Isekai: Princess Marquess Becomes Entrepreneur of Tempe

Chapter 3. Leftover Bread

It had been half an hour that Tara's head stood two hands on the dresser, since returning from the academy. The girl was just pensively looking at her reflection in the mirror, and closely observing this new face.

Now she's Elona, and not Tara. Gone is already a tapered face because every day only eat twice a day. Now, changed into a cheek puff, equipped with a pile of fat under the chin as much as one fold.

After the incident earlier this afternoon, Tara, who from now on referred to as Elona, decided to go home alone. Better so, than having to endure the ridicule and cynical gazes of the students at school.

As usual, Elona finds her home in a deserted state, and only the servants are welcoming, just as happened in the webtoon. So, the girl immediately went to the room and looked for the scales.

Time and time again, Elona weighed her present body. Weighing 75 kg, with a height of only 160 cm. When calculated in the Body Mass Index, where the weight in kilograms is divided by the square of body height in meters, then his body has now entered the category of excess weight. Not yet into obesity, but almost in that direction.

“Haaah .…”

The long breath of the girl marked her turmoil. Soon, however, Elona snorted.

Why should I be confused? I was given another chance to live. This time I won't waste it.

Don't be friends with people who are only self-harming.

Always be on the lookout for people who may not be completely sincere with me…

… and don't fall in love again.

Brak!

The sound of the two doors leading to Elona's room opened suddenly. Someone in a waiter uniform burst in. His face looks so panicked. Then, when he found Elona's figure in the room, the servant rushed to hold both of Elona's shoulders.

“Nona Elona! Miss is it okay?”

“Ah?”

Elona was so shocked. His memories of this person before him appeared. She is a confidant named Mai. For a long time, Mai had been in the Locke family as a servant, even since she was only nine years old. Elona found the girl on the street. Because of pity, Elona asked her parents to hire Mai as a personal servant.

“I'm fine, Mai. Don't worry, yes!” Elona gave a sincere smile on her face towards the servant who looked very fond of her.

“Yakin ..?” mai did not believe. Elona nodded.

But clearly, Mai sensed that something was different. The young mistress usually comes home angry when something upset her, especially when it comes to Louis Vandyke and Kiara Perez.

However, today there was a hint of happiness on the young lady's face. A sigh of relief sounded from Mai's mouth.

“Then, what's the next Miss's plan?” Mai asked curiously. Her young miss came home unhappily, Mai suspected that something would happen after this.

“Hmm, no!” Elona answered briefly.

“No ...?”

“Yap! Hmm, oh, I decided to end my engagement with Louis!”

“What?!”

Mai was surprised. How could Miss Elona, who loved Mr. Louis so much and followed him everywhere, decide to end it all? Mai can understand that the one who did it was from Louis' side.

But this ... Miss Elona decided?

*****

Eleven years ago.

A little girl ran scared in the rain. His hands hugged something in front of his chest, protecting it from getting wet. However, that thing was what made him chased by the thick-bodied man at this time.

“Hei! A thief! Thief!”

The man kept shouting at the little girl with the batter grinding stick in hand. His shout boomed, making everyone around turn their heads in curiosity.

Breaths began to come from the little girl's mouth. His feet continued to gallop against the onslaught of wind mixed with rainwater. His head kept looking back to watch the young man who was getting closer. His eyes did not pay attention to the street he was walking barefoot.

Just two slices of bread. In fact, only two slices of unsalted bread that day were stolen. He continued running with tears streaming down his cheeks, immediately swept away by the rain. Not having a family to feed, nurture and shelter with a place to live, makes him have to do this.

Wh why? Why was I born poor? Why would I go hungry like this!

The girl could only bite her lips holding back the bitter reality of fate.

Bruk!

The slippery path made the thief fall into a daze. His knees hit the streets so hard that blood flowed. However, he still insisted on hugging the bread in the chest. Meanwhile, the fat man had already arrived before him with a breath that was also running out.

“Basic fucking thief! You want to die, right? Huh!!”

The stick of the cake grinder in his hand was raised upwards. Wrinkles on his face and eye-splitting signaled that the man was about to launch a violent blow. The thief could only close his eyes so scared.

“Wait!”

Another little girl came, in a very different style of dress. The thief only wore a shabby oversized tunic, while the girl wore a pastel pink dress shirt with lace decorations on the bottom. Something that only the children of noble descent would wear.

The young lady rushed towards the little thief, while a butler followed behind her with an umbrella in hand to protect the young lady from the rain. The little miss bowed, then placed both her hands on the thief's shoulders.

“What are you doing, Miss? Your hands will be dirty!” Butler warned with worry. However, the young lady did not budge. He looked into the thief's eyes.

“Why did you steal?”

Being asked like that by someone whose status was much different from his, made the thief really scared. His hand hugged the bread tightly. Her lips grimaced with tears.

“I ... hungry ...”

“Hei, Miss! You better not interfere! He's been stealing at my bakery. If I let go, tomorrow he'll come to steal again. I could lose big!” The man said his defense.

“Set bread can also still be reprocessed, do you know?” the answer. “Not that I want to be brash, but rich Miss like you can't possibly understand the way we, the common people, process our food.”

“Hei! Watch what you say!” a female warrior came forward and pulled out a sword from its sheath. Then, he stretched the sword in front of the bread seller's neck, making the man shudder in horror.

“Do you not know who he is?! She is Miss Elona Locke, daughter of Marquess Edward Locke. Just once you've been rude to him, then I'll be-“

“Enough!” The noble lady named Elona Locke stopped her soldiers in one shout. The female soldier immediately obeyed him, and put the sword back into the sheath.

“Take it easy, sir, I'll pay your bread double!” Elona.

The thief girl was amazed. The body of this little miss in front of him was indeed still small and shorter than him, perhaps their age was three years apart. But this lady exudes charisma that only the nobles have.

If only I could be like him…

“Whose name?” The lady asked again, after helping her up.

“Mai .…”

“Hmm, nice name!” The lady smiled. A smile that Mai would never forget in her entire life.

“Uncle Ron,” Elona called the butler who had been holding an umbrella for her. “Please pay for bread taken by Mai, double!”

“Good, Miss.”

“Cute with me, yuk. Want?” cheerfully, Elona held Mai's dirty hands in the mud.

“Where?”

“Ke my house. You will be my friend from now on!”

***

Ten years ago.

A year has passed since that incident. Mai was given a roof to shelter and food to fill the stomach. There is no longer a story to be pursued for stealing bread. Mai has now become Elona's maid of honor.

Although as a servant, Elona never looked down on Mai. A smile of happiness always emanated from his face, like there was never any sadness that appeared in life. Mai is always present and accompanies her by her side. Because of the occurrence of a piece of leftover bread, Mai now gets the purpose of life, which is to keep the smile of her little miss.

Until one day, the news of the death of Mr. Marquess Edward and Mrs Reina Locke due to an accident reached Elona's ears.

For days, Elona locked herself in her room. His appetite was gone altogether. Everyday is just filled with daydreaming staring out the window, like waiting for something. Mai knew very well that her nonaanya was waiting for the return of parents who could not possibly come back again.

Two weeks have passed, but there has been no significant change in Elona.

“Nona Elona .. You are already skinny once ... let's eat a little, huh?” Mai tried to persuade him. Elona just shook her head weakly with a blank look.

“Will I prepare all your favorite foods. Eat yes ... Miss?”

Elona turned towards Mai with a wink. There were black, swollen sacs under Elona's eyes, a sign that she was crying a lot and couldn't sleep.

“I ... want to go to the kitchen .. I'm hungry ..”

A glimmer of hope was seen from Mai's face. At least, the young lady was going to eat. He wondered why he had to go to the kitchen. “Let me bring it here only, Miss!”

“Not .. I want to go to the kitchen .…”

Confused, Mai could only obey her little master.  The two of them walked towards the kitchen that was downstairs. The waiters and cooks were done tidying up the kitchen, which was usually full of groceries strewn across the table.

Elona walked straight to the food cabinet. In it, the cooks store ready-made ingredients such as bread, vegetables, and fruits. Elona reached out, took the bread. The girl grabbed him, and ate slowly.

“Hmm .. delicious .…”

“Miss, I can prepare something even better than that bread. Come on, we're back to your room, huh?”

However, Elona did not heed Mai's words. His hand continued to feed the bread into his small mouth. At first slowly, but over time all greedily devoured. Elona took the bread, again and again. With two hands, he stuffed all the bread into his mouth.

“Enak!"

Krauk! Hap! Nyam!!

"Enak!”

“Nona! Awake, Miss!! Stop!”

“Nak! It's yummy!! Why have I not known all this time that ordinary bread turned out to be this delicious?!”

Mai screamed in horror as she cried. This isn't the sweet Miss Elona she's known all along. The cheerful smile that was always present on his little master's face, turned into a hungry grin like a wolf finding prey.

Elona only stopped when the bread supply in the kitchen was running out. The girl fell asleep after that. The next morning, he was more cheerful. Although not completely smiling as usual, but at least, not as shy before.

“What stomach Miss is okay?”

Elona shook her head in wonder as Mai asked so. “What's wrong?”

“Ah nothing .…”

Mai thinks that that's the only time Elona eats up greedy. But he turns out he was wrong. Now, every little girl who faced a problem that made her very sad, she would walk to the kitchen and repeat all the horrors that Mai feared.

Elona's habits are eventually known to the family. When the doctor examined him, he gave a diagnosis.

“Nona Elona Locke suffers from overeating disorder.”

***