“Now?”

I blinked. It was 8:30 in the evening. It was too late to go directly to the tailor shop. We might arrive before they close, but we’d be chased out before even taking measurements. Of course, that might change if we paid enough.

“Don’t you run a cafe that’s only closed one day a month? You probably don’t have much time to spare.”

“That’s true.”

I agreed with the Duke’s words. Fortunately, Elodie didn’t look as tired as I did.

‘They’ll just take measurements, and the tailor shop will handle the rest, I suppose.’

Meanwhile, I could catch a bit of sleep.

A while later, we entered the largest and most famous tailor shop in town. Elodie’s eyes widened, but the Duke, unsurprisingly, didn’t look impressed at all. Rather, his expression seemed to be gauging whether this place was suitable for making his daughter’s clothes.

I shook my head and listed the clothes Elodie needed. The shop staff brightened up and started chattering as they began to measure Elodie. Just as I was about to doze off on a soft sofa.

“Here, I’d like Miss Bertin’s measurements taken as well.”

“Pardon?”

I looked up at the Duke, momentarily doubting my ears.

“Why?”

“Well…”

The Duke hesitated for a moment.

“It seems Miss Bertin doesn’t have many winter clothes either. If you catch a cold from dressing too thinly, it will be difficult to take care of Elodie.”

It was a statement that blatantly treated me as Elodie’s nanny. Was I upset about it?

Not at all. The Duke might be crazy, but his devotion to Elodie was genuine, and the more people who cared for Elodie like that, the better. After all, Elodie was a child who hadn’t received the affection and attention she deserved.

‘As long as he doesn’t do anything crazier… I guess he passes.’

***

<Cafe Aria>

As he entered the modest cafe that could be found in any town, the bittersweet aroma of coffee tickled Theodore Baniche’s nose. Even before the cafe door closed, he was already searching for his daughter, Elodie.

Theodore’s face brightened as soon as he saw his daughter sitting right in front of the counter as always. Elodie was busily threading colorful beads onto a string, not even turning her head at the sound of the door opening.

“May I take your order?”

Aria Bertin’s familiar voice was heard.

“I’ll have the recommended menu, please.”

And his own familiar response. Theodore sat down at what had become his designated seat by the window.

Strangely, no matter how crowded the cafe got, his usual seat always seemed to be empty. It didn’t matter. As long as he could watch Elodie from afar, anything was fine.

“Here’s your special shaved ice order.”

A huge shaved ice was placed in front of him as always. Theodore reflexively took a spoonful. As expected, he couldn’t taste anything, as if he was chewing on plain water.

‘…As I thought.’

The side effects of the black magic he had used to find Elodie weren’t likely to be cured easily. Theodore calmly accepted the fact that he might have lost his sense of taste forever. He had no regrets. Thanks to that, he was able to find Elodie. If he had given up midway, unable to endure for just a few years, he would never have met that sparkling child again.

‘Still, it’s fortunate that it’s not the worst-case scenario.’

Theodore hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep for the past 3 years and 8 months while searching for Elodie. All kinds of terrible imaginings had been swirling in his head.

He at least knew that Elodie was still alive. If she had died, he would have found her body quickly due to black magic’s affinity with the deceased.

But Theodore Baniche knew that there were plenty of things in the world that could be more terrible than death. The thought that Elodie might be suffering through such ordeals was enough to drive Theodore mad.

‘…It’s enough that I found her, even if late.’

Theodore’s gaze briefly shifted from Elodie to the young cafe owner. The young female owner with sparkling blonde hair and vibrant green eyes was undoubtedly a rare beauty.

No, the simple word ‘beauty’ was insufficient to describe Aria Bertin. Theodore pondered about Aria for a moment. Her bold attitude of demanding what she wanted without hesitation. The radiant expression that bloomed on her face every time she smiled. Her passionate work ethic, is surprisingly energetic for such a delicate body.

But these trivial facts were not at all important to Theodore. The only thing that mattered to him was that Elodie wanted to live with Aria. And Theodore had to make sure that Elodie’s decision was right.

‘She’s not a kidnapper.’

It was easy to tell that Aria Bertin hadn’t been living with Elodie for long. The traces of Elodie in the house were not even a few months old.

But not being a kidnapper and being suitable to raise Elodie were completely different matters. Of course, Aria was treating Elodie well now. The important thing was the reason why. It could be that she had her eye on the benefits of raising the Duke’s only daughter, rather than out of sympathy or goodwill.

‘……’

Such impure intentions alone made Theodore’s fists clench. Yes, what mattered was whether Aria was suitable as Elodie’s guardian. Her other qualities were mere illusions that interfered with making a proper judgment.

“Welcome. What would you like to order?”

Aria greeted a newly arrived customer with a bright smile, introducing a new menu item. Her unkempt blonde hair, seemingly not properly styled today, swayed with her movements.

‘…’

Theodore frowned. He realized he had been staring at Aria Bertin for too long. He cleared his throat with a “Ahem,” and deliberately turned his gaze towards Elodie.

There would be plenty of time to learn about Aria. Right now was a precious moment to observe Elodie without her hostile reactions.

He couldn’t waste it carelessly just to observe Aria Bertin. The only aspect of Aria he was interested in was related to Elodie’s upbringing.

Theodore watched intently as Elodie stood up, holding the now-completed beaded necklace and bracelet.

“I’ll give this to you, Aria.”

Elodie’s clear voice was heard.

“It’s so beautiful, Elodie.”

Aria’s large, round eyes curved into half-moons, and a gentle smile formed on her lips. She stretched out her long, slender arms and half-embraced Elodie.

“Do you like it?”

“Of course.”

Aria chuckled softly.

“How could I not like something Elodie made for me?”

Theodore’s brows furrowed. He realized he was once again focusing on Aria instead of Elodie.

‘…Strange.’

It seemed that black magic had not only taken away his sense of taste but his ability to concentrate as well.

***

It was the seventh day since Duke Baniche had become a regular at the cafe. I barely suppressed the urge to shake my head.

‘…Why is that madman acting like this today?’

Instead of staring at Elodie as usual, he was looking around as if on some kind of cycle. And in between, he was even contorting his face.

I didn’t know why he was acting like that, but I was worried he might suddenly snap and harm the cafe. If it weren’t for the customers flocking to watch him, I would have found a way to chase him out long ago.

‘Just focus on work, focus on work.’

Trying to push away distracting thoughts, I busily made the waffle that had just been ordered. I topped the golden-brown waffle with a generous amount of whipped cream and mixed in fresh apple and stewed figs. It was easy to find the table as it was a rare male customer who came alone recently.

“Here’s your waffle order.”

As I was setting down the waffle with a cheerful voice, it happened.

“…What’s this? I didn’t order this.”

I blinked. I might have mistaken an order for another customer, but I didn’t think I would have confused the order of the only male customer who came alone today, aside from the Duke.

“Sir, didn’t you order a waffle?”

The man, who seemed to be over forty, snorted.