They Say the Bread of a Small-Fry Villainess Will Save the World

Chapter 3

—–CROW—– 

One bread. I opened a bakery. Let’s become Baek Jong-won¹ (2)

The bakery was located in a small alley.

It was situated deep in the market, a narrow alleyway, but there were quite a few people passing by.

The best thing about it was that it was far away from the main street where nobles mainly passed through.

“My shop! My dream shop!”

The past years were no longer important.

That she had to make a pitiful request to her unfamiliar maternal family to borrow money by using her deceased mother’s inheritance as collateral, that they didn’t trust Ellie and introduced her to a money-hungry merchant, that she had to borrow money from that merchant with high interest…

‘Damn it…’

Tears threatened to come out again, due to the mix of sadness and a sense of achievement.

“Hey, you suspicious person.”

“I’m not suspicious! I have a clear identity!”

As she habitually raised both hands in the air, Ellie turned around, feeling completely intimidated, and there stood a familiar person.

As soon as Ellie saw that person, she frowned.

“You surprised me.”

“If you’re innocent, you shouldn’t be surprised.”

She was sure that there was no one as innocent as herself under the sky.

Was it because of prejudice that even one word from him was annoying? Ellie grumbled quietly.

The man, with his neatly styled black hair and gentle-looking light brown eyes, was two heads taller than Ellie.

His handsome face had a relaxed smile, and he was a man with a very attractive, laid-back and mature vibe.

‘At first, I thought he was a handsome and kind person too. I won’t be fooled anymore.’

Ellie said in a cold voice.

“What brings you here? The payment date is still a long way off.”

Because that man was a vicious loan shark.

“It’s the first day of business for a shop opened with my money, so I had to come and see.”

“What are you talking about? Since when did you start looking into every single person you lent money to…?”

“When you say it like that, it makes me sound like a vicious loan shark, doesn’t it?”

As if asking ‘weren’t you?’, Ellie just stared at the man.

The man’s name was Morris Herzog.

He was the owner of a famous merchant guild, whose name alone was known even outside the kingdom.

He was the one who helped Ellie open a shop anonymously, but she didn’t feel good about him.

That man had gotten almost 40% interest from a minor, with a smiling face.

The more she knew about the circumstances, the more resentful she felt.

Of course, she had received a lot of help, and there would be many more times she would need his help, so she couldn’t show it at all.

“I can see you swearing with your eyes.”

“It’s a relief that I’m not saying it out loud.”

“Why don’t you try saying it out loud?”

“…….”

The sad 을 (eul)² couldn’t open her mouth.

“Okay, open the door.”

“Anyone would think it was your shop.”

“Isn’t 80 percent of it mine?”

“…….”

“I told you not to swear with your eyes.”

She just shut her mouth.

Ellie was sad about the tyranny of the vicious loan shark, but she decided to act like an adult. If she could just wait until her birthday in a few months, she could pay it all back at once, so she just had to wait until then.

If there was no way to pay it back at once, Ellie would not have taken out a loan with a 40% interest rate, even if there was no other way.

She could endure it because it was a relationship that would end in just a few months.

‘When the feelings pass, only the results remain.’

That was Ellie’s motto.

Ellie, having made a conclusion, inserted the key into the door.

“Shouldn’t a bakery be open from dawn?”

“You’re awfully talkative and interfering.”

“It’s an expression of interest.”

“Oh, yeah…”

It was a line that sounded like flirting, but Ellie didn’t waver.

There were many kinds of interest. Besides, whether flirting was a habit or not, Morris often said things that could cause such misunderstandings.

With a click, the latch was released.

“What, is there nothing here?”

“Did you think there would be bread fully prepared from the first day?”

“…….”

I guess he did.

“The official business will start from tomorrow, so today I’m just going to prepare. Do you think bread is made in an instant?”

Ignoring Morris, Ellie walked into the store and looked around.

The store was about 10 pyeong (approximately 33 square meters).

However, that was just the space where the display case and counter were set up, and the inner space that followed behind was much larger.

This was because the most important hearth, a work table for kneading dough, and a fermentation room were separately equipped. There was a space where Ellie lived on the second floor.

Ellie had to make a great effort to have all these facilities.

“Ugh…”

“Stop crying and, I’m hungry.”

“Why are you telling that to me?”

“I’ll cut 10 percent off the interest for this month.”

“There’s not much right now, but please sit there.”

Ellie quickly changed her expression as she compared the value of a meal and 10 percent of the interest in her head. Morris let out a hollow laugh at that.

He probably found it funny that she was a princess but became humble over a few coins.

But Ellie didn’t give in. Those who made light of 10 won, would cry over 10 won.

Because she had used all the money she had to open the shop, Ellie was now in need of every penny. Starting a business cost money for everything, even the dishes and cups.

Next to the display case, there was a table for two. That spot, where the sunlight came in nicely, was a place Ellie had set aside for having her meals or tea time.

Morris had already sat down in that spot as if it was his own, even though she hadn’t guided him there.

She didn’t like that the first person to sit there was a vicious loan shark, but what could she do if he was giving her money generously?

As she entered the workshop, Ellie hummed a tune without realizing it. Just thinking about bread made her feel good.

Thanks to the work she had done in advance, there were several doughs prepared in the fermentation room. But they still needed more fermentation.

What Ellie took out was a scone. She had made it in advance yesterday.

It was something she had prepared for her breakfast menu, but if he was going to cut off 10 percent, she could give it to him.

It was a pastry made by roughly mixing finely chopped butter with flour and sugar, and quickly kneading it with milk and eggs. This was also the result of countless trials and errors to find the right ratio, temperature, and time for the ingredients of this world.

How many scone doughs had been thrown away to find the right balance of a crispy exterior like a pastry and a slightly crumbly interior that still had moisture?

Of course, Ellie had fairly embraced all of those failures in her stomach.

About half of them weren’t scones, but something similar to scones, but there was no discrimination.

Ellie placed a fruit jam next to the scone and served it on a tray with milk. She also put a small mint leaf on top of the scone, just to make it look nice.

When she went out with the tray, Morris said, as if surprised.

“You said that bread isn’t made in an instant?”

“I made it in advance yesterday. It was my meal…”

“So you did have something hidden.”

“It was my meal, I tell you.”

The vicious loan shark, who was trying to steal a minor’s breakfast, didn’t seem to hear Ellie’s words, as his eyes sparkled with anticipation and he adjusted his posture.

“This is something I haven’t seen before?”

“You haven’t tried everything I’ve made.”

Ellie scoffed.

“The only thing you fed me was that, that fluffy white bread.”

“It was a loaf of milk bread, yes.”

“What is this?”

“It’s called a scone.”

“Next time, prepare the bread you gave me last time. That thing called milk bread.”

“Did you keep it in mind….”

He was indeed aiming for the milk bread. What expression of interest?

Ellie placed the tray with the scone on the table.

The sides were puffed up in layers, and the top was brushed with egg wash, giving it a beautiful golden color. She thought it was too pretty, even though she had made it herself.

Of course, it wasn’t just pretty. If you took a bite, it was savory and plain, but with a slightly sweet aftertaste. The slightly crumbly texture was also a happy point.

If you ate it with sweet jam on top, you could enjoy another taste. If you also had fragrant black tea, you would simply be happy.

“Do I eat it with jam?”

“That’s right. It’s good with milk, but it also goes well with black tea.”

It was too much of a hassle to brew tea.

Morris roughly ignored her explanation and put the scone in his mouth in one go.

“Hup!”

“Oh, what, what’s wrong!”

Then, he suddenly covered his mouth and widened his eyes.

‘I wanted to put poison in it, but I haven’t put anything in it, yet!’

Ellie’s heart sank, wondering if some impurities had mixed in.

“What, what’s wrong? If it doesn’t taste good, spit it out, here.”

She held her palm close to his mouth, and Morris looked up.

Ellie anxiously observed Morris’s complexion. No matter how annoying he was, he was the only person who had helped her, and he was someone she would have to ask for help from in the future.

Above all, he was her first customer, and if he died, it wouldn’t be good luck for her. There was a limit to how much you could mess with someone else’s business.

A contaminant issue before even opening the bakery? This couldn’t be happening.

“Say something! A doctor, should I call a doctor? I told you to spit it out, why are you keeping your mouth closed!”

“…….”

Morris calmly looked at Ellie, who was stomping her feet. As Ellie was about to get up and open his mouth herself out of frustration, a small voice was heard.

“…Give.”

“Excuse me?”

Upon closer look, Morris’s brown eyes were moist.

His usual annoying expression was nowhere to be found, and there was shock, emotion, and a sense of thrill.

That annoying mouth that had only said, “I guess it will sell,” after tasting the milk bread.

Ah. Ellie knew this expression.

Her face was like that whenever she went to bread pilgrimage and ate something delicious in her past life, so she couldn’t not know.

It was the expression of someone who tasted heaven in their mouth.

What filled those gleaming eyes was madness.

Morris grabbed Ellie’s hands with both of his and said.

“I’ll give you as much money as you want, so let me eat this every day.”

A source of income had appeared.

—–CROW—–