Chapter 125

It was good to receive the pay early, but the problem was that fatigue would hit her body rather late. Vivian tried hard not to show it by smiling widely.

“No, I’m fine. Is there no other work to be done while I doze off just now?”

“Yes, ma’am. I don’t think anything particularly happened right until I got here.”

“The guest?”

“Someone took their leave, so I just cleaned out the room.”

“Thanks.”

“Aren’t you thanking a mere employee just way too much, ma’am?”

Ez scrunched his nose while grinning playfully. Vivian smiled as well before responding; just because. She thought that she might have been different if she were to be appreciated by others when she was a servant back then, but she didn’t say much.

“Please hand me the broom. I’ll sweep the floor.”

“But……”

“You can’t, ma’am. You’re the one who said that one the basics of an inn is its cleanliness. If you happen to doze off, you, yourself, will then break that basic rule.”

He managed to steal the broom while invoking the story, which she, herself, could vaguely remember telling. Then, he brought her, who was looking rather sour, to the chair and made her sit instantly.

Only after confirming that she had sat comfortably did he finally begin to sweep in earnest.

Someone whom she had been grateful towards. She considered it to be a great fortuity that such an employee had come along to her inn.

“Thank you, Ez.”

Usually, he would respond with something like, ‘it’s nothing’, but then, not a single thing had come out from him. When her gaze eventually moved upwards from the broom, a voice slowly came out from Ez’s mouth.

“…Then, would you like to go to the festival with me next time?”

“Uh? Festival?”

“Yes, there’s going to be a festival next week, right in this village. We’ll be praying to God at night so that we’ll be able to spend the hottest day in coolness and sprinkle some water. It’s just beautiful. Seeing that it hasn’t been long since you got here, ma’am, so I can escort…”

Ez, who continued rambling, had his ears all red. Vivian then realized that he was asking her for a date.

“Sorry. I don’t have that kind of leisure to join a festival, so I don’t think I can make it.”

“You really can’t?”

“You do know that many will come to the inn due to the guests from outside during the festival. On top of that, I have to look after Ashley as well.”

“I know but it’s only for a short moment.”

She drew a troubled expression at Ez’s words which sounded a little desperate. Usually, he would step back once she refused, but he was strangely demanding an answer today.

Then, during the time when Vivian revealed her troubled expression over Ez’s first display of aggression—

“Is there any room available here?”

A crowd of people had rushed into the inn, seemingly appearing like they were a group of guests. As the space between Ez and herself was broken apart due to their sudden appearance, Vivian quickly rose herself.

“Yes, of course. How many people will it be for?”

“Ten people. We’re planning to stay for around 3 days.”

Ten people. Vivian quietly gulped in a breath. It was a huge number, considering the fact that her inn only had two to three people lodged here before. Nevertheless, she couldn’t possibly lose this chance.

“There are rooms, but you have to sleep separately. Will that be okay?”

“Of course.”

“Then, I’ll prepare them as soon as I can.”

“Ah, we’d like to dine first since we’re pretty hungry now.”

“Of course, you can. Please sit wherever you find comfortable.”

Right after ending the conversation, they began to sit separately at the table. As the quiet inn started livening up, Vivian gave a smile at Ez while patting his shoulder.

“Let’s talk about that later.”

“But……”

Ez tried reaching out his hand to her, but stopped immediately.

“I understand. I’ll prepare the rooms.”

“Can you please?”

As Ez had already nodded, she sent him away and began to cut up the ingredients. Although she had never cooked ten portions at the same time, she immediately folded her sleeve for the first time in such a long time.

“Ah.”

Then, something warm trickled down her philtrum. She quickly blocked it with the back of her hand, but her nosebleed continued to flow without stopping.

Vivian then blocked her nose again with a piece of tissue nearby. A spot of blood had gotten on her apron, but she just looked at it with nonchalance before moving on.

For her, as of now, her work was much more urgent than a mere nosebleed.

Knox, who came over to dine as usual, suddenly paused in confusion.

The restaurant, which had always been idle, was bustling with people. He could easily find Vivian, who was busily moving amidst a crowd of laughter, before heading to his usual seat and sat down.

The corner seat wasn’t a preferred seat for most people, but it was different for Knox. If he sat there, he could enjoy looking at her cooking appearance best.