A Divorced Evil Lady Bakes Cakes

“Then why would you do such a thing? Is it because of the money? If you need money..”

 

“I don’t need your money, I just want to have my own shop, it’s something I’ve always wanted for a long time, that’s all.”

 

Raymond gave her another blank expression.
He didn’t seem to understand a word that Erin was saying.

 

This man was inhumanly handsome and perfect.
Always better than everyone else in every way.
But he was too perfect, and there was nothing ‘human’ about him.

 

Raymond would never understand such a simple thing as a dream.
He would never understand why I wanted ‘To have a small cafe and live in peace.’

 

Erin was amazed that she had once believed that she could be happy with a man like this.

 

‘I was young, but I was also so pathetically blind to people.’

 

Erin turned away in self-pity.

 

“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll leave you to it.”

 

She turned to leave, but her hand was suddenly grabbed by the wrist.

 

She stops walking, turns around, and sees that Raymond is right behind her and is grabbing her wrist.

 

“I know we haven’t had a great relationship for the last nine years, and the divorce wasn’t pretty.”

 

He said, while still grabbing Erin’s wrist.

 

“But I don’t want you to suffer, so I’ll pay you, and you can do whatever you want and make yourself comfortable.”

 

“….”

 

‘Back in the day, I would have been thrilled with that statement.
There were moments when my heart fluttered innocently at the sound of his raspy voice.
Now they were all old memories I’d rather forget.’

 

‘I will no longer cling to such foolish emotions.
I’m done being swayed by this man’s words with false hope.’

 

Erin made a cold smile at Raymond.

 

“All I want is to run a dessert cafe and never see your highness again.”

 

With that, she tugged her wrist and pulled it away.
Then she looked Raymond in the eye and said.

 

“So stay out of my business.”

 

She left it at that.
She then Left Raymond alone in the hallway.
He stared blankly at the spot where she had stood and disappeared.

 

“…This is ridiculous.”

 

Raymond thought back to the situation before he’d run into Erin.

 

He was waiting for Jed in his room when he heard a loud noise in the hallway.

 

Normally, he would have ignored it, but it sounded familiar and so he couldn’t.

 

It was a voice that he would never hear in a place like this.

 

‘Erin? Why is she here?’

 

He wondered if he’d misheard it, so he went out into the hallway, and there she was.

 

Erin, whom he hadn’t seen in a few days, was standing in the hallway, and flirting with another man.

 

It was so strange to see her in such a place, dressed in an elegant blue dress.

 

‘Did she come here… To gamble?’

 

Actually, card games were also played at the palace.
But Erin was never interested in playing and gambling with others.

 

He wondered if she was doing it for the money, but the answer was even stranger.
It was for the Cafè or something.

 

‘What the hell is wrong with her?’

 

She said something about it being a dream, but Raymond didn’t take it at face value.

 

“Your Highness, why are you here?”

 

Across the hall, his subordinate Jed spotted Raymond and approached him cautiously.

 

“No.
It’s nothing.”

 

Raymond went back to his room.

 

The cozy glow of the beeswax candles that filled the room cast a faint golden glow around them.

 

“Did you send the money?”

 

“Yes.
You should have your weapons within a month.”

 

Raymond nodded in satisfaction.

 

He had no time to think about Erin or Serena right now.

 

“Okay.
Make sure there’s no mistake.”

 

⚘

 

Erin fastened her collar and headed out the door.
It was now the middle of the night.
A cool night breeze blew from the dark sky.

 

The streets were eerily quiet.
It Looked so deserted in the darkness.
Erin walked quickly towards the shop.

 

After a long walk, she reached Viltrout Street and saw a small light flickering on the side of the dark alley.

 

It was still unmarked and the windows were empty, but the sight of it made her feel warm inside.
She walked slowly towards the shop.

 

“Melly, I’m back, everything’s been set in order, and you can get your beans back…”

 

Erin opened the door and stepped inside, then stopped.

 

“Ah, Ms.
Erin.
You’re back.”

 

There was a man in front of Melly, who looked up and greeted her.

 

He was a tall, clean-cut man with light brown hair.
He was also standing facing Melly.

 

Only the back of his head reminded her who it was.
Erin called his name out in a daze.

 

“Einz?”

 

Einz von Levnin was the current Captain of the Holy Sword Knights.

 

He was also Erin’s childhood friend.

 

‘Erin!’

 

A small, light-brown-haired child smiled brightly, through the blur of memories.

 

Light brown hair and violet eyes.
He was an unusually cute boy with fine features for a child.

 

That was Einz.
A childhood friend of Erin’s who lived next door to her.
They always hung out together as kids.

 

They were both children of high and mighty knights, so they had similar upbringings and a lot in common.

 

They went to school together in the capital, and at school, they were best friends who were together every day.

 

They were around 9 years old then.
When Erin was wearing a children’s dress that came to her ankles, because it was also her birthday.

 

She was playing in a small flower bed at home, her hands clutching the lace-trimmed skirt.
Just then, Einz came while running out of the kitchen.

 

‘Erin, I want to show you something.’

 

Einz held out his hand to Erin.
He was only nine years old as well, but he always knew how to be polite.

 

Erin took Einz’s hand and she was led by him to the fence of the flowerbed.

 

‘Erin, happy birthday.’

 

They walked into the kitchen and Einz held out a plate with a cake.

 

It was Erin’s favorite cake.
It was a slightly less puffy sponge cake with strawberry whipped cream swirled on top.

 

‘Einz asked me to show him how to make it.
He wanted to make one and give it to Erin.’

 

Her mother smiled a little embarrassedly.
It looked a little crappy, but it tasted good.
In fact, the younger Erin loved anything sweet, and so they sat down and ate the cake with relish.

 

‘Delicious! Thank you.’

 

‘Erin, I’ll make you a cake for every birthday.’

 

Einz promised, with his ears turning red.
But that promise was never fulfilled.

 

At the age of 16, the two got separated when Einz entered a youth academy to take knighting lessons.
They exchanged occasional letters, but never met again for awhile.

 

Then Erin moved to the marquis’s mansion, and her relationship with Einz grew even more distant.

 

The Levnins were also an old family, having been vassals of the Empire for hundreds of years.
But the tide had been turning since his great-grandfather’s time, and by the time Einz was born, they were already poor, decadent nobles.
Few knights rise to prominence overnight, as they do in fiction.

 

The most prominent knights had to be backed by something, whether it was by a family or connections.
Einz’s father had held a series of menial jobs throughout his life.
There was virtually no way for Einz to rise above the rank of a plain knight.
But Einz was a prodigious swordsman.

 

As a knight, he was sent to the dangerous north.
He had no connections or backing, so he was forced to go there.
But it turned out to be an opportunity.

 

A year ago, there was a massive demon slaughter.

 

In that battle, Einz saved the entire Order and became a war hero.

 

In recognition of his deeds, he was appointed as Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sword at the age of 29.
From then on, he was able to return to the capital to serve at the Imperial Palace.

 

In a ballroom, Einz was dressed in a robe full of medals, and he approached Erin and bowed respectfully.
All the other nobles turned to look at the radiant figure.

 

‘Your Highness.’

 

‘Einz? Are you really Einz?’

 

Erin jumped up from her seat in delight and approached him.

 

‘Oh my God, how long has it been since..’

 

The fully grown Einz was dressed in the uniform of a Knight’s Captain.
A golden medal was also pinned to the chest of his neat uniform.

 

The little boy he was playing with had grown into a handsome man with well-groomed, and delicate features.
Light brown hair and violet eyes.
There was even a look of sincerity in those eyes.
His body, dressed in a military uniform, was sleek and strong.

 

‘You’ve really grown into a handsome man.’

 

Erin was so glad that Einz had come to the palace.
She was even happier because she had no family or friends in that lonely place.
But now she had someone to laugh with, if only for a little while.
From then on, Erin saw Einz only occasionally.

 

But she never did anything to be misunderstood.

 

They always met in public, in the presence of others.
Even when Einz came to Erin’s residence, there were always maids present.
There were no misunderstandings, and in fact, no one misunderstood.

 

‘Not until that happened.’