Chapter 15

– Chapter 15 —

Their outing didn’t last for only one day, they went out again the next day as well.

Especially since Erin took Aiden around with the intent of having fun.

Erin waited until Aiden finished with training and lessons before she ran over and told him where she wanted to go.

Of course Aiden liked it and followed along with Erin.

Whenever that happened, Whitney was on the verge of a tantrum, but Erin acted as if she didn’t care.

Today, Erin brought Aiden to a dessert shop called ‘Angela,’ which was located down the alleys of the main streets in the capital.

The exterior of the shop was quite dark, but the interior design was cute and bright.

When they came to a place like this, they had unconsciously decided their roles according to their personalities.

Aiden would hide silently behind Erin as she took care of everything, from ordering to arranging their seats.

All Erin did was ask about the foods that looked appetizing and ordered whatever the staff recommended.

But for Aiden, being able to have natural interaction with a stranger was amazing.

Before long, the dessert they ordered was delivered to their table.

Cupcakes, eclairs, and donuts were among the various sweets set before them.

“Aiden, isn’t the food here delicious?”

Erin had swallowed one as soon as the dessert was on the table. The bread crumbs was stuck around her mouth.

The pure enjoyment of eating the delicious food radiated from her expression.

“The shop location is a bit hidden, and only a few people come where, but with food this delicious, don’t you think that this shop will soon become more popular? People will really love this shop in the future.”

Well, Erin only brought Aiden to stores that were going to be successful in the future.

There was a reason why Erin brought Aiden to places like this.

It’s too early to intervene with the climax of the original story.

But Erin could utilize more than just that information from the original.

The dessert shop and dress shop, which were popular in the original book, were currently a strange novelty, but they would be huge in the future!

In fact, those shops were the best out of many of their kind.

The nobles’ interests were generally aimed towards mines or big trading businesses, but these seemingly trivial establishments could have a significant impact on daily life.

“What do you think about investing in this place?”

It was possible for Aiden to invest anonymously

Right now, this was just a small cafe that didn’t interest many people.

If it became public that Aiden invested in the shops, they’d just think he was dabbling with investing and ignore it.

“The food is delicious, but…”.

Aiden acted as if he wasn’t really interested.

He looked like he was seriously thinking it over, but all the stores they’d visited, including here, had received similar responses.

It seemed like he wasn’t getting the right vibe yet.

But Erin was going to push him.

Just like the previous places they visited, this dessert shop was more than a profitable business for Erin since she knew how successful it would be in the future.

In the original story, this dessert shop was already ruined, but someone happened to visit the Angela shop by chance and fell in love with the taste of the desserts. They invested fully into the cafe, reviving the eatery through an article.

After that, Angela became the Empire’s largest ‘franchise’ that had expanded beyond the capital and reached across the Empire.

And that person who invested in the shop from the original story was very, very important.

A food industry wave has blown in the capital starting from Angela.’

That person also supported Yulia and Aiden.

However, if Erin and Aiden invest in Angela first, that person wouldn’t invest in the shop.

And if they did that, it wouldn’t affect that person’s taste buds.

You’ll end up liking the shop. Plus, we might be able to build a friendly relationship with that person.’

If possible, Erin wanted to get that person on her side.

So this business would never fail.

Not to mention, their desserts are so delicious!

But Erin didn’t push Aiden anymore.

Instead, she ate the last remaining sweet in one bite.

Erin was trying to be cheerful and entertaining, after all.

She didn’t want to start putting unnecessary pressure on Aiden right away.

Aiden had been born with numerous obligations and burdens.

Since Aiden had to strictly control himself due to his upbringing, Erin wanted him to experience being able to have fun freely.

And now was the perfect time, since there weren’t many people in the shop.

So persuading Aiden to invest in the shop wasn’t the most important thing right now.

“Aiden, try this. It’s an Earl Grey muffin, but it’s not too sweet.”

Aiden took a bite of the muffin Erin offered him.

He chewed slowly, his eyes growing large with every bite.

“It’s delicious!”

Erin gave a hopeful smile when she heard the amazement in Aiden’s voice.

Watching Aiden enjoy the rest of the muffin, Erin decided to take note every dessert that brought happiness to Aiden’s eyes.

Before dinner, Erin was waiting for Aiden at the backyard pavilion.

Erin, who was sitting, felt nervous enough that she eventually got up from her seat to pace back and forth.

At that moment, she saw Aiden approaching.

As soon as she spotted him, Erin inspected his face carefully for anything unusual.

She was curious and worried about his condition, which is why it was so hard for her to sit still.

“Erin, I’m here.”

Aiden expressionlessly announced while making his way to her.

Erin took a step closer to Aiden.

Aiden’s expression worried Erin and she ached to reach out for him.

Aiden’s lips parted slightly and the corners of his mouth rose.

Aiden tilted his head forward, reaching out to Erin.

“Erin, compliment me.”

There was a faint smile in his voice.

Only then did the nervous Erin put her hand on Aiden’s head with a weak smile.

She patted Aiden’s head, and the corners of Aiden’s lips stretched up pleasantly.

“How was it?”

“…. It wasn’t good.”

Although Aiden’s voice was dry, he answered firmly.

He and Erin had come to an agreement.

No matter how much he hated it, he had to be touched by another person at least once a day.

Even a light shoulder bump or holding hands was fine.

But the agreement was to touch other people.

If Aiden was able to do it, Erin would pat him on the head and compliment his hard work.

“Did you have a hard time?”

“….A little bit.”

Aiden mumbled his complaints.

In Erin’s eyes, Aiden was trying to bottle up his struggle.

Erin was worried that this training would result in a backfire on Aiden’s development.

This was meant to help Aiden, not make his complex worse.

“Aiden, can you look at me?”

“….?”

Aiden raised his head slightly, looking at

Erin.

Erin met his gaze and opened her lips.

“Don’t overdo it if you think it’s going to get worse.”

Erin said worriedly.

It would be nice if he tried it and got better after, but if it just backed him into a corner, there would be no reason for him to put any effort into it.

At that moment, Erin’s palm was tickled by Aiden’s hair, which moved as if it were a reed swaying in the wind.

“No. If Erin does this, it’s alright.”

Aiden answered while leaning into her touch and relaxed as if his body was melting.

In truth, it was extremely unpleasant for him to touch other people.

He actually had felt nauseous. He wasn’t sure if he was able to continue in the future.

But as soon as Erin stroked his head, the unpleasant feelings he felt were washed away, as if he were being purified.

It was an amazing change.

As he recalled this feeling, he felt confident that he could do it as much as he wanted in the future.

“I feel great.”

Aiden mumbled, leaning his head a little more into Erin’s hand.

Everytime he felt the warmth on his head from Erin’s touch, a smile snuck onto his lips.

The unpleasant feeling as if he were coated in trash were washed away, leaving him feeling refreshed.

He wanted to continue receiving Erin’s reward in the future.

Erin watched Aiden’s tilted head, smiling with relief as he started to look more comfortable.

“Erin, I have a question.”

“Hmm?”

Aiden asked, turning his head slightly to look into Erin’s eyes.

“If I do it twice a day, can you double the reward, too?”

“What…?”

Erin blinked, staring at Aiden.

Aiden’s round eyes radiated earnestness.

“Then how many times will you do it a day?”

“Umm… Three? Five?”

66

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“It’s going to be hard if I do it 10 times.”

Aiden was thinking about it seriously.

At first, Erin was flustered about Aiden’s aggressive attitude even though he had struggled just a few moments ago.

But the Aiden who was anticipating his reward was too cute, and the corners of her mouth secretly tugged upward.

Erin playfully mussed up Aiden’s hair.

Aiden’s eyes went round and laughter burst from his lips. It was a cheerful, pleasant laugh.

Erin was counting the days ever since her arrival at the mansion.

She was surprised at how much time had passed, since it didn’t feel that long.

Finally, the time had come.

As expected, Erin’s prediction wasn’t wrong.

“The Duke and Duchess are almost here. They will arrive the day after tomorrow.”

“Really?”

Erin asked, pretending to be nervous at the news of the ducal couple’s return.

That was a natural reaction from Erin Leinster.

“So that’s why Whitney is in such a good mood.”

Mona grumbled hatefully.

Of course Whitney would be the one who was most happy about the news of the ducal couple’s return.

And because of that, the other employees were noisy.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Erin put on a childish expression with a broad smile.

Mona received that lovely, seemingly innocent smile from her lady who didn’t seem to be scheming. It was only for a moment, but she felt her anxiety disappearing