Merry Christmas to all my readers! To celebrate, I’m treating you to extra chapter updates. Please enjoy this special release of four bonus chapters! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

(Lurelia’s Christmas Bonus – Update 3/4 🎉)

♡ To all readers who purchased these chapters before Christmas: I can’t express this enough – Thank you for your support. (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

It was almost intact with hardly any broken parts, and it seemed Elodie would enjoy eating it. Even if it wasn’t enough for a full meal, it could at least stave off hunger for a while. I hurriedly took the cookie and entered the playroom.

“Aria!”

Elodie, who was enthusiastically riding a rocking horse, looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“What’s that?”

“A cookie. I found one left. Let’s see, it’s a raspberry cheesecake cookie?”

“That’s my favorite!”

Elodie quickly snatched the cookie from my hand, then looked up at me with a face that suddenly remembered something.

“But, what about you, Aria?”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“…You’re lying.”

Elodie pointed at my stomach.

“It’s making gurgling sounds.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is.”

Elodie said with a determined face and then seriously examined the cookie. Is she wondering if she should give me the cookie even though she’s hungry herself?

“Elodie, I’m really not hungry…”

With a crisp sound, the cookie split in half. Now I see, she was seriously contemplating how to divide it exactly. Feeling it would be rude to ignore such thoughtfulness, I accepted half of the cookie from Elodie’s small hand.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Elodie beamed with a big smile while munching on the cookie.

“It’s delicious, right? Right?”

“Of course. Who made it after all?”

“Well, Aria did!”

“That’s right.”

I sat down next to Elodie and swallowed the cookie, lost in thought for a moment. If I bake cookies with new, high-quality ingredients, they might suit the tastes of the nobles and wealthy people visiting Saturn Street.

“Elodie, shall we wait a bit and then go out for a meal?”

“Where to?”

“Somewhere that sells what Elodie wants to eat.”

Being a bustling area, they should sell most foods, even if it’s a bit expensive. Elodie looked at me cautiously.

“…I want to eat food made by Aria.”

“Really?”

I didn’t know Elodie liked my food this much.

“Yes. We hardly ate any of Aria’s cooking throughout the journey.”

“That’s true. Then, shall we go look for where they sell fresh ingredients?”

“Yes!”

Elodie nodded vigorously. We locked the shop door securely and took a walk around Saturn Street. I was worried there might not be any food suppliers, but near the end of Saturn Street, there was quite a collection of various grocery stores.

‘It’s expensive, but the quality is good. I should source the initial ingredients from here. I’ll slowly build up business connections…’

About an hour later. We returned to the cafe with armfuls of groceries. Just as I put down the loads on the floor and was about to open the door, an unwelcome voice came from behind.

“Miss Aria…!”

My face automatically frowned. Isn’t that the voice of the person who treated me poorly just hours ago? I slowly turned around.

‘…?’

I thought at most only the butler would have come, but to think Count Jacob came along too. And someone who shouldn’t even be near the Duke’s mansion in the first place.

‘I’m sure I heard he had gone on an inspection tour with the Duke…’

Despite the weather not being hot, the Count’s nape was flushed red.

“Miss Aria.”

He opened his mouth in a polite tone. I furrowed my brow.

‘Miss Aria? Is he mocking me?’

Although I had never exchanged words with the Count, to him I was just a commoner, definitely not someone to address with honorifics. So there were only two reasons for using such an extreme honorific with me. Either an attempt to ridicule the current situation or an attempt to make amends by being as polite as possible.

“I’ve heard everything about why you left the Duke’s mansion. I sincerely regret it and apologize on behalf of the Duke’s family.”

It seemed to be the latter. Count Jacob’s face looked genuinely sorry, but it was impossible to know what he was thinking inside. Instead of answering, I looked at the butler. I found it strange that the Count was apologizing on behalf of this person who had been rude to me. Feeling the pressure of my stare, the butler mumbled in a small voice.

“…There was a miscommunication.”

And then he closed his mouth again.

‘What’s this?’

Count Jacob, who didn’t do anything wrong, is apologizing like this, while the one who should be apologizing just throws out an excuse and says nothing?

“Did you come all the way here to say that?”

“Of, of course not.”

Count Jacob waved his hands dismissively.

“Eric is also feeling sorry, I’m sure. Right, Eric?”

“…Yes, Miss Aria. I sincerely apologize.”

My eyes narrowed involuntarily at the voice that didn’t sound sorry at all. Including Count Jacob, no fool would believe this apology.

“Miss Aria, this friend Eric is not very good with words. He’s actually feeling very sorry…”

“I know why you two are doing this to me.”

I cut off Count Jacob’s words.

“It’s because of Elodie, right? But no matter what you say, I won’t go back. As long as she doesn’t leave the Duke’s territory, isn’t it Elodie’s freedom to stay wherever and however she wants with whomever?”

At that moment, Elodie stepped forward.

“I’m going to stay with Aria. I don’t like any of you gentlemen.”

I had to try not to laugh at Elodie’s clear voice. Even though the situation might be a bit difficult for a child to understand, she quickly caught on and took my side.

“Lady Elodie!”

Eric’s face contorted as he bowed his head towards the child.

“Don’t you remember me?”

“Not at all.”

Elodie shook her head and tightly grasped my hand.

“Miss Aria.”

Count Jacob called me with a desperate voice.

“I completely understand how you feel. If I were treated the same way as Miss Aria, I would have been very angry too. However, the Duke’s mansion is the best environment for the young lady.”

“Not at all.”

I took a deep breath for a moment. Count Jacob doesn’t understand me. How could he, who has lived as a noble all his life, understand my feelings of being denied the position guaranteed by the Duke and essentially being driven out?

“The best environment for Elodie is where she can be the happiest. Is the Duke’s mansion really such a place, Count?”

Count Jacob averted his gaze.

“…She was living happily and well until she went missing.”

“The Elodie then and the Elodie now are different.”

Words poured out quickly due to my frustration. Don’t these people know?

Elodie has been abused for a long time, and it will take a long time for her to emerge from that shadow. A space where I, her only trustworthy guardian, am not welcomed is like poison to Elodie.

“Anyway, I won’t go back. Please tell His Grace the Duke that if he wants to see Elodie, he should come here.”

“I’m sorry!”

Suddenly, the butler knelt on one knee. I blinked. What is this supposed to be…?

“I sincerely apologize, Miss Aria. I was arrogant and foolish. Please forgive me.”

I sighed.

“I’ll forgive you. It doesn’t cost me anything, after all.”

Count Jacob’s eyes sparkled with hope.

“Then, will you come back?”

“No.”

I said coldly.

“My opinion that this place is the best environment for Elodie hasn’t changed.”

I’ll admit it. To be honest, it wasn’t a choice solely for Elodie. But why should I live eating humble pie while being treated as just Elodie’s nanny?

“However…”

I looked at the butler, Eric.

“If you grant my request, my thoughts might change a little.”

“I’ll do anything.”

Eric answered hastily.

“Just tell me what it is.”

Perhaps, a bit too hastily. The corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily. An idea had occurred to me that would more than repay what I had suffered from Eric.

***

<Cafe Aria>

Although its location and scale had completely changed, the daily routine was similar to when it was a small village cafe. Wake up in the morning, have a simple breakfast with Elodie, then start cleaning and ventilation.

However, one thing that had changed was that, being a newly opened cafe, we couldn’t expect visits from regular customers.

‘It’s not really a neighborhood suited for soliciting customers.’

When I first opened the cafe, I went around every corner of the village handing out flyers that advertised a free coffee for every cup purchased. It was a method to boost a cafe that had a poor location and looked utterly ordinary from the outside.