The wicked woman is roasting coffee beans again today.

Chapter 8 – Part 1

In the author’s serialized novel, descriptions of people weren’t particularly detailed. If Sharon didn’t have dimples, Lynet might have just seen her as an ordinary woman and moved on.

After introducing herself as Lynet, she was about to say “Sharon Mi… I mean, Miss Sharon,” but stopped herself. She wondered why Sharon, as an illegitimate child of Duke Michaela, would come here, as she couldn’t openly introduce herself.

“Nice to meet you, Lynet. I’m here about this shop. Is it yours?”

“Yes, I bought it recently.”

When something good appeared, there was no need to hesitate. If she liked it, she bought it right away. It might have been due to the wealth of Duke Michaela, but Lynet never hesitated.

As they stepped outside the shop to talk more leisurely, Sharon’s expression suddenly darkened.

“Well, the thing is, I had my eyes on this shop.”

It was then that Lynet remembered Sharon opening a tea house in the novel. However, she hadn’t imagined that the tea house building would be this one.

She recalled that Sharon had recently opened the tea house and then went to the Sepia Empire with her lover. After that, it hadn’t been serialized yet, so she didn’t know what had happened.

“I see, but since I bought it first…”

Lynet had no intention of giving it up, so when Sharon pleaded with her, she shook her head. It was the first store she had ever bought. She had dreamed this place up, and she didn’t want to stop before she started.

“Even if I offer you twice the amount you paid for it?”

“I’m sorry, but that wouldn’t be possible. It might be better for you to use that double amount of money to buy another shop.”

Sorry, heroine. You’ll surely become happy later with your protagonist’s buff, so please don’t linger here.

As Sharon bowed deeply and turned away, Lynet shrugged. Then Katrine approached cautiously and whispered in Lynet’s ear.

“She’s offering twice the amount. Wouldn’t it be better to just sell it?”

“Katrine, I’m not in the real estate business. I want to run a coffee house here. If I were in real estate, I would have asked my father for more money to buy and sell properties.”

It was difficult to manage, even with multiple buildings.

***

After finishing remodeling the tea house and bringing in the tools, we were scheduled to start operating. Because of that, I moved diligently, as I would be quite busy in the near future. I went around with Katrine, visiting various tea houses, buying what we needed, and receiving help where we could.

Inside the shop, six tables were set up. Two four-seaters and four two-seaters made me feel proud. I was wiping the inside of the shop with a mop myself when Katrine took it from me and started wiping. Seeing the shiny interior, Lynet stepped outside and took in the whole place.

“Attraction, the name sounds really pretty,” I remarked.

Katrine and I discussed and decided on the store name together.

“I hope people will come as much as the store name suggests.”

“Of course, it’s her name, and I love it.”

The sign, written in cursive, features a model of a coffee bean. I smiled at the shop, which I liked the more I looked at it.

“As lonely and sad as you’ve been, I hope you’ll be happy in the future.”

“I’m sorry I’ve always been like that, but I’ll try to smile more often from now on.”

Katrine stayed by her side longer than her mother. Lynet smiled at her from the corner of her eye. As she stroked her hair, Katrine smiled back and kissed her head.

***

The day after everyone had dreamed of happiness, I came out earlier than the opening time to prepare. I ground the beans in advance and only bought the best milk and other ingredients.

“Miss, do you think people will come?”

“I’ll be sad if they don’t, but don’t worry. If even one person stops by and spreads the word, we’ll have a crowd soon enough.”

I also made sure to include the caveat that it might be more bitter than regular tea, but that there would be no refunds.

Last but not least, the price is upfront! In this world, food is always paid for in advance. But Lynet, who introduced a prepayment system, sat back in her chair and waited for her customers to arrive.

“That’s right! You can’t expect to be full from the first bite. Hmph!”

Because of the unfamiliarity of the menu, people walking around the neighborhood only glanced at her and passed her by. She watched them from the corner of her eye and wiped the table over and over again.

“Dum spiro spero”