Chapter 86: One Piece at a Time
"Y-yes..." the young man murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Be more confident," I said, intentionally raising my volume just enough to make him flinch.
"Y-Yes!" he blurted out, then immediately looked shocked at his own outburst. Kai ruffled his feathers in approval.
I grinned. "Good. Now listen—everyone has their worth. Yours just happens to involve keeping this place from drowning in paperwork and turning my half-baked ideas into actual plans."
I extended my hand. "I’m your manager. You can call me Amaniel, or Aman for short. Let’s have a good cooperation."
"I-I know..." He fidgeted with the edge of his sleeve. "Boss... told me about you..."
"Oh? She already introduced me to you, huh?" My eyebrow arched. "But I don’t know anything about you, so..."
The young man hesitated, his gaze darting between my outstretched hand and Kai’s expectant stare. After a tense moment, he reached out—his grip tentative at first, then firming slightly as he spoke.
"E...Emory.."
"I’m Emory," the young man repeated, his voice steadier this time. A small but noticeable improvement.
I gave his hand a firm shake. "Good. Glad to work with you, Emory."
As we let go, my [Echo of Life] pulsed faintly—alerting me to the presence just outside the door. Not that I needed it. The shadows stretching across the floor and the poorly suppressed shuffling gave them away immediately.
These guys...
I shook my head and turned back to Emory, who was already retreating into his shell of embarrassment. "Alright, I’m gonna go meet with Boss and the princess. I’ll be back for breakfast—we can continue our discussion then."
"O-okay," Emory nodded, his fingers nervously smoothing the edge of the budget papers.
Stepping toward the door, I heard the telltale scuffle of hurried footsteps retreating. I swung it open to find:
- Cassandra, leaning casually against the wall with exaggerated nonchalance
- One of the twins (Lira, I think?) holding a breakfast tray with suspiciously wide eyes
- Lannete in full retreat, the princess slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, her ears burning crimson as her eyes met mine
"..."
I barely suppressed both a facepalm and a laugh.
Walking past them, I kept my tone deliberately dry. "Don’t you know eavesdropping is bad manners?" I paused, glancing at the twin with the tray. "And, umm—"
"I’m Mira," she supplied helpfully.
...Yep, guessed it wrong again.
"Right, Mira. Please put the breakfast in my office. Thanks."
As I walked to the information room, the group finally broke their terrible act of innocence.
"Wow, Manager," Cassandra called after me, her voice dripping with playful admiration. "You’re really amazing, you got his name on just the second try!"
"Yeah, Mr. Manager," the princess added, peeking out from behind Lannete’s shoulder, her face still pink. "You... were very good."
I didn’t turn around, but my smirk was audible. "You guys wouldn’t understand, it’s because we are both men, that’s why-"
"Huh? But I got it on my first try," Cassandra interjected, tilting her head with an ’innocent’ smile.
I stopped mid-step, my temples twitching.
...Of course you did.
It’s probably because you are the protagonist, I grumbled inwardly as if to console myself. You guys must’ve had one of those cliché encounters where the shy character miraculously opens up to the main heroine.
"That’s... different."
"They got it on their first meeting too," the princess added helpfully.
"Yeah," Lannete confirmed with her usual stoic nod.
"..."
...Did I just get slapped two times?
I paused again, then chuckled as realization struck.
"Let me guess—it was Miss Lannete who ’nicely’ asked for his name during your first meeting, right?"
The three women exchanged glances. "...Yes," they admitted in unison, clearly surprised I’d guessed correctly.
I smirked.
With your Zephyr-like aura and icy stare, poor Emory probably gave his name on the spot. Can’t blame him—better than dying, after all.
Shaking my head, I finally reached the information room and pushed open the door. The others filed in after me, settling around the central table where a map was laid down.
Were they discussing their route back to the capital or something?
I thought as we settled around the table, the map of the kingdom spread before us. I already learned it from the books, so I didn’t pay it much mind.
And so, we began talking, starting from the events since the shop’s opening—the chaotic first day, the supplies problem and solution, the steady growth of customers, and the unexpected friendships formed. Cassandra spoke of her vision for the shop’s future, her tone shifting between businesslike and oddly sentimental.
She’s really leaving this place to me , I realized as she emphasized again and again to contact her immediately if anything happened.
She won’t probably be back for a while, huh.
The weight of responsibility settled on my shoulders as the Manager, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
Then came their travel plans—first to the capital, then onward.
"So," I interjected, "you’ll first escort the princess to her home, then go to the Empire yourself to establish your business ’empire’?"
Cassandra nodded. "Yes, but you got one thing wrong." She turned to the princess, who straightened with sudden determination.
"I’m going together with Cassie," the princess declared, her eyes sparkling.
"...Huh?" I blinked.
The princess continued, her voice gaining strength. "I’m going to become Cassie’s right hand myself, and go with her to the Empire—I’ll become a Business Queen too!"
Oh.
My gaze flicked to Cassandra and Lannete, but their expressions gave nothing away. Cassandra looked as composed as ever, while Lannete’s stoic face might as well have been carved from stone.
"That’s... good," I said carefully. "But what about your family? Are they going to allow it?"
The princess giggled, waving a hand dismissively. "Hehe, don’t worry! Daddy loves me the most—he’ll definitely agree. And if he doesn’t, I can run away with Cassie."
I sneaked another glance at Cassandra, who gave me a subtle, reassuring nod.
"I see," I said, though my mind raced.
Her father loves her the most...
Could this be one of the reasons why her brother hates her and attempted to kill her?
The classic trope surfaced in my thoughts—a king who cherished his late wife above all else, and by extension, doted on her child. If that were true, then jealousy alone could have driven the prince to extremes. At least this is how it goes in some stories I know.
But I am sure Cassandra has a plan; that much was clear. Princess will probably be safer with her than with her family, at least they will be together. Although Cassandra is probably a trouble...
...Let’s not set red flags.
Stopping my thoughts from spiraling any further, I looked at them, "Then I wish you all a safe trip. And... I promise to make this shop number one on this street."
Cassandra’s lips curved into a smirk. "You’re supposed to say ’in the kingdom.’ How are you going to become my right hand with that attitude?"
"Cassie," the princess cut in, grinning, "I’m the one who’s going to be your right hand."
Laughter filled the room, bright and unburdened. For a moment, even Lannete’s stern expression softened at the edges.
I smiled faintly as they giggled and laughed, a quiet thought drifting through my mind:
Why can’t life always be this simple and joyful?
The question came unbidden, soft and fleeting. But even as it settled, I knew—no, I understood the answer.
Life wasn’t meant to be simple—not in the way stories or fleeting moments pretended it could be.
And ease was a blessing, while hardship was a teacher.
And sometimes, they were the same thing wearing different faces.
Still...
Even a fleeting moment of ease was worth savoring. It didn’t last forever, but maybe...
...it didn’t have to.
Maybe what mattered was making more of them, piece by piece, action by action.
Not waiting for the world to fix itself, but building small corners of peace where people could breathe, laugh, and live.
Like this shop.
Like the way Aeron had found his way back to life, and back to Emilia and Livia.
Like how Emory had finally given me his name.
Like the princess, who had traded a gilded cage for a future she chose herself.
Cassandra’s voice pulled me back to the present. "Well then, Manager," she said, rising from her seat with a grin, "try not to burn the place down while I’m gone."
I snorted. "No promises."
The princess giggled, tugging at Lannete’s sleeve. "We should go pack! Cassie, can I bring my—"
"No," Cassandra and Lannete said in unison.
The princess pouted.
As they filed out of the room, still bickering, I lingered for a moment. The room was quiet again, dust motes drifted lazily in the narrow beam of sunlight sneaking through the window. You couldn’t see much through it—just a sliver of sky, a hint of rooftops.
Still, that bit of light was enough.
I glanced at the map spread across the table, at the empty chairs, and at the untouched papers waiting for me.
Small corners of peace.
They didn’t have to be grand. They just had to be real.
And this shop, messy as it was, could be one of them.
I drew in a quiet breath, then, with a shake of my head, I turned to follow them.
One piece at a time.