Chapter 2

Before Pyria could finish speaking, she let out a scream.  

Of course, anyone would be startled if someone punched them in the face right in front of their eyes.  

“Why—why are you doing this?”  

“Shouldn’t I… ha… try to regain my senses?”  

“T-that’s…”  

Pyria trembled uncontrollably, not knowing what to do.  

His fierce gaze made her breath quicken, and his hot breath caused her lips to tremble. But it wasn’t out of fear.  

The tension, or perhaps a sense of anticipation, pressed against her lower abdomen so strongly it almost hurt.  

Pyria stuck out her tongue and licked her wet lips. The thrill of his gaze following her red tongue sent a shiver through her.  

Still, she squeezed out her courage.  

“Don’t you… want to?”

“Have you lost your mind?”

Reinhardt looked down at her with a contemptuous gaze.  

But the melted look in his eyes, as if his reason had dissolved, was not the same as before.  

Both he and Pyria could feel it.  

“I’m, um, fine with it.”  

“I’m… not fine, ugh…”  

Suddenly, her vision flashed and went white.  

The sensation of pressure between her thighs was so vivid it sent chills through her.  

Unable to do anything about her throbbing lower body, she only bit her lips.  

At that moment, the woman’s hand clinging to his chest tugged at his clothes, and before he could react, their lips collided.  

Pyria whispered in a voice so sweet it was almost unbearable, right on his lips.  

“If we keep going, the workshop people will be coming to work soon.”  

The workshop workers’ shift started at 5 a.m.  

Now, the sun was almost setting.  

Time felt endless and yet too short.  

What if this lump of sugar didn’t melt by morning?  

He felt a chill run down his spine.  

“This… really won’t melt?”  

“Mm, maybe if you lick it really hard…”  

“…D*mn it.”  

A low curse spilled from Reinhardt’s lips.  

He had already tried licking it hard before.  

As a result, he was now at the point where he couldn’t control his excitement.  

Pyria’s tiny tongue licked his conflicted lips.  

His lips instinctively wanted to follow her tongue, but he barely managed to keep them shut.  

Only after enduring so much that his shoulders trembled did Reinhardt finally manage to speak.  

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”  

“Mm.”  

Pyria nodded softly. But that answer wasn’t enough for Reinhardt.  

He asked again, his voice growling like a beast.  

“Say it clearly. Before I completely lose control.”  

Her pink eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings.  

Below them, her clear, candy-like red eyes blinked and twinkled.  

She pulled Reinhardt’s nape close, pressed her lips to his ear, and whispered softly.  

“…I want to.”  

With a light kiss, as if swallowing his earlobe, a gentle sound echoed in his ear.  

The kisses that trailed along his jawline suddenly became devoured by dry lips.  

Even as their lips tangled deeply and their tongues and saliva mixed, both were thinking different things.  

‘It’s unbearably sweet.’  

‘It’s so sweet, I love it.’  

01 I Like Sweet Things  

Pyria’s Perspective

Eek~ What do I do! I made Reinhardt angry again today! Of course, it was nice to see Reinhardt’s handsome face again because of it! Even when he’s angry, he’s so, so handsome and s*xy and cool, and his beauty and charm are exploding!

Hng……. He’s mad at me again. Of course, even his angry face is handsome……. But can’t he smile at me, just a little? That wicked grin, where he lifts the corners of his mouth like this—can’t he show me that?

To avoid making Reinhardt angry, I’d have to not fail my experiments……. But then I wouldn’t get to see that handsome face again……. Ah, I must be so bad. But it’s not like I’m failing on purpose. Hmm, he probably won’t believe me?

But I hope I fail again tomorrow, hehe. I want to see Reinhardt again…….

XXXX year XX month XX day,

Excerpt from Pyria’s diary.

Bang, bang-bang!

A loud explosion rang out, unfitting for the quiet streets of Pervellum.

Yet, not a single person seemed startled or annoyed; they simply laughed it off.

“Hard at work again today, huh?”

“It’s passion.”

People laughed—ha-ha, giggle, ho-ho—and returned to what they were doing.

Some stopped walking or working, busy sniffing the air.

“Mmm, a sweet smell.”

“What’s it today? Should I go check it out later? Oh, it’s fattening.”

“My waist size went up a notch just this month.”

“But you’ll still go, right?”

“Is that even a question?”

The sighing woman’s cheeks glowed brightly.

It was a sign of anticipation—expecting something sweet, fragrant, sparkling, cute, and pretty.

Where everyone’s curiosity and excitement gathered, there stood a bright and cheerful two-story building.

Unlike the dignified brick-toned buildings around it, its snow-white exterior and sky-blue sign stood out.

<Lanelli Candy Workshop>

The building’s white lace curtains and pale blue moldings made it look even more lovely.

From the tall chimney atop the roof, pastel-colored smoke billowed out, as if to prove the earlier explosion.

Smoke that the chimney couldn’t handle began to seep out through the second-floor window cracks.

Sure enough, the window burst open, and someone with cotton-candy soft pink hair started coughing and sneezing.

People outside cheered. Some waved and greeted her.

“Hey, Pyria. Did you make something happen again today?”

“Cough, Mr. Mikkelson. Ah, achoo! Hello.”

“Always noisy, huh? So, do you think you’ll get good sweets today?”

“Ahem, ahem. N-no, I failed…….”

Wahahahaha!

Laughter spread across the street.

People, busy with their own tasks, still greeted Pyria with friendly words.

“You’ll succeed tomorrow,” “the new cookies last week were tasty,” “I’ll come buy snacks for the kids again today,” and so on.

Pyria could only bow her head, unsure what to do as she accepted their greetings.

The tips of her ears, peeking out from her cotton-candy-like hair, were flushed red.

In front of the workshop, some children were running around, excited.

Clouds of star-dust smoke settled thickly on the ground.

The children chased after the popping star dust.

But only for a moment—soon, their earlobes were caught by adults and pulled to the roadside.

Even in the quiet workshop street, carriages passed by often.

Just then, a large freight carriage rolled by.

Faced with adult scolding, the children pouted and rubbed their reddened earlobes.

Pyria, seeing all this, became flustered and hurriedly ran back into the shop.  

Inside, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed as she rushed downstairs, then she burst out the door.  

In her arms was a large basket filled with neatly wrapped little packages.  

Pyria handed them out one by one to the people on the street.  

“I’m really sorry for the trouble I cause every time. Please, take one of these.”  

“Oh, you don’t have to give us so much.”  

“It’s just that I always feel sorry.”  

“Hoho, but they taste so good, I can’t refuse. I’ll enjoy it, Pyria.”  

Most people gladly accepted the packages.  

The sweets from Pyria’s workshop were just that delicious.  

She had only settled on this street less than half a year ago, but her shop was already famous.  

Pyria gave two packages each especially to the children.  

The children’s faces, once tear-stained, now brightened with smiles.  

“Now, no more mischief, okay?”  

“Wow, thank you!”  

“You’re not going to play on the road anymore, right?”  

“Yeah! We absolutely, absolutely won’t!”  

“Good kids.”  

People came out onto the street as if it were a festival, taking the candy packages.  

Many, who had been watching from afar, shyly took a package and tucked it carefully into their pockets.  

They were likely saving it for children waiting at home.  

After all, products from the ‘Lanelli Candy Workshop’ were quite expensive.  

Pyria gave a 20 percent discount to street merchants and workshop people, but even then, the price was considerable.  

Originally, Pyria’s shop had been located a bit further south, on Krüzel Street.  

Krüzel Street was famous for its cafés and bakeries catering to nobles and wealthy people.  

Her shop was popular there too, with people lining up and needing reservations.  

Getting desserts from such a shop for free made people happy, but also reminded them of the children at home.  

Pyria knew this, so she would sneak extra packages to the heads of households with many children.  

After shaking out the basket and handing everything out, she returned to the front of her shop, where Peterson, the owner of the neighboring store, spoke to her.