CH 79

Unfortunately, my cheeks hurt.

‘I feel weird.’

Obviously, I was making a happy ending cake…?

At a bakery on the island of Bayonaire, in the peaceful Fris Empire.

But the Fris Empire collapsed.

‘Is it possible to do what I say?’

Come to think of it, the Fris Empire was destroyed, right? As I said.

―If it was a novel, it was a possible setting.

It was plausible.

Besides, my life was pretty much flowing in the direction I decided.

I closed my eyes tightly and cried out inwardly.

‘This is a dream! Be a dream!’

“…….”

And when I opened my eyes carefully… It was still real.

‘Heck, it doesn’t work as I say…’

‘Cuckoo God…’

(TL/N: ‘Cuckoo’, another term for ‘crazy’.)

‘Why are you giving me such an ordeal when I am a good self-employed person and just a bread lover.’

“Ha.”

Anyway, spectacular days were expected from tomorrow.

“Two crazy people in a week…”

However, let’s think about the positive side as much as possible.

At least my store remained.

I shook my head and went back into <Little Bakery>.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

“Are you just going back like this?”

Lieutenant Owin asked his master, who left Annette behind.

Owin’s master, Crown Prince Sislin, was a man who spent his entire life looking for her.

Even his life was longer than that of a normal human.

As he spent part of his life in the rift, the ‘Crevasse’ of Hell.

One hour in the Crevasse was several years in reality.

So, if you added up all the time spent there, it would be a very long time.

He must have lived there longer than in reality.

In fact, the time spent struggling in pain for even one minute or one second must have been longer than the time spent in normal reality.

―All of that.

Owin knew that it was to get ‘her’.

Why did he leave the woman he found after waiting for such a long time?

At least, he thought he would take her straight to the Imperial Palace.

“…….”

Sislin rarely responded, half-lying in the imperial carriage, looking out of the window. Then he answered.

“It’s all right.”

The scenery outside the window was running backwards, it kept running continuously.

Sislin murmured softly, as if talking to himself, with eyes clouded like a rainy day.

“It took my breath away just looking at her.”

Owin found it difficult to understand.

He had always been a person who wouldn’t complain about his master’s decisions, but this time he couldn’t resist asking.

“Is it because of Prince Gerard? Even if you take Miss Annette to the Imperial Palace, wouldn’t you be enough to stop them?”

“That is not the reason.”

“If—”

“If I only wanted a part of her, I would have taken her to the Imperial Palace.”

If Annette’s shell was enough, if only her attention and hatred were enough.

Sislin would have taken Annette to the Imperial Palace today.

If that was the extent of his feelings for her.

In an instant, his eyes, red as the sun, became hot as if they could burn everything.

He whispered;

“I have to have her entirely.”

Her joys and sorrows, her tears and laughter, her worries and sighs, her hopes and dreams…

In the end, longing heart, pleas, and even love.

“—Everything and everything.”

It would take time for that to happen.

Only then did Owin know his master’s will, and he bit his tongue cleanly.

He bowed his head and said,

“I have secured a place in Bayonaire.”

“…….”

“I’ll see it right away.”

As Owin sent the message, the coachman moved the reins of the horses vigorously.

Thud, thud, thud. With a magnificent sound of hoofs, the carriage ran swiftly through the darkness.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

The next day.

Surprisingly, I opened my store in the morning.

Even though I went through such a thing at night, I was selling bread casually and normally.

I was shocked and tired yesterday. But I slept soundly, so my condition was good.

So I started business more vigorously than usual.

‘Me too, it’s me…’

‘Oh my gosh, it’s just that I’m crazy about bread.’

I rubbed my nose, thinking about the madness of an obsessive baker.

Then the bakery’s window was wide open.

The mouth-watering smell of butter and baking bread spread all around in an instant.

“Oh, oh, oh!”

The customers, who had been waiting in line before the opening, had twinkling eyes.

‘Fufu, this is why I’m doing business.’

I tied my blonde hair neatly into a ponytail and smiled broadly at the guests.

“Okay, we’re now open!”

The guests came in one by one (it was cute, like a polite group of seals trying to eat fish).

I smiled at the first guest.

“Welcome! To <Little Bakery>. Oh my, you’re first today, Mr. Genji!”

“Ha. I’ve been lining up since 30 minutes ago.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I pretended to be surprised, but I was happy inside.

Haha, everyone was serious about buying bread.

Mr. Genji, a farmer with a wheat beard, looked majestic because he won ‘first place’.

“I can finally try the breakfast menu. What’s on the breakfast menu today?”

“Today, it’s ‘mushroom potage’ that’s cooked with plenty of onions and porcini mushrooms, paired with sweet ‘honey bread’ flavored with rosemary.”

It was a menu composed of warmth, fragrance, and a sweet aftertaste.

I also added a small whole wheat bread as an extra service.

Because—

“Ah, Mr.Genji.”

It was because I had to tell a little disappointing news.

Which was, canceling the party.

‘The purpose of the party is gone.’

Was that all? Even the cake was ruined.

Actually, it was a cake for a small happy ending, but didn’t the obsessive maniac appear even more crazy than the original?

Besides, I didn’t want to hold a party to commemorate it at a time where a strange magic was engraved on my wrist because of the artifact.

Else, I was sure this party would be ‘Annette’s Ruined Ending Celebration’.

“Oh! About the party, Annette.”

“Yes, the party is—”

Mr. Genji stroked his wheat-colored beard and smiled warmly.

“Hahaha, my daughter is looking forward to it!”

“…….”

‘…You’re saying that at this time?’

“There is no such thing as a party on a small island like this. Every day, I put an X on the calendar dates with a pounding heart.”

“…….”

Was it that bad?

I remembered the face of Mr. Genji’s daughter. She was just 4-years-old.

Still, because she liked sweets, her teeth were all gone, and her pronunciation was like a baby’s (although she had good sentences).

“I lwke Satan the mwost!”

“……?!”

At first, she said she liked ‘Satan’ the most, so I was surprised to learn that she was a devil worshiper…

Turns out, it was ‘candy’.

(TL/N: lolol, it’s ‘사탕’ satang vs. ‘사탄’ satan.)

“Oh, what were you about to say, Annette?”

I smiled kindly and told Mr. Genji.

“Since you won first place, I was going to offer you whole wheat bread as an extra.”

“Oh, thank you. Annette.”

I couldn’t bear to tell him the truth, so I just sent Mr. Genji away.

Actually, I was going to inform each and every one of them about the cancellation of the party and apologize politely.

“By the way, Annette. Aren’t you really looking forward to the party?”

“Hahaha. Can I wear a teddy bear costume that day?”

“I’ll supply you with quality wine.”

…The villagers were more serious about the party than expected.

After a bunch of customers, I stood at the counter with blurred eyes and thought.

‘Crazy… I haven’t even informed a single person.’

Should I have a party after all?

‘Everyone seems to be excited except me.’

To have a party to celebrate my ruin(?) …Do I have to?

The organizer was even Annette, me.

I sighed deeply, and as I was organizing the bread, I suddenly looked at my wrist.

The red marks were very clear.

It felt like a tattoo.

To be precise, there were fascinating flowers blooming on the line that wrapped around my wrist like a vine.

It looked beautiful, but it was Sislin’s life.

How had he been living all this time? At first glance, it looked rough.

‘There’s a big wound on the side of his heart…’

He didn’t seem to be getting along as well as I had imagined, and my heart ached all over again.

What did he go through all these years—

For him, as soon as we met, to entrust his life to me?

“…….”

When I was immersed in thought, I felt someone’s gaze.

A little kid was staring at my wrist.

“Ah.”

The marks must be interesting, hm?

He didn’t even ask, but I was pricked and said with a smile.

“This is a new bracelet I bought! Isn’t it pretty?”

“Annette’s not wearing a bracelet! Is the baguette you are holding in your hand for sale?”

“Uh? Uh…”

“Please wrap up that baguette for me, I want to buy it!”

You were looking at the baguette, not my wrist?

‘Can’t you see this mark?’

I guess I was the only one who saw it.

Or perhaps it was only visible to the ‘contractor’ parties.

‘I’m glad if it’s that.’

I gave the kid the baguette and decided to close a little early today.

In the <Little Bakery> that finally became quiet, I crossed my arms and muttered.

“Ugh, it would be better to send a group letter to cancel the party…”

That was when I was talking to myself.

A squirrel came in through the open window, holding a small letter.

“Oh, hello?”

Nodding—

The polite squirrel nodded.

“Kyle sent another letter…?”

Come to think of it, I completely forgot.

―This crazy stag.

The supposedly intense new madman.

I took some nuts out for the squirrel and opened the letter while leaning on a small table.

And I raised my eyebrows slightly.

“……!”

The content of the letter was half unexpected, and half embarrassing for me.

Credits goes to Kushi for raw providing, Ame for translating, and Tassie for proofreading.