“I ordered based on the picture in the menu. But there’s much more whipped cream and much less fruit than in the picture. Plus, there were strawberries in the menu picture, weren’t there?”

I was starting to get exasperated. The amount of fruit in the picture was almost identical to what we actually served on the waffle. It’s just that customers prefer more whipped cream, so when we pile it on generously, the fruit looks relatively scarce in comparison.

Besides, what strawberries are in late autumn when winter is just around the corner? We’ve clearly stated that the pictures in the menu are for customers unfamiliar with the dishes and are not exact representations.

“If you’d like more fruit, I can bring you some separately.”

“Never mind.”

The man snorted.

“How does bringing a bit more fruit explain the difference from the menu picture? It’s drowning in whipped cream like this.”

Even as he said this, the man took a big bite of the waffle topped with whipped cream. Judging by his expression, he certainly didn’t find it unpleasant. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“This is a fraud! You should be grateful I’m not reporting this to the city guard.”

If only he hadn’t been gobbling down the waffle while speaking, it might have sounded a bit more convincing… I carefully opened my mouth.

“If you don’t want more fruit and there’s no other problem with the waffle, I’ll be on my way then.”

“…How dare you?”

The man glared at me menacingly.

“Are you trying to cover up your fraud with just a bit of fruit?”

Huh. So that’s what he wants. At first, I thought he was just a troublemaker trying to get some free food, but it seems he’s a more sophisticated con artist. The man had been deliberately speaking loudly and making big movements to draw attention since earlier.

In a small town, rumors spread like wildfire. If I don’t handle this quickly, an unpleasant rumor will rapidly spread through the town.

“…Sigh.”

I let out a loud sigh while rubbing my forehead. Surprised by this unexpected reaction, the man’s eyes widened. Just as he was about to say something, I reached out and blocked his mouth. A cold voice flowed from my lips involuntarily.

“Do you think this is the first time I’ve dealt with someone like you?”

The troublemaker, no, the con artist, shook off my hand in great confusion.

“What do you mean…!”

“To con artists like you, a woman running a cafe alone must look like an easy target.”

I leaned toward the con artist and subtly threatened him.

“How much were you thinking? 100 gold? 200 gold? Surely you’re not so shameless as to aim for 500 gold?”

The man’s mouth fell open. Hmm, it seems he was indeed aiming for the shameless 500 gold. How appalling.

“I’m sorry, but you’ve completely misjudged. I’ve never once sent anyone away by appeasing them with money.”

I smirked slightly. I could feel all eyes in the cafe focused on me. As long as the situation was in my favor, the more attention, the better. I straightened my posture and delivered the final blow.

“You said I should be grateful you’re not reporting to the city guard? I wonder which side would be in trouble if a report was made?”

“…!”

The man’s eyes wavered. I inwardly paid my respects to the poor civilians who had been swindled by this con artist. See, everyone, when you stand firm, they back down this easily. Just shout back at them the same way.

As I was about to sigh and give him an ultimatum to leave, the man opened his mouth wide.

“T-Then go ahead and report it! I have nothing to hide! It’s this cafe that will go out of business instead.”

The con artist continued, gesticulating wildly to draw attention.

“Do you even know how serious the crime of fraud is, accumulating money all this time?”

I blinked. He seemed to have more guts than I thought. But it was nothing more than a last-ditch effort. The con artist’s struggle didn’t stop.

“Accusing a customer of being a con artist, what kind of establishment is this?”

I deliberately replied in a cheerful voice.

“I think it’s only natural to call a con artist a con artist… Don’t you all agree?”

As I turned around, some of the onlooking customers nodded reflexively. Even if not all of them did, this was enough allies. The con artist must have sensed that he was losing ground, but he brazenly pressed on.

“Even so, I was going to let it slide without paying since it’s just a snack, but if I let this go any further, it’ll be a big problem. Right now…”

“Oh my, what are you saying?”

I smiled sweetly at the con artist.

“When did I say you didn’t have to pay? You ate something, so you should pay. You even finished all the whipped cream you complained was too much compared to the picture. Where do you think you’re trying to run off to?”

“…”

The con artist momentarily stood with a blank face, his lips quivering. It seemed he had something he wanted to say, but couldn’t bring himself to utter it, fearing it might put him at a disadvantage. Well then, I should help him out. I leaned towards the con artist once again and declared:

“Pay up and get out right now. If you want to be arrested for dine and dash, feel free to keep resisting.”

After a brief silence, a single phrase escaped from the con artist’s grimly set lips.

“…Go ahead and report it.”

“What?”

“I said, go ahead and report it. You can just call the city guard, can’t you?”

I blinked.

‘So that’s what it was.’

Now I could fully understand this guy’s scheme. If there was even one employee to help out, I could leave the store to them for a moment and run to the city guard’s office. There was a reason why this guy targeted a cafe run by the owner alone.

Of course, I couldn’t leave the store to Elodie, nor could I send her to the city guard. Naturally, in this situation, most store owners would choose to give the con artist the money he wants and quickly chase him out. Seeing that I didn’t respond for a moment, the con artist raised his head with a triumphant look.

“Seems you’ve finally realized your position. Now then…”

“Sir.”

I cut off the con artist’s words abruptly. I’d heard enough nonsense for today. There was no need to further pollute Elodie’s ears.

“You said to report to the city guard, right?”

“That’s right.”

The con artist even crossed his arms now. He seemed to think he had the upper hand completely.

“What if I don’t report it?”

“Then I’ll have no choice but to sit here until I receive proper compensation. Not that I mind that.”

It was the answer I expected. I nodded with a gentle smile.

“I see. Then please, sit as long as you like.”

“…?”

Apparently, my response completely missed the con artist’s expectations. His small, mean eyes widened so much they looked like they might pop out of their sockets.

I turned away regardless and headed for the counter. I had wasted enough time. Now it was time to work. The con artist glared at me and muttered something, but it was none of my concern.

The first thing I did upon returning to the counter was to bake a waffle. Very meticulously, at that. I topped the well-baked waffle with exactly the same amount of whipped cream and fruit as I had served to the con artist, then carried it on a tray to the window table. It was the table where Duke Baniche was sitting.

“I don’t remember ordering this.”

Duke Baniche frowned.

“It’s a service for our regular customers, sir. Thank you for always visiting our cafe.”

I answered with an innocent face as if there was no intention behind what was happening.

“I know you like Bingsu, but I thought you might crave something warm occasionally… Don’t you like it?”

T/n: Bingsu (Korean: 빙수),  is a milk-based Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings that may include chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red beans. The most common variety is (Korean: 팥빙수), the red bean shaved ice.

Perhaps the unspoken pressure to just eat it was effective. The Duke raised one eyebrow, then elegantly cut a piece of the waffle with his knife and brought it to his mouth.

“It’s delicious.”

His voice was more bland than a pebble on the roadside, but the effect was more powerful than a TV commercial featuring a famous celebrity. As soon as the Duke’s words fell, one person from each table around the cafe popped up to order a waffle.

I served them waffles identical to the one the con artist had devoured, all with a bright smile. The response was very good, which was understandable given they were eating a warm waffle after having Bingsu in late autumn. Duke Baniche, who had suddenly become a living advertisement, just stared blankly at Elodie, indifferent to it all.

How much time had passed? Finally, I heard the long-awaited sound of horse hooves. I immediately ran out of the store and waved my arms widely.

“Captain of the Guard!”

The sound of hooves stopped. Captain Ian of the city guard looked down at me with a surprised face.