Chapter 10

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The surprise encounter with Elodie and Laertes left me completely worn out. I had no more energy to even consider buying new groceries. I dusted off the loaf of bread I had dropped on the ground, then dipped it in milk and nibbled on it. Finally, I retired to bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

When I woke up, sunlight filled the room. Realizing I had slept in, I quickly headed down to the entrance of the coffee house. Though my place seldom attracted new customers, I did have a few regulars. Their visits prompted me to open the store, deciding it was better to open late than not at all.

As I hurried to the cafe’s door, I spotted a figure waiting in front of the shop. I assumed it might be Thomas, a regular who often arrived late in the morning to enjoy a cup of coffee and jot down some notes.

But when the man turned around, I suddenly recognized who it was. His bright blond hair, noticeable even from a distance, slightly covered his ears. His complex gray eyes were inscrutable and a slight, jesting smirk played on his thin lips.

For a moment, I was at a loss for words. It was Cassio Brahmanduff, wearing a self-assured smile.

His eyes darkened when he saw me. “So, ‘Emily,’ is it?”

“Hello.”

“It’s been a while.”

His overly wide smile seemed almost taunting. I made no effort to hide my wariness.

Noticing my hesitation, he reassuringly extended his arms, seeming every bit like a gentleman greeting a long-lost friend. “I searched diligently for you, but I never expected to find you this close. You continue to surpass my expectations, my lady.”

“There’s no need to call me that.”

“Why not? I’ve always addressed you as Lady Emilia. Is there a reason you’re objecting now?”

“I have no desire to live as a noble.”

Trying to avoid his gaze, I took out the keys and unlocked the front door of the coffee house. I propped it open and went inside to crack the windows.

Surprisingly, Cassio didn’t follow me in right away. Instead, he opted to merely observe me silently from a distance. He watched as I busied myself tidying up the tables and airing out the room.

“You seem quite adept at this,” he quipped.

“It’s my job. I have to be.”

“It appears the locals are quite familiar with ‘Emily’ as well.”

I hesitated as I set a kettle on the stove. Apparently, he had been inquiring about me.

Noticing my startled look, Cassio began to explain, somewhat defensive. “I’ve merely been listening to what the people here talk about. A coffee house that hardly seems to make any profit, run single-handedly by a young woman. You’re something of a local legend.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“You operate according to your whims and close early. And I’ve heard your coffee is rather average. Your clientele is hardly the lucrative sort, yet the shop remains afloat.”

“I don’t have a talent for running a thriving business.”

Cassio sneered at my candid response, but he soon began to laugh heartily as if he had just heard a hilarious joke. He entered the shop and slapped a table, still laughing, before abruptly falling silent. His previously amused expression turned blank as he stared at me. His look was so penetratingly intense that it was as if he could see right through me.

“Why did you run away?” he asked.

I felt like I couldn’t be the cause of such an intense emotional reaction, but the force of his gaze made me uneasy, as though I had misunderstood him somehow. I casually avoided his eyes as I sliced a loaf of slightly dry bread.

“I didn’t run away. I simply left,” I finally answered.

“Did someone at the manor force you out?” His tone was steady, but I detected a hint of irritation, causing me to pause my slicing.

“No one did. Everyone was kind to me.”

“Then why leave?”

“Lord Cassio, I’m not sure what you’re getting at with all these questions. I was at the estate only because of Ophelia and I chose to leave of my own volition. I knew I’d have to go eventually anyway. That’s all there was to it.”

He was quiet. Our silence stretched on as I deliberately ignored him.

Meanwhile, I removed a block of cheese from a chilled cabinet and sliced it, placing the slices on the bread and toasting it lightly on the stove. I carefully poured the boiling water over some ground coffee, its characteristic aroma filling the small shop.

Finally, I arranged the simple toast and coffee on a wooden tray and brought it to Cassio. The strikingly handsome man seemed best suited to holding a champagne flute at an upscale gathering, which made him quite a sight with his limbs awkwardly stuffed under the small cafe table. He watched me closely as I placed the tray in front of him.

“Please, go ahead,” I said. I braced myself, sure he would refuse to even try it, given his sophisticated palate. Surprisingly, he immediately took a sip of the coffee and gladly ate the lightly toasted bread, consuming it in two or three bites. I had half-expected him to merely feign gratitude and ignore the food, so seeing the empty plate made me feel somewhat foolish.

“That wasn’t bad,” he mumbled.

“You don’t need to force yourself to pay me compliments.”

“I’m being sincere. Before I got here, I never would have imagined Lady Emilia would provide me with such pleasant service. Didn’t you once give me three-day-old rainwater instead of tea?”

“As I told you then, I was merely following Ophelia’s orders.”

Among her many admirers, Ophelia had particularly disdained Cassio. His polished appearance, natural charm, and honeyed words represented everything she loathed in a man. Nonetheless, her parents were concerned about her reclusive lifestyle and welcomed most gentlemen callers. This forced her into interactions with him, during which she would invariably find ways to vex him as much as possible.

Being drenched with cold water or receiving cups of awful-tasting tea had been routine for Cassio. Still, he always treated her with kindness and adoration, conveniently blaming me for her mischief.

Ophelia would frequently become infuriated with him, and he would eloquently apologize and make amends in turn. It was an ever-repeating cycle. While I had no part in the planning of her cunning schemes, I carried out whatever she desired.

Cassio’s gray eyes twinkled at me. For some reason, he seemed delighted by our present circumstances.

“I never imagined you’d one day run a coffee house,” he said. “Managing it all on your own… Cleaning, tidying, serving. Don’t you find it to be a lot of work?”

“Since the age of eight, I was responsible for handling the world’s most temperamental girl. This hardly compares.”

Normally, Cassio would counter something like this with a sharp retort. “Lady Ophelia, temperamental? It’s like mistaking a diamond for a lump of glass. Well, I suppose you’re too poor a judge of character for your statements to carry any weight.” He revered Ophelia like a goddess, the most beautiful and precious of masterpieces, a unique melody that could be heard once and never again. He detested any attempt I made to trivialize her.

I anticipated his customary scathing rebuttal, but I was caught off guard when he merely stared at me intensely instead of chastising me. Leaning forward, he propped his chin on his hand. His gaze left me perplexed as his gray eyes lazily scanned my every move with surprising persistence.

Hesitantly, I asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just fascinated.”

I paused, puzzled by what he could have possibly found fascinating. As my eyes traveled from the empty plate in front of him to the coffee cup, still half full, and then to my slightly worn but clean attire, it suddenly all made sense.

I had become a fascinating sight indeed. The last time he saw me, I was dressed in fine attire gifted to me by the Windroses, gracefully enjoying tea served to me by the maids. Now, two years after leaving by choice, I was serving coffee and bread to this infuriating man with my own hands.

“I’m just serving a customer at my shop. That’s all there is to it.”

“Do you enjoy caring for others? I’ve heard you have a soft spot for strays. Why not volunteer at an orphanage instead?”

His voice dripped with affected disinterest. This was more in line with the Cassio Brahmanduff I remembered, and I found myself silently relieved. He likely reveled in witnessing this unexpected chapter of my life, a life he would have never envisioned in his wildest dreams.

“If I turned away everyone who had to enjoy their coffee on credit, this place would have to shut down. It’s a small business, after all.”

“You barely bring in any money. This shop seems like a headache that only draws in the neighborhood’s undesirables… You couldn’t have chosen a more altruistic hobby if you tried.”

Cassio’s specialty was his eloquent yet biting sarcastic remarks. It was precisely why Ophelia couldn’t stand him.

Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. “You’re right,” I said.

This easy victory appeared to catch Cassio off guard. He widened his eyes in astonishment.