Chapter#1

​The warm scent of sweet baked dough and melted honey mixed with stewed apricots and toasted almonds filled the entire backroom of the bakery. Lia's hands paused above the wooden shelf, her eyes lost focus, looking at nothing in particular as she inhaled the scent.

​It smells exactly like back then. How long has it been since then?

The smell held a deep place in her heart.

​Lia clenched her hands.

She doesn't want to remember. Thinking about it won't do her any good.

A soft sigh slipped past her lips.

​"That smells heavenly as always," said a little girl standing right beside Lia, holding a tray filled with freshly baked sweets. "I can't wait to eat one of them!"

​Her cheerful voice snapped Lia back to the present.

"Looks like they are almost done. Let's get these sweets stacked in the third row already," Lia turned around, pointing at the tray Elsie was carrying.

​Elsie nodded in excitement and moved a bit too quickly, which made her lose her balance.

​"Eep!"

​The tray slipped past her little hands.

​Without a second's delay, Lia's right arm instinctively shot out with blistering speed. Her fingers caught the far edge of the wooden tray, catching it mid-air before the contents could scatter across the floorboards.

​"You... you caught it." Elsie, who stood frozen in her place, sighed as relief spread across her face like she had avoided total disaster. "You saved me from a scolding. You are a true hero, Big Sis."

​"Good save, Lia," Miss Maren, noticing the sudden movement, called out from the right corner of the room near the brick oven, wiping her hands with a towel.

​Elsie stood flustered as her little secret was blown.

​"Ah... well," Lia said with a gentle chuckle while putting the tray down on a nearby table.

​Lia spent the next few minutes stacking the rest of the sweets on the shelf with Miss Maren's help, all while Elsie stared at them with wide, poutful eyes.

​By the time they finished, it was already noon.

​"We are done finally," Miss Maren sighed as she took off her headscarf.

​The bakery had been quite busy since they added Honey Crest Cake to their menu, which Lia initially proposed. Dozens of people would be waiting outside every morning to buy it. It was like back then when everyone complimented how good it was. Lia still remembered the first time she made those; they were terrible.

​"I see you have found a new way to make cobblestones," her mother had joked, tapping the hard crust with her index finger. "You have to be careful with the flour. The secret lies in how much you bake it."

​Now, Lia doesn't even need to think about it; every step was perfectly ingrained in her memory. Lia wasn't a baker; it was just a small skill she had learned as part of her old duties.

​"You should take some rest, we won't be having another rush for a while," Miss Maren said, loosening the strings on her apron.

​"I was actually planning to go see Mr. Hudson. He sent a message yesterday that he wanted to discuss some stuff."

​Miss Maren let out a small sigh, looking entirely unsurprised. "Is it about the collaboration? I heard he's pretty happy with the results."

​"I guess it's probably about that." Lia took off her apron and cleaned herself up.

​Clatter.

​A small metal bowl hit the floorboard. Elsie had dropped it from her hands as she dashed towards Lia, flour flying from her curly hair and her apron flapping against her.

​"Mom, can I go with Big Sis?" She grabbed Lia's right arm, giving her best hopeful expression.

​"Of course you can, but you are going to scare Mr. Hudson with that face." Miss Maren laughed. She grabbed a damp towel and wiped the flour from Elsie's cheeks and hair. "There, not that scary anymore."

​Elsie puffed her cheeks in dramatic annoyance, realizing what her mother actually meant.

​Lia chuckled as she opened the rough-hewn wooden door. "We'll be back soon!"

The warm air outside splashed against their cheeks. It was still cooler than in the bakery. Lia stretched her arms over her head, though she wasn't tired.

​The sun burned directly above their heads, sweat trickling down their backs. Summer had already started. The street was narrow, with houses and stalls on either side of it. It was quite empty; the usual morning hustle was over. A few passersby could be seen here and there. It was peaceful.

​"Big Sis, want to see how fast I can run?"

​Elsie was energetic as always, darting back and forth across the street, climbing on wooden crates and jumping down while Lia slowly matched her pace.

​Mr. Hudson's place wasn't too far, just a few streets over. But the journey always took twice as long when Elsie was with her. She was a curious girl, after all.

​Elsie suddenly came to a halt, her eyes locked onto something. "Big Sis, look, it's Crumbs."

​"Huh?" Lia, confused by what Elsie meant, turned her face in the direction Elsie was pointing. It was an empty cart locked in chains—no, it was beneath that cart.

​A cat.

The cat was sitting under the shade of the cart, licking her furry legs. Maybe it was too hot even for the cat.

​"You know her?"

​"Yeah, I once saw her in front of our house eating some leftovers. I gave her some milk, and we became best friends ever since. I'm glad she's back." Elsie smiled warmly, recalling the memory.

​Lia unhooked a leather container from the side of her belt. "She might be thirsty, let's pour her some water..."

​Before Lia could finish, Elsie crouched down right in front of the cart. Startled by the sudden movement, Crumbs ran away towards an alley.

​"Sh-she ran away! That's not how you greet friends," Elsie let out a pout.

​"Looks like you scared her; you've got to be gentle with animals," Lia said with a soft smile.

​"Huhhhhhh," Elsie sighed, her eyes closed in disbelief. "Am I really that scary after all?"

​Lia chuckled. "It's not like that; she might not have recognized you."

​"Maybe she wasn't thirsty after all."

​"Maybe. Let's keep going, we have to come back before the afternoon rush."

​After a brief walk, they reached Mr. Hudson's property. He ran a large stall set up right in front of his house. He was standing outside, sweeping the tree leaves scattered across his stall.

​"It's Mr. Hudson!" Elsie screamed cheerfully.

​He spotted them approaching him, his tired face turning into a big smile.

​"Ah, it's Lia and Elsie. Good to see you both here," Mr. Hudson greeted them, wiping his hands on his apron.

​Elsie stood still, her arms crossed, putting a stare of intense seriousness towards Mr. Hudson. "Mr. Hudson," she got his attention. "I hope you haven't forgotten your promise. That's the only reason I came all the way here."

​Huh, a promise?

​Lia seemed to be wondering what Elsie might be talking about.

​Mr. Hudson seemed to be in the same boat, but then suddenly gave an awkward smile. "Ah... of course not." He reached back towards his stall, crouched down, and took out a small object covered in paper. "Here it is, you're definitely going to like it."

​Elsie happily took it and unwrapped it. "Thanks, Mr. Hudson, you're definitely a man of your word."

​It was a biscuit covered in some dark jam.

​So is this what she tagged along for? Lia couldn't help but wonder.

​Mr. Hudson watched her eating the biscuit with her cheeks stuffed like a squirrel before he straightened and turned his attention towards Lia.

​"So," Lia continued the conversation. "Is it about the velvet tea?"

​"Yeah, it's about that." A wide, proud grin appeared on Mr. Hudson's face. "The tea has been an absolute blast. Everyone's loving it , especially when pairing it with your Honey Crest Cake. It's a massive hit."

​The smooth warmth of the velvet tea blends perfectly with the rich confection, enhancing the warm apricot and honey flavor. As separate items, they tasted incredible. But when paired together, they created something so perfect that anyone who tried it would find it hard to go back.

"I owe you both, but especially you," Mr. Hudson said, turning to Lia. "No one would have gone through all that work when there was no need for them to do so."

​"It's nothing. When a plan benefits everyone, why not do it? Besides, Miss Maren wouldn't have liked it if the sales of our new item took away your customers," Lia waved the compliment away.

​"Still, I appreciate it." Mr. Hudson let out an awkward smile while adjusting his jacket. "By the way, I was wondering..."

​He was cut off by a rapid thud of boots scraping against the rough cobblestones.

​"Nobody moves!"

​Lia's instinct kicked in before she could even analyze the situation. She sensed something wrong and quickly turned around while shoving Elsie behind her back.

​It was a grown man in a loose black jacket, standing a few feet away from them. He was wearing a jagged black mask, concealing the lower half of his face, hiding his identity. In his right hand, he held a sharp-looking dagger, pointing straight towards Lia and the rest.

​"Stay back, Elsie," Lia shouted.

​There were two more of them behind him, similarly wearing black jackets, covering their faces in black masks, and holding daggers.

​"Jek!" shouted the guy in the middle, who seemed to be their leader.

​Upon getting that order, they started closing the gap, forming a semi-circle that cornered Lia, Elsie, and Mr. Hudson against the stall.

​"A... robbery?!" Mr. Hudson gasped, his voice trembling as he stumbled backwards, bumping hard against his stall.