Chapter 7

Raymond looked at Serena as she slept with an expressionless face.

By the time he was a teenager, Raymond kept Serena by his side for fun. 3

Serena was the most beautiful of the nobility of the capital, and she was passionate to look good to Raymond.

Raymond answered roughly and tried to send Serena back.

“Brother.”

At that moment, an unexpected sound of voice interrupted.

There was a young man standing at the end of the hall. Everyone’s eyes were on him.

It was a young man who looked about 24 years old. Dark black hair and deep blue eyes twinkled.

Slowly he came to Raymond’s place. with an ecstatic beauty and a innocent smile.

Raymond frowned slightly, annoyingly, and called his name.

“Calix.”

Calix. Raymond’s only brother, and second in line to the throne, was Grand Duke Royten

Carlix was not originally Raymond’s brother.

The Grand Duke of Royten, a family separated from the royal family a long time ago, has been treated like a royal family for generations.

Calix’s father, the former Grand Prince, died after losing his friend, the Prince.

The prince adopted Calix, the only son of an orphaned archduke, to repay his friend’s sacrifice.

Thanks to this, Carlix became a member of the royal family with the title of Grand Duke.

Callis had a attractive appearance, but he had a little boyish look on her face to match her age.

Raymond was a complete adult man, but Calix was a young man who had a good time.

But he looked better than his brother.

N/t: that is obvious

Calix, who was approaching Raymond, smiled as bright as ever.

“Long time no see, brother.”

“I thought you were by your Majesty’s side.”

Even though he was not his grandson, the old Emperor, was for his cuteness by wrapping and turning around Calix.

The emperor always wanted to keep Calix by his side.

But Carlix always wandered from place to place at his own way.

If he didn’t go somewhere, he didn’t come to the capital often to play in his own territory.

But this time, when the emperor heard that he was going to the battlefield for the first time in a long time, he went to the south.

That was three months ago.

To Raymond’s hard question, Calix

folded his eyes and answered happily.

“The atmosphere there was bad, so I came to the capital first. My grandfather was in a bad mood, so everyone was just looking at him. It’s so suffocating that I can’t stand it.”

Raymond’s aides hardened their complexion at the words.

No one knew what made the emperor feel bad.

Raymond still looked indifferent.

Selena, who had been wary of the brothers, bowed to Calix belatedly to ease the tense atmosphere.

“I see your Royal Highness. It’s been a long time since you came to the capital.”

Serena greeted him, but Calix approached Raymond without even looking back.

Then asked, with his head slightly tilted. in an abominably vulgar tone

“So what about your wife now?”

“…..”

A heavy silence descended on the corridor at the word.

Raymond’s expression became grim.

“Why do you wonder where my wife is?”

“But it’s natural to wonder where they’ve been since you have lived together for nine years. Aren’t you curious?”

Calix, who had answered calmly, threw the door and stopped talking for a moment.

His attractive appearance deepened his smile.

“My grandfather was curious.”

“……”

He watched the coldness of the atmosphere, but he was still looking at Raymond.

Raymond’s blue-gray eyes looked coldly at him, but they didn’t mean a thing.

“If he is curious, tell him to find it himself.”

Raymond exhaled coldly and turned around.

“Your Highness, I…”

“Not today. I have a previous engagement.”

Serena called him, embarrassed, but Raymond was annoyed and disappeared to the end of the hallway.

Those left in the corridor could not say anything, surrounded by cold silence.

In the meantime, Calix  asked sincerely, wondering.

“So where did your wife really go?”

***

Erin opened the oven and took out the tray.

“It’s been a long time since I made it but it’s pretty good”

I was worried it wouldn’t work, but on the tray I took out of the oven, there was a lot of well-done macaroons.

All sorts of colorful macaroons.

Pastel pink with strawberry flavored macaron. A sweet beige macaron filled with vanilla flavor. A fragrant light purple macaron with blueberry powder. And mint with pistachio.

Erin will put sweet cream on the inside of the macaron and put two on it.

Then put the finished macaron on a plate.

The plate, full of colorful macaroons, was cute and delicious just by looking at it.

Erin went through the garden into the store with a dish full of macaroons.

Ever since she came here, Erin has been sweeping, and cleaning the store with Melly. The tables and chairs that she ordered were cleaned, and the store was prepared all night.

As a result, the inside of the store has become so clean that it is unrecognizable.

All the dust and dirt that had been messy in a day all disappeared and the sparkle changed.

The floor and ceiling, which had been stained black and moldy in places, have also become as clean as a new coat.

At the center of the floor was a carpet that had been preordered, and round tables and chairs were placed on the guests.

Tay fire with neat tablecloth. a cherry-necked chair Small vases and candles placed at each table.

In the corner where the dusty messes were, the pots in the second floor were gathered.

It was like a completely different store.

In a few days, a dusty store had been transformed into a new cafe.

“Erin, did you make macaroons?”

As soon as Erin put down her macaron plate on the table, Melly came out of the kitchen behind the counter.

Beyond the store’s checkout counter, the small silver warehouse was turned into a cafe kitchen and there was also a tool for making coffee.

Melly also brought a small tray. On the tray were warm coffee in a white teacup.

“It’s hot coffee with the last remaining coffee beans.”

“So we’re having our last cup?”

As soon as Melie put down her glass, a deep aroma of coffee wafted.

“I’ve already ordered coffee beans, so they’ll arrive soon.”

Other ingredients were ordered as much as they could in advance, but two orders of coffee beans were the most urgent.

Coffee beans were very precious.

“But Melly could have brought some beans and had coffee in advance.”

“Because these were beans that I got from the Imperial Palace for practice. I didn’t want to leave it behind, so I packed it all.”

Even in the imperial palace, beans were treated as precious items, but Melly was given separately to practice brewing coffee occasionally because she was a coffee maid.

Erin took a sip of her brown coffee from a white teacup.

It was a soft coffee with a deep flavor. Erin closed her eyes and slowly savored the stinging aroma of coffee.

“Melly’s coffee is really the best.”

Erin picked up a macaron over coffee.

I could smell the fragrant strawberry before I could put it in my mouth.

The smooth surface of the cut-off material gently broke and the sweet taste filled the mouth.

The bitter taste and aroma of the coffee perfectly matched the painful sweet macaron.

“Erin, the macaron is so pretty that it’s a waste of time.”

Melly held macaroons one by one and cut them little by little, saying it was a waste.

I closed my eyes for every bite and savored the enchanting sweetness that touched the tip of my tongue.

“Oh, it’s delicious…”

“Eat as much as you like—it’s made for practice.”

The sun was setting outside.

The afternoon sky was tinted with sunset. A warm sunset permeated the large window on the street.

Melie, who was looking at the window, turned her head as if something had come to mind.

“Oh, I have an idea.”

Melie pointed to a large window facing the street.

“There’s a glass in front of the store that displays things.”

When it was a general store, there was a long shelf just behind the window.

It was also a show garden to promote shop items to passers-by.

“Why don’t we show dessert over there? If you leave the real dessert, it’ll go bad soon, so make a model out of cotton or plaster and display it like it’s real.”

For example, we made a sample design  at a clothing store, displayed it in the show window in front of the store, and promoted it to passers-by, saying that this is a dessert cafe, so let’s display a model of the dessert.

“That’s a good idea.”

I thought it would be pretty if I made it well and decorated. It’ll be a promotion.

I was talking about what to make, and I heard a knock outside.