Chapter 29
That evening.
What was waiting for me when I returned home was a bluish-green loaf of bread—something I couldn’t even begin to guess what it was made from…
“Here. Go on, try it, Vivi.”
And the creator of that monstrosity—my father, Dias Hessen.
With half-lidded eyes, I glanced back and forth between the bizarre bread and my dad.
“What is this, Dad?”
“What else? It’s a brand-new menu item for our shop that I spent days and nights developing.”
“I mean, I can tell it’s bread, but… what on earth did you put in it?”
What could possibly make bread turn blue?
“I used an herb that only grows in the summer. But plain bread felt a little boring, so I added some coloring.”
…You chose blue? The one color said to kill appetite?
“Other colors are already common, so I thought a unique color might become the signature of our bakery.”
Does he not realize there’s a reason no one else has ever made blue bread before?!
I rubbed my forehead as I looked at my father, who was full of expectations after making such a culinary abomination.
‘Ugh. He looks so hopeful… I guess I should at least take one bite for the sake of his effort.’
Suppressing a sigh, I picked up the piece he’d cut for me and put it in my mouth.
“Mmm…”
He said he used herbs, and sure enough, the taste was one that would make you furious if it didn’t actually make you healthier.
“How is it?”
As I chewed, I looked at my father, who waited with eager eyes.
Dressed in a loosely buttoned white shirt with a pink bunny apron, his dazzlingly handsome face managed to pull it off completely.
As I gazed at him objectively for once, I suddenly recalled what the duke had asked me earlier.
[Then does your father not have something else he likes, or a particular talent?]
I don’t know if Dad has anything he especially likes, but he certainly has a talent… for his face.
‘Considering we’ve survived off this bakery despite his skills, it must be thanks to that face.’
After sampling the new product and admiring his looks, I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head.
“No good. We can’t live off this bakery.”
“What?”
“You have to make a living with that face, Dad. Like… becoming a stage actor or something.”
“Vivi! Where are you learning such grown-up things…!”
Wounded by my brutally honest assessment, my father clutched his chest with a pained expression.
But for me, our livelihood was far more important than his hurt feelings.
“So whenever female customers come in, make sure to smile brightly, okay?”
I flashed him a radiant smile as if to demonstrate.
But Dad, unwilling to accept such a harsh reality, only pouted.
‘Hmm, maybe I was too blunt?’
Feeling a bit sorry, I picked up another piece of the unappetizing bread and casually changed the subject.
“Or, Dad… what if you worked at the duke’s estate?”
“The duke’s estate?”
“Actually, the duke asked today if you might like to join as one of his staff. He wondered what you were good at.”
“…The duke did?”
“Yeah! What do you think, Dad?”
I waited expectantly, eyes sparkling.
I figured it wasn’t something he could answer lightly, so I didn’t expect a quick reply.
But to my surprise, he answered immediately—
“I’m not going to the duke’s estate.”
And it was a flat refusal.
I could understand him not wanting to work as an assistant to the head chef, but I thought it would be fine if he worked in some other capacity.
‘Dad can’t fight or cook, but he’s good at household chores.’
So of course, I thought he’d accept the offer. But why?!
Taken aback, I stammered out, “W-Why not? If you worked for the duke, you’d make more money than now, and we could live in a big mansion!”
“Even so, I don’t want it. Living a life tied to someone else… it’s dull. It’s suffocating.”
His gaze as he said that was unusually sharp, almost distant.
But in the next moment, he smoothed over his expression and reverted to his usual playful self.
“I’d rather live alone with my princess. Don’t you like that better?”
“Uh, uh?”
Honestly, the daily carriage ride to the villa was a tiny bit annoying.
And if we worked at the estate, I’d be able to live under the same roof as Rahel, strengthening our bond as family.
‘But… I already get along with Rahel just fine as things are.’
So maybe it wasn’t necessary.
More importantly…
‘Since Dad hates the idea that much, I shouldn’t push it.’
After all, I was the only family he had left—he’d cut ties with the rest—so I wanted to respect his wishes.
“No, it’s fine. As long as I can live with you, I’m happy. I only brought it up because… well, it seemed like you were working so hard.”
“Really? Aww, my daughter. You’re even worrying about your old man now—you’ve grown up so much.”
He affectionately patted my head, deeply moved.
“You didn’t eat dinner yet, right? I made some soup. Shall we eat now?”
“What’s for dinner?”
“I had some herbs left over from making the bread, so I put them in the soup.”
He put them in the soup too…?
With a look of anticipation, he set the table.
And sure enough, before me was a soup packed full of those herbs.
Unable to resist his expectant gaze, I took a spoonful.
As expected, it didn’t taste good.
‘But I’m a mature child who appreciates the effort that goes into cooking…’
I brainwashed myself into believing it was healthy as I began eating.
As he watched me fondly, Dad suddenly asked, “So, what did you learn today?”
Since I started attending lessons with Rahel, this had become a dinner ritual.
“Today we had history class.”
“Oh? My princess seems really interested in history. You mentioned it last time too.”
“Yeah, history’s fun! It’s like hearing stories about people from long ago!”
Of course, with my memories from my previous life, history books felt more like reading novels, which was fascinating in its own way.
“How far have you gotten? What stuck with you the most today?”
“Hmm…”
Chewing slowly, I thought back over the day’s lesson. Then suddenly, one name popped into my mind.
“Dane Rowswith!”
“Pfft!”
All at once, Dad spat out the water he was drinking.
“Dad! What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Cough—cough… I’m fine… cough…”
“Drink some water, quick!”
I hurried over, patting his back and refilling his cup.
Only after gulping another mouthful did he calm down.
“Just went down the wrong way, ha ha.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, thanks. But Dane… isn’t he from more recent history? You’re already learning modern times?”
“No, we haven’t gotten that far yet. But since the lesson mentioned demons, our teacher brought him up briefly. Do you know about him too, Dad?”
At my question, Dad looked away awkwardly and muttered, “Uh, y-yeah. Of course. He’s famous, isn’t he?”
