“Sister Luna, come look! The Saintess’s new clothes are so beautiful, and look at this Secret Sister!”
A diligent woman carrying a vegetable basket walked over from the street.
This was Miss Luna, the owner and baker of the bread shop, an excellent baker.
The Imperial Capital was the nominal capital of the Empire, but far from the Imperial Palace, the vast area was subtly divided into various districts based on the residents.
The small villa where Idledra and Hailey lived was in a regular residential area where commoners resided.
Idledra said she liked the atmosphere of life here.
“Here, Saintess, some freshly baked bread. And for you too, Miss Secret, you have a share as well.”
Luna smiled and patted her little sister, handing the warm bread to Edhailey, then carefully handing another piece to the girl in the wheelchair.
The girl was lost in thought for a moment, appearing somewhat hesitant.
Only then did Luna notice her covered eyes.
Feeling very apologetic, she personally placed the bread gently into her hands.
“I’m so sorry, Miss. I didn’t notice your eyes…”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you. I can already smell the fragrance of the wheat.”
Hailey, who was standing by, took the bread for her and was about to push the wheelchair away.
Idledra let out a soft cough, but Hailey, not understanding the hint, didn’t react at all.
‘Saintess, you’re supposed to say thank you at a time like this…’
There was no helping it; Hailey was just a bit dim-witted… If the Saintess even forgot to say thank you, oh my, she really was a cute, well-behaved child.
“Ah… Thank you, Miss Luna!”
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing! It’s our honor that the Saintess likes our bread!”
Realizing she had been rude, Hailey was clearly a bit flustered.
Luna seemed to notice her embarrassment as well, so she waved her hand dismissively and led the children away to play.
As they strolled down the street pushing the wheelchair, Hailey was still bothered by what had happened.
She had forgotten even the most basic politeness; it was too shameful…
Actually, it wasn’t that she was impolite.
After all, it was her first time receiving a gift.
Rather than saying she forgot to give thanks, it was more like she was so excited for a moment that she didn’t know how to.
She had already “forcefully” agreed to maintain the image of the Saintess, and now her clumsy appearance had been seen by the nearby residents.
Should she just kill them all…
‘Hailey, don’t think about bad things.’
Since the puppet was born with the Saintess’s magic as a link, Idledra could vaguely feel Hailey’s inner fluctuations.
Of course, it wasn’t quite at the level of mind reading.
Seeing her scheme seen through, Hailey pouted unhappily.
She had just said it casually; how did this bad woman know everything…
Noticing that Hailey was still a bit concerned, Idledra smiled and took one of the hands holding the wheelchair, carefully scratching and tickling her palm.
The itching sensation in her palm made Hailey unable to hold back a laugh.
Looking down, she saw Idledra’s meaningful smile.
“The Saintess must be gentle and kind, and of course, full of smiles for everyone. Hailey is already doing great on that point… I really like Hailey’s smile.”
‘Although at night, I prefer to see Hailey’s weeping face…’
“…”
They continued to stroll leisurely down the street.
The local residents were very respectful of the Saintess’s presence, so they were incredibly enthusiastic toward them.
Because Hailey’s hands were busy pushing the wheelchair, Idledra’s hands were tightly clutching the gifts the residents had given the Saintess.
Her lap was completely full.
“Our Saintess is really popular. Look, my hands are so full I can barely hold anything else.”
“That’s only because a certain someone is the Saintess… If you’re tired, just say so and I’ll take them.”
‘What a hassle. I finally managed to get a vacation, yet I’m being ordered around by her again…Though, going out with her isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If I wear out all her energy, maybe she’ll settle down a bit tonight?’
As the two were walking, they suddenly heard an impatient, rebuking voice from not far away.
A man dressed as a non-commissioned officer was standing there with a fierce expression.
“Hey, isn’t it time to hand over this month’s taxes? The fact that a small bakery like yours could stay open in the Imperial Capital for so long is all thanks to the support of us gentlemen, isn’t it?”
The person blocked at the street corner by the man was Miss Luna, who had just given them bread.
She was still holding her basket of bread, looking at the man with a troubled face.
“Sir, I remember we already turned in the shop taxes required by the Imperial Capital on time… Could you have misremembered? If you need bread, I have —”
“Who gives a damn about bread? What I want is money, shiny coins! If you don’t have any, then wait for your shop to close. You bunch of low-class people, pah…”
The man disdainfully knocked over the bread basket in Luna’s hand and spat.
He seemed like he wanted to get physical, but considering they were still in a residential area, he just left in dissatisfaction.
After the man left, Luna carefully wiped the bread that had fallen on the ground and put them back into the basket one by one.
This was her dinner for today.
“Who on earth is that guy? He’s so awful…”
Luna looked up to see two pairs of small hands helping her clean up. Idledra sat obediently in her wheelchair, holding the bread basket, while Hailey picked them up one by one.
“He’s a thug roaming the Imperial Capital. To put it nicely, they’re called Black Zone Thugs. It’s because they have some people backing them that they can be so unscrupulous…”
Idledra listened quietly to Hailey’s grumbling.
While she reached out to cover a certain someone’s mouth to prevent her from saying anything too crude, she explained the identity of these people.
“There’s nothing we can do. The Security Force has been here a few times, but they’re like sticky plasters. All the nearby shops have been harassed by them, asking for some Protection Fee…”
Luna felt somewhat helpless.
Originally, paying the high rent and taxes in the Imperial Capital already took up nearly half of the shop’s income, and now they were being extorted by these guys.
“These guys are really —”
“They really are despicable, shameless, cowardly, and low-life scoundrels!!”
Hailey, overflowing with a sense of justice, was fuming at the sight.
She was about to speak out of habit when someone beat her to it. Idledra had actually said those words…
‘No, wait… Did the Saintess just say something bad? Although that’s exactly what I wanted to say too…’
‘Sister, didn’t you say the Saintess has to maintain her purity and innocence and isn’t allowed to say such things? How do you sound even more fluent than me?’
Feeling the incredulous, doubtful gaze, Idledra smiled without a word.
‘After all, I’m not the Saintess right now, so of course I can say whatever I want.’
‘As for our “Saintess,” she needs to be a good girl. Those unclean words, those unclean people… Dealing with them is enough for me.’