Episode 8 Part 3
Sales for the chestnut bread, which had spiked briefly, went back to normal. Well, not all the way down, just from “Wow, it’s selling great!” to “This isn’t too bad.”
Maybe people around here got used to chestnut bread already.
“Isn’t that way too fast for a trend to end?”
I only started making the bread a week ago, and already it felt like people were over it. Are people here just super quick to adapt?
But I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time to think about that. My mind was already full from the things the Duke of West told me.
I thought again about the fact that Everdin is a noble.
Everdin Usher is a noble. That means she belongs to a noble family. Which means she has a family.
A family. Just thinking about that made my heart race. In my old world, the only person I could call family was my grandmother. My parents died when I was young, and I had no siblings.
We didn’t even have many relatives, and most of the ones I met were at my grandmother’s funeral.
But Everdin has a family. Maybe even parents, maybe even siblings.
I was so curious and excited that I almost squeezed the freshly baked bread twice. After finishing the display, I stood up.
I want to meet them. What if I get close to Everdin’s family? The idea of having a family, even if it wasn’t truly mine, was so exciting.
“Welcome.”
I turned around and greeted the customer who had just entered the shop. In any shop, it’s basic manners to greet a customer.
I did briefly wonder if it was okay for a noble to run a shop, but I had to make a living. I didn’t know how Everdin got money from her family before.
Speaking of which, why hasn’t her family come looking for her when they haven’t heard from her?
I stacked those new questions neatly in a corner of my mind and smiled at the customer.
The girl who came in was stunningly pretty. With blonde hair and blue eyes, she looked like a doll.
“Are you looking for something?”
Judging by her clothes, she was definitely from a rich family. Her blouse was neatly pleated, her skirt was full, and the ribbon in her golden hair was decorated with embroidery and lace.
Unlike where I lived before, here people showed their status through clothing. It wasn’t about brands but about fabric and detail.
My own skirt was plain and undecorated, but this girl had patterns and lace on hers. This was the first time someone this rich came to the shop.
I briefly thought of the Duke of West but dismissed him. He wasn’t a customer.
“You fraud!”
Then the girl shouted. Huh? I looked around in surprise, realizing it was just the two of us in the shop.
She was glaring straight at me. Then she pointed a finger at me and shouted again.
“How shameless! How can you still walk around like nothing happened, you scammer!”
What now? My head hurt. I wasn’t sure if I should kick her out or invite her inside to talk.
Honestly, I wanted to throw her out. But then she shouted again.
“How will you take responsibility? Because of you, my family’s reputation is ruined!”
Did I ruin someone’s reputation? No. Then she must mean Everdin. I pressed my fingers to my temple and asked:
“What family are you from?”
“The Duke of West! The man you didn’t want to marry and faked your death to escape—that’s my brother, Martin West!”
Ah. Now I get it. This must be the youngest of the three West siblings.
Oh.
I looked at the girl, her face red with anger, and nodded. One was a scoundrel, one was a doll, and she definitely fit the “doll” role.
Well, the Duke was annoying, but he was good-looking. I remembered his face and asked:
“Does your brother know you’re here?”
Surprisingly, the girl’s fiery energy faded a bit. Gotcha. So the Duke didn’t know his little sister was here causing trouble.
I put my hands on my hips and asked again:
“Before you came to my shop to cause trouble, did you even talk to your brother first?”
If she had, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. I clicked my tongue. Her face turned red again, and she crossed her arms, trying to look tough.
“Don’t be ridiculous! Why would I do that? What would it change?”
“If you did, you’d know that your family should be the one apologizing to me.”
Isn’t that right? Everdin was the victim here because Martin West lived his life recklessly. I was still waiting for the Duke to apologize properly.
But clearly, the girl didn’t agree. Her face flushed with anger.
“Our family apologize? How shameless!”
She suddenly slammed the display shelf with her hand. What the heck? The bread fell to the floor.
“Hey!”
Before I could say more, the girl dashed toward the door. As she flung it open, the shelf nearby shook from the force.
Crash!
The shelf, filled with unused baskets and glass jars, toppled over. I ducked and shielded myself.
Too late to chase her now. She must be long gone. But just as I turned toward the door, I saw a dark figure standing there.
“Anette West.”
It was the Duke. His face was expressionless, but his voice was low as he called her name.
So her name was Anette. I stepped outside to see her frozen in place, pale-faced.
“I dropped you off at the tailor. Where are the maids?”
She said nothing. It seemed she ditched them and came here.
Serves her right. I crossed my arms and stood leaning to one side. The Duke in his black hat and coat looked scary enough to frighten anyone. I was just glad I wasn’t the one in trouble.
“B-Brother…”
Her voice trembled. As she looked at me, the Duke’s gaze followed.
Why look at me? I stepped aside so he could see the mess inside the shop.
“Why did you come here?”
Anette stammered, “I heard Everdin Usher was here…”
I frowned as the Duke didn’t even bother correcting her to ‘Miss Usher.’
But he just turned to me and said:
“I apologize on her behalf.”
Huh? That’s it? No mention of compensation or anything? He then told Anette to return to the carriage.
I crossed my arms again and said:
“No need.”
They both looked at me confused. I snorted.
“What’s so special about your apology? Have the person who made the mess apologize to herself.”
Their eyes met. It’s not like gold falls from the sky when a Duke apologizes. Anette looked shocked, but the Duke tugged her closer and said:
“Apologize, Anette.”
“Brother!”
She tried to protest, but one look from him made her go quiet. She turned to me with a sour face and mumbled:
“Sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“What?”
She frowned and looked to her brother, who just stared silently. Realizing he wouldn’t help, she muttered:
“Sorry for showing up without warning.”
“And?”
“And what?”
Was that the worst thing she did? I looked at the Duke. He only scolded her for that, too.
Like brother, like sister. I looked back at her and listed:
“You called me a fraud, accused me of ruining your family’s honor, knocked bread off the shelf, and broke things when you slammed the door.”
Anette’s face turned red with a mix of embarrassment and anger. The Duke glanced inside the store and finally seemed to realize the damage.
“We’ll compensate you.”
I didn’t even have to ask. He reached inside his coat, probably for his wallet. But I stood my ground and said:
“And make your sister clean up the mess herself.”
