Chapter 19: Chapter 19

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Chapter 19

Azela unwittingly drew a smile when he acknowledged it too lightly. She followed him and took a large bite of the bread in her hand.

It was so sweet that it melted in her mouth.

Of course, the bread and desserts that she ate at Count Todd’s house were delicious, though these were so delicious that they couldn’t be compared with that.

As she opened her eyes wide, Zagnac chuckled as if he had expected it.

“See, it’s good, right?”

“It’s good!”

Exclaimed in excitement, Azela was startled by her voice that was so loud that she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Benjamin, who came out with a handful of wrapped bread, placed it down and smiled happily at her.

“Thank you for saying it was delicious, madam!”

“Yes, it’s really delicious. So crispy and soft inside… It’s soft yet sweet…”

She continued her words as she ate the bread again.

As Zagnac and Benjamin just looked at her with delight, Azela stopped her words as they gazed at her, wondering if she, who had been continuing her review without a break, was talking too much. It had been a long time since she had been so out of control.

Thinking that, she hurriedly shut her lips. At that, Zagnac said to Benjamin, with a happy smile on his lips.

“Then, I’m going back.”

“Please, don’t come back soon.”

“You really don’t want to work in my mansion? Even if it satisfies all the conditions.”

“I refuse. I’m not running a store to make money. Don’t you know that money can be made in many other ways?”

Perhaps, it was because of her mood that Benjamin’s back words sounded cold somehow. Azela lifted her head to see his changed tone and glanced at him. Nonetheless, he was still smiling.

“Ah, I don’t want to see you that way, so I’ll leave now.”

Seeing Benjamin’s resolute refusal, Zagnac nodded his head in a pleasant way and held up the full package. As he nodded, the servants standing outside loaded the carriage with endless bags of bread.

“Please, say hello to your sister.”

“Someday, you will tell her yourself.”

Younger sister? Did he even know Benjamin’s sister…?

Azela, who was about to ask that question, swallowed her words with the bread she was eating, thinking that she did not need to know. As they left the bakery, Benjamin changed the sign to ‘Closed’ and shut the door.

“It will be difficult to get on the carriage because it is full. Count Todd’s residence is not too far from here, so why not take a walk?”

“It’s okay.”

“Okay, let me give you some bread I bought earlier as a compliment.”

Zagnac shrugged his shoulders in a sympathetic tone and walked first, followed by Azela. She didn’t know how long it would be to leave the mansion like this and walk directly on the street instead of riding a horse-drawn carriage.

Staring up, she could see the clear sky. The sun was shining, and the lively streets felt good. It made her wonder if she had been locked up in the mansion for so long.

Zagnac gave her all the time alone, and in the meantime, the two eventually arrived at Todd mansion.

“Thank you for taking me.”

“I was just walking because the weather was nice. To eat all the bread I bought earlier, I have to digest it. Besides, if I could answer what you said earlier.”

“….”

“Don’t fall for his tricks.”

“Yes?”

Azela was startled by Zagnac’s cold words and lifted her head. A cold voice and a cold gaze. It was a face not typical of him.

“It was your husband’s choice, not yours. It was your husband’s desire to endure all those gazes and be by your side.”

“….”

“After satisfying that greed, other people caught his eye, and in the end, his true nature was revealed. He’s trying to cleverly pass it on as your fault.”

Then, he bowed his head and drew closer to Azela’s ear before whispering.

“Maybe, your husband is a ‘devil,’ not a human.”

Unlike the cold voice a while ago, Azela laughed unknowingly at the ridiculous tone mixed with jokes. Zagnac, who took three steps back from her smiling voice, followed her and smiled together.

“Besides, he even killed your loved one carelessly.”

“….”

“You can hate him to your heart’s content, and it’s okay to hate him. It’s the first time you’ve ever experienced this, so it’s probably difficult. Don’t worry, I’ll allow it.”

He handed the bag of bread in his hand to her and uttered in a natural way. Again, the many worries and tears that she had been through felt as if they were insignificant. He always had the ability to do that.

“Are you really not going to change your decision on site selection?”

“I hate overturning the most. I look forward to the next report.”

With those words, Zagnac turned around without any regrets and went on his own way. She gazed at him for a long time.

…A devil walking in the bright sunlight. It was an inappropriate sentence, but strangely, he suited it quite well.

Azela, who stared at his back for a long time, looked down at the bag of bread in her hand and smiled. Turning her body, she also entered the mansion. Even though she was somewhat full, she thought that she wanted to eat bread again soon.

“Oh, my.”

As she stepped onto the steps to go up to her bedroom, a voice she didn’t want to eat caught her foot. She just got better and didn’t want this feeling to be ruined again. Why was she supposed to meet her now…?

Pretending not to hear, she thought about ignoring her. However, Sylvia stood in front of the hesitant Azela.

Her face was always bright, unlike Azela.

“That’s Lachata Bakery, right?”

Sylvia, who knew how to talk about Daniel, looked only at the bag of bread in her hand. Embarrassed by the unexpected question, Azela nodded her head and looked at the bag of bread in her hand.

At that, she clapped her hands lightly in response to Azela’s answer and smiled broadly and brightly.

“Wow, I really wanted to try it!”

At her words, Azela wrinkled her brow.

What was she going to do? She wanted to try it, so she wanted her to give it up? Or, did she want to sit together and shared it like jolly good sisters…?

While she wrinkled her eyebrows at her words, Sylvia continued her words again.

“They only sell a limited quantity every day, and they don’t take reservations, so it’s hard to get them even if you pay a lot of money… How did you get it?”

From what she said, it must have been a pretty famous bakery shop—to the extent that she didn’t even know that.

Azela thought that she really lived in the mansion for far too long, so she laughed.

When she didn’t answer her, Sylvia wrinkled her eyebrows thinking that she had been ignored. With that thought, She opened her lips to add more words to Azela though she heard a voice.

“What a fuss.”

“Daniel!”

It was Daniel.

When he appeared, Sylvia unwrapped her face that had crumpled up, ran towards him, and hugged him. Daniel also hugged her lovingly into his arms. In the eyes of others, they looked like a couple who were unable to live without the other.

Syla put her arms around his and said with a smile and charming voice.

“It’s nothing. I was talking about it because the Madam had bought bread from Lachata Bakery!”

“Lachata Bakery?”

“Oh dear, have you forgotten? I told you last time that there is a very famous bakery.”

“Ah… Sylvia, do you want to eat that?”

“Yes, that is correct!”

Saying so, he turned and glanced at the bag of bread in Azela’s hand. Sylvia, who answered clearly, cutely nodded her head twice.

Azela’s good mood was gone.

It was only when she had just returned to this mansion called her home. She didn’t want to ruin this feeling for now, so she bit her teeth hard without showing them. At that moment, she remembered the words Zagnac had said a moment ago.

“Hate him to your heart’s content, and it’s okay to hate him. I’ll allow it.”

…Yes, even if it was her choice in the end, it was a choice she made ‘with’ him. Even if it was the wrong choice, it was ultimately his fault for bringing in Silvia and making Irene die because of it.

“Azela, you went there for a report, so it looks like you had a lot of fun.”

“I have done my job well. This…”

Pausing for a moment, Azalea frowned and glanced down at the bag of bread in her hand.

“It’s just a ‘compliment’ from Duke Ferial.”

Daniel wrinkled his eyebrows hard as if he didn’t like her mumbled words. He pulled Sylvia’s arm from his and walked closer to her.

“A compliment from an outsider? I don’t think those words should come from the Countess’ mouth.”

“….”

“Give me that.”

When she didn’t answer, Daniel, who frowned even more deeply, reached out to her. Azela put on an absurd expression on her dignified appearance.

Sylvia, who had her arms crossed behind Daniel, was smiling faintly.

“What are you asking for?”

“What do you mean, what? That bread.”

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