This story is told from Marie’s perspective. Though the usual scene at her shop, the environment around it seems to be changing slightly.
“Marie, it’s morning. Let’s get up soon.”
Marie opened her eyes, awakened by Kent. The company trip that departed on Friday night had ended without incident, and they were able to return home on Sunday evening. The group dispersed immediately upon their return, and everyone went back to their respective homes.
“Good morning, Kent. Are you not tired from the trip?”
“I’m fine. How about you, Marie?”
Kent, who was in the same bed, asked gently. Marie wanted to say she was fine, but she felt a bit tired.
“I might be a little tired. Is it my age… Being young is nice. But I have to work hard at the shop again starting today.”
Saying so, Marie hugged Kent, gave him a light kiss, and decided to get out of bed.
“Good morning, Mom. I’ve made breakfast. Good morning to you too, Kent.”
“Good morning, Catherine. Thank you for making breakfast so early, especially when you have so much to do yourself.”
“Good morning, Catherine. What about the other two?”
Catherine, Marie, and Kent exchanged morning greetings. Then they asked about Al and Hanako, who were not present.
“Those two are already up. I think they’re tending to the vegetables in the home garden.”
Catherine said, looking towards the back door. After Al and Hanako returned and they had breakfast, everyone moved to Marie’s Bakery to prepare for opening.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Emily greeted them as they entered the shop. Emily had finished the cleaning work inside, and all that was left to do before opening was prepare the bread and arrange the merchandise.
“Well then, I’ll go wake up Elnet and Rachel.”
With that, Marie decided to go wake the two who were presumably still sleeping.
*Knock knock*
“Elnet, are you awake? I’m coming in.”
Marie knocked on Elnet’s door and then entered her room.
“It’s morning. Time to wake up?”
“Ah, Marie. Good morning. Is it that time already? Thank you for waking me up.”
Saying so, Elnet got out of bed. While her way of speaking was a bit rough, her actions were exceptionally elegant. Marie found herself captivated.
“I’m fine now, so could you go wake Rachel? Those two were up late last night, so they might not wake up easily.”
“Oh, Caro was staying in Rachel’s room again? You two are truly close.”
Marie, with a slightly exasperated expression, decided to go to Rachel’s room next.
*Knock knock*
“Rachel, are you awake? I’m coming in.”
Marie entered Rachel’s room.
*(They’re sleeping so soundly together.)*
Rachel and Caro were sleeping side-by-side in Rachel’s bed, looking peaceful.
*(It feels bad to wake them when they’re sleeping so soundly, but I have to… It’s work, after all.)*
Marie decided to wake them up.
“Rachel, Caro, it’s morning. Please wake up soon.”
“Fnnn… Good morning, Marie.”
“Caro, don’t pull off the covers. It’s cold!”
In response to Marie’s call, the two of them woke up.
“Honestly, winter is coming soon. You two should sleep in your clothes. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Caro is warm, so it feels good to sleep like this.”
“That’s what Rachel says…”
Normally, Rachel wore pajamas when she slept alone, but when Caro stayed over, they always slept naked. Marie had found this out a little while ago. Rachel looked like she didn’t want to let go, hugging Caro. It was time to get out of bed, so Caro gently wriggled free and started putting on her clothes.
“We’ll be down once we’re ready, so you go ahead, Marie.”
“Yes, yes, I understand. No falling back asleep!”
Hearing Caro’s words urging her to go on, Marie left Rachel’s room and headed down to the shop.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
As Marie descended the stairs and returned to the shop, Patty and Josette arrived for work. Then, Elnet, Rachel, and Caro, who had finished getting ready, came down, and everyone gathered in the dining space.
“Alright everyone, good morning. I apologize for having you work the day after the trip, but thank you for your hard work today. Catherine doesn’t have to go to the castle today, so she’ll be helping out at the shop. That’s about all that’s changed. Now, everyone, to your stations, and let’s get to work.”
” ” ” ” ” “Yes!” ” ” ” ” ”
After a brief morning assembly, everyone went to their respective stations to prepare for opening.
“Kent, could you please place an order for these items?”
“Understood. Just a moment.”
Marie showed Kent a list and asked him to order ingredients and materials.
“Oh, Older brother, while you’re at it, could you place this order for Store No. 2 too?”
With that, Rachel handed Kent a list as well and asked him to place an order. Kent pulled out a terminal from who-knows-where and began typing while looking at the list.
“Hey, Rachel.”
“Hm? What is it, Older brother?”
“What’s this ‘Monthly Magazine December Issue’?”
“It’s a magazine. It should have been added to the list around today.”
“No matter how I look at it, this is for personal use, isn’t it?”
“It is, but so what? I’m paying for it, so it’s fine, right?”
Rachel’s order forms sometimes contained items unrelated to the shop’s business. Since she bore the cost herself, it didn’t affect the shop. Marie herself sometimes did similar things, so she overlooked it.
“There’s no helping it… Input complete. I’ll bring it out now.”
Once Kent finished the input, the ordered items appeared before him with a “pop!” sound.
*(It’s always mysterious how that works. But I am grateful for it, as it helps the shop.)*
Marie found it strange when she thought about it again, even though it had become a part of her daily routine. She gazed at the phenomenon blankly, lost in thought.
“Then, I’m off.”
“Everyone, please be careful.”
After sending off Kent, Josette, Caro, Rachel, and Patty, who attended school, a brief break time ensued. The five people remaining at the shop were Marie, Elnet, Emily, Al, and Hanako, as well as Catherine, who was not going to the castle today and was at the shop. In the quiet shop, the six of them sat on chairs in the dining space, sipping their drinks.
“Marie, how long will Catherine have to go to the castle?”
“Well, I think it will be over soon, maybe by the end of this week.”
Catherine replied to Marie’s question while drinking a carbonated beverage.
“So, once that’s finished, you’ll be able to come back to the shop?”
“Um, probably. But I might have to leave in the middle of it sometimes.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t say more about it right now.”
It seemed Catherine was being made to do something directly by the Queen, but since the Queen was royalty, Marie, being a commoner, couldn’t press her further.
“I’ve been gathering information subtly at my home too, but with no success, it must be a rather significant matter,” Elnet said.
Hearing that even the Duke’s family couldn’t find any information made Marie uneasy.
“Mom, don’t make that face. I’m not doing anything wrong, and I get paid a lot for a little work, so I’ll do my best for the family.”
“You’re right… no matter what I say, it’s already decided. I just have to trust the Queen.”
Marie had become familiar with Queen Margaret and sensed that she was not a bad person, so she had no choice but to trust her.
“Alright, the break is over. Let’s get back to our posts.”
” ” ” ” “Yes.” ” ” ” ”
After the short break, more customers began coming in to buy bread for lunch.
“Oh, Catherine is here today. How are you doing?”
“I’m currently studying various things outside the shop. I’ll be back to work next week, so I think you’ll see me then. Here’s your change. Thank you very much.”
“I see. I’ll come again.”
A regular elderly customer struck up a conversation with Catherine, who was standing at the register. Catherine worked her tasks with practiced ease while conversing with a smile.
“You’ve gotten much more efficient recently, despite not having worked at the shop for a while.”
“It seems so. While her way of speaking hasn’t changed, she carries herself with such grace and elegance. I’m curious what she’s learning at the castle.”
Marie, watching the scene, was surprised by Catherine’s growth, as she helped out at the shop for the first time in a while. Elnet, too, was intrigued by Catherine’s elegant movements, reminiscent of nobility, and let out a comment.
“Oh, is it that time already? I need to finish my purchases quickly and leave, or I’ll get caught up in it…”
As it neared noon, a single customer in the shop glanced at the clock and quickly finished their shopping and left.
“It’s almost time.”
“Indeed. Everyone, to your positions!”
“Huh? What, what?”
“Catherine, you’ll be in charge of serving in the dining space!”
As Marie spoke, Elnet’s voice rang out. A tension filled *the shop as if a battle were about to begin. Catherine, unaware of the reason, was bewildered. Emily, noticing Catherine’s flustered state, directed her to the dining space.
“Here they come!!”
With thunderous footsteps, a large number of customers flooded into the shop. They scrambled to grab bread and line up at the register. Elnet, who was the fastest at handling transactions, took charge of the register, Hanako handled the bagging, and Al replenished the merchandise, all demonstrating incredible coordination. The sales floor experienced rapid turnover and a huge flow of people. However, the dining space, where customers stayed until they finished their meals, was relatively less demanding on the staff.
“Sorry for always causing such a commotion.”
“Not at all, they are important customers, so we are grateful.”
Marie responded with a smile to the foreman, who looked apologetic. The foreman had been in charge when Marie’s bakery was renovated, and he was a familiar face to Marie. The people who had just entered were construction workers from the adjacent site. It appeared to be some kind of building, but even the workers didn’t know what it was. Apparently, craftsmen from around town had been summoned by the government, shown only blueprints, and were rushing to build it. By chance, Marie’s bakery, being next to the construction site, was conveniently located for lunch, and so, before they knew it, the craftsmen began to flock to the shop en masse during lunchtime.
“Thank you for waiting. Here is your order.”
“Yeah, thanks. I like this shop, but the construction will be over soon, so we won’t be eating lunch here much longer.”
“Is that so? It will be a little sad when this lively scene disappears.”
The construction workers who ate in the dining space were of considerable status; the lower-ranking workers simply bought bread and ate outside. With the situation as it was recently, regular customers now avoided the shop during this time. When the foreman informed her that the construction was nearing completion, Marie felt a pang of sadness.
“Well then, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Elnet.”
“Ah, goodbye for now.”
After navigating the busy lunch rush, the shop returned to its normal operations. Some time passed, and Elnet finished her work to go train her swordsmanship.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome back. I know it’s sudden, but please start working as soon as you’re ready.”
A little while after Elnet left the shop, Kent and the others, who had been at school, returned. After that, they navigated the busy evening and night hours and successfully ended their business day.
“Everyone, good work today. I’ll be counting on you all again tomorrow.”
Marie finished her work for the day and returned home with Kent and the others.
The next installment is scheduled to be set at the school during the same time period.
