Melly was at a loss for words.

‘Why has this man become so shameless? What on earth happened during the past three years?’

Edric wiggled the menu as if asking why she wasn’t taking it quickly.

Melly sighed and took the menu.

“Yes, customer.”

She answered dryly and turned around.

Suddenly, the customers hurriedly lowered their gazes. Seeing this, Melly could guess how her relationship with Edric appeared in their eyes.

Melly looked down at her swollen belly. They were probably assuming he might be the one who made her body like this.

‘That’s not it.’

At least not now…

“Thank you for the tea.”

A good-looking couple bowed slightly and left the shop.

Melly moved the teacups they had used to the counter and wiped the table. She wiped it thoroughly enough to make a squeaking sound. But she couldn’t stop her attention from constantly being drawn to the other side.

“When are you leaving?”

Melly finally straightened her back and asked. Edric answered without taking his eyes off the booklet.

“When I want to.”

“Why are you doing this?”

She could speak comfortably since there were no customers.

“I told you. I’m not going back to the duke’s estate because of this. So please stop…”

“Aren’t you misunderstanding something, madam?”

Edric calmly interrupted Melly’s words as he picked up his teacup.

“I simply came to drink tea that suits my taste.”

“…”

“You see, I’m quite picky about my taste.”

His eyes slowly closed as he savored the tea, then suddenly turned to stare directly at Melly.

It was a languid yet provocative gaze, as if daring her to refute if she could.

Melly was dumbfounded by the ridiculous situation, but couldn’t argue against his claim of being picky about his taste.

However, the past three years of independence had made her quite confident.

“Then do as you please.”

Melly added as she took off her apron and hung it on the counter.

“I need to go eat lunch.”

“Lunch? Where?”

Edric asked.

“Nearby.”

Fearing he might follow, Melly answered briefly and left the shop as if escaping.

But when she heard no sound of footsteps following even after crossing more than half of the yard, Melly stopped and slowly turned back.

Edric was still sitting at the window table, looking at the booklet and occasionally sipping his tea.

Unable to see the text well due to the reflection of the midday sun through the window, he took out glasses from his jacket’s inner pocket and put them on.

Golden hair shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight, the smooth rise and fall of his side profile, and his neat suit. With the addition of gold-rimmed glasses, this was the appearance that society ladies had been so enthusiastic about.

But to Melly’s eyes, the glasses were just a pitiful object that made her realize at every moment that his eyes couldn’t clearly and distinctly project things…

‘What am I doing?’

Melly chastised herself for once again being swept up in feelings from the past. What does it matter to me what he does?

This will only be temporary anyway. She knew Edric Pelton too well. He’s not the type of man to persist in one-sided courtship for long. Didn’t he try to give up on her at once long ago?

‘You’re too good for me, Melly. I don’t deserve to keep you.’

He would leave after a few attempts at persuasion. No.

Perhaps by the time she returned, he might already be gone from the shop.

‘I hope so.’

Melly didn’t want her peaceful daily life to be disturbed anymore. She walked towards her usual nearby eatery, earnestly hoping he would leave.

But when she returned.

“Um, do… do you have bl… black tea?”

“Ah, black tea you say…”

What to do about this.

Edric rubbed his chin as if perplexed, then smiled softly and said.

“I’m not very good at brewing black tea. Would you mind having something else instead? Madam?”

“That’s… that’s fine. Of course. Actually, I didn’t really want to drink black tea. Right?”

The woman in a brown skirt suit nudged her friend standing beside her.

“Ye… yes, that’s right. I don’t really like black tea either.”

She nodded vigorously, looking at Edric with a flushed face.

“So… what’s the best thing here?”

“The best thing…”

Let’s see.

Edric’s eyes, which had been moving down the menu, stopped at the very last line.

“I think the fresh fruit juice mixed with orange and apple would be good.”

That was the most expensive. It was more than twice the price of regular tea. It was an item that might sell once a day, if at all.

“Then we’ll have that, please.”

But the ladies accepted his recommended menu without hesitation.

Making the drink wasn’t too difficult. At his peak, he used to make drinks on the spot for society ladies he invited to his home.

He rolled up his sleeves. The ladies gulped at the sight of his thick, firm forearms. He skillfully squeezed the fruit juice and poured it into funnel-shaped glasses. Even the final drop he shook out was the epitome of elegance.

Not only the ladies, but even some of the young men in the shop couldn’t take their eyes off that sight.

Melly also couldn’t take her eyes off him, but her meaning was different from theirs.

She was simply shocked that Edric had made five days’ worth of sales in the one hour she had been away.

One of the ladies who had been staring at the drinks being made cautiously asked.

“So… what kind of relationship do you have with Miss Sarah…”

“…”

Edric tilted his head at the unfamiliar name. Then suddenly, as if realizing something, a meaningful smile began to spread across his face.

“Ah, you mean the owner of this shop. Actually, she and I…”

“Wait a moment!”

Melly intervened, barely preventing Edric from saying something unnecessary.

“This… this gentleman is just a customer who’s watching the shop for a moment.”

She quickly returned to the counter, trying to salvage this unexpected situation.

“Didn’t you say you wanted black tea, Mrs. Janice? And Miss Bianca? I can brew some for you now if you’d like.”

But the situation was not favorable. The regular customers who had already fallen for Edric refused her black tea.

“We’re fine. This gentleman said he’d make us juice. Right?”

Edric answered by placing the glasses between his long fingers and presenting them to the customers.

Melly had to stand aside and watch as he elegantly served the customers like a bartender.

Finally, when the bustling customers left and the shop became quiet for a moment, Melly asked accusingly.

“Why are you arbitrarily serving customers during lunch hours?”

“So your shop’s sales don’t drop.”

“That’s none of your concern. And…”

“…”

“Juice isn’t even our shop’s signature menu. I wanted to compete with the taste of tea. I wanted to serve customers the tea I carefully brewed.”

In fact, that was what angered Melly the most.

While it was good to make money by selling expensive drinks, she wanted to offer customers a comfortable rest by serving good tea at an affordable price.

She had spent the last few months building a reputation as a cost-effective and comfortable shop, and Edric had shattered that unique image.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“…!”

“How long do you think people will keep buying expensive drinks? At most five days. Even shorter if they have a different purpose. After all, this is a neighborhood where people can’t ignore their financial situations.”

Just as Melly frowned at his characteristically arrogant and scathing tone.

“What I’m trying to say is…”

He said, taking a step towards Melly.

“An image built over time doesn’t crumble easily. People remember the taste of your tea.”

“…”

“Like me.”

His words gave a strange comfort, like maple sap flowing from inside a hard tree bark. …If only he hadn’t added that last part.

Melly looked up at him with a face full of questions.

The Edric she had known until now was a man who was ruthless in everything. He was even less likely to be someone who would delicately comfort others’ dissatisfaction.

‘What could have changed this person?’

She couldn’t even begin to imagine the anguish he had gone through.

“…!”

Lost in her questions, Melly suddenly came to her senses at the large shadow cast over her.

Edric’s deep blue eyes, which had somehow come close enough to look down at her, were rippling like waves.

His gaze was trailing down from her nose bridge to her lips, and his large, long hand was about to touch her cheek.

Melly stepped back in surprise. Quickly enough that his fingertips couldn’t follow. Then she reached out into the empty space that had once again formed between them.

“Here.”

A brown paper bag dangled from her hand.

Edric took the paper bag and looked inside. There was a sandwich wrapped in wax paper.

“Did you buy this for me?”

“I just had some left over and wrapped it up.”

Edric narrowed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it, but Melly returned to her place regardless.

She didn’t attach any meaning to her actions. She would have done the same even for a complete stranger if she thought they might be skipping lunch.

“Eat it and then leave.”

She returned to the counter without seeing Edric’s eyes soften.

Of all times, no customers had come since she returned.

Feeling like she would have to meet his gaze again if she stayed still, she worked.

She took out the tea set and polished it until it shone, emptied the water, and boiled and hung out the dishcloths. She even completed all the tasks that she usually did in bulk on weekends.

She thought if she kept busy like this, he would tire and leave on his own.

But he didn’t leave even until dusk fell and candles had to be lit at each table.

“Where do you sleep?”

He asked, neatly folding the sandwich wrapper into a note shape and gazing at it as if it were something precious.

Melly answered as she carried out a bucket of lye water to dispose of it.

“In a small room.”

Edric scanned the back of the shop with his eyes and said.

“Over there?”

“Yes.”

“Is it big enough for two people to lie down?”

Melly, who was heading towards the shop entrance with the bucket, stopped abruptly in her tracks.

“…Why are you asking that?”

“Why? Because I need a place to sleep too.”