Chapter 24 Interlude：the Ice Beauty Of The Bakery (1️⃣)
"There's this really beautiful girl working at that bakery over there, and they call her the 'Ice Beauty of the Bakery'."
A regular customer at the shoe shop started talking with a knowing look while shoemaker apprentice Turney Brandy wiped the dust off an old shoe without even looking up.
The regular pushed out his lower lip.
"You don't believe that, do ya?"
"Well, yeah. It's just a bakery on the corner of this town, right? Even if she's pretty, how much can you expect?"
"Nah, man, if you saw that girl at the bakery, you might change your mind. I'd bet the highest bottle at the corner liquor store on it."
"The highest bottle? Are you outta your mind? That's like half my paycheck!"
"Yeah, but you know, that wheat guy Zack and that cold-hearted Billy from the liquor store are both head over heels for her."
"That clueless Zack and the ice-cold Billy?"
"Yep! You're curious now, aren't ya?"
After hearing all this, Turney started to get a bit interested in the "Ice Beauty of the Bakery" the regular was talking about.
Rumor has it that she never smiles.
Some say she might be a noble's daughter, but the truth is still a mystery.
The regular poked Turney in the side, as if to say they were almost there.
"Hey, it's almost time to get hungry, right? Let's just go check it out."
"Uh..."
"Come on, no guy wants to go to a bakery alone. Get up, let's go!"
So, with all that, shoemaker apprentice Turney was kind of forced to head to the corner bakery with the regular.
(Well, even if they say she's really beautiful, she's probably just okay... I shouldn't get my hopes up too high.)
Rumors are usually exaggerated, anyway.
That's why Turney thought it was best to take them with a grain of salt.
No matter what, the bakery where the ice beauty works isn't too far from the shoe store where Turney works, and it's within walking distance.
It's a small, old stone building.
He remembers it being a bakery for a long time, but thanks to the ice beauty, it was way busier than he expected, even from a distance.
Plus, the customers seemed a bit odd.
(Wow, all the guys coming outta the bakery are young! Guess they're all caught up in the rumors...)
He really wanted to turn around and head back to the workshop right then, but with a regular customer next to him, that didn't seem possible.
Led by the regular, Turney stepped through the bakery door.
The doorbell chimed.
The bakery was filled with a delicious smell.
In front of him, a line of tasty-looking bread was displayed.
(Anyway, I'll just grab some bread and head back to the workshop quickly──.)
Just as he thought that, Turney suddenly froze.
What caught his eye was a beautiful girl sitting right outside the shop.
She had shiny milk tea-colored hair tied up in a neat ponytail, and her sparkling eyes looked like they melted the night sky.
(Is, is this the rumored beauty?!)
Turney found himself staring at the beautiful girl without meaning to.
She had smooth, translucent skin, a nose that wasn't too high or too low, and perfectly shaped light pink lips.
Her eyes, which gave a slightly intense impression, held an extraordinary nobility.
All her features were perfectly balanced in her small oval face.
Turney had never seen anyone so beautiful.
"P──..."
(She's so pretty...)
He almost let those words slip out, but he quickly covered his mouth with both hands.
The ice beauty looked at Turney with a puzzled expression as he suddenly acted suspiciously.
Their eyes met perfectly.
In that moment, a shock ran through Turney's whole body like lightning.
The embarrassment of being seen acting weird was far overshadowed by the joy of being looked at by the ice beauty, even for just a moment.
He wanted to be gazed at by those cold eyes forever.
No, he even found himself wishing to be scolded while being stared at by those cold eyes.
It was just a moment, but that was enough for Turney to fall in love with the ice-cold beauty at the bakery.
After that, he couldn't remember how he got home.
He didn't recall what he talked about with the regular guy before parting ways, or even how he did at work that afternoon.
He had a vague feeling that the boss might've scolded him.
Anyway, when he finally snapped back to reality, he found himself sprawled on his bed surrounded by a mountain of bread.
If he closed his eyes in that dreamy state, the profile of that cold-eyed bakery beauty would come back to him behind his eyelids.
"Man, I really wanna see that beauty again..."
Turney let out a sweet yet troubled sigh.
From then on, his mind was completely filled with thoughts of the ice-cold beauty at the bakery.
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