Chapter 25

Translated by Lara

“I’m done.”

Luciano returned the ball to me after he finished kneading.

‘The dough is good.’

I covered the dough with a cotton cloth.

I decided to prepare other ingredients during fermentation.

“Here, peel this for me.”

I handed the whole garlic to Luciano.

He peeled the garlic silently.

“Prince, are you thirsty?”

“No.”

“I’m thirsty. I’ll have a cup of tea.”

“All right.”

I simply moistened my throat while Luciano peeled garlic.

It was an enjoyable time.

“I’m done.”

As I slurped tea, Luciano informed me that he had done his job.

I pushed a small mortar I had taken out beforehand.

“Now pound it all.”

“….”

Luciano’s hand stopped for the first time.

His glaring eyes touched me.

“Why? That’s the most important ingredient.”

“… No.”

His expression had a lot to say, but he obeyed me.

Luciano put garlic in a mortar and lifted a ball.

“Wait for a moment!”

Luciano stopped before he hit it earnestly.

“I’ll do it after I get a little farther away.”

“….”

“Do it now.”

I said it after a long bite.

Luciano’s red eyes glared at me.

I beckoned him to do it.

He sighed and ground the garlic.

Puck puck!

When the garlic was crushed with a sound, the spicy energy wafted through the kitchen.

That was why I ordered Luciano.

Puck puck puck!

Was it my illusion that punching sounds getting louder?

Luciano’s eyes turned red as he couldn’t stand the spiciness of garlic.

‘He’s going to cry.’

I couldn’t turn a blind eye to his sniffling nose and moist eyes.

I took a handkerchief and approached Luciano.

“Prince, raise your head.”

Luciano’s big eyes filled with water because the garlic was spicy.

The tears that hung down on his long eyelashes looked pathetic.

My heart pounded because it was so beautiful.

As expected of the male lead’s beauty.

I wanted to take care of him with my mother’s instinct.

But I didn’t want to grind garlic!

Luciano blinked quickly as I wiped away his tears with a handkerchief.

“Aesvin.”

“Why?”

“I feel like I’m the only one who’s doing hard and painful work.”

He sensed it quickly.

“Yeah, it’s an illusion.”

“Is it an illusion?”

It didn’t seem like it.

“Yeah, so grind it.”

What were you going to do if I said no?

I replied sternly and he backed away.

But Luciano’s gaze wasn’t good.

In the end, I tried a second defense.

“Do you know how difficult it is to buy ingredients? It’s not normal to wander around, pick good things, and bring them to the Imperial Palace. It’s not just the cooking process, it’s the beginning of cooking by choosing ingredients and buying them.”

Of course, Billy carried the luggage.

Anyway, I pretended not to know and urged him to continue.

Luciano, who fell for my flashy words, silently crushed the garlic again.

Kwak kwak kwak!

Seeing that the sound of hitting garlic was intense, he must have been well persuaded.

That was how I made garlic baguette with Luciano’s tearful efforts.

Of course, Luciano was also satisfied with the taste.

* * *

While I was busy playing and making delicious food with Luciano, I didn’t give up my investment plan.

I visited May and Belle every day.

“Get my investment!”

“No! We don’t have money!”

No, these people!

I’m not a con artist!

There’s no such cute con artist!

“I’m going to invest my money!”

“That’s a beggar! I can’t afford to beat around the bush!”

“No, I’m not asking for money, I’m investing money!”

“I don’t believe you! I don’t have money! I’m not confident!”

May and Belle ran away, and I persistently searched for them.

“I said get my investment!”

“Go! I don’t want to do business!”

Though May and Belle shot back coldly.

It was a piece of cake.

‘Don’t ignore the sunshine heroine who’s shameless!’

I visited again without getting tired.

“Invest! Invest! Invest! Get my investment!”

“I don’t believe you. I can’t hear you.”

“I said I’ll give you money. Why can’t you use it?”

“Why are you doing this to us when we say we don’t want to take the money? Please, stop it!”

They kept treating me like a scammer.

I used with them giving a look like I was a young miss who had nothing to do and scolding me for fraud.

It was so blatant that I had to feel ashamed.

‘It’s better than how Luciano treats me like I am a lesser person.’

I was able to hand it over calmly.

Unbeknownst to me, it looked like I had been trained very well.

When I arrived at May’s house, the door was open to ventilate.

“I’m here to invest today, too!”

It was shameless, but I didn’t miss the opportunity and entered.

May and Belle asked if I came again at the same time, giving me a sore look.

“Just go back. We have nothing to talk about.”

“Lady, isn’t it time to give up now?”

May and Belle spoke one after another.

“What do you mean to give up?”

I smiled and took a deep breath.

‘It smells delicious.’

This house always smelled like freshly baked bread or a sweet smell.

As I visited to persuade them every day, I could see why they were successful in the original book.

May and Belle were serious about baking.

The two really enjoyed making and tasting new desserts every day, and they exchanged opinions with each other.

–Um, isn’t the chewing feeling too bad?

–Should I add some nuts?

They weren’t satisfied with just making edible bread but constantly improved.

To say it was a hobby, it looked more professional.

At first, I approached with the thought that they would succeed in the original work, so of course they would do well this time.

However, seeing their seriousness made me want to invest in something separate from the original.

There was no way that people who tried this hard won’t succeed.

So I was coming more eagerly.

Of course, that’s how much I hit the iron wall.

Still, the two were so good that they thought I was a scammer but didn’t completely throw me out.

“We’ve known each other for quite some time. How can you not give us dessert?”

May and Belle burst into laughter.

“Tell me, what’s pretty?”

“Because I am not a scammer. Looking at the smell, I think there’s something that’s just finished today, can I taste it?”

They both hesitated at my request.

May looked bitter, and Belle’s unknown anxiety could be read.

‘What is it?’

The atmosphere was strange.

It was a feeling they didn’t want to give me.

Did they not like ‘me’?

Or did they not like ‘tasting’?

I read the room and carefully took the rhyme.

“You don’t want me to eat?”

“… It’s not like that.”

May spoke with difficulty and glanced at Belle.

Come to think of it, Belle’s face had turned slightly pale.

I knew the answer.

‘They don’t want me to taste it.’

Why?

You didn’t want others to eat while you work hard every day?

Was that why you didn’t want to open a store?

What the hell was going on?

Their reaction made me feel complicated.

Then Belle evaded and entered the kitchen.

May whispered while looking at the kitchen.

“I’m sorry.”

“Pardon?”

I also asked with my voice as low as possible.

As May hesitated and tried to open her mouth, Belle came out of the kitchen.

There was a small plate in her hand.

“Belle?”

May looked at Belle in surprise.

Belle came over with a stiff face and placed the plate in front of me.

“Here you are. Eat and go home.”

Belle’s voice was very hard.

It was a coldness that I couldn’t tell whether it was tension or discomfort.

May was looking at Belle with an emotional look.

The atmosphere was very strange.

Belle kept an eye on me.

She was staring at me in a very frightening way.

Like a compulsion to eat, I lifted a fork.

“It’s a brownie.”

The square dark chocolate bread looked simple.

“Thank you for the food.”

The moment I take a bite and put it in my mouth.

“!”

My eyes lit up in a flash.

The dark chocolate brownies unique flavor spread through my mouth and captivated my heart at once.

As I reflexively chewed it, the chewy texture adhered thickly to the tip of my tongue.

And there was a banana scent that was subtly permeated in it!

I had only one bite, but it was a lingering taste.

This is amazing!

That is awesome!

I read that it was the best in the original, but it was no joke when I actually ate it.

Contrary to its simple appearance, it had an exquisite taste.

It was too much humility to say that such skills were insufficient.

The two were looking at me with anticipation.

In particular, Belle felt a strong tension.

I told them frankly to those who wanted an evaluation.

“It’s so delicious! I’ve never tasted anything this good!”

May’s face was full of confidence, and Belle’s face was full of unknown emotions.

“It’s delicious! Belle, the lady says it’s delicious!”

“I guess it’s okay! I guess so!”

Belle’s voice was filled with tears.

Was my compliment that great?

‘Is this really the first time you’ve shown it to someone else?’

Then Belle flinched as if she thought of something and gave me a suspicious look.

“Is it really delicious? Aren’t you talking empty words to invest?”

I guess I was a real scammer in Belle’s eyes.

“The banana flavor hidden in the dark chocolate flavor is the best.”

Belle’s eyes widened as I raised my thumbs.

“Can you taste the banana flavor?”

“Yes. It was secretly hidden. I think that’s why it tastes even better.”

When I said that, Belle made a strange expression and eventually ran into the kitchen like running away.

Huh?

I complimented you, how could you go like that?

May grinned as I panicked and stood still.

“Thank you.”

“Yes? For what?”

“Thank you for enjoying it.”

No, I ate it deliciously because it was delicious.

I looked at her in bewilderment, and May smiled again then disappeared into the kitchen.

Suddenly left alone, I ate the leftover brownies.

“Billy, do you want a bite?”

“No. My lady have some.”

“This is delicious.”

“Even so, my lady have some.”

Without further ado, I scraped off the leftover brownies.

Because it was really delicious.

It was a chewy brownie that was just right for my taste.

As soon as I put down the fork while smacking my lips, May and Belle came out of the kitchen together, then their eyes widened.

Belle looked at my empty plate and looked moved again.

“Is it not enough? Do you want more?”

That’s enough to ask.

“It’d be nice to give it to you!”

Belle smiled brightly and gave me another plate of brownies.

For some reason, she looked happier than me, who ate delicious food.