NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
I came in a few hours early to prepare for the first opening.
I thought there wouldn’t be anyone here.
“Didn’t I tell you not to push? Do you know where my lady comes from?”
“Do you think your lady is the only noble?”
“One wrong move and that kid’s gonna get his jaw knocked!”
Our cafe is definitely not a place for commoners.
So there shouldn’t be anyone throwing around such coarse words in plain sight as they’re likely not customers.
Noble ladies cannot directly line up like that.
It’s simply not proper behavior for nobles.
So they must have placed their servants in their stead.
When the doors open, the noble ladies who hired these servants will rush in.
“Antonio, have you finished cleaning the inside of the shop?”
The only middle-aged man and assistant manager of this shop, Antonio.
Usually, he showcases the calm demeanor typical of a charming middle-aged man with a slight smile.
But perhaps because more people showed up than he expected.
While he’s still smiling, the corners of his mouth are slightly twitching.
“I’ve cleaned the shop as you instructed, and I’ve prepared plenty of cakes and tea leaves, but with the current number of people, it’s just too much to handle.”
I had anticipated a crowd on the opening day.
So I hired more staff than necessary for the size of the cafe, and stocked enough supplies that even Antonio was worried about.
At this rate, the supplies I prepared will be gone in less than half a day.
No, considering customers wanting to take cakes home, it could even be faster.
“First, tell them to fill up the cake baking area. Anyone can handle the dough, even if not everyone can spread cream evenly.”
It isn’t actually a difficult job to spread cream evenly.
It’s just that a total newbie can’t do it in an instant.
On the other hand, anyone can manage to mix the dough if the measurements are correct.
“And grab someone who knows how to write, and set up a makeshift stand out front to take orders from those who want to take things home from now.”
Out of the servants standing there, at least half, if not more than two-thirds, are likely planning to buy things to take home for their family or tea parties.
“Let’s start distributing the workload, and since we haven’t opened yet, first, let’s secure some delivery boys for the cakes.”
It’s not a good idea to keep the servants of noble ladies waiting for too long, even if they aren’t the ones waiting.
“And make sure to offer water, or at least some warm soup to those servants waiting over there. Even in late autumn, they must be cold and hungry standing out there since morning.”
Distributing soup… that’s gonna be quite a cost.
But if it buys goodwill from them for just a few bowls, it’s worth it.
When compared to the profits from the customers who buy cakes and black tea, this is just a drop in the bucket.
“I thought I was freezing to death. But now I feel alive!”
The faces of those who received the soup were beaming with smiles.
When they go home now, they’ll surely spread the word about me.
About how the second young lord of the Medici Clan is a kind gentleman who cares even for the common folk.
“We will soon begin operations!”
At those words, elegantly dressed ladies began appearing everywhere.
The noble ladies immediately swapped places with their servants and lined up to enter.
“The atmosphere inside the shop is really lovely.”
“It feels so comforting to be here.”
The ladies who entered the shop sparkled with enthusiasm as they looked around.
The decor with desks and chairs, the carefully chosen staff, the cute cakes and cookies, etc.
Everything is tailored to the sensibilities of women.
“Unlike the tea parties back home, here we can talk comfortably.”
“At tea parties, we have to pretend to be friendly with women we dislike.”
I designed this cafe to be a place where people can come without any political backstory, just friends enjoying themselves.
So if it becomes a place where women gather for conversation…
Could men eventually join to share personal stories too?
“Sir, all 120 of the cakes you prepared are sold out.”
Most of the sales at this cafe actually come from takeouts, but already 120?
It’s only been two hours since we opened.
“And look over there.”
Unlike the elegant, quiet cafe interior, the takeout counter was pure chaos.
“In two hours, there’s a tea party hosted by our Vieta Clan’s noble lady! Hurry up with the cakes!”
“Do you think only the Vieta Clan is in line here? Maintain order!”
“Our clan is in a hurry too!”
Even though the noble ladies’ area in the cafe looks quite elegant, the servants waiting outside don’t care about decorum.
If it’s this busy on opening day, and we ride the trend well… I could become fabulously wealthy with just this cafe.
“What do you intend to do?”
“Every guest inside and outside this cafe is precious. However, the ladies inside take priority, so we must secure enough for those dining inside.”
The waiting servants outside can be made to wait if there’s a legitimate reason.
Servants of noble families aren’t much different from big company employees.
But inside, the ladies are like the daughters of company CEOs.
Failing to provide for them would lead to a major drop in reputation.
“What about the male nobles outside?”
This cafe is decidedly tailored only to women’s tastes.
Why are men even here?
“Accept all customers indiscriminately! They must order a piece of cake and a cup of tea each!”
The Toscan Empire resembles medieval Europe in some ways.
However, they don’t advocate for gender segregation like Joseon’s ‘men and women sit separately.’
So mixing men and women in the same place isn’t a big deal.
The newcomers inside are finely dressed young masters.
“I heard this place is trending among ladies these days, so I thought I’d check it out. It’s pretty nice.”
“Let’s sip some tea and chat comfortably.”
“Then let’s talk about swordsmanship…”
They strut in, pretending not to be interested in women.
Yet they’re secretly glancing at the ladies and nudging each other with unspoken signals.
Just listening to their tones makes it clear they’re nervous for the upcoming endeavor.
No one can miss this—it’s the classic frantic prelude to flirting from men with zero romantic experience.
It’s not uncommon for such approaches to lead to proposals at balls, but it’s still…
“I’d like to place a takeout order.”
Nobody is around to assist them right now as everyone is busy.
“Yes, Miss. How can I help you?”
A radiant smile spread across the noble lady’s face upon seeing me.
“You are Sir Fabio. The cake from the baron’s inauguration banquet last time was truly delicious.”
“I’m grateful that a beautiful lady like you appreciates it.”
“Please give me one strawberry cake.”
I pulled out a specially made wooden case.
Even though it’s meant for an expensive item, it’s not that pricey for a takeout container.
With my Medici Clan’s emblem etched in brown, it gives off a classy vibe.
Labeling it with our clan emblem, just like MADE IN KOREA, will significantly help in branding the cake.
Nobles, who pride themselves above all else, will want the cakes from our Cafe Medici, the trendsetters.
This box is the perfect means to showcase the cake’s authenticity.
There might be a return-the-box system in the future, but…
Even considering that, it’s a much more profitable endeavor.
“Here you go, Miss.”
“Thank you.”
“Please come again.”
Before long, the men who had been observing the scene began to move.
“Uh, if it’s not too much trouble, how about some tea?”
They are stammering and blushing bright red like apples.
But whether it went well or not, these two started chatting comfortably as they sat together.
By the end of the business day, several of them left having had a little blind date.
Cafe Medici has naturally become a sacred place for those seeking connections, and the cafe had blossomed into a central hub of social circles.
“I’ve completed the accounting.”
The business did way better than expected.
The revenue should be something to anticipate, but just how much?
“Total revenue is 7 gold coins, 8 silver coins, and 72 copper coins. That’s a total of 78 pounds and 72 pennies. Total expenses came to 1 gold coin, 9 silver coins, 95 copper coins, and 19 pounds and 95 pennies.”
Daily earnings approximately equal 6 gold coins.
Taking into account that the first thing I borrowed from my father was this building and 50 gold coins, it might seem not so significant.
But 6 gold coins are equivalent to one and a half years of income for a common city dweller.
The wealth disparity is even greater than in 21st-century Korea, yet I’ve earned this sum in just one day.
“Hooray! Hooray!”
I was the only one leaping with joy, but I wasn’t ashamed at all.
If I can keep making this much regularly, I’ll be able to live comfortably.
“Congratulations, my lord.”
“Thanks, Antonio.”
“It’s all thanks to you, my lord.”
All the plans were mine.
However, without their efforts, those plans would have remained mere fantasies.
“It was possible because of all your hard work. Thank you.”
In order to succeed, you must always reward the contributions of your subordinates.
That way, they’ll work even harder and be there to back you up in times of danger.
“Except for Antonio, each employee’s pay will be 3 copper coins and 3 pennies.”
Antonio receives his additional pay as the assistant manager, about double that of a normal employee.
Considering the money I made, the salaries for Antonio and my staff seem a bit tight.
Originally, those working in cafes make about 1 penny and 1 copper coin per day.
Paying them 3 pennies is akin to treating them like large company employees back in Korea.
“Today is the first day of operation, and you all did a great job, so in appreciation, I’ll double your pay.”
Everyone burst into cheers.
After all, cafe owners don’t care how much the revenue is; what matters is the money in their pockets.
“Everyone, line up.”
The reason I manually distribute the pay is straightforward.
If I’m giving them money, I want them to feel at least a bit of gratitude in doing so.
However, with the unexpected pay they received, as I handed them their wages directly,
“Thank you, my lord. I’m truly grateful!”
They all became teary-eyed, bowing their heads several times.
“Unlike the other nobles, I will always share my good fortune with you. So think of this place as your own shop and work hard. You all did great, and come in at the same time tomorrow. Antonio, before leaving, post notices to hire those who can prepare the cake batter and send out letters to secure more carts.”
Our shop flourished like this as I and my staff worked together as one…
But just a fortnight later, an unexpected interference occurred.
“Who the hell reported Cafe Medici to the church as a filthy den of debauchery?”