Theo was astonished by Sophia and the others’ sudden appearance and was speechless.
The four young ladies, including Sophia, arrived in frilly dresses, claiming they were going to work as maids for the day.
Theo guessed that their unusual behavior was probably due to investigating Gasur, but even so, it seemed far too reckless.
“…Sophia, you’re a duchess now, aren’t you? Are you sure you’re allowed to do this?”
It was questionable that her father gave her permission. Sophia smiled with a troubled expression, but the woman next to her, Alina, responded proudly.
“It’s part of community service.”
“I see…”
That’s all there was to say.
He didn’t quite understand what the noble young ladies were thinking, but it seemed they really wanted to work for a day, and since their father had given permission, Theo had no right to object.
Sophia was wearing a wig and glasses to disguise herself, but anyone who knew her well would easily recognize her as Sophia. With no other choice, Theo quietly explained the situation to the regulars who he thought might know Sophia, telling them not to speculate unnecessarily. He also mentioned that when calling for Sophia, they should refer to her as “Rize,” after her mother, Rizete.
“Rize! Two beers here!”
“Rize! We’d like some stir-fried pig eggs here!”
“Rize! Can I have something that goes well with it?”
Since the opening, Rize (Sophia) had become incredibly popular.
Many who knew Sophia were worried about her sudden absence, and they were likely happy to see her back in good spirits. There were a few odd ones attempting to pry into her relationship with Theo, causing him to become flustered.
Even those who didn’t know Sophia were drooling and fawning over her, which was annoying.
“Hey Sophia, you should go back inside. It’s almost time for Gassur to arrive.”
Theo whispered in her ear, and Alina nodded.
“That’s right. Just to be safe, you should stay back. We’ll take care of the rest, so go and rest.”
“Is that so? Then call me if anything happens, okay?”
Sophia followed Theo to a small room at the back of the shop. Theo brought her some fruit juice, bread and soup (likely meant for the staff), along with a stir-fry of meat and vegetables.
“Sorry about this.”
“No! I miss uncle’s cooking.”
Even though Sophia must be eating fine food every day at the duke’s residence, she happily took a bite of the meal. Looking at her like this, she seemed no different from the Sophia he remembered from when they lived in this area.
Sophia quickly finished her meal, drinking her tea with a satisfied expression.
“But I’m sorry for the suddenness.”
“Well, I said I’d look into it too, but I haven’t had much to report back…”
“That’s not fair… I’m more sorry for dragging you into this.”
“Come on, don’t be so formal. We’re childhood friends, right?”
“Hehe, thanks.”
Sophia giggled, and Theo felt a jolt, quickly averting his gaze.
While Sophia hadn’t changed much, there were parts of her that had. Even her laugh was different; it felt more adult… unlike the times when they would laugh loudly together as children.
Sophia finished her tea and exhaled softly.
“Hey, I feel a bit awkward not doing anything to thank you for everything you’ve done. Is there anything I can do? Although I don’t really have any pocket money, so if it’s something too expensive, it might be difficult…”
“You don’t have any pocket money? Even though you’re a Duchess?”
“Ah, yeah. Well, you see, I don’t shop much, so I don’t really need it.”
“Hmmm…”
Theo was not sure if he was convinced, but after thinking for a moment, he said quietly.
“So, cookies. I want yours, not your chef’s.”
“My cookies?”
“You used to bake them a lot, didn’t you?”
“Ah, yeah. If that’s all it takes, I can make as many as you want… But you know, the head chef’s are much better, right?”
“That’s fine. I want yours.”
“Really? Well, I’ll bake some next time, so come and eat.”
Sophia laughed again and stood up to clear the empty dishes. At that moment…
A loud crash came from outside, and Sophia and Theo looked up.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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