“Nothing to be done. I’ll just have to wake up even earlier on the day of the banquet and bake them. I’ll have to give up on making a large quantity.”

Shiloh picked up the remaining piece of canelé on the plate with her hand.

She pressed the softened surface with her index finger again and again with lingering reluctance and murmured.

“If only the outside could just be crispy again……”

She let out a breath, disappointed that she couldn’t serve more of something delicious.

At that moment,

A white light seeping from Shiloh’s hand slowly wrapped around the surface of the canelé like wax.

Shiloh stared blankly at the light spreading across it.

The light covered the canelé’s surface completely, then flashed and disappeared.

Shiloh froze.

“What is this?”

She looked at the canelé in her hand.

Tilting her head, she slowly brought it to her mouth and took a bite.

She chewed slowly and rolled her eyes.

Shiloh swallowed the canelé and with wide eyes put the remaining piece in her mouth and finished it in an instant.

“The outside is crispy.”

Shiloh recalled what Owen had told her at the valley.

‘Water magic is the ability to move water, so when applied, it can also control the moisture in objects.’

Shiloh looked down at her own palm.

“Did I just control the moisture in the bread?”

She let out a hollow laugh with dazed eyes.

Shiloh felt her heart beating fast and turned her gaze to the window.

The main street of Somnia, revealed as the day brightened to a pale glow, finally came into her eyes.

*

From Duke Ethan’s mansion, surrounded by a dense row of carriages, the sound of strings and piano and boisterous laughter flowed all day long.

At a table so long its end was out of sight, high-ranking nobles and wealthy foreign merchants alike had gathered for a formal dinner.

Seated to Ethan’s right was Teddy, a merchant from Belmae and his business partner in the herb import trade.

“So many guests have come from Belmae today. What kind of business are you in, Sir Teddy?”

A noblewoman wearing an elaborate emerald necklace cut into her heavily spiced pork and looked across at Teddy.

Teddy, in a jacket that puffed out like a plump caterpillar, shrugged.

“Mainly the herb trade, and I also invest in mines.”

Ethan, seated beside him, let out a somewhat exaggerated sigh.

“How enviable. In the Amondi Empire, the imperial household monopolizes the mines, so there’s no way to invest……”

“Well, the mines of the Amondi Empire produce magic stones, so that’s a different matter entirely, isn’t it?”

“That’s precisely why it’s such a shame. If many nobles were to enter the mining business, wouldn’t more magic stones be extracted and the lives of the Empire’s citizens become more prosperous?”

“A fair point.”

Teddy smiled lightly.

The Amondi Empire was a land blessed by the Sun God, and unlike other nations, Potencia magic stones lay buried in its earth.

Many nobles had their eyes on the mines where Potencia was found, but the Empire prohibited private investment on the grounds of the citizens’ welfare.

“Couldn’t that change one day? It keeps coming up in the noble council even now.”

A noblewoman in a black velvet dress with a pearl necklace moistened her throat with wine heavily infused with spices and spoke.

Ethan opened his mouth with a composed expression.

“I think it would be difficult unless His Majesty’s stubbornness changes.”

When the eyes of those gathered turned to him, Ethan raised his chin and smiled smoothly.

“If I were ever to manage the mines of the Amondi Empire, I would ask everyone here about their interest in joint investment. That includes our guests from Belmae, of course.”

“Splendid. You mustn’t go back on your word when the time comes.”

Teddy raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“Then let us raise our glasses to everyone’s health and a prosperous life.”

Ethan lifted his glass, and in the warm, convivial atmosphere, glasses clinked cheerfully.

As the guests’ conversation reached its height, a servant brought a tray covered with a lid.

When the silver cover was lifted, what appeared were none other than the canelés Shiloh had baked.

A noblewoman with her brown hair elegantly pinned up carefully cut a piece with her knife, put the dark slice in her mouth, and chewed.

When she bit through the slightly charred exterior with a crisp snap, the soft, dense custard inside, infused with vanilla bean and rum, crumbled away helplessly.

“Mm……”

The noblewoman’s eyelids drooped halfway, intoxicated by the taste.

She swallowed the canelé and slowly licked her lips to ease the lingering want.

“This is a fine dessert called a canelé.”

The butler nearby read from the description Shiloh had prepared in advance.

“The aroma is extraordinary.”

The noblewoman nodded slowly and gave a small shiver of delight.

The guests enjoyed not only the classic vanilla canelé but also chocolate and Earl Grey varieties.

“Duke Ethan has a remarkable eye for desserts.”

“It’s like a miniature cake crafted by God.”

The flood of praise pulled at the corners of Ethan’s mouth.

“Who is the baker?”

“The baker who runs the popular confectionery, Shiloh’s Bakery. Quite a beauty, I’m told.”

“……”

At Ethan’s words, Rowella, who had been chewing her canelé, stopped the hand holding her fork.

She set down the fork with a sour expression and wiped her lips roughly with a napkin.

“Would you like to meet her?”

A maid ran to the kitchen after hearing a whisper from the butler.

A short while later, Shiloh appeared before them in her apron, fidgeting.

She had been making bread in the kitchen when she was suddenly told the guests were asking for her and had rushed out, flour on her clothes and looking far from presentable.

“How do you do. I’m Shiloh, the baker for this evening’s banquet.”

“Just as lovely as they say. The bread was wonderful.”

“Thank you. The refreshing lemon cheese cake will be coming out soon as well, so you’ll be able to enjoy something bright and fresh for dessert.”

Shiloh fidgeted with her clasped hands but explained politely and calmly.

At that moment, she sensed something unsettling from the right and turned to find herself looking directly at Rowella.

‘Why is she here again?’

Shiloh pressed her lips together with a flushed face.

Beside Rowella sat her father, Count Erald.

Erald recognized Shiloh too and his mouth fell open.

“Is that you, Shiloh?”

“Do you know her?”

The noblewoman with the brown updo asked, and Erald stroked his wine glass with his thumb and said.

“Of course. She was my daughter’s friend, so I’ve known her since she was small.”

“Your daughter’s friend?”

“Hello, Shiloh. The bread was delicious.”

Rowella, in a pink satin dress, finally curved her lips in belated recognition.

“Hello.”

Shiloh pulled up the corners of her mouth awkwardly.

“She’s a friend from the Magic Academy. Shiloh had to drop out partway through because of family difficulties. Her father committed financial fraud and disappeared. She had been one of the Academy’s most promising students, so it was a shame.”

The smile disappeared from Shiloh’s face at Rowella’s manner of casually exposing her private affairs.

But then the noblewoman with the emerald necklace let out a high-pitched exclamation and looked around.

“My goodness. So beautiful and so talented on top of it. I’d love to invite you to our tea party as well.”

“Me?”

Shiloh placed a hand on her chest and opened her eyes wide.

“Don’t misunderstand. She means she wants you to be the head baker for the event, like today. She’s saying to go bake bread hard in the kitchen.”

Rowella let out a scoff and brought her wine glass to her lips to soothe her burning throat.

But the noblewoman corrected Rowella.

“Not at all, Miss Rowella. I find Miss Shiloh fascinating. I’d love to hear how someone with such a slight frame threw herself into the demanding work of baking and built a successful business. She seems to have a remarkably strong inner spirit. I do love hosting parties, and I’ll be sure to send you an invitation.”

“Thank you. If it’s no trouble……”

Shiloh smiled and accepted graciously.

After that day, Shiloh’s name spread rapidly through social circles, and the canelés she had presented at Ethan’s banquet were featured in the Imperial Gazette under the headline ‘The Canelé That Has Captivated the Nobility.’

The article also included an introduction to Shiloh’s Bakery.

One day, Kyle came across this column while taking a half-bath and his expression went rigid.

Continued in Volume 2