Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The worst enemy of the fearless Hizen was the smell of blood. Lying on the bed after taking a shower, he frowned.

This mission was far more disastrous than ever… No matter how much he washed up, the disgusting smell of blood still lingered at the tip of his nose. The best countermeasure was the macarons of Liduré, but the situation was not good.

Max, mindful of this matter, always prepared some Liduré’s macarons in advance. However, this time, the unexpected delay in his return resulted in a macaron issue.

He lifted the sheets to his bedside and forcibly closed his eyes. Colorful macarons floated in front of him. The chewy filling in the crispy cookie was a fantastic harmony. The imperial chefs would be disappointing if they knew, but he preferred macarons over the imperial cuisine.

‘I can eat it next time. Even if I wait, they will still taste the same. Also, weight control is a very important issue for the knights. I should be a model as their Commander.’

Of course, it was no use. Trying to force himself to sleep, he jumped up. He looked at the darkened window and agonized over it. It was already too late to ask someone. Eventually, he decided to go there himself. His destination was the bakery, Liduré. He covered his whole body with a black cloak to hide his identity. He looked more like a criminal than an knight.

All the way to the capital was dark, and Hizen’s expression darkened even more.

‘Is it closed? No, I don’t think so. It can’t be.’

His blue eyes trembled desperately as if there were an earthquake.

At some point, he stopped walking. As expected, he arrived at Liduré, the bakery in the center of the capital. Hizen blankly looked up at the green sign.

“…It’s closed.”

It was not just closed, it was completely closed. The lights on the sign, which were usely shining with magic stones, were turned off. As if mocking him, only the night breeze was whispering.

There were no macarons left on the shelves beyond the window. The corners of his eyes, as if drawn with a brush, fell a little. This could not be it. It should be there.

Then, someone tapped on his back.

“Hey…”

Instantly, his wide back hardened. He had not committed any crime, but he felt guilty for no reason. As a child, the trauma of being pointed at because he liked sweets remained deep in his mind.

The tension spread rapidly. His vision shook greatly and his stomach felt nauseous. There were only two people left in the world who knew his secret. But if someone else were to find out…

He could not do it. His face turned red with embarrassment.

“Are you a customer?”

Hizen tried to be as calm as possible. He nodded and made a O symbol with his fingers. Of course, it was an awkward gesture to see from behind.

“What shoud I do? It’s already long after the store’s closing. You have to be here before midnight.”

“It’s… it’s okay.”

Words and actions were quite different. His wide shoulders drooped. Leasis looked sadly at his back. He seemed to be a customer who really loved macarons to come at this time. Or maybe it was a gift for his pregnant wife.

After meeting Neren, Leasis was used to all kinds of situations. As she approached the store door, she was worrying over a lot of thoughts.

Click.

“Wait a minute, I’m going to see if i can find some for you. Maybe there’s some leftover macarons in the kitchen.”

“But…”

That was not fair. He could not make her do this.

Hizen hesitated, looking at her back. Leasis, who was opening the door lock, smiled brightly.

“It’s all right. They’re gonna have to be disposed of later anyway.”

“But still…”

“I’ll give it to you for free. You came all the way here late at night.”

When Hizen hesitated, she felt dizzy. Come to think of it, he might have found it repulsive to hear that they were going to be scrapped. She did not want him to worry, so she said.

“They are only scheduled for disposal, but if you eat them as soon as possible, there’s no problem. I can assure you.”

Hizen could swear he had never seen such a kind employee in his life. White wings seemed to flutter on her shoulders, as only her back was visible.

Hizen was a man of loyalty. With or without macarons, he vowed to be a regular at Liduré until his death. At the same time, Leasis appeared with several bags of macarons in both hands.

“I’m glad we had enough left!”

“Thanks.”

The corners of his mouth went up slightly. Hizen lowered his voice as much as possible and bowed his head. He was wearing a cloak, but he was afraid he might be found out.

Of course, Leasis had no way of knowing his feeling. She treated the customer as kindly as usual.

“Customer, if you want freshly baked crispy and chewy macarons, you can come early in the morning. We open the store before the sun rises.”

What was she saying? He could not hear well because he was embarrassed. So he roughly answered the long explanation.

“I see.”

‘He can’t even make eye contact. Is he a shy customer?’

Leasis wondered, as he held the macarons in both hands.

“Then goodbye!”

*

Would kissing a lover be so sweet? Of course, he had never experienced the sweetness of a kiss. Hizen’s expression with macarons in both hands was loosened. The tingling sweetness on his tongue sent him to heaven. This was a paradise on Earth.

After swallowing all the macarons, he fell down on his bed. He felt like floating on clouds. Now he was happier than anyone else in the world, and respected the former Empress Freya who made this gracious snack.

And finally…

“What a good person. She’s a great person who’s going to be a stepping stone for the future of the Harknon Empire. Those people should be blessed.”

He sincerely thanked the tall employee of Liduré. He stretched out his arms as he laid down.

Click, click.

The lights in the bedroom went out and the darkness spreaded out.

He was tired, but he continued talking stubbornly.

“By the way, I can’t let it go because I owe her unjustly. I’ll have to pay her back tomorrow through Max. But… what should I give her?”

The serious worry did not leave him all night.

*

Ding.

The first customer came in after opening the door at dawn. Leasis, who was tidying up around, raised her head.

“Welcome… Huh? Max-nim?”

“Hello, Miss Leasis.”

Max, who shook his right hand, was smiling gently. She hastily wiped her hands on her green apron.

“What are you doing at this time? You were not on the delivery list today.”

“I owe you a lot. I’d like to give you a small gift in return for your delicious macarons.”

“Gift?”

“You’ll know when you see it. All right everybody, come in!”

At Max’s shout, the green door of Liduré bursted open. Between them came a crowd of workers with something in their hands. Looking closely, it was golden eggs. She uttered in a trembling voice.

“This, what is this…”

“Ahaha. Good macarons need good eggs. Specialty from the Dratius province! They are golden eggs.”

“What? From the Dratius province?”

Did Count Dratius produced eggs in large quantities? The land seemed as cold as Hizen last month. Leasis could not imagine that there was any nutrition in these eggs.

On the other hand, Max was dying to hold back his yawning. He sighed inwardly, rubbing his brown eyes like a rabbit.

‘The Commander-nim’s orders are not to speak even with a knife to my throat.’

Before long, the entire floor of Liduré was completely covered. There was not even a proper place to step. Eggs were fragile, so it felt like a minefield.

Max smiled at Leasis, who was embarrassed. He was also a subordinate of Hizen, and also had a rather shameless side.

“Now, I’m going to get going.”

“Ah… T-thank you.”

“In the future, he will be supporting the Liduré shop by providing eggs, so please keep that in mind. Please tell Grien-nim that if you need anything, you can tell me directly.”

Grien was the mother of Setchen and the owner of the shop. But when she heard it, there was something strange. She asked sharply.

“He will? Isn’t Max-nim the one who is providing the eggs?”

“…Ahem. That was a slip of the tongue. All right, bye!”

Max hurriedly walked toward the door while coughing.

He moved like a fugitive.

*

“I’ve lived for half a hundred years, but I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“Oh my God, I’m gonna be crushed to death by eggs.”

“What was that? Was the Vice Commander such a hot-tempered man?”

The staff at Liduré opened their mouths when they saw the pile of eggs that could be seen from outside of the shop. All the eggs of the world seemed to have been swept together.

Leasis, who was standing in the middle of the egg field without any countermeasures, was worried.

“The kitchen is fine, so I’ve made all the macarons for sale today… What about these eggs? I don’t think the customers can come in.”

“Oh my God, what to do? I don’t think our employees, let alone our customers, will be able to go in. I can’t use all these eggs at once. I’ll pack them up and throw them away.”

“Come on. Don’t throw them away, it would be such a waste. You can just share with the houses next door.”

“When are we going to split them up? And what if it stir up trouble within the neighbourhood?”

“Noona, I’m coming in! I want to see the eggs from the Dratius province, too!”

“Setchen, I’m sorry but you can’t. There’s no room to come in.”

Despite Leasis’ dissuasion, Setchen tried to enter the store. He could not wait to be with Leasis.

At that time, a blonde beauty who was approaching in front of Liduré raised her eyes.

“Setchen, what are you doing when the store is in a mess? Can’t you see that Leasis is busy?”

“Hum! She’s a good worker, unlike anyone else.”

“Whoa. Setchen. Did you finish your lesson about the Kessen Empire this morning?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know!”

Setchen, who had covered his ears, went into the store like a flying squirrel. Fortunately, there was enough space for one child to enter.

“Setchen, you’re not coming here!”

“Blep!”

Setchen hurriedly hid behind Leasis’s back. She patted him on the head instead of scolding him. He felt like a cute little brother.

“Grien-nim, it’s fine.”

“Anyway. I hope Setchen can be at least half like Leasis.”

“Don’t worry. Setchen will be a great person in the future.”

Setchen’s mother, Grien, smiled at Leasis. She had said she used to be a maid for a prestigious duke, but there was nothing she could not do.

She liked everything about her. First of all, she acted swiftly and was quick at calculating numbers. She was fluent in various imperial languages, so she had no problem dealing with foreigners who came to visit the shop. Also, the best thing about her was her mindset. No matter what she was doing, she never lost her smile and did her best to help others.

In Grien’s eyes, Leasis’s straight personality was well seen. Grien had built her fortune on her own. She came here with her own strength so her eye for a person was more accurate than anyone else.

When Setchen would have grown up a little more, she thought about making her her daughter-in-law. He was 11 years old, and Leasis was available. She thought an age gap of eight years was not that much. Grien, smiling, could not stop her delusions.

Then, should I get a dress for my future daughter-in-law? Grien spoke in a friendly voice.

“Leasis, that’s enough. Bring Setchen out.”

“What? But…”

“This morning, I’m going to share half of these eggs with the surrounding shopping districts. Everyone should throw an egg party.”

At the end, Leasis and Setchen came out together. It was a narrow path, but there was no problem for her flexible body to pass by.

Grien picked up two bags of eggs at the entrance and placed them in Leasis’ hands.

“Take them and go to the dressing shop. You know the way, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’ll be right back.”

“Oh no, don’t. That house is indebted to my house, so go get a dress.”

“Is that Setchen’s clothes?”

“No, it’s your clothes.”

“My… clothes?”

“Yes, it’s a gift for you.”

Gift. It was a soft word, but Leasis did not accept it easily. She had been wearing only a coat called cheap all her life, and that felt natural for her.

Of course, she was also a woman, so she liked being pretty. However, she had no money, and above all, a dress was not practical to do her job. But she could not believe she was getting a famous designer’s dress as a gift. It was too shocking for a gift. It was clear that it would be worth at least three months of her salary, even if she did not get a coat.

She quickly came to her senses. No matter how rich they were, she couldn’t accept it. Leasis showed a natural response.

“I’m fine.”

“Huh? Are you ignoring my sincerity?”

“That’s not…”

“It’s a gift, a gift. Don’t feel pressured and take a nice dress.”

Grien patted Leasis on the shoulder affectionately. The touch seemed to spread warmth to her heart.

* * *

“Commander-nim, the order has been completed.”

“Good job.”

Hizen smiled faintly at Max’s words. He arranged the piles of documents one by one with a lighter hand.

‘He looks happy after a long time. But why did he tell me to bring eggs at dawn?’

Max was questioned, but he shook his head a little. Although not publicly known, Hizen was originally a very generous man. It would not be a big deal this time either.