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I Hid the Duke’s Daughter (Web Novel) - Chapter 3: You were different from everyone else
Chapter 3: You were different from everyone else
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
After rushing about, Evelyn was able to open the coffee house on time.
“Hahh.” Evelyn slightly let out a sigh.
Evelyn was not the original owner of this coffee house. At first she had worked as an employee, but then three years ago, the former owner hastily moved away, and she had acquired this coffee house for an affordable price.
A good number of years had passed since she settled in Annette Town. Her life here had been pretty peaceful, and the hard times from the past felt like a dream.
Actually, there were many things that happened as I raised Bibi.
When she gave birth to Bianca, Evelyn had almost died from labor. But the thrill of embracing a small, warm child in her arms would probably never be forgotten.
Kissing the infant, she decided.
“For you…I can do anything.” And Evelyn had lived keeping this promise for seven years.
There was a big difference between living on her own and taking care of a child. If she wanted to feed and dress her child well, she still lacked the necessary funds even if she worked until her back broke.
But Evelyn never touched the money she received from the duke’s grandmother.
I don’t expect Islay to find me, rather…
The money was the only a back-up means of ensuring a comfortable life for Bianca. Born into a poor family, Evelyn knew how powerful money could be. She wanted to raise her daughter to be upright and also let her be able to choose her future.
“Ah, oh dear.” Evelyn snapped out of her thoughts.
She’d been in a daze for too long. Evelyn briskly walked to the door and changed the sign on the door to “OPEN”.
After a while, the door opened with the jingle of a bell.
“Welcome,” Evelyn said as she smiled cheerfully. Today’s first customer was Mrs. Tilda, who ran a small bookstore nearby.
Before opening shop, she would stop by every morning for a cup of coffee, stating that she couldn’t properly wake up without stopping by.
“Good morning, Ms. Martinise.”1
“Good morning.”
“I’ll have a cup of coffee.”
Evelyn nodded her head and turned around.
Soon, the rich aroma of coffee began to spread throughout the cafe.
“The coffee here is always so delicious,” Mrs. Tilda smiled while looking at the coffee.
“You’re too kind, ma’am.”
“Oh, you don’t have to be so humble, I’ve been to so many other coffee houses in town, but there’s no place like this one.”
Evelyn smiled humbly. Annette was a small town, so the number of coffee houses could be counted on one hand. There were few competitors to compare with, so the praise was a little embarrassing.
As she waited for the coffee, Ms. Tillda added, “Oh, and please give me a cookie. The ones with the almonds.”
“Will do.”
Sometime later, Evelyn served the almond cookie with the coffee.
Mrs. Tilda first broke off a piece of cookie and put it into her mouth. Then she sipped her coffee, eating the two together. The sweet taste of the cookie with the coffee blended together lingered in her mouth, and she nodded with a satisfied look.
“The cookie is delicious and the coffee goes down smoothly,” Mrs. Tilda’s eyes crinkled around the edges. She turned to look at Evelyn like a predator looking at its prey.
“I hope that you meet and get married to a good man.”
Evelyn struggled to hide her tired expression.
Mrs. Tilda opened her mouth and spoke, unaware that she was being inconsiderate.
“So you know, as I’ve told you before about my nephew. Would you like to meet him?”
“As I’ve told you before, I don’t plan on remarrying.”
“Oh, don’t draw the line there. You know you can’t raise Bianca alone forever.”
Evelyn had been indifferent to her words until that point, but was weakened by the words, “can’t raise Bianca alone.”
As a matter of fact, Evelyn had always felt guilty that Bianca didn’t have a father.
Mrs. Tilda spoke more on the matchmaking.
“My nephew is a bit on the older side, but he’s a good boy.”
Evelyn wanted to sigh as she heard Mrs. Tilda’s words.
Because she roughly knew about Mrs. Tilda’s nephew.
I think I heard that he’s turning forty…
To say that he was “a bit on the older side” was a stretch, but Mrs. Tilda shamelessly spoke with a brazen expression on her face.
“Bianca will need a father. My nephew would treat Bibi like his own daughter. So how about it?”
“Thank you for your concern me and my family, but we’re going to be just fine.”
“Oh my? But you know, for women, meeting a good man and getting married is happiness.” Mrs Tilda spoke as she drank the remaining coffee in her cup.
Gathering the last pieces of her cookie, Mrs. Tilda nudged Evelyn, saying, “Well, think about, okay?” and left.
After Mrs. Tilda came and went, the number of guests surged.
As the number of guests far exceeded the usual in the coffeehouse today, Evelyn served customers without stopping, as busy as a hen. She was only able to take a breather after her usual lunch break.
Evelyn signed, sitting down on a chair.
But unfortunately, Evelyn’s rest soon ended.
“A delivery for you.”
It was the coffee beans that were regularly delivered and a pile of other miscellaneous items.
Evelyn raised her tired body.
But just when she was trying to lift a heavy cardboard box filled with packed coffee beans.
“…Oh?”
The paper box in her arms was lifted up. Evelyn lifted his head with a bewildered face.
The man who had taken the box was a young man with an amiable expression.
Evelyn carefully asked, “Mr. Jones? What business do you have here…?”
“Well, I don’t need to have some kind of business with the coffee house to come here, right?”
The young man, Mr. Jones, replied with a sullen face.
“Really, Ms. Evelyn. You’re cold treatment is too much.”
He had called her Ms. Evelyn, instead of Ms. Martinise. Evelyn narrowed her eyes at the other person who had casually called her by her first name. But the young man spoke slyly, “I’ve already told you that I want you to call me by first name, so couldn’t we go on a first name basis?”
Kevin Jones, five years younger than Evelyn, was known as a “good person” among the townspeople with his handsome appearance and gentleman-like conduct.
But to Evelyn, Kevin had never been a “good person.”
“No, it’s because I’m uncomfortable with that. And please call me Ms. Martinise, not Ms. Evelyn.”
Evelyn emphatically drew the line between them.
Because Kevin’s excessive kindness was burdensome to Evelyn.
“And the box, please. I can carry it.”
“You’re really being so mean,” Kevin grumbled.
Acting as if she didn’t hear him, Evelyn took the box of coffee beans from Kevin.
She briskly walked away from Kevin, and he quickly followed her in.
Evelyn bit her lips.
…Lay wasn’t rude like that.
She unintentionally thought to herself.
She first met Islay when she worked as an employee at a coffee house in the empire. In fact, it hadn’t been a fateful encounter.
***
“That looks a little heavy, can I help you?”
At the polite question, Evelyn slightly lifted her head. The man’s face was hidden by the boxes she was holding.
If she were just like anyone else, she would have accepted the favor, but she wasn’t.
“No, that’s alright. I can do it by myself.” Evelyn replied resolutely, and then walked away. Having to owe someone was never a good thing.
“it’s not that I’m doubting your abilities, of course…”
At this, she turned to the man once more, and her eyes widened into circles.
“Ah…” It was a dazzling young man.
Under neatly combed blond hair, his black eyes glowed gently. The load that Evelyn had been struggling with was easily lifted by the man like it was a small toy.
“…but perhaps if I help, it would make it easier for you to finish your job,” the man continued in a friendly voice.
Evelyn stood in a daze. It was the first time someone had spoken to her in that kind of manner. The attitude of this man was totally different from men she had previously met.
‘It’s not that I’m doubting your abilities, but perhaps if I help, it would make it easier for you to finish your job.’ The words echoed in her ears.
“…I’m sorry, but I have no reason to be in debt to you, Sir.” However, at the time, Evelyn wasn’t able to afford to accept the help of others without questioning their motives.
Seeing Evelyn defensively deflect, the man blinked both eyes in surprise, as if this was something he would never have expected.
“Debt?”
“Yes, debt.”
The young man looked like he came from a wealthy family. Getting entangled with such a man would end up being troublesome. For Evelyn, whose goal was to live peacefully, a disagreement with this man over a debt wouldn’t end well for her. What if this man would later find trouble with her for this?
“I don’t really think I’m trying to make you owe me something.” The man spoke with an embarrassed expression on his face.
However, Evelyn’s stubborn look didn’t look like it was going to relax anytime soon.
“But if, in the end, you still feel like you are in debt to me…” He paused as he pondered for a few moments.
Evelyn’s eyes hardened. In return for keeping it a secret that he had helped her carry the luggage, he might ask for something crazy.
How insignificant must Evelyn, from a fallen aristocrat family, look to this man who was a high noble.
If he really thought so, she was prepared to wrestle away the load and carry it herself no matter what.
“A cup of coffee that you brew for me.”
Evelyn bit her tongue.
“Come again?”
The man’s dark eyes sparkled playfully.
“I want you to pay off your debt with a cup of coffee. How about it?”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“No, I’m really being serious.” At Evelyn’s sharp words, the man earnestly answered.
Evelyn let out a small sigh. “Okay, if that’s what you want.” At her slightly softer tone of voice, the man smiled gently.
Evelyn walked past the man, who then followed and asked her a couple of questions. Even though she had not been very kind in her response, the man remained consistently polite to her.
***
At that time, she didn’t know. That the Evelyn who was skeptical of love would fall in love with Islay, even in the face of a wide status gap. And that, after she was pregnant she would run away…
“Ms. Martinise!”
“Yes, yes?” Evelyn snapped out of her thoughts.
The sunnily smiling Islay disappeared in a flash, and a smirking Kevin, appeared before her.
“I came here to directly speak with you, Ms. Martinise.
Evelyn barely suppressed her desire to ask him. And so what?
Kevin had on a shameless expression.
“And it’s rude for you to leave your guest without any coffee.”
Evelyn felt exhausted as she heard his words.
Let’s not count the fact that he came here during my break time, is he even a customer if he doesn’t pay for the coffee?
But Kevin was continued to ask.
“Isn’t it too harsh to not give me a cup of coffee?”
“Anything you would like to add to your cup of coffee?” Evelyn asked in her most businesslike voice.
She reflected on her many years of experience. In this sort of situation, it was best to just serve the coffee and then send the person away.
Kevin smiled cheerfully.
“Yes, that’s all.”
“Please wait a moment.” Evelyn hurriedly tried to hide the contorting expression on her face.
But Kevin seemed completely indifferent to Evelyn’s mood.
He exclaimed in an excited voice, “I’ve noticed that the coffee here is exceptionally delicious. Maybe it’s because Miss Martinise brewed it herself.”
“…”
“Yup, delicious food can only be made by beautiful women.”
Evelyn, who had hurriedly taken out a cup for the coffee, barely managed to keep her temper in check upon hearing his words.
Seeing the way he spoke, Evelyn could clearly tell that Kevin labeled her as just “a woman,” and looked down on her as a “woman with flaws.”
She’s a single mother with a child, so isn’t it an honor that I’ve taken an interest to her? She could clearly tell what he was thinking.
To Kevin, Evelyn’s rejection of him was ridiculous, and his interest in her should be gratefully accepted.
He didn’t even try to hide his ogling.
Hilarious.
***
Notes
1: Evelyn’s last name is Martinise
