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(Lurelia’s Christmas Bonus – Update 2/4 🎉)

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‘The Duke Baniche must have worked hard.’

I quietly laughed. Although there were many questionable aspects about the Duke, his love for Elodie was undoubtedly genuine. It was to the point where he regretted not being able to come out to greet Elodie because he was inspecting the territory.

This time, after passing the gatekeeper who didn’t even check inside the carriage, we stopped right in front of the entrance of the mansion after passing through a long garden. We got out of the carriage with excited hearts.

“…?”

I blinked for a moment, dumbfounded. Elodie also seemed surprised, staring blankly ahead. Servants and maids, neatly dressed from head to toe, were lined up in two rows to greet us. And the elderly man who appeared to be the butler…

“Oh my, our young lady… It’s been so long.”

He was almost sobbing. Fortunately, the presumed butler quickly regained his composure.

“Oh my, where are my manners. Please come in. We’ve prepared the young lady’s room.”

I tried to follow Elodie inside but was immediately blocked by him. The butler’s eyes, which had been brimming with emotion until just moments ago when he saw Elodie, had now turned cold.

“The nanny should organize all the luggage before coming in.”

This bastard…?

Was a human being so easily inflamed with anger? I was beyond shocked, almost to the point of fainting. I barely managed to squeeze out a response.

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

The only reason I wasn’t shouting at the butler right now was one: thinking of Elodie, it would be better to resolve this situation calmly. But the other party didn’t seem to notice this fact.

“I’m saying this for your own good, so listen carefully. You may have been on familiar terms with the young lady until now, but from now on, you’ll need to learn behavior befitting the Baniche family. It seems you need to start by knowing your place.”

Hmm. Perhaps shouting would have been better after all. I shot him a look I usually reserved for dealing with unreasonable customers. The effect was immediate. The butler, who had been acting so arrogantly, now wore a slightly surprised expression.

“I am not a nanny, but Elodie’s official guardian.”

A voice as cold as ‘I’m sorry, but you’re disturbing other guests, please leave’ flowed out of my mouth.

“If you consider me a nanny, then there’s no need for me to stay here.”

“Aria!”

Elodie screamed and ran towards me.

“I don’t want to be here. I want to be with Aria!”

“You don’t need to come with me.”

I slowly opened my mouth.

“Everyone here cares for and cherishes Elodie.”

“But they’re not you, Aria. I want to be with you!”

“Is that so?”

The corners of my mouth slowly turned up.

“Alright then, let’s go together.”

“You’re free to leave, but you can’t take Lady Elodie with you!”

The butler shouted hastily, but I didn’t even bat an eyelid.

“Actually, I can. His Grace the Duke has already completed the certification recognizing me as Elodie’s guardian.”

“That can’t be…!”

“If you have any complaints, I suggest you speak to His Grace. Let’s go, Elodie. It’ll take quite some time if we walk out of here.”

“W-where are you going? I heard your hometown house was sold.”

The butler’s voice began to tremble. It was laughable how he suddenly started speaking respectfully after realizing I wasn’t an easy opponent.

“Oh, you haven’t heard? His Grace the Duke has provided me with a new business establishment. It’s a cafe, so there might be some inconvenience in staying there, but there should be a place to rest.”

I smiled brightly at the butler who was looking at us as if he had been hit on the head.

“In case you’re curious, it’s on Saturn Street.”

“…!”

I savored the butler’s reaction triumphantly. Saturn Street was the center of the Duke’s territory. The prosperous duchy hadn’t collapsed just because it had been neglected for a few years. Saturn Street was still one of the busiest areas in the empire. Not just anyone could open a standalone shop there.

Moreover, the condition that Elodie had to fulfill as the heir to the Duke’s family was to ‘stay in the Duke’s territory’. Whether she stayed at the Duke’s mansion or at my cafe on Saturn Street, it equally satisfied that condition.

“Do drop by sometime, I’ll give you a free cup of coffee. Let’s go, Elodie.”

As I got back into the carriage, I struggled to keep my twitching mouth in check. In that brief moment of turning my back while holding Elodie’s hand, I saw an expression on the butler’s face that was too comical to keep to myself.

***

“Is this really Aria’s cafe?”

Elodie looked up at the sign with wide eyes. I shook my head. I had asked for a place with moderate foot traffic, but who knew it would be right in the center of Saturn Street. It was almost intimidating with grand, glittering restaurants on both sides.

“It seems so.”

I opened the door with the key I had received in advance and stepped inside.

“…!”

The interior of the cafe was no less impressive than its grand exterior.

‘This… the customer base will be completely different.’

Originally, the <Cafe Aria> I ran was a modest neighborhood cafe. Most customers who ordered expensive items did so as a special treat, so I had to focus on cost-effective menu items. But here, probably…

‘Everyone will be wealthy. They won’t be satisfied with just any taste. Most of them will likely have personal chefs or patissiers.’

My head became momentarily complicated.

‘I’ll need to think of new menu items.’

Of course, I had no intention of complaining to Duke Baniche or asking him to set up a shop elsewhere. This was an opportunity. A chance to run a cafe more famous and high-quality than I could have ever dreamed of.

If I were to back down just because I was a little scared, it would make a mockery of the past 7 years I’ve spent overcoming all sorts of hardships in this strange land.

“Aria, what’s that door?”

Elodie tilted her head and pointed to a door.

“I wonder. Maybe it’s a storage room?”

I strode over and pulled the door. It was too well-decorated to be a storage room, but with Theodore Baniche, I wouldn’t be surprised if even the basement was adorned with gold and silver treasures.

“Gasp…!”

As the door opened, Elodie took a deep breath. I too was startled as I peered inside. It was a playroom that looked like children Elodie’s age could play in all day long. From soft cushions to various dolls and toys, even a hammock that looked so comfortable you’d fall asleep instantly, and even the drawing supplies Elodie loved to use. Everything was furnished with top-quality items.

“It seems the Duke prepared this for Elodie.”

“…Then, is this my room?”

“Of course.”

I smiled at Elodie.

“Who else would use it if not you?”

Elodie, her cheeks flushed red, gently stroked the hand of a large teddy bear as if she couldn’t believe it.

“It’s so, so…”

“So?”

“Wonderful.”

It was a simple answer, but one full of sincerity. I quietly looked down at Elodie. These were things Elodie should have enjoyed long ago, yet she was so moved.

Clearly, both the Duke and I had tried to create the best environment for Elodie over the past few months, but the experiences the child had gone through over the past few years hadn’t easily disappeared from her heart.

‘All I can do is do what I can for her.’

I deliberately spoke in a cheerful voice.

“Elodie, do you want to play here for a bit? I’ll go check if we have anything to eat. I’m not sure if they’ve stocked any ingredients.”

They probably wouldn’t have prepared ingredients that require freshness in advance, but there might be some staples like flour. Originally, we should have had a late lunch at the Duke’s mansion, so we were both starving.

‘I hope there’s something…’

Unfortunately, my concerns became reality. The cafe’s kitchen was literally empty, not even a grain of wheat. The nearby restaurants had already entered their preparation time, the so-called break time.

‘We brought all our luggage, but… what should we do.’

I rummaged through my bag. We had eaten most of the snacks we brought on the way, but there might be something I forgot to finish.

“Ah.”

I let out a small exclamation as I pulled out a palm-sized cookie from deep inside the bag.