Chapter 218

In a new place, a new life, Lila would like to make a living. It would not be long until her resources run out.

Should I run a dessert shop if I settle here?

This shop already seemed pretty popular. If there were two dessert shops in this small town, one was bound to close down. Would looking for somewhere a little further be a better option?

Lila’s head was spinning.

But her worry about a start-up disappeared the moment Lila saw more of the lovely dessert. The desserts she made were fancier looking, but these ones had better bases.

“You can pick out whatever you want. How about trying each one? You must be hungry.”

“So good.”

They hadn’t had a chance to eat, since they’d left at dawn.

“Aren’t you hungry, Hizette?”

“I’m used to it,” he replied.

He’d gone days without food in the past, so half a day was nothing in comparison. But Lila’s stomach felt like it was the brink of collapse.

There were more desserts than one person could eat alone. The cookie alone was already more than what Lila was used to eating. “There’s so much variety. The owner here must be quite skilled.”

She glanced at the counter. There was a lot of variety for a one-person shop. The owner, whoever they were, had to be young and talented. Lila grabbed a handful of cookies, some chocolate and jelly. The owner flashed them a nice smile.

“Would you like to try some, Hizette?”

“I’m good—”

He faltered in mid-speech, “I’ll have one,” he said with a sigh.

-130-

He’s eating it?

Lila had assumed Hizette would simply reject it. Of course, it tasted better when split than when eaten all by herself, but there was no point if she forced it on him.

He didn’t have to. Still, it was his choice. There was no reason to deny him. Lila gave a nod.

“I take it no one in this family really likes sweets.”

“Pardon?”

“Lacias. He hates sweets, right?”

“He seemed to like sweets when he was around you.”

Lila chuckled. “He doesn’t hide it very well.”

Of course Hir liked sweets like she did. It felt great, seeing that there was some similarity between him and her.

“Are you done picking?”

“Mhm. This should be enough.”

Lila emptied the dessert shop up to how much she would eat it.

“If you’re done picking, why don’t we head over to the interior shop? We spent too much time here.”

“We did? I had no idea. I guess I was too busy picking dessert.”

Although she wished she could spend more time here, Lila stopped, hugged the dessert to herself, and left.

“Do come again!” the dessert shop owner called after them.

Lila flashed her a smile and a nod. The interior shop wasn’t very far away. They walked over with a bagful of dessert. “Wow,” Lila said, her eyes widening as they stepped inside.

“What an amazing atmosphere,” Hizette added.

“It’s not the sort of thing you’d see at the Ahibalt Empire.”

“You’re right about that.” He nodded. “It’s really pretty.”

The Ahibalt Empire’s weather was always good, so there was never summer or winter. But the Nixon Kingdom was quite different. It was already the start of winter here. The interior shop had many items on display for winter preparation.

“A fireplace?” Lila chirped a little. “It’s so great. Hizette, have you seen this before?”

“I have,” he replied, “but I don’t remember using one before, since we don’t really need it at the Duke’s place.”

“Well, it’s certainly on my wish list,” Lila said, flashing back to her past. Her younger self had desperately craved the warmth and comfort of a family. Fireplaces in movies had always given her that warm feeling. For Lila, a fireplace was like a midsummer night’s dream.

As Lila continued to gaze at the fireplace, Hizette ordered one.

“Hm?” She looked at him in surprise. “What are you doing, Hizette?”

“Winter will soon begin in the Nixon Kingdom—it’ll be too cold without a fireplace. Your body hasn’t adjusted to the weather, so we have to take care of insulation. Make sure to purchase lots of winter coats.”

Lila couldn’t argue with that. If she had to face the cold, she might fall ill.

“You’re right,” she said, smiling softly at him. “Thank you for being considerate.”

Hizette turned quickly, his ears reddening. “You’re…you’re welcome.”

After purchasing the fireplace, they each began looking for items separately. Hizette chose to respect Lila’s taste, since it was her house to decorate. He didn’t care much for these cutesy items, but they seemed to be all Lila had eyes for. Soon, he decided to go over to her.

“Ah, Hizette,” she said. “I was just looking for you.”

“What is it? Is something making you uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that.” She held up a pair of candlesticks. “What do you think?”

Hizette frowned. “What do I think?”

“Mhm. They’re different colors. One is gold and bronze, and it’s elegant. The other is dark silver, which feels a bit chill. Which do you think looks prettier?”

He scratched his head. “They look similar to me…”

“To match it with the fireplace as main interior, vintage gold feels a bit warmer, but the stylish dark silver also feels like it would match well.” Her brows furrowed. “It feels boring to match too many colors. Dark silver is easier to maintain. I doubt I’d get sick of it—but what do you think?’

“I…” Hizette wasn’t sure what to say. She was speaking too quickly for him to catch up.

Lila didn’t seem to notice him and continued talking.

“Even so,” she said, “would gold be more elegant and fitting than silver? If I light a fire in the fireplace, the house will have a warm, yellow color. That would go well with the gold candlestick, don’t you think?”

“Er…yes, I think so.”

“So you’re choosing gold?”

“Yes, that’s right.”