Chapter 147
It wasn’t flashy, but it was a black carriage hitched to horses whose high-quality materials and quiet air of wealth were unmistakable. With no family crest in sight, it looked like a noble’s carriage for casual outings.
What reason would a noble’s carriage like that have to be in such a crowded market street?
As if it had read my questioning gaze, the carriage departed at once.
The clopping sound of hooves faded away together with a cloud of dust.
“I’ll just wash up and sleep for now.”
As fatigue washed over me, thoughts about the carriage quickly evaporated.
* * *
“Why does this never seem to get smaller no matter how much I do.”
At first, the fact that I finally had my own convenience store, something that had once been a dream, made every day feel overwhelming and joyful. Even menial chores like sweeping the floor and wiping the windows were exciting, to the point where I felt like something might be wrong with me.
A snort of laughter with every sweep. A wide grin with every wipe of the rag.
What would the convenience store I’d build here look like. Just thinking about it made me feel like I owned the whole world.
The process of preparing the store layout and the items I’d sell, things I’d been planning throughout the journey, was so exciting that I cut down on sleep and even skipped meals. It was tiring to run around buying materials and shelves that fit the space, but it was fun. It felt rewarding too.
After pouring everything into preparing for the store opening for over two weeks like that, I gradually started to feel bored.
No matter how much I cleaned, the mess never seemed to decrease, and the shelves I’d ordered were nowhere to be seen no matter how much I pressed them…
‘I shouldn’t be feeling like this before I’ve even opened.’
Since I hadn’t received my coming-of-age rite yet, I wasn’t officially recognized as an adult in the Empire, so I couldn’t own a private business. Because of that restriction, I’d been dragging out the preparations at a leisurely pace, and as the timeline stretched, the balloon of my motivation had slowly deflated.
“Ugh. Get a grip. Having my own convenience store was my dream.”
Before I died, I used to sing about how quitting my company job and running a convenience store would leave me with nothing more to wish for, yet now that I had some money in hand, I was changing my tune this easily.
‘You’ve gotten soft, Estira.’
Forgetting what it was like when you were a tadpole.
As if brushing off dust, I shook the dust lodged in my head and threw myself back into organizing the store.
While I was cleaning frantically, not even realizing it was lunchtime, the shop door opened.
The bell I’d hung in advance rang out with a clear sound, announcing a visitor. Straightening up and turning toward the door, I saw Feyden holding a paper bag in one hand as he greeted me with a casual, “Yo.”
“From that bakery at the intersection up ahead?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow! The one where you can’t buy anything unless you line up from the morning? That famous bakery, right?”
At the sweet scent of bread wafting over, I tossed my broom aside and ran straight to Feyden.
With an indifferent expression, he handed over the bread, then plopped himself down on a chair by the display counter.
“So, what are you planning to do here?”
“A convenience store. A convenience store.”
“A conve, what?”
“A con. ve. ni. ence store.”
I’ve told you so many times. How do you still not know.
Grumbling, I opened the bread bag to check inside. The warm scent of freshly baked bread stimulated my salivary glands.
“Thank you for the meal!”
I took a big bite, and the savory, chewy yet soft and sweet bread melted in my mouth.
“Wow… this is really good…”
Whether I was eating bread or not, Feyden glanced around the interior with a bored look and then said something that flipped my insides.
“This place is still a complete mess.”
“……”
“At this rate, you won’t be opening even after your coming-of-age ceremony.”
“If someone helped me, I’d already be done organizing and then some.”
I stared pointedly at Feyden, who was clearly the someone in “if someone helped me.” He leaned his head against the wall and shrugged.
“Too much trouble. And for what it’s worth, I’m working right now, you know?”
“What kind of work involves sleeping all day.”
“Even if I look like I’m sleeping, I’m watching everything, potato.”
“Hah. If you can talk. At this rate, I might collapse from exhaustion. If you want to prevent that, help me out a bit. Move those heavy things too!”
“Don’t wanna. Too much trouble.”
Is his rebellious phase only kicking in now?
Feyden crossed his arms and closed his eyes, being as infuriating as possible.
Living comfortably off my money day after day, this is really too much!
Even while chewing my bread, I didn’t forget to glare at him. I took out another piece and shoved it right up in front of his nose.
“Here. You probably haven’t eaten.”
Feyden cracked open just one eye and looked toward the door.
“It’s coming.”
“What’s coming?”
I sharply turned my body in the direction he was looking, but beyond the large glass window, all I could see was an ordinary street.
“What are you talking about? There’s nothing…”
“You still think I’m sleeping?”
Just as I was about to say there was nothing there, a familiar silhouette appeared at the edge of my vision, approaching in a group.
Was it just my imagination, or did Feyden’s shoulders shoot up as if they could reach the sky.
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