Volume 1 - CH 5

A few days after deciding to open an ice cream shop, the cleanup of the first floor, which will be used as a shop, had finally been completed.

She still needed to tweak the interior a little, but she has other plans today, so she put it aside for now.

Leaving home before noon, Alme was now walking down the main street.

Her steps are heavy because she is now headed to the library – Julio’s workplace.

On the day he broke off their engagement, she went home in a rush, so today she is going to retrieve her personal belongings that she left behind.

These items are in Julio’s office, so unless she is lucky enough that he’s out of the room, they will see each other…

(Empty your emotions and stay calm no matter what he says… There’s no reason to needlessly get hurt anymore.)

In her head, she reminded herself that while going to the library. Soon, she saw the roof of a large library in a corner facing a busy main street.

The tower-like peaked roof resembles a castle, and when her grandmother took her there for the first time when she was a child, her heart was filled with excitement.

It is sad to say that now, instead of being excited, she feels a sense of heaviness…

She entered the grounds beyond the magnificent gate and walked into the spacious entrance hall. She consciously straightened her back and quietly steeled herself.

In a straight line, she made her way to the counter and approached the nearest staff member. Fortunately, this staff member was a middle-aged woman whom Alme was reasonably friendly with.

“Hello. Um, I have something to do in Julio Beatos’ office, would it be okay if you let me in?”

“Alme-chan…! ……Hey, I heard what happened to you. Did you come to talk with Mr. Beatos?”

When the female staff member saw Alme, she spoke to her up front. Apparently, the staff members had already heard about the broken engagement.

Alme answered firmly with a wry smile.

“No, I’ve already talked to him. I came here today to pick up my personal belongings that I left behind. I also wanted to return the entrance pass. I can’t work here anymore now that I’m out of his life.”

“Oh… you’re going to quit, Alme-chan… You’ve earned a reputation for being serious about your work. It’s a shame…”

The female staff member lowered her eyebrows and sighed. Then, without pause, she lowered her voice and continues with a complaint.

“Well, but yes… It’s better for your mental health if you quit. Even we get heartburn when we look at those two people. They’re making out in public while we’re at work.”

“Uh… You mean Julio and Miss Campbellina, right?”

Just in case, she wanted to check. Does that mean those two are officially recognized by the workplace?

“Yeah, right. After Alme-chan left that day, after closing, those two held something like an unveiling party…Mr. Beatos said…

“Today, I officially welcomed Campbellina as my new fiancée, so from tomorrow on, she will work as my right-hand woman.”

She got a headache thinking about it and held her temples.

Julio must have been in a buoyant mood and wanted to show off his lovely new fiancée.

(Because his previous fiancée was plain-looking, I guess his feelings of wanting to brag about the cute Miss Campbellina got even more excited…)

The female staff member made a bitter face and whispered in her ear.

“They’ve been together all morning… be careful when you go into the office okay?”

“Yes…”

She replied obediently. Let’s not delve into what to look out for…

After leaving the counter after a conversation with a female staff member, she walked to the back of the building to the related corridor.

This library is not only beautiful from the outside, but its interior is as elegant and beautiful as a castle. It is a popular spot for tourists.

After a short walk down a quiet corridor, she arrived in front of Julio’s office. Before knocking, she gently put her ear to the door.

Then, from inside the room, she heard a voice that seemed to confirm most of her bad premonitions.

“Oh, Julio, don’t go any further, someone will come.”

“Don’t worry. Nobody’s coming.”

“You’re such a naughty boy. You’re working.”

“Haha, I work fast, I don’t mind taking a break.”

She took her ear off the door and took several deep breaths to calm herself down.

(…I can’t wait here forever, and I have plans for the rest of the day, so I should get on with my business.)

While looking far away, she sorted out her thoughts and made up her mind to knock on the door.

“Excuse me, I’m Alme Titty. I’m here to pick up some personal belongings. May I enter the room?”

When she called out loudly, there was a slight fluttering sound from inside.

After waiting for a while, Julio finally replied.

“Ah, please enter.”

“……Excuse me”

She gently opened the door and entered the room. Julio and Campbellina were sitting side by side on the sofa. Their clothes and hair were slightly disheveled, but she pretended not to notice.

She walked quickly to the back of the room and retrieved some small items and a light cardigan from the shelf she were using.

After finishing her business quickly, she was about to leave the room quickly, when, unexpectedly, Julio called out to her.

“Alme, you are still dressed so plainly. Since you’re here, I should put a fancy dress on you as a consolation prize for breaking off the engagement.”

“I don’t need it…It’s none of your business.”

“I don’t think you should talk to me like that. I’m telling you this because I’m concerned about your future. You don’t have any family to arrange a new marriage for you anymore, do you? So, as your ex-fiancé, I’m at least trying to take care of you so that you can meet someone new.”

“I’d like to work hard for the time being, so please don’t worry about it.”

If he’s worried about someone’s future, don’t cheat in the first place. In what world is there a woman who wants to be taken care of by someone who has abandoned her so cruelly? What a joke.

(I wonder if Julio was always such an arrogant person…I wonder if I can see him clearly now that we’ve broken up and I have distance from him.)

Sometimes when you’re close to someone, you don’t even notice the opposite. Perhaps now her rose-colored glasses have been removed since their relationship is completely over.

Shaking off the conversation with Julio, she turned on her heels and left the office.

–Campbellina was glaring at Alme’s back, her face contorted in hatred.

In a whisper that even Julio next to her couldn’t hear, she blurted out.

“Huh? Really? A dress? annoying plain woman…get the hell out of Julio’s life.”

Campbellina clenched her teeth and glared endlessly at the door.

-*-

Alme managed to retrieve her personal belongings without incident and returned her entrance pass to the female staff member at the counter.

“Alme-chan…I know it’s turned out to be this weird situation, but I’d be glad if you’d come here again.”

“Yes, when I use the library again, please take care of me. Thank you for your help.”

They exchanged farewells and she left the library.

As she was leaving, she was approached by several other staff members, so she made an effort to promote the ice cream shop with a bright smile.

It would not be right to leave with the image of a woman who has been cheated on and abandoned, so she would like to overwrite it with the impression that she has chosen a different path to pursue her new dream.

Leaving the library grounds, she start walking down the main street again.

(Okay, next stop–real estate agent.)

Her second stop today was the real estate office. Originally, she had planned to give up her house as she were getting married and joining Julio’s family.

That is why she had already signed a contract with a real estate agent and put the house on the market. She had to put that matter to back to rights.

After walking for a while, she came to a side street. A short walk from there, she stopped at the corner of the intersection. There is a small community-based real estate agent.

She rang the door bell and walked into the real estate agency.

“Hello. My name is Alme Titty and I was asking you to sell my house.”

“What? What is it?”

Inside the real estate agent was an elderly owner who was hard of hearing. She called out to the old man again.

“I’m Alme Titty, who was asking you to sell my house! I’m sorry, but I wanted to cancel the contract!”

“Ah, yes yes. Miss Titty. Um…Where was the house again? Ah, was it this house?”

The old man pulled out a document case from the shelf. ――But the house in the document is a completely different property. He leaned forward and pointed to what he thought was his paperwork.

“It’s not! Umm, that’s it! That document!”

“Oh, is this it? Yes, I understand. So what is it?”

“I want to cancel the contract! I want to stop selling the house!! How much will the penalty be?!”

“Ah, yes, yes, yes. I don’t think this house has caught the attention of the public yet, and of course there is no buyer, so you don’t have to pay the penalty.”

“Huh? Are you sure?! Isn’t that too inappropriate…!”

The rough old man’s response made her worry. Well, it would be nice to avoid painful expenses. Before the old man changes his mind, she decided to wrap up the conversation.

“Uh, so you’re saying that the contract is cancelled with no penalty, is that correct?!”

“Yes, yes, that’s how it’s going to be!”

“Thank you! Then it’s back to a clean slate, then!”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes. I look forward to your patronage again.”

(…I wonder if it’s really okay.)

She felt uneasy inside, but she decided to trust the owner because this is a long-established real estate agency.

When Alme left her seat, the old man waved goodbye to her.

She was prepared to pay a hefty penalty fee, so she was honestly happy to have unexpectedly avoided the expense.

Of course, she planned to use this extra money to cover the cost of opening the shop.

~❆~