Polter energetically responded and headed straight for the capital where Clona was.
The next day, instead of Polter, a messenger came.
Having received my letter, Clona, instead of providing an introduction letter, took Polter and headed to the Veta Kingdom herself.
If she succeeds in securing the mineral supply, she asks for three premium limited edition candles with the royal symbol. Even if it fails, she still wants one.
She says she will convey whether we can receive minerals from the King of Veta, who is an acquaintance.
[Thank you so much for your trust and gratitude. I will gladly fulfill your request as you wish.]With a light-hearted thank you, I sent a reply.
After about two weeks, the scented candles were always sold out.
Even though we bought the adjacent building and expanded, people lined up from dawn and flocked in. In severe cases, some people even started camping from the day before.
It was a street vendor who wanted to sell scented candles in a different area.
Thanks to that, the store closed its doors around lunchtime.
The store employees, who quickly finished their tasks, either cleaned up the store or went up to the cafeteria to help with work until their quitting time.
The cafeteria, open until evening, was always packed, and people wanting to take out drinks were also bustling.
When taking out drinks for the first time, customers had to bring their own cups. But now, the scene had changed.
In the hands of passersby, bamboo cups made by Heide gradually began to appear.
From simple-shaped cups to intricately engraved artisan cups with the boutique logo.
Artisan bamboo cups came in various sizes, and although they were relatively expensive, they sold like hotcakes.
Initially, disposable cups were all that was needed, but now even a dedicated tumbler for the cafeteria had appeared.
Timing worked well as Heide had become unemployed.
So, I hired more skilled individuals and sent them to Heide’s cup manufacturing workshop.
During the day, Heide and the workshop team produced cups, and at night, after the cafeteria closed, he brought new cups.
Today, too, Heide brought the cups he had produced. It was just after Mrs. Polter had finished work.
We stood in front of the store, checking if the surveillance was working well, as darkness fell.
“Good job. Now, go in and rest.”
Heide, standing under the streetlamp in front of the store, confidently lowered his head.
“Have a good night! Madam!”
His innocent greeting always made me feel like I was looking at a large dog, and a smile naturally appeared.
“Heide, sleep well too.”
“Thank you, hehe… huh?”
Heide, who was turning away with a bright smile, suddenly stopped in surprise.
“M-Master?”
Only then did I notice that there was someone a little further away from us.
Suddenly appearing in front of us, Phillip showed his tongue.
“Why would I be your master?”
Phillip seemed dissatisfied with Heide’s address.
At his reaction, Heide stepped back, looking confused.
“……Phillip?”
I couldn’t figure out why Phillip was here. Shouldn’t he be in the royal palace?
Phillip approached immediately and, without a word, kissed the back of my hand.
“Ellen, I’ve come.”
His voice was so affectionate that I unknowingly blushed from my face.
“……What brings you here?”
“What brings me here? I came to see you.”
“Aren’t you busy?”
“I hurriedly finished today’s work and came to see you immediately.”
“You came from the royal palace?”
“Yes. There’s a meeting in the morning, so I have to return to the palace by dawn.”
With a casual smile, Phillip looked at Heide with a somewhat cold caution.
“But why is that friend here?”
“Well, he’s an employee.”
“……Excuse me?”
“Just at the right time when we were looking for people, he applied.”
Shrugging my shoulders, I chuckled.
“Is that so…”
Phillip let out a small sigh. Then he looked at Heide with a chilly wariness.
“Still not leaving, doing something.”
“Oh, huh?”
“I hope nothing appears in front of me.”
“Huh? …Yes.”
Startled by Phillip’s hostility, Heide stood with his head hanging down. Then, turning around, he wiped his eyes with his hand. His broad shoulders slouched pitifully.
Phillip’s attitude toward Heide was strange.
“Why is there such a cold wind blowing toward Heide? What did he do wrong?”
“Hmm! Did I do that?”
“You did.”
“You must have seen it wrong.”
“……”
Even though I clearly saw it, I let it slide. His appearance was unfamiliar and downright awkward.
“What did Heide do wrong to you?”
“He didn’t do anything like that.”
It became uncomfortable. Whether Phillip knew my feelings or not, he slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
“Ellen, may I enter your house?”
He approached one step closer, so I stepped back a bit, forming a fist.
“Are you going to come to my house and press our employee without any reason?”
“…Ah.”
Phillip’s pupils wandered, and he couldn’t find a place to settle. He slightly bit his lips, avoiding eye contact with me altogether.
“Sorry, Ellen.”
Soon, Phillip’s shoulders slouched a bit.
In fact, Heide didn’t do anything significant. At that time, it was just uncomfortable for me…
“Yes?”
“That… objectively, Heide is a bit… handsome, isn’t he?”
“Well, yes.”
“……”
Nodding without disagreement, Phillip’s complexion darkened even more.
“That… I don’t like that…”
His voice sounded hesitant, as if it was reluctant to be heard.
“…What? What are you saying?”
At my reflexively raised voice, Phillip’s vigor crumbled like a large dog hit by a rock.
“That guy even gave a handmade doll gift to my wife… and… he was close to you… I didn’t like it… so… I fired him…”
“…Yes?”
“But now, Heide is here…”
It was surprising and unbelievable.
Phillip fired Heide because he was blinded by jealousy.
“I should not have fired him if I knew it would turn out like this…”
“You fired someone just for such a reason?”
“Just for such a reason? You did the same, didn’t you? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t know the discomfort until you experienced it yourself?”
Phillip’s subtly challenging words were astonishing.
I did that too. Trying to casually brush it off, I let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s disappointing, Phillip. You should know that’s not me.”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”