"My bread is too hard!"
In a small bakery called 'Wheat Tail' in the royal capital, former Sixth Princess Pavoria Reine is walking a new path in life. But her peaceful bakery is suddenly overrun by a cast of eccentrics. There's a wizard from the next town trying to save on food expenses, a former hero who can't read the menu despite legendary swordsmanship, and the castle's head maid who somehow gets mistaken for a customer. Every time someone asks Reine for softer bread, her kneading hands get
Pavoria Reine's Tomorrow: Which Way? - A declaration of war against my former master: I will see you ruined.
The afternoon sun stretched long shadows across Craftsman Street in Forna's eastern district.
Inside "Wheat Tail," the scent of flour and freshly baked bread drifted softly through the air. Reine, dressed in a white blouse, a brown skirt, and an apron tied in a neat bow, was arranging the bread in the display case.
Her waist-length golden curls were, as always today, roughly braided to the side by her own hand. A little frayed, but she had no time to worry about that.
*Clink-clank.*
The doorbell chimed.
"[gentle]Welcome."
Reine looked up—and froze.
The man who entered had long silver-gray hair tied back. His narrow blue eyes slowly surveyed the shop. An old burn scar marked his left wrist. A thermometer peeked from his chest pocket. And—his white, high-quality attire was utterly out of place in this tiny bakery.
"…Sein."
A hoarse whisper escaped Reine's lips.
Sein said nothing, walking up to the display case. His long fingers traced the glass, then finally picked up one of the hard loaves.
"[cold]Still making bread that's tough as ever, I see."
His voice was loud. The other customers all turned at once.
Sein took a bite of the bread and let out an exaggerated sigh. Then, with a cold smile, he stood directly in front of Reine. His gaze was far higher than hers.
"[cold]My shop, Panifique—will crush yours."
The bread tray nearly slipped from Reine's hands.
Her fingers trembled. No voice came out. Her blue eyes, wide open, stared at Sein's face.
"What's with that guy?!"
Marco the plasterer stood up. Still in his work clothes stained with sweat and cement, he clenched his fists.
"Panifique—isn't that the shop in Tolm?"
"Yeah, the one rumored to sell fluffy bread for two copper coins."
The shop buzzed with murmurs.
Sein didn't spare the customers a single glance. He turned on his heel, white clothes swirling, and walked out. The doorbell chimed just once more.
The air he left behind was heavy as lead.
With trembling hands, Reine set the bread tray on the counter. Her fingertips were cold. Her heart pounded.
(*Master… Sein is going to… my shop…*)
"[angry]Don't let it get to you, lass!"
Marco's booming voice pulled Reine back to reality.
"We love your bread! Right, everyone?!"
"[gentle]Yeah, that's right!"
"Fluffy stuff just leaves you hungry again in no time."
The customers called out words of encouragement one after another. But to Reine's ears, they sounded like distant noise.
"[shy]I-I'm so sorry… for the disturbance."
Reine desperately put on a smile. A dimple appeared only on her left cheek.
"Today's bread… will be one copper coin."
She bowed her head. Her golden hair slipped from her shoulder.
The customers bought bread hesitantly, then left one by one. Marco, the last to remain, gave Reine a pat on the shoulder.
"I'll be back tomorrow."
With just those words, Marco left too.
*Clink-clank.*
In the now-silent shop, Reine couldn't move.
A while later, Reine sat before the stone oven in the workshop.
The embers flickered orange. Her flour-dusted hands clenched tightly on her lap, Reine stared blankly at the fire.
What surfaced in her mind was the castle kitchen from two years ago.
*—Bread is about trusting the dough.*
Sein's voice from that day echoed deep in her ears.
*—If you use too much force, it becomes tough.*
His large hands had enveloped Reine's small ones, teaching her how to knead. Gentle hands. Warm hands.
Sein had been the head chef of the royal palace. Whenever the topic turned to bread, his eyes would light up, and he'd teach her all sorts of things in a rapid stream.
Fermentation temperatures. How to choose flour. The heat of the oven.
To Reine, every moment had been a treasure.
But—
Reine squeezed her eyes shut.
That day. The day Sein was banished from the castle.
The official reason was disrespect. But the truth was different. The judgment Reine had made as a princess had shattered Sein's life.
Even now, Reine remembered clearly the sadness and anger that had surfaced in Sein's blue eyes.
"[sad]I… made Master become like that."
Her voice trembled.
Heat gathered behind her eyes. But the tears wouldn't come.
*Knock, knock.*
The back door sounded.
Reine looked up and wiped her eyes with her apron.
When she opened the door, Petro from the hardware store next door was standing there. The 55-year-old shopkeeper, quiet and always wearing a stern expression.
"…Here."
Petro held out a small hammer.
Reine blinked for a moment, then remembered. It was the same kind of hammer Petro had given her before. A joke-like gift for breaking her hard bread.
"[surprised]Petro…"
As Reine took it, Petro nodded without a word.
"[gentle]I-I'm fine. Thank you."
Reine forced a smile. But when she smiled, the dimple on her left cheek appeared no matter what.
Petro silently set the hammer down, then turned on his heel.
"That man will come again."
Leaving only those words behind, Petro returned to his hardware store.
Alone in the workshop again.
Reine stared at the hammer in her hands. The cold, hard feel of iron.
"…Come again."
She repeated Petro's words in a small voice.
The next morning.
It was an hour when the cold dawn air still lingered in the streets.
"Big news! Big news!"
The one who burst in was a traveling merchant who had raced down Mule Road since early morning. Out of breath, his dust-covered cloak fluttering.
"Look at this! Bread from Panifique!"
The bread the merchant pulled from his bag was—fluffy.
Soft enough to tear apart by hand, its fine-textured dough still steaming. White, almost like a cloud.
"Amazing!"
"I've never seen bread like this!"
"And it's only two copper coins!"
The regulars who had gathered erupted in excitement.
Reine watched the scene from behind the counter.
The merchant tore the bread into pieces and handed them out. The customers who received it put it in their mouths and let out cries of surprise.
"Delicious!"
"It's like it's melting…"
Reine slowly approached and spoke to the merchant.
"[gentle]May I… have some as well?"
The merchant cheerfully offered her a piece.
Reine took the bread and ate a bite.
—*So soft.*
It was a shock.
It crumbled delicately in her mouth, the sweetness of wheat spreading gently. Hard or not—this was on a completely different level. This was—a different food entirely.
(*Master's… crystallization of skill.*)
Reine felt a chill deep in her chest.
(*Can my bread even compete with this?*)
She pictured her own bread in her hands. Hard, chewy, but full of flavor—the bread she had believed in and baked all this time.
"You tried it too, Reine! It's amazing, right?!"
"[shy]Y-yes… it's amazing."
Reine answered with a smile. The dimple on her left cheek appeared.
But inside, her heart was in turmoil.
While the customers were making a fuss, Reine quietly retreated to the workshop.
Beside the stone oven, she gazed at her own bread in its basket.
Hard bread.
The same bread as always.
No matter how hard she tried, bread that just wouldn't become fluffy.
Reine gripped one loaf tightly in both hands.
The wheat-colored surface dented under her fingers. Even so, the bread didn't give.
"[sad]What should I… do?"
Her voice trembled.
Heat gathered behind her eyes, and this time, a single tear spilled over.
Her enemy was the master she herself had once banished.
He had the capital, the skill, and the support of the customers.
Everything was on his side.
Reine clutched the hard bread to her chest and crouched down right there.
The embers in the stone oven crackled quietly.
The scent of flour, and the faint smell of slightly burnt bread.
And—only Reine's small sobs echoed through the quiet workshop.
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