Welcome to the Café of the Dark Guild’s Successor - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A cafe run by the heir of the Dark Guild.
Episode 34
My days in the mountains with Armstrong begin before the sun rises.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
I washed my face to the sound of that raucous cry and came out to the yard to feed Armstrong.
Except for one day last time when there weren’t any eggs, there have always been eggs lying in the coop just like now.
But today there are only eggs and the coop stands empty. Startled by the open door, I set out to find Armstrong.
“Armstrong! Where are you?”
Worried that my staple would disappear, I scanned the area and soon spotted him nearby.
Armstrong was happily pecking at a wildflower as tall as himself.
“How did you get out?”
“Cluck-cluck?”
“If you’re hungry, eat your feed, not flowers.”
I lifted Armstrong up despite his continued pecking. He’d grown so much that I could barely hold him in one hand anymore.
“You’ve gotten fat.”
“Cluck… cluck-cluck!!”
I shook my head watching Armstrong vehemently deny it, though he clearly couldn’t understand my words.
I poured feed in front of the coop, and he lost all reason, rushing at it. I probably didn’t need to carry him at all.
I thought about fixing the broken coop door but decided to leave it—it didn’t seem like he’d try to escape anyway.
Back in the Cabin, I boiled the eggs Armstrong had given me and opened the window wide.
“I don’t suppose any customers will come today.”
With no visitors for so long, I found myself hoping another scout would stop by, like last time.
After tidying the shop all morning and passing a tedious day, I suddenly felt a presence.
The footsteps approaching the shop without concealment or hesitation—definitely a customer!
I hurriedly tied on my apron and pulled my hair back tightly.
There was nothing that would reveal this was a Dark Guild branch, but I quickly swept through the shop just in case.
‘A woman.’
The light footsteps made it clear the customer was female. It was rare for a woman to come alone up here in these mountains, so I glanced through the window.
But I rubbed my eyes in surprise at the newcomer’s attire.
“Has some ball been held nearby?”
This was not the sort of outfit to wear to these mountains. A gaudy, voluminous dress with dangling ornaments trailed all the way to her feet.
Moreover, her shoes had high heels—there’s no way she could have walked far up these rough mountain paths in those.
Yet her dress bore almost no dirt, and her shoes were immaculate, which meant someone had surely brought her right to this spot.
“My goodness, there’s a shop in a place like this. How fascinating.”
The woman entered through the door and spoke in a cheerful, affected voice.
Her eyes swept over me from head to toe with caution. I was certain she hadn’t simply lost her way or stumbled here by chance.
‘Another scout?’
But since she was being so obvious about it, I couldn’t very well call her out, so I pretended ignorance and greeted her warmly.
“Welcome.”
“I had some business nearby and happened to spot this place. It’s truly strange to find a shop out here—and run by a woman my age too.”
Though her words were ordinary, the refined accent and bearing that seeped through her tone were unmistakable.
“What do you sell here?”
“We have the Menu Board.”
Since the last time the knights visited, I hadn’t updated it—the menu still had only two items.
Seeing that, the woman frowned, then quickly smoothed her expression.
A delicate hand—the sort that had probably never lifted anything heavy in her life—pushed the Menu Board away dismissively.
“Is there nothing else?”
“No. If nothing suits you, you’re welcome to leave right now.”
Noticing the discord between my pleasant expression and my words, her face twisted oddly.
“No, no. I’ll choose something.”
The woman quickly snatched the Menu Board again and continued to glance at me sideways.
‘Who sent her?’
She didn’t seem to be a scout—if someone wanted to extract information from me, they wouldn’t send someone this clumsy, which made it all the more strange.
“I’ll have this.”
She pointed perfunctorily at Raspberry Juice, then spun around and sat at a window table.
While I prepared the drink, she chattered questions at me.
“Why do you run a shop here? Nobody even passes by.”
I thought how many times I’d heard that question already, then set the quickly finished drink before her.
“I like the mountains.”
“Your hair is lovely—what shop did you have it done at? Which designer?”
“I cut it myself.”
The woman’s green eyes widened.
“And the color—did you dye it?”
“Never.”
“Then your skin! Your skin care routine? And that perfect figure!”
I scratched the back of my head, unsure whether this was praise or suspicion.
“Do I need to receive treatments?”
The woman clamped her mouth shut.
“You do nothing at all yet look like this…… Is it just natural talent?”
She spoke with a note of frustration, then sipped her drink—and her eyes went wide.
“What is this?”
“The juice you chose yourself.”
“How can a drink taste like this? I want to have our chef learn your recipe.”
The woman seemed pleased with the drink, downing it quickly, and the irritation from before disappeared—she now looked genuinely happy.
She gazed out the open window for a moment, then sighed and began to tell me her story.
“I’ve had everything I could want. I have whatever I desire, buy whatever I wish. Even my parents’ love overflows.”
Was a cafe owner really expected to listen to customers’ life stories?
I showed no interest whatsoever but nodded as if listening.
“So everyone assumes I must be happy. I’ve only ever heard how envious they are of me. They say there’s no reason I shouldn’t be happy. Do you think so too?”
I haven’t lived her life, but I know well that possessions don’t guarantee happiness.
“Having something doesn’t make you happy. And lacking something doesn’t make you unhappy either. Anyone can be unhappy.”
At my words, her eyes narrowed, then glistened with tears.
“What I want most is an Ability of my own. But I wasn’t born with one.”
Among the Nobility, one can possess an Ability, but not everyone is born with one—only a select few are chosen.
She came from a wealthy noble house that could provide her with anything, yet she hadn’t been blessed with an Ability.
“The person I like has a remarkable Ability. Even with nothing else, they have everything through their own power…… They’re my complete opposite.”
She looked troubled, and at some point I’d begun listening earnestly—but of course, it came down to love.
I deflated a little, then handed her a warm tea as she dabbed her nose with a handkerchief.
“Did that man tell you he dislikes you because you have no Ability?”
“What? No, not at all!”
“Then stop assuming and go confess to him.”
“How could I! How could I possibly… I can’t. He’d surely think me pitiful.”
The woman had already lost confidence in herself.
There was no point offering more advice—this wasn’t a counselor’s office, and I wasn’t a confidante—so I simply stayed with her until she finished her tea.
Shortly after, the woman finished drinking and set a Gold Coin on the table with thanks.
It seemed all the nobility in this country had completely lost their sense of money.
“I never expected to share my heart here, but I’m glad I came. It’s been a pleasant time.”
The woman came to the counter and smiled sweetly at me. She had an adorable, charming face.
“What’s your name?”
“Rosia.”
“I’m Hestanya.”
Hestanya. Where had I heard that before?
I was trying to recall her family name when someone who’d crossed the forest to reach my Cabin knocked on the door.
“Oh my, the time!”
Hestanya glanced at her watch and jumped, then gathered her things.
“May I visit again sometime?”
“Of course. If you happen to pass by again.”
Hestanya winked at me, then followed the man who’d come to fetch her, crossing the Garden toward the forest.
I waited until they were out of sight, then, taking pains to mask my presence, followed at a distance behind them.
And not long after, I learned Hestanya’s true identity.
After walking through tall grass for quite a while, the mountain path ended at a point where a large Carriage waited.
The driver and four knights escorting it radiated considerable skill.
But most notably, I immediately recognized the ornate crest painted on the Carriage. House of Portrine.
Only then did Hestanya’s family name come to me—and I recalled hearing that the House of Portrine’s duke had an adorable daughter he doted on.
“The duke’s daughter came to my shop?”
Why would the young lady of House of Portrine—a family so eminent it rivaled the Empress’s own—seek out my shop? It made no sense.
While I stood confused, the Carriage picked up Hestanya and lurched quickly away down the rough mountain path.
“Why? What was she trying to learn?”
Clearly her curiosity had been fixed on me. Every question had been about my personal affairs.
But how did the duke’s daughter know of me, and what reason could she possibly have to take an interest in me…… Ah!
“Could it be about Prince Bidler?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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