The Sweet Side Of Mister Wolf Chapter 1

Looking up at the cloudless blue sky, I breathed out a deep sigh. Tightly grasping my locket left as a memento, I muttered a morning greeting in my head.

"Good morning. Mother."

I felt the sky-blue locket momentarily flash and smiled broadly.

The Spring G.o.ddess festival had finished up yesterday.  They said that the temperature would rise in the morning and the days would lengthen, but it was still a bit chilly this morning. It's not that we were calling for everlasting spring, the four seasons were still the same. Summer was hot and winter was cold. Even now, on the spring calendar, there are days where I can't go without a sweater.

I watered the flower beds in the field and started drying off the laundry crammed into the basket.

A gingham checkered table cloth, and a pink duster.  I'm already 22, with tastes like a young maiden, I understand that myself, but I can't help liking what I like. Finishing with a gingham checkered ap.r.o.n, I moved on to smaller accessories. Being able to do a job surrounded by things I like makes me happy. After drying off the store's laundry, the small silly buzzer sounded. While laughing a bit, I returned to the house, my clothes, the home towel, I jammed the wash into a basket again and went back to the garden.

When mother had gotten the laundry machine it had come used. Every time it broke we would repair it carefully, you could say that we could have bought a new one with money. But I liked the small sound of the silly buzzer. Every time I heard it, I would remember laughing with my mother every day.

After I finished drying the laundry, I held the basket under my arms. I returned the basket to the top of the washing machine and washed my face in the sink. I stared at myself in the mirror.

"It's only proper for a woman above 20 to wear makeup!" Remembering the loud cry of my close friend, I applied a little makeup that barely changed my complexion.

My mother's black hair and hazel eyes.

For some reason I kept my hair long, it might be because I wanted to overtake my mother in my memories.

Bundling up the hair that reached my chest, I smoothed down my bangs that were trimmed just at my eyebrows.

Changing into a off-white skirt and a black shirt, I then put on an ivory ap.r.o.n.

I touched the sky-blue pendant with my fingertips and prayed to my mother in the sky.

"I hope it will be another good day today."

The Kingdom of Squire is a peaceful island country located on the southern most part of the map. Blessed by the sea, the Kingdom of Squire has long been known for their fishing industry, today the kingdom was littered with harbours. The kingdom was governed by a capable royal family since long ago, and the capital city, Vanzant, was flourishing, but I believe, that from the world's perspective they saw the kingdom as a countryside.

The world viewed the kingdom as rural, like this town, Arion. I was born and raised here, "the kingdom's a countryside", I pondered about it, it may be because I've never seen the other kingdoms.

Because, when I first visited the capital, Vanzant, even though there wasn't a festival, there were still a lot of people, I got scared and cried. To call that rural, just how much more prosperous are larger kingdoms. I haven’t got a clue.

In the rural Arion, I, Lia Schmidt, ran a sweets shop.

Cakes filled with fresh cream and pound cakes, cookies, donuts, jelly, the menus changed depending on the season or time of day, basically, it was a coffee shop where you could go and eat sweets.

Originally, I ran a cake shop with my mother. However, after my mother died, I renovated the store so that it could be run by one person, a few years ago, the number of visitors unexpectedly increased as the s.p.a.ce provided was a spot where people could regularly come and eat. Since it was foremost a coffee shop, we made further renovations to increase the numbers of tables and seats, its stayed the same since then.

By making my favourite sweets, I could see someone's happy face. My mother's recipe was here.

Such happiness was my job.

When the olive-coloured door opened, the bell rang. It meant there were visitors.

"Good morning, aunt Mary. Welcome!"

"Good morning, Lia. Today smells delicious as well."

Lifting her plump cheeks, aunt Mary laughed.

"I just finished baking a pound cake when you arrived. Would you like a little taste?"

"Ah, are you sure?"

"Of course. I'll go wrap up your reserved cake immediately. You can eat and wait if you'd like."

Aunt Mary who loved sweet things, looked at me like a gleeful child at my words. I was pleased and guided her to a table.

"I came too early. Sorry, Lia."

"No, I'm sorry for making you wait."

Hurrying over to the counter, I boiled hot water over the stove. Then I took out the tea leaves from the shelf and placed them in the kettle of boiling water. While it was steaming, I cut a slice of freshly baked pound cake.

"This cake is an experiment. So, let me hear what you think."

"Oh, I wonder if my help will be of any use."

"Of course! You're my regular customer."

Taking a snow-white plate, I placed the browned and hot pound cake on to it and carried it over to aunt Mary. Today, I used more eggs than usual, the yellow cross section was darker and more vivid. The taste of course, should be completely richer.

"Sorry to make you wait."

"Ah! It looks delicious!"

"Here you go. It's hot so please be careful."

"Yes, time to eat."

When she brought the cake to her mouth, "Delicious!", I thanked aunt Mary who had shouted out, and then took out her order from the large refrigerator.

Ever since people started to eat at the coffee shop, managing the place alone, when the shop opened, it was impossible to prepare many things for takeout.

So for now, sweets for takeout were dealt with by ordering in advance.

Certainly, back when some regulars from when it was a cake shop would walk by, they would visit the coffee shop because they liked the taste, sometimes they would like to take them home.

Those times were really painful, boxing up cakes and taking them out of the store.

And so because of this, now there would be a sufficient amount of cakes to takeout, and the store wouldn't need to close early. Previously, when the store closed early, seeing the disappointed looks of the people waiting outside the store was heartbreaking.

Even if there's a limit on what I can do alone, I want to do as much as I can. Going through every day with trial and error… so to say, they were good troubles.

"Ah, really, it's delicious. Really delicious. Hey, Lia. This pound cake tastes a little different from usual."

"Yeah, you're right. I used more eggs than usual. I wonder. Is it too rich?"

"I felt that it tasted stronger than usual. But I don't think it's too much at all."

"Is that so! That's good!"

"Thank you, Lia. For letting me eat something so delicious."

"No, I should be thanking you."

While wiping her mouth with a napkin, aunt Mary said, "I'm looking forward to seeing this cake in the shop."

Taking her wrapped cake, I saw aunt Mary to the door.

"Right, here's your reserved item. Coco-chan, happy seventh birthday."

"That's it, thanks a lot."

Mary ordered a cake to celebrate her granddaughter, Coco-chan's birthday.

Sandwiched between layers of spongy and fluffy dough was custard cream and fresh strawberries. The decorations were made of chocolate and fresh cream. Although it wasn't part of the order, a figure of Coco-chan made of meringue was secretly hidden in the box.

Coco-chan, I hope you’ll enjoy it.

"Coco really likes Lia's cakes. She'll be ecstatic when she sees this."

"Thanks for your patronage every year. This year too, I wish her a fantastic birthday."

With the large white box in hand, aunt Mary slowly walked forward. Making sure not to ruin the cake, she turned around and smiled, I waved as I smiled back.

"Ohh, Lia-chan, have you already opened the store? It's quite early today. May I come in?"

"Good morning, Liebel-san. Of course, please come in!"

The sound of the bell that welcomed new visitors resounded through the store.