Chapter 1: 1

0. Prologue

April skillfully placed coffee beans in the paper filter and poured hot water over them.

The finely ground beans swelled like bread, spreading the fragrant aroma of coffee. April closed her eyes and breathed in the pleasant scent. This moment was her favorite part. 

She steamed the coffee and waited for the gas inside to dissipate. When the swollen coffee beans sank slightly, she poured water little by little.

As she poured water in a circular motion, the dark brown liquid slowly dripped under the dripper.

She concentrated on her task when she felt an intense gaze on her. April raised her head and looked the protagonist in the eyes. 

Claude Winterville.

The current Duke of Winterville, whom even the emperor feared, was lazily lounging on the sofa. 

His intense gaze scared her rather than excited her. 

‘What’s up with him today?’

He was like a predator waiting for his prey. His silent gaze was similar to a beast just about to attack.

And, of course, the prey was April.

She couldn’t let herself get distracted by him and neglect the coffee she was preparing. She poured the first cup of coffee and another again. 

It was a way to reduce its acidic and bitter taste that Claude disliked so much.

After a moment, April fixed Claude a perfectly brewed coffee and put the cup in front of him. 

“Here you go.”

But Claude didn’t even touch the cup. Instead, he looked up at April with his intense purple gaze burning through her.

He looked at her with questions in his eyes. It felt like she had to answer him and make a confession even when she hadn’t done anything. 

April swallowed with her dry mouth and stepped back slightly to distance herself from him. 

“Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t tell me you’re still planning on kicking me out?”

“….”

“Why did you show up here so suddenly? If you told me beforehand…”

“Your ex-fiance came to the cafe today.”

“Are you talking about Xenon Olsen?”

“Yes.”

Xenon Olsen was April’s fiance, who called off their marriage four months ago.

‘But why is he suddenly talking about Xenon Olsen?’

April frowned slightly. She didn’t understand Claude’s intentions.

“Why are you mentioning him to me?”

“Do you still have feelings for him?

“What?”

April took a deep breath. What was he talking about? She had no feelings left for her former fiance.

She was far from having regrets over the end of their relationship. In fact, she felt relieved breaking off her engagement with him. If she had ended up with Xenon Olsen, her future would have been a complete disaster.

“I don’t feel anything for him. I don’t even want to see his face.”

“Funny you say that when you even served him coffee affectionately.”

“That’s it!”

April cried out in frustration.

“He was just a customer!”

Xenon came to the cafe to order coffee, so she served him one. There was nothing romantic in their interaction at all. 

Affectionately? She imagined giving him coffee, drinking it herself, and telling him not to come again.

Claude still looked dissatisfied despite her answer.

“You even smiled at him.”

“Don’t you know that a fake smile exists? I don’t like him either.”

“If you really didn’t like him, you should’ve kicked him out.”

“Why would I kick out a customer based on my personal feelings? If a rumor breaks out, my cafe is over. Why did I open one only to make a fuss?”

“Well, that’s a relief then.”

‘What the hell are you relieved about?’ April was pondering over Claude’s words when he slowly got up from the armrest of the soda.

April saw Claude walking toward her, so she stepped back to avoid him, but he grabbed her arm.

Claude hugged her waist with his other arm and closed the distance between them until they were face to face. 

April held her breath as she felt Claude’s warm breath fanning her face.

He raised one corner of his mouth crookedly.

“Since you gave coffee to that bastard, you’ll also give me coffee no matter what I do, right?”

‘…What?’

“Or do you still like him?”

Claude smiled, but his eyes didn’t look happy.

‘How the hell did it come to this? I just wanted to live quietly making coffee that people would love!’

April recalled the past with the urge to cry.

‘So, to explain all of this, let’s go back to three months ago.’

1. I Picked Up the Male Lead’s Nephew

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April yawned profusely inside an empty cafe.

“Not even a single customer is coming today.’

It didn’t make sense to open a cafe in a rural area in the first place.

In fact, when the construction of the interior was still ongoing, the locals laughed at her, saying she wouldn’t be able to sell anything.

Some people said the young lady from the capital was just being flashy. Coffee and desserts were only meant for aristocrats.

Of course, April didn’t want to open a cafe in this area in the first place.

There was only one reason why she opened a cafe in a rural village when there didn’t seem to be prospective customers.

‘This is the only place that could fit my budget.’

Prices in the capital were too expensive. While April was looking for a place that could fit her budget but was still close to the capital, she discovered this village in the Seren Territory.

Well, it was embarrassing to say that this place was close to the capital since it was a two-day carriage ride away. 

But April wasn’t disappointed. She didn’t care if it was close to the capital or not.

The important thing was that she had her own cafe.

It had been a month since she opened her shop, and the number of customers who came could still be counted on one hand.

‘But I still have my own shop.’

She was glad that she achieved the dream she couldn’t get in her previous life.

Before her reincarnation, she was so poor she couldn’t even afford to open a shop in a quiet neighborhood.

She still had extra funds left, so she didn’t have to worry about money for the time being.

If only the villagers would realize that coffee and desserts weren’t just for the upper-class, wouldn’t customers visit her cafe one by one?

April was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly felt a piercing gaze next to her.

“Huh?”

A boy was standing over the window. His silver hair stood out even in this place where colorful hair existed, and his gold eyes looked unique than anything else she had seen before.

The child looked only about five years old, and he was staring at the dessert model in the display case with his dainty hands on the glass wall.

Even though it was only a dessert model, the child’s mouth watered, and he chewed his little lip and swallowed loudly. 

April took a closer look at the child’s appearance.

His face was dirty, like it hadn’t been washed properly.

His shirts and pants were old, and the hem of his sleeves and trousers were short like they were secondhand clothes. His exposed wrists and ankles looked pitifully thin.

‘He must be hungry.’

April stood up from her seat, unable to turn a blind eye to the child. There were no customers anyway, so the least she could do was give the leftover stock to him.

“Come in.”

April stuck her head out of the door and gestured for the child to go inside, but he stepped back with a wary look. It was different from his expression earlier while looking at the dessert model, where his eyes were sparkling. 

“But I have no money.”

“What?”

“They said you have to have money to eat, but I don’t have any.”

He was smart. April gently pulled the child’s hand and led him inside the cafe.

“That’s right. You need money to eat, but it’s free today.”

“Why?”

“That’s because you’re my first customer today! Besides, I’m hungry, but I have no one to eat with, so would you like to come and eat with me?”

April smiled brightly as much as she could, but the child looked at her blankly as if she were possessed, then he opened his mouth.

“Is that really okay?”

The child looked as if trying to hide his smile, but he couldn’t hide his bulging cheeks. His face was dirty, but it held a lovely smile.

“Of course!”

April’s cheerful reply convinced the child, so she hastily made brunch.

She made buttered toast, a thick omelette that gave off a savory scent when you cut it in half with a knife, and stir-fried sausages and mushrooms that burst with juiciness when you take a bite.

It was a meal prepared using five major nutrients.

The drink she made for herself was an Americano served with coffee beans roasted for two weeks while she prepared milk with honey for the little customer.

As soon as April served the dishes, the child devoured the omelette in a hurry. She calmed him down by spreading strawberry jam on the bread.

“You’ll get indigestion if you eat like that, so take your time and chew your food properly.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

April gave the warm cup of milk to the child, who drank it slowly.

The child’s gold eyes widened.

“It’s delicious!”

“Really?”

“Yes! It’s like a sweet cloud melted in milk!”

“Oh, you’re so cute. Thank you for enjoying the meal.”

April sat across from the child with her chin on her hands and smiled.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Asher.”

“Asher, that’s a pretty name.”

She didn’t know at that time yet just how much the child named Asher would shake up her already tumultuous life.

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