#18

Emily asked me with a different expression, the one I’ve never seen before.

“Haley, what brings you here?”

“Oh. I was looking around for a real estate office agent.”

“Real estate office agent? Why are you looking for it?”

“I have to open a newspaper office around here.”

“Really? Wow. You must have made a lot. Everything around here is expensive. Are you going to buy a building?”

“No, I don’t have the money for that, I’m just going to rent it.”

There was a flash of interest in Emily’s violet eyes. She took my hand and brought herself close to me. Her body had a faint scent of whiskey she drank the day before.

“First floor or second floor?”

“Second floor. However, everything is expensive here, so there aren’t many places with cheap rent.”

I removed my hand from Emily’s grasp, but she didn’t seem to mind about it. Instead, she actively asked me another question.

“It seems that you’re looking for an office. Is it okay if it’s a little further from the main street?”

“Yes. Why? Do you know some places?”

“You know, I know the right place. How much would you give if I told you?”

Nothing was free in this world, but Emily has a tendency to overestimate money. Even at the last photoshoot, she suggested that she could take extra money if her level was raised a little higher, so she refused.

‘If I raise the level even higher, I might be taken to the National Police Agency for disorderly conduct and be considered a nuisance.’

Only the healthy underwear catalog suits her. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was like a magazine similar to the name of a modern coffee blend. And my strategy worked well for the readers. ‘The Red’ has a good sales rate, and so far no sergeant or policeman has come to pick me up. It was a success.

“What price do you want?”

Emily’s eyes lit up when I questioned her.

“How much can you give me?”

From my confident demeanor, she must have known about the good sales of ‘The Red’. In that case, I could give Emily the real estate agent’s money in exchange. Meanwhile, I offered Emily a lower fee.

“Let’s see first. If I like the office and if I sign the contract, I’ll give you about 10 silver coins.”

“Wow. Really? That’s like my income working for 2 days in a bar. Alright!”

Emily grinned, seemingly having forgotten the incident with the man earlier. Emily smiled so much and I never considered too cheerful to be someone who would do such a thing. 

I was curious about her story while working at the bar. I wanted to ask Emily how she came to be with that man. However, I decided against it because I thought everyone has their own secrets.

“Where would you like to take me?”

“Do you know that Madam always orders me to buy bread every morning? It’s so annoying. She keeps asking me to run errands because I’m younger compared to the other women in the bar. She should quit buying in this store because the bread is dirty and cheap.”

I wondered what she wanted to say that made the introduction feel so long. I kept listening to Emily’s talkative words.

“Of course I can’t stop now. I need to keep earning money until my younger brother finishes his studies. I don’t know why his tuition fees are so expensive. Are you also smart? Do you know some people who got into Morris Academy?”

I nodded.

“Yes, my friend goes there too.”

Despite the fact that Charon was not smart at all. To be honest, she got into the academy thanks to her parents’ work at the Imperial Palace.

Emily continued to speak.

“My younger brother made it to Morris Academy and is currently studying. Only a few talented people from the commoners would usually get admitted there.  Thanks to the recommendation of the Count of Swalde in my hometown, my younger brother was finally able to enter there. Our Theo will become an official and start working at the Imperial Castle in the future.”

She was really proud of her younger brother and kept bragging about him. She bragged in front of me as if she was the one going to work in the empire instead of his younger brother.

“Do you know that there has never been a man with such talent in my family? That’s why I came to the capital to pay for my brother’s tuition and living expenses. The cost of living in the city was also quite large. My mother in the countryside was sick, so I had to send money to her as well. Oh, really, how much money have I spent? Even if I received a weekly wage, there was nothing left in my hands. Do you think this makes sense?”

After talking about her younger brother, she quickly turned into a complaint about her city life. Emily was quite talkative, probably because she was used to dealing with a lot of people.

“Working at the bar is too hard. I always feel sick from having to drink every day. However, I received a letter stating that my brother won first place at the academy. He would be graduating soon, so I just needed to continue working at the Madam’s bar until then. I hope there are going to be customers who give me a lot of tips today.”

While listening to her story, I stared at her quietly. Thick layer of makeup and clothes that didn’t match her age. However, the jewelry on Emily’s ears and neck were custom jewelry upon closer look. Also, the dress was made of cheap materials.

The average child who looked beautiful dressed up like that was just an ordinary girl from an ordinary family.

‘She worked so hard to the extent that she didn’t get to spend a penny on herself.’

For some reason, my appearance in my previous life overlapped with this child’s appearance.

Did I also look that way when I lived with my parents in my previous life?

I forgot about it for a moment. Because Bella, my mother in the current life, raised me by giving warm love to me who was born again. Perhaps, thanks to my mother Bella, my painful past gradually began to be forgotten.

When I didn’t reply to Emily, she closed her mouth for a moment. Did I look at her with an overly blatant gaze? Emily looked at me, and she must have felt that I felt sorry for her. Was it like that?

“Why don’t you stop being responsible for your family while you’re in the middle of being independent? You’re also very old enough.”

Oops. I gave words of advice to my past self without realizing it. It felt so cold.

I was more surprised by what I said. I covered my mouth with one hand and examined Emily’s face again, who was walking straight to me. Emily’s expression stiffened for a moment upon hearing my advice. Of course, she smiled back as if she had never done such a thing. However, I thought I had acted impertinently.

“I apologize. I said something rash without knowing the situation.”

Emily shrugged her shoulders when I gave a brief apology and changed the subject casually.

“Oh, alright. What was I going to talk about before?”

“The bakery.”

“That’s right! The bakery. The bread tastes good, but the location isn’t great, so I guess business isn’t doing well. I heard that the owner is going to clean up the second floor and rent it out. However, I heard that it’s not doing well because it’s located in a remote area.”

“Really?”

Was that the owner’s privilege? Somehow, I felt that things would work out. Emily led me on by telling common stories, such as saying that the weather was nice, expressing her wish to take a sandwich, and go play on this kind of day. After some meaningless chatter, we stopped in front of a small two-story building.

Was it because there was a bakery on the first floor? The building Emily introduced to me was made of red bricks with the smell of fresh bread and a warm atmosphere.

‘Do I feel comfortable?’

I had to walk quite long from the main road, but the bakery building had a road that could fit a carriage. Most importantly, the building was very sunny because it was on high ground.

‘I’ve gotten used to the scenery around her. I think I’ve seen it somewhere.’

Have I ever visited this bakery?

Emily took my hand and led me.

“Haley. Let’s go inside. I’ll introduce you to the boss.”

When I opened the door and walked in, the bell rang loudly. A chubby, short brown-haired man sitting at the guest table immediately stood up from his chair.

“Welcome! Welcome to Tom Baker’s bakery.”

Perhaps because there were few customers, the owner welcomed us with a bit of extra gestures than usual. He smiled brightly, and when he saw Emily standing next to me, he pretended to know. He said that Emily was a regular customer.

“Oh, is our pretty girl here? What brings you here in broad daylight?”

“I didn’t come here to buy bread today. I came because I have other things to do.”

“Really? Such a pity. I have some remaining madeleine for sale. Can you bring it over later?”

“If you give it to me for free, I won’t hesitate to take it.”

The bakery owner held a pair of tongs and put the dried madeleine and some dried bread into a paper bag. Emily looked at him from behind and clapped her hands as if she recalled something which has been in the back of her mind.

“Oh, that’s right. Sir, have you gotten a tenant for the 2nd floor yet?”

Then the bakery owner let out a long sigh.

“Not yet. Someone already came yesterday, but they asked for separate construction to eliminate the entrance and stairs from outside. It would be inconvenient if someone had to go up through the bakery. So I just kicked him out. It would take a lot of money to renovate it. Oh, Gosh.”

“How much is the monthly rent on the 2nd floor?”

“50 silver coins.”

“Wow. That’s expensive.”

“Expensive?! My house is probably the cheapest in the capital, isn’t it?”

“Please lower it a little more. Then, my friend here will sign the contract with you.”

I hadn’t even seen the office yet and Emily had already brought up the contract. Surprised, I tried to quickly interrupt their conversation. Then, after a while, the bakery owner said something which surprised me.

“Huh? Are you Emily’s friend? Are you looking for a place to start a business?”

“Yes, my friend is the one who will manage it even though she doesn’t look good right now. Last time, she said everything she wanted to say to madam. She was so cool back then.”

“Really? Well, that’s all! I’m in a good mood now. If you sign the contract today, you only need to pay 40 silver coins.”

“Wow! That’s great for you, Haley!”

Emily finalized all the negotiations between us without having to throw much effort.

‘40 silver coins for a month is almost equal to free.’

Emily and the bakery owner looked at me while waiting for an answer. In response to their expectations, I gave a positive answer.

“Alright, let’s sign the contract.”

I was suspicious that the 2nd floor would look so bad and even collapse after I signed the contract, or the doors and interior decorations would have been completely removed…. but on the other hand, I also didn’t think so. I felt anxious as I picked up the pen to sign the contract.

“Hey, I’m going to sign the contract today. Can we go upstairs and see the office first?”

“Oh, that’s right, Sir. The 2nd floor is in perfect condition, right? If you lie to my friend, I’ll never come here to buy bread again!”

“Don’t worry. The 2nd floor is very neat. Why don’t you go up and see it for yourself now?”

As soon as the bakery owner’s uncle gave the permission, we ran up the stairs excitedly.

The second floor was more spacious and cleaner than I thought. In fact, I could open an office right away and hang up the newspaper company’s signboard. Moreover, the deep brown walnut door looked very pretty at the entrance of the office.

“Office work was originally done here, and this open space was made for customers. I made it this way so that customers could buy bread and come here to eat and chat. Emily, as you know, most of the guests who come to my house are mostly requesting takeaways. The 2nd floor is completely useless.”

In this bright office, I see a bright future for my Golden Goose Daily company, which would definitely grow into a major newspaper. This was a place that made me feel very familiar and comfortable.

“Let’ sign the contract right now. How about a five-year long-term contract?”

There was no way I’d miss a place like this.