Our Cafe is Open as Usual - Chapter 70
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 70
Bold, impudent, and even brazen.
This was Mrs. Manfredi’s assessment of Leilah Token so far.
When gathered together, it was becoming quite an undesirable human character.
However, there was one thing to keep in mind.
Mrs. Manfredi was particularly weak to these types of people.
More precisely, it meant she preferred people who threw tantrums rather than those who couldn’t hold their own in front of her.
She didn’t actually like people who threw real tantrums, but that’s how it was, so to speak.
Therefore, the first impression was a pass.
What remained afterward was to confirm the abilities of Leilah Token, who had been the subject of much rumor.
Mrs. Manfredi sat in the seat Lailah had guided her to.
Usually her seat was always the head seat.
Either the head seat or the center.
A place where she could easily observe everyone.
However, the seat Lailah had guided her to was neither the center nor the head seat, but a moderate position.
With Prinda sitting beside her, it seemed like an even more ambiguous seat.
Why had she given such a seat? While she was pondering this, Lailah appeared.
In her hands was a wide tray.
On the tray were a beautifully curved teapot and antique teacups decorated with tulips.
Lailah placed teacups in front of Mrs. Manfredi and Mrs. Grimani respectively. Then she opened her mouth while pouring tea from the teapot.
“I’ll serve you some simple tea first. You came earlier than the scheduled time because you wanted to have a conversation with me, right? That’s why I arranged the seating this way to make conversation comfortable.
The seating will change for future gatherings, so I’d appreciate it if you keep that in mind.”
It was an utterly clean explanation.
Not only did she correctly guess Mrs. Manfredi’s purpose for coming early, but it also contained the reason for the seating arrangement… content without unnecessary flowery language.
Even that was a part Mrs. Manfredi would like.
And what about her voice?
It was neither too high nor too low, making it pleasant to listen to.
It was even gentle, so one’s ears would never grow tired of listening.
It was suspicious enough to wonder if she had attended a lecture somewhere about the type of person Mrs. Manfredi liked.
Where on earth had such a child been hiding before popping up now?
If there was one regrettable point, it would only be her social status.
But for Mrs. Manfredi, social status wasn’t a major obstacle.
A connection had already been made once. Creating the initial justification was difficult, but from the second time onward, it was easy.
Also, if word got out somewhere, she could take direct action herself at that time.
Mrs. Manfredi smiled deeply and opened her mouth.
“Then sit down. Do you still have something to show me?”
“Since I’ve only served tea, I should also present a simple dessert. These are cookies I specially prepared just for you two.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a neat-looking man behind Lailah handed her a tray.
She skillfully received the tray and then placed the plate that was on it in front of them.
“These are simply made almond cookies. Since the dessert I’ll serve at the gathering will be on the sweet side, I deliberately prepared something light. They’ll go well with the tea I served you.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“You’ll like them.”
Lailah sat across from her with a confident expression. Then she quietly watched them as if she intended to observe how they ate.
‘Her confidence is remarkable too.’
It’s impossible to perfectly match someone’s taste.
No one had ever captured her taste from the very beginning until now.
Even those great royal chefs had a history of failure.
So Lailah’s confidence felt unusual. Rather, she might have thought it was enviable.
Mrs. Manfredi first took a sip of the tea placed in front of her.
The tea, which had a somehow familiar aroma, was full of nutty flavor. At the end, a subtle sweetness remained.
The aroma was familiar and light. It was a different feeling from fragrant black tea.
She then picked up an almond cookie.
It felt quite different from the almond cookies she was familiar with.
This was because it was composed only of sliced almonds. Nevertheless, they didn’t scatter or become hard.
She tasted the almond cookie with interest.
‘Hmm. The taste is ordinary.’
The taste was simple.
A taste that maximized the nutty flavor of almonds.
Nevertheless, the texture was quite crispy, making it rather enjoyable.
After tasting the almond cookie that had almost no sweetness, she took another sip of tea.
“…Oh.”
The subtle sweetness of the tea felt much stronger.
Eating them together like this, she could understand why Lailah had prepared such almond cookies and tea.
This was merely an appetizer.
At the gathering, sweet desserts would be served to capture the taste buds of the attending ladies.
A small conversation before the gathering proceeded.
Tea and dessert that were perfect for right now.
At this point, she became curious.
Whether it was intended by Mrs. Milena Viola, or whether Lailah had taken the lead.
Mrs. Manfredi asked while putting down her teacup.
“I’d like to hear an explanation first, if possible?”
“Of course. First, the tea is corn tea made by roasting and steeping corn. It’s a commonly available ingredient, but it’s also a decent tea to enjoy casually.
Also, I made the almond cookies healthy with the future gathering in mind. Since corn tea is on the light side, I thought the dessert to accompany it should also be on the light side.”
“I see. Then tell me how you prepared these things.”
“Well, Mrs. Viola did give me advance notice, but I prepared everything related to beverages and desserts myself. Oh, and what I’ll serve at the gathering too.”
Mrs. Manfredi could now understand Lailah’s confidence. With this kind of sense, it would be difficult not to have confidence.
Rather, if she lacked confidence, that would be deception toward other people.
It was something Leilah Token rightfully deserved to enjoy.
Mrs. Manfredi smiled faintly.
“You knew I would like these things?”
“Yes. I heard that you usually take care of your health. Mrs. Viola said that you don’t even glance at overly sweet desserts at gatherings.”
“I didn’t know Mrs. Viola had that much interest in me. Should I give her some praise?”
“Thanks to that, I was able to properly serve you, so I’ll give my thanks to Mrs. Viola myself.”
Lailah answered with a good-natured smile. Though the meaning contained within wasn’t like that at all.
‘Mrs. Viola didn’t do this wanting praise, is that it.’
Where did she learn such wordplay?
Mrs. Manfredi chuckled softly and took a sip of corn tea. It was good to drink instead of water, so the tea went down smoothly. It was even warm, which improved her mood.
As she became absorbed in the tea for a moment, Mrs. Grimani, who had been waiting for an opportunity beside her, quickly opened her mouth.
“This is why my daughter likes Miss Lailah!”
“Lady Iliyana?”
“That child always tends to like things that shine. Mrs. Roberton, who she’s with now, and Miss Lailah too… they’re all people who shine brightly when doing their work. As expected, my daughter has good eyes.”
“Thank you for the compliment…”
“Oh my, are you being shy now? You have such a cute side too. You were so confident with Mrs. Manfredi.”
“Ah…”
Prinda laughed softly while carefully observing Lailah. She looked like an innocent girl, but her spirit was enough to match even Mrs. Manfredi.
Even though Mrs. Manfredi had a spirit that sometimes overwhelmed even herself.
‘…She really would like this very much.’
She would covet her.
The Mrs. Manfredi she knew wanted to keep people she liked by her side. By any means necessary.
Hadn’t her own daughter nearly gotten engaged to the lady’s grandson because she liked her so much?
‘Hmm… this is going to get interesting.’
Prinda smiled elegantly as she looked at Lailah.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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