henry had an inkling of the meaning of “knight” as it was commonly used by ladies, something he had heard growing up from his younger sister, who was seventeen at the time. She had always talked about her “ideal love stories,” which always involved knights. The knights in her stories were always strong, handsome, and skilled in martial arts and horsemanship. Henry grew up hearing the term “knight,” not just as a description, but as the embodiment of it.
“What do you mean by a ‘knight-like person’?”
Henry had forgotten that he was still wearing the enchanted headband that altered his appearance. He answered curtly, unknowingly mixing a bit of gruffness in his voice, but Yuliana, who smiled brightly like the sun, wasn’t quick to notice it. The only time she sharpened her gaze was when she was cooking and observing the guests’ reactions to her dishes.
“Just that you’re strong.”
The enchanted headband made Henry‘s previously sharp nose look flattened and turned his large, beautiful eyes dull and drooping. In other words, it turned him into someone who, despite having flamboyant red hair, looked like an unattractive man.
At least his body wasn’t distorted like that of a malnourished horse, but the problem was that Henry didn’t remember any of this.
“Is it just that I’m strong?”
It hadn’t been long since Henry met Yuliana. While he felt affection for her, it was too soon for any romantic interest to blossom. Yuliana found herself flustered for the first time, her lips moving without words as she wondered if she had said something wrong by complimenting him on his strength.
She quickly recalled their earlier conversation about the wine. Apparently, Henry‘s father was a man who had to be addressed as “Sir” by those around him. Remembering this, Yuliana waved her hands apologetically.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t know you couldn’t compliment someone from a noble family like that.”
It was Henry, surprisingly, who became the apologetic one. It seemed Yuliana didn’t know much about nobility, and he felt a bit bad for having made her feel awkward. He didn’t want to act rudely toward Yuliana, who had helped him so much. Henry shook his head and smiled warmly.
“No, it’s fine. I was just teasing you for a bit.”
After placing the second bundle down, Henry smiled at her.
“Anyway, Henry, if your father asks you to sell vegetables again, please let me know.”
“Of course, you didn’t tell me not to accept your help.”
“That’s a loophole in the contract, isn’t it?”
“A good merchant knows how to avoid falling into those traps and instead gets others to fall for them.”
Yuliana had asked Henry to help her with buying wine for various uses. In return, Henry agreed to help her again if her father insisted on selling vegetables in the future.
Thus, the secret alliance between the young Duke’s daughter and a girl who had to run a shop with only a snake and vegetables was officially sealed in the third street of Gran Blanco.
“Everything’s ready—the ingredients, the spices, everything.”
“Yeah, Henry really helped a lot.”
After Henry left, Yuliana took the strange document he had left behind and went to the shop.
It was a letter sealed with Chester‘s seal, which contained a message to treat her “precious friend” well. With the seal on it, it seemed less like a request and more like a threat.
However, thanks to this “threat,” Yuliana managed to get fresh vegetables and buy wine at a good price. She prepared everything slowly and opened the restaurant for the first time.
“But there are no customers.”
“There’s not even any dust.”
“Are we playing ‘Find the Missing Item,’ Dylan?”
Yuliana said coldly, noticing the odd atmosphere. Dylan fluffed up his feathers, curling up his shoulder. A small sniffle escaped him, but Yuliana just scoffed.
At first, when Dylan made crying noises, she was startled and tried to comfort him. But now she knew all he was doing was pretending to cry.
“Dylan, look up.”
“…”
“Dylan, look up if you want food.”
“Okay, Eustia.”
Dylan quickly lifted his head. Yuliana sighed and stepped outside the shop.
Starting today, the shop would be open for business, so she had opened the doors wide and let out delicious smells, cooking something. But still, no one came. Yuliana, feeling down, paced back and forth in front of the door.
“Our shop is open for business.”
“Yeah, Eustia.”
“Why isn’t anyone coming?”
“Eustia, if we play ‘Find the Wrong Picture,’ you’ll see that there’s a person in front of the other restaurant, and no one here.”
Dylan pointed his tail toward the restaurant across the street. What he said made sense—this restaurant had only a cook, but the other had a few more people working.
Yuliana finally realized something was wrong. Just then, someone approached the restaurant—a gray-haired old lady and her butler.
“Is no one here?”
“Uh, yes? Yes?”
Quickly, Yuliana closed the restaurant door and started to take down the “Hiring” ad, but she was too startled by the unexpected situation to move. Ignoring her, the butler who had been standing by the old lady’s side called for someone inside the restaurant.
The old lady slid past Yuliana and entered the restaurant, noticing there wasn’t even anyone serving food or taking orders. She clicked her tongue at the deserted state of the restaurant.
“This place is awful. There’s no one here?”
“Uh, I’m here!”
Yuliana’s face turned bright red at the old lady’s remark. Dylan, noticing her embarrassment, fluffed up his feathers and sent a small breeze to comfort her.
“Let’s go. I doubt you can even eat here…”
“I-I’m sorry! Can I offer you something?”
“You’re rude. Do you know who this is?”
“Her butler.”
The old lady spoke curtly, and the butler, who had been reprimanding Yuliana, quickly stepped back and fell silent. But Yuliana wasn’t surprised. She quickly realized that this old lady had quite an eye for detail.
Yuliana had a keen sense of reading people’s reactions, and she noticed immediately that the old lady had realized the lack of staff as soon as she entered, and also noticed her brief glance upstairs.
End of Chapter 7
