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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Mabel's Grand Opening
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Recalling that nagging unease made my head whirl with complexity.
In romance fantasy novels, feeling this kind of discomfort usually meant one of two things.
Either you'd been drugged.
Or hypnotized.
Someone had tampered with you, leaving your mind just a bit foggy.
I couldn't shake off the suspicion.
So I tried recalling the original story as I remembered it, but there was no mention of anything like that.
'Come to think of it, did the Emperor die suddenly?'
Right when Luciano was building his bond with the female lead and starting to make his mark, the Emperor passed away unexpectedly.
'And then the real fight for the throne kicked off.'
Drugs and hypnosis weren't in the original story, but it seemed worth checking out.
That was my conclusion.
'But how am I supposed to get info on the Emperor?'
No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't think of a way.
It had taken three years after possessing this body for me to meet the Emperor for the first time today.
Even his own son, Luciano, only crossed paths with him every few years.
There was no way a mere child like me could arrange another audience.
I'd look into it bit by bit whenever opportunities arose later on.
There were still ten years left until his death, after all.
'I should have some time.'
* * *
"Miss, where are you off to?"
The nanny asked while braiding my hair, puzzled by my early morning preparations to head out.
"It's a secret."
I replied, rubbing my sleepy eyes.
I knew I had to go, but I was so drowsy.
"Why has my lady become so full of secrets lately? Your nanny feels neglected these days."
I couldn't have the nanny feeling neglected.
"Don't be upset. You know I love you, right?"
I clung to her waist and put on my cutest act.
"So, will you tell me?"
"Nope."
She shot me a betrayed glare when I answered firmly.
"My lady has changed."
But I had no choice.
Today was Mabel's opening day.
To keep my connection to Mabel under wraps, I planned to arrive before opening and watch from inside secretly.
Since my investment had to stay secret, I couldn't tell the nanny I was going to Mabel.
"No, I haven't changed at all. See how much I love you?"
I hugged her waist tight and grinned broadly.
"You're too soft on me, miss."
"It's the wisdom of life."
Only after she pinched my cheeks a few times with a resigned expression did she get over her pout.
Finally, I could leave the house with peace of mind.
Mabel, where Billy had driven me, was in a state of organized chaos when I arrived.
"Everything ready?"
"Miss, you're here?"
May looked pleased.
"Where's Bell?"
"She's inside making today's desserts. Head to the kitchen."
They both made desserts together, but once the business started, they'd slightly divided their roles.
Bell handled the kitchen and production.
May managed the front of house and operations.
It wasn't something I'd ordered—they'd decided it themselves.
"I'll say hi and come back out."
In the kitchen, Bell and the staff were frantically preparing the day's desserts.
"Like this?"
"No, pull it a bit thinner."
Bell was giving meticulous instructions down to the smallest decoration.
I called out to her loudly.
"Head Pastry Chef!"
"Oh, miss!"
Fortunately, Bell's face lit up when she saw me.
She quickly glanced around with a troubled expression.
"I'm so busy—what should I do? This has to be done before opening."
"I just came to say hi. I'll be sticking around the shop, so we can chat when you get a break."
"Yes! Talk later."
Bell replied energetically and dove back into work with the staff.
Seeing her so confident eased my worries.
I'd been most concerned about Bell's mental state since I'd picked the location on my own whim.
But she seemed unfazed by the competition, fully focused on her tasks.
'Then she's invincible!'
Relieved, I returned to May's side.
Since the shop hadn't opened yet, she had some downtime.
"You said hi to Bell?"
"Yeah. She looks swamped."
"They're making a ton. We prepared generously like you said, but do you think it'll all sell?"
Better to have leftovers on opening day than run out.
"If there's any left, donate it to the nearby orphanage. It's food—you can't sell it the next day anyway."
"That's a great idea."
May beamed, as if she hadn't thought of it.
We chatted about this and that, and time flew by.
"It's about that time. Want to head inside?"
"Yeah, I'll stay in there. Good luck!"
I struck a fighting pose and went to the prepared office inside.
Officially, I'd never visited the shop, so no choice.
Sitting with Billy and waiting brought a rush of emotions.
After so long, through all sorts of hardships, Mabel was finally opening.
Others seemed to invest quickly and rake in money effortlessly, but I'd struggled so much to get here.
'I even got treated like a scammer...'
Of course, no regrets.
It had deepened my bonds with Bell and May, and it was fun.
Now the hard part was over.
As the investor, I just had to watch the money roll in!
A moment later.
Mabel's doors truly opened.
* * *
I was dumbfounded.
I couldn't believe how dead it was.
"Miss... are you okay?"
How could this happen?
"It's fine. These things happen."
May tried to comfort me, worried by my dazed state.
No.
This wasn't fine.
Not at all!
"This is ridiculous!"
"It's just the first day."
Even Bell's consolation couldn't make me smile.
I was tasting bitter defeat.
Two hours after opening, not a single customer.
No one had even peeked in.
This was beyond imagination.
The rumors had spread through the market already—why?
How could no one come?
This made no sense.
"Maybe it's pouring rain outside and that's why no one's around?"
I jumped up and rushed to the window to check.
The weather was perfect—clear skies.
Plenty of people milling about, and a line already formed in front of Marigold across the street.
Yet no one entering Mabel.
My plan to crush Bell's old rivals with explosive popularity on day one was in tatters.
In my shock, flailing about, I belatedly thought of the two of them.
May and Bell, who'd been even more excited than me—they had to be hurting.
"Are you two okay?"
"I braced myself from the start."
"It's opening day. I expected something like this."
Surprisingly, they were calm.
"Shops that boom right out the gate are the rare ones."
"Yeah. It'll pick up with time."
They smiled steadily, comforting me.
"May, Bell..."
Tears of emotion welled up.
"Now you look your age, miss."
"Yeah, I thought you were living a second life or something? You're usually so mature."
They teased me lightly.
It hit close to home, but still.
"Don't worry. It'll work out."
"Everything you say comes true, miss."
Right—I couldn't zone out like this.
They believed in me, so I needed to think of a way out of this crisis.
Time to spread the word about Mabel.
I racked my brain.
A method I didn't really want to use, but...
"Let's do an event!"
I declared solemnly.
"An event?"
They looked startled by my intensity.
"Yes. For the opening event—just three days of buy one, get one free."
"Buy one get one free means if you buy one, you get another free?"
"Won't we lose a ton of money?"
Bell and May looked skeptical.
Our desserts were already priced with minimal margins.
Selling at 1+1 would mean losses.
"More important than profit right now is getting our name out there. I thought the market buzz from Apple Day would give us enough recognition, but apparently not."
It was simple when I thought about it.
People who'd bought desserts at the Apple Day market for the apples weren't the same as regular dessert lovers. I'd overlooked that.
Even if their desserts were hits there, it didn't mean fame in this neighborhood.
The central square was accessible to everyone.
But Mabel was near the nobles' shopping district.
Different areas, different crowds.
To make Mabel known here, we needed something bold.
"We're total unknowns on this street. Let's do the event for just three days to spread the name. Make sure to advertise it as the opening event."
They pondered, then accepted.
"Alright, let's try it."
"Good. I agree—we need to build recognition."
They knew full well the empty shop stemmed from lack of name recognition.
Prep for the event was quick.
[Opening Event! Buy One Dessert, Get One Free!]
Just needed the signage.
We wrote it big on paper and plastered it at the entrance.
Right on cue, the opening flower arrangements I'd ordered arrived.
Passersby and those queuing at Marigold started paying attention.
"What? A new dessert shop?"
"Oh? Opened today and they're doing an event."
Not all reactions were positive.
The Marigold line showed interest, but...
"Not going to some new place."
"I'm here for Marigold desserts."
"Why risk it when my turn's coming up soon?"
Plenty of negativity.
I hadn't expected to steal Marigold's customers right away.
As renowned as it was, Marigold drew lots of nobles.
And their lofty pride made them stick to the best, avoiding experiments.
But drawing eyes from passersby was enough.
"Oh my, buy one get one free? That's half price! Shall I try?"
"If it's just a few days, better grab it."
"Stock up while it's cheap."
Actual customers started trickling in.
And word of discount events like this spreads fast.
"There's a new dessert shop doing a huge discount right now!"
"And it tastes good too."
"Really? I gotta check it out."
Discount lovers began swarming.
Plan B was a success.
* * *
Meanwhile, amid Mabel's joyful buzz from the booming business, one person heard the news and soured.
"What? The shop that opened across from us is a dessert place? How dare it set up right in front of my Marigold?"
