“I’m done.”
Luciano finished kneading the dough quickly and handed the bowl back to me.
‘The dough turned out perfectly.’
I covered the bowl with a cloth.
While it fermented, I decided to prepare the other ingredients.
“Here, peel these.”
I passed him a bulb of garlic.
He silently peeled the garlic.
“Prince, are you thirsty?”
“No.”
“I’m thirsty. I’ll have some tea.”
“Okay.”
While Luciano peeled the garlic, I simply quenched my thirst.
This was truly an enjoyable time.
“I’m done.”
As I sipped my tea leisurely, Luciano announced that he had finished his task.
I pushed over the small mortar I had prepared in advance.
“Now, pound it all.”
“……”
Luciano’s hand stopped for the first time.
His blatant gaze met mine.
“Why? That’s the most important ingredient.”
“……No.”
His expression suggested he had a lot to say, but he followed my words anyway.
Luciano placed the garlic in the mortar and picked up the pestle.
“Wait!”
I stopped him before he could start pounding in earnest.
“Do it after I’ve moved away a bit.”
“……”
“Okay, now.”
I said after stepping back a safe distance.
Luciano’s red eyes glared at me sharply.
I gestured for him to hurry up.
He let out a sigh and began pounding the garlic.
Thwack, thwack!
As the sound rang out and the garlic was crushed, a pungent aroma filled the kitchen.
That’s why I had Luciano do it.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Was it my imagination, or did the pounding sounds grow increasingly intense?
Unable to withstand the garlic’s spiciness, the corners of Luciano’s eyes turned red.
‘He might end up crying at this rate.’
I couldn’t ignore his sniffling nose and the moisture gathering in his eyes.
I approached Luciano’s side with a handkerchief in hand.
“Prince, lift your head.”
Whether from the garlic’s sting, Luciano’s large eyes were brimming with tears.
The droplets clinging to his long eyelashes looked pitiful.
And heartbreakingly beautiful, enough to make my heart drop with a thud.
As expected from the male lead’s looks.
It made me want to comfort him like a mother would.
But I didn’t want to pound the garlic myself!
As I wiped away his tears with the handkerchief, Luciano blinked rapidly.
“Espin.”
“What?”
“It feels like I’m the only one doing the hard and miserable tasks.”
He’s quick to notice.
“Yeah, it’s your imagination.”
“My imagination?”
Though his demeanor suggested he didn’t believe it for a second.
“Yeah. So finish pounding it.”
What could he do if I said it wasn’t?
I answered firmly and stepped back.
But Luciano’s gaze wasn’t kind.
In the end, I deployed my second line of defense.
“Do you know how hard it is to go out and buy ingredients? Wandering around, picking out the good ones, and bringing them all the way to the palace—it’s no ordinary task. Cooking isn’t just the preparation process; it starts from selecting and buying the ingredients.”
Of course, Billy carried the bags.
Anyway, I pretended not to know and kept insisting, urging him to continue.
Convinced by my eloquent persuasion, Luciano silently resumed crushing the garlic.
Thud, thud, thud!
Judging by the forceful sounds of him pounding the garlic, he must have been thoroughly persuaded.
And so, with Luciano’s tearful efforts, we made garlic baguettes.
Of course, Luciano was satisfied with the taste as well.
* * *
Amid the excitement of playing with Luciano and busily making and eating delicious things, I didn’t let go of my investment plans.
I visited May and Belle every day.
“Accept my investment!”
“We won’t! We have no money!”
No, these people!
I’m not a scammer!
Where else would you find a scammer this cute and adorable!
“I’m saying I’ll invest the money!”
“I’m broke! Even if you shake me down, there’s no money!”
“No, I’m not asking for money; I’m saying I’ll invest!”
“We don’t believe you! No money! No confidence!”
May and Belle ran away, and I persistently sought them out.
“Accept the investment!”
“Go away! We have no intention of doing business!”
May and Belle shot back coldly.
But this was nothing.
‘Don’t underestimate the shameless sunshine female lead!’
I went back again without tiring.
“Investment! Investment! Accept the investment!”
“We don’t believe you. We can’t hear you.”
“Why won’t you take the money I’m offering!”
“We’re saying we don’t want that money, so why are you doing this to us? Please, just stop!”
They continued to treat me like a scammer.
They’d send reproachful looks, as if wondering if a young thing like me had nothing better to do than go around scamming people.
It was so blatant that I should have felt embarrassed.
‘Compared to how Luciano treated me like an idiot, this is mild.’
I could brush it off calmly.
Unbeknownst to me, I must have been thoroughly trained.
When I arrived at May’s house, the door was open, perhaps for ventilation.
“I’ve come to invest again today!”
Shamelessly, I didn’t miss the opportunity and stepped inside.
May and Belle simultaneously sent me looks that said, “You again?” as if it gave them a headache.
“Just go back. We have nothing to say.”
“Miss, isn’t it time to give up?”
May and Belle said one after the other.
“Give up? What a hurtful thing to say.”
I smiled brightly and took a deep breath.
‘A delicious smell.’
This house always vibrated with the scent of freshly baked bread or something sweet.
Visiting every day to persuade them, I came to understand why they succeeded in the original story.
May and Belle were serious about baking.
The two of them truly made new desserts every day, tasted them, and exchanged opinions.
-Hmm, doesn’t it lack texture when you chew?
-Should we add some nuts?
They weren’t satisfied with just making edible bread; they constantly improved it.
It was too professional to call a hobby.
At first, I approached thinking that since they succeeded in the original, they’d naturally do well this time too.
But seeing their earnest efforts, I felt compelled to invest, regardless of the original story.
Because people who worked this hard couldn’t fail to succeed.
That’s why I was visiting even more fervently.
Of course, they put up iron walls accordingly.
Still, even while thinking I was a scammer, they were too kind-hearted to completely drive me away.
“But we’ve known each other for quite a while now—how come you haven’t given me a dessert even once?”
I smiled cheekily, and May and Belle let out incredulous laughs.
“Why would we give you anything nice?”
“I’m not a scammer, I tell you. From the smell, it seems like you’ve just finished something today—could I taste it?”
At my request, the two hesitated.
May showed reluctance, while Belle displayed an inexplicable anxiety.
‘What is it?’
The atmosphere was strange.
It felt like they didn’t want to give it to me.
Was it because they disliked ‘me’?
Or because they disliked ‘tasting’?
I observed carefully and cautiously broached the subject.
“Do you not want me to eat it?”
“……It’s not that.”
May spoke with difficulty and glanced at Belle.
Come to think of it, Belle’s complexion had turned slightly pale.
I could guess the answer.
‘They don’t like the tasting part.’
Why?
They worked so hard on this every day, yet they disliked others eating it?
Was that why they had no intention of opening a shop?
What on earth was their story?
Their reactions complicated my feelings as well.
At that moment, Belle went into the kitchen as if to avoid the situation.
May, keeping an eye on the kitchen, whispered softly.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
I lowered my voice as much as possible and asked.
May hesitated, about to speak, when Belle emerged from the kitchen.
In her hands was a small plate.
“Belle?”
May called out to Belle in surprise.
Belle approached with a stiff face and placed the plate in front of me.
“Here. Eat this and go.”
Belle’s voice was very rigid.
It was a coldness whose cause—tension or displeasure—I couldn’t discern.
May looked at Belle with an expression of感动.
The atmosphere was somehow very peculiar.
Belle was staring only at me.
Glaring with an intensity that was almost frightening.
It felt like coercion to eat, so I picked up the fork.
“It’s a brownie.”
The square, deep chocolate-colored cake looked simple.
“I’ll enjoy it.”
The moment I took a bite and put it in my mouth.
“!”
My eyes widened involuntarily.
The rich chocolate aroma unique to brownies filled my mouth, captivating my heart in an instant.
As I chewed reflexively, the fudgy texture clung thickly to the tip of my tongue.
And within it, a subtle banana flavor permeated!
Just one bite, and it was already addictive.
Incredible!
A huge hit!
I had read in the original that it was the best, but tasting it for real was no joke.
Unlike its plain appearance, the flavor was extravagant.
To say they lacked skill with this level of talent—their modesty was way over the top.
The two watched me with anticipation.
Especially from Belle, a strong tension emanated.
I honestly told them, who were waiting for my evaluation.
“It’s really delicious! This is the first time I’ve had something this good!”
Confidence bloomed on May’s face, as if she knew it, while an indescribable emotion lit up Belle’s.
“She says it’s delicious! Belle, the miss says it’s delicious!”
“It must be good! It seems so!”
Belle’s voice carried a sob.
Was my praise that significant?
‘Could it be that this is really the first time they’ve shown it to someone else?’
Then, as if recalling something, Belle flinched and put on a suspicious expression.
“Is it really delicious? You’re not just saying that to invest, are you?”
In Belle’s mind, I must truly be a scammer.
“The hidden banana flavor within the rich chocolate is the best.”
As I gave two thumbs up, Belle’s eyes widened.
“You can taste the banana?”
“Yes. It’s subtly hidden. That’s what makes it so flavorful.”
Upon saying that, Belle made a strange expression before finally darting into the kitchen as if fleeing.
Huh?
I praised it, so why run away like that?
As I stood there bewildered, May smiled softly.
“Thank you.”
“Yes? For what?”
“For eating it so deliciously.”
No, I ate it deliciously because it was delicious.
I looked at her in bafflement, and May smiled again before disappearing into the kitchen.
Left alone unexpectedly, I finished the remaining brownie.
“Should I give Billy a bite?”
“No, miss. You eat it.”
“It’s delicious, though.”
“Still, you eat it, miss.”
I didn’t insist further and scraped up every last bit of the brownie.
Because it was genuinely delicious.
A fudgy brownie that perfectly suited my taste.
No sooner had I set down the fork, savoring the flavor, than Belle with red-rimmed eyes and May emerged together from the kitchen.
Seeing my empty plate, Belle wore another touched expression.
“Was it not enough? Should I give you more?”
She asked to that extent.
“I’d love that!”
Belle smiled brightly and gave me another plate of brownies.
Her face looked even happier than mine, who was eating the delicious treat.
