Lorevil and Mahina walked into the cafe.
“Strange, is Madame Audrey not here? Hello, we’re here for the interview. We stopped by earlier this morning.”
Lorevil frowned and turned to ask a nearby waitress. Madame Audrey was not at the front desk where they had met that morning.
“The madam is in her second-floor office handling the books. Please wait a moment. Shall I go inform her?” the waitress responded politely.
She recognized the beautiful young girl who had spoken with the shop owner that morning and even guessed that Lorevil was a Vampire noble.
“No need to trouble yourself. We’ll just head up and find her. Come on, Mahina, let’s go upstairs together,” Lorevil said, waving her hand.
“Okay,” Mahina replied in a small voice.
Soft carpets lined the second floor of the cafe. Lorevil soon found the door with a wooden “Office” sign hanging on it.
“Madame Audrey, it’s Lorevil. I’ve brought my friend for the interview,” Lorevil said, raising her hand to knock on the door.
“Come in,” a gentle, mature woman’s voice called out from inside.
Inside the office, a wooden desk sat by the window, piled high with ledgers and documents. Madame Audrey was seated behind the desk, holding a quill as if writing something. As soon as she saw them enter, she immediately set the pen down.
She was likely processing the cafe’s accounts.
‘Truly a capable woman,’ Lorevil thought, feeling a sense of admiration.
“This is Miss Mahina, who is here to interview for the job.”
“Hello, Madame Audrey.”
“Hello, you lovely young girl.”
Madame Audrey’s gaze landed on Mahina. Just as Lorevil had described, Mahina’s delicate and pure face was indeed attractive. Her clean aura gave the older woman a good first impression. If her personality was suitable, Madame Audrey would certainly have no complaints.
“Sit, sit. No need to be formal.”
Madame Audrey pointed to the two chairs in front of the desk and turned to pour a cup of warm water for Mahina.
“Drink some water and relax. We’re just going to have a casual chat.”
Mahina held the cup with both hands and took small sips.
“Mahina, I’m going to ask you a few simple questions. Where did you work before?”
“I did manual labor in a workshop. I worked there for over two years, mostly doing mending and hand-weaving,” Mahina answered truthfully, blinking her eyes.
“Mm, manual labor builds character. I’m sure you must be very patient.” Madame Audrey nodded and asked another question. “My guests here include both Vampires and Humans from all sorts of backgrounds. Sometimes you might encounter picky customers or even those with prejudices against your status as a Human. Can you remain poised and serve them well?”
“Whether they are Vampire or Human, they are all customers who come to the shop. I will do my best to fulfill their reasonable requests,” Mahina replied after a brief moment of consideration.
“Then you can start working tomorrow. Let’s sign an employment contract now. Your wages will start tomorrow. The monthly salary is about 3,000 Blood Crystal Coins, and there will be monthly bonuses. How does that sound?”
Madame Audrey smiled with satisfaction and pulled out a prepared employment contract from the side. The job itself didn’t require highly specialized skills, and since Mahina would only occasionally need to make coffee, she was more than capable. Combined with a recommendation from an acquaintance, she was hired as soon as she met the basic requirements.
“I—I can do that,” Mahina said excitedly.
—
Half an hour later.
“The coffee really is delicious. It’s even better with milk.”
Lorevil led the still-excited Mahina out of the cafe after tasting the older woman’s handiwork.
The “Rose Milk Coffee Blood Brew” was a modified version of Orleans coffee. If she came back next time, she would have Madame Audrey make something else; the taste was far superior to that of instant coffee powder.
The mature woman truly possessed many skills.
Sunlight spilled over Mahina, casting a dreamlike halo over her delicate features. Her mood was exceptionally good. Not long ago, she had been incredibly depressed, even doubting her life path. But after getting a new job and trying her hand at brewing coffee, she felt like she was walking on air. It felt like a dream.
It was almost surreal.
“Lorevil?”
“What is it?” Lorevil stopped and looked at her.
“Um… I want to tell you something, but I can’t let anyone else hear it,” the girl said shyly, her fingers twisting together as she bit her pink lip.
Puzzled, Lorevil lowered her head and leaned her ear toward her.
A warm, damp sensation followed as Mahina’s trembling lips touched Lorevil’s cheek, though only for a fleeting moment.
‘It was a kiss…’
“Mahina.” Lorevil’s eyes widened. She felt a surge of warmth in her chest, and her heart rate suddenly accelerated.
“This is a reward just for Lorevil,” Mahina said, her face flushing red.
Lorevil looked back at Mahina, who stood beside her with her head bowed in shyness.
“Let’s head back,” Lorevil said with a smile.
Since she had taken a leave of absence from Holy Blood Academy, Lorevil was quite relaxed. she led the bashful Mahina into the carriage. Mahina slowly shuffled closer on the seat until she was pressed tightly against Lorevil’s side.
Lorevil hadn’t noticed before, but many of the edges of Mahina’s clothes—like the collar and sleeves—had become frayed and worn white. Thinking of Mahina’s financial situation, a pang of pity rose in her heart.
If Mahina was going to start work tomorrow, she couldn’t do it without at least one decent outfit. Madame Audrey had likely noticed the state of her clothes during the interview as well. Lorevil pulled out a communication blood crystal and sent a message to Madam Sharon.
[I’m going to buy some clothes with a friend. Do you have any recommendations?]
[Is the interview over? I own a few small shops myself right near Audrey’s cafe. The closest one is Twilight Clothing Store. They have all the latest Human styles.]
[I see. I’ll take her there then. Thank you, Madam.]
After sending the message, Lorevil spotted the Twilight Clothing Store owned by Madam Sharon; it was the third shop from the end of the street.
“Why are we stopping?” Mahina asked, confused.
“Mahina, your clothes are old. I’m going to buy you a few sets of new clothes to wear,” Lorevil explained.
“But my clothes are still wearable,” Mahina stammered, tugging at the corner of her shirt and looking for any stains or holes.
“When you work at the cafe, wearing brand-new clothes and looking presentable will help the customers respect you. Especially when combined with your hard work.”
Clothing needed to match the work environment, otherwise, it was easy to be harassed. It was just like when Lorevil went to interviews as a college student; wearing a suit and leather shoes always garnered a better reaction than a short-sleeved shirt and flip-flops.
“Okay. I’ll listen to you, Lorevil.”
Mahina understood and firmly etched those words into her heart.
Lorevil felt that Twilight Clothing Store looked somewhat familiar. As she stood at the entrance, she realized she used to come here often back when she was pursuing Catherine. The display windows of the shop were polished to a shine, showcasing several elegant dresses.
Mahina’s eyes went a bit glassy at the sight of them. She followed Lorevil into the shop.
“Miss Lorevil, long time no see! Is this your friend?” the female shopkeeper greeted them with a smile.
“Yes. I’ve brought her to pick out a few outfits for work and daily wear,” Lorevil replied with a nod.
She then turned to Mahina and said softly, “Take a look around. You can try on anything you like.”
Mahina stood in place, feeling a bit awkward. Her fingers subconsciously gripped the hem of her shirt. In all her life, she had never stepped into such an exquisite clothing store, let alone bought new clothes from one.