The wicked woman is roasting coffee beans again today.

Prologue

“Hmm, Katrine! How about this teacup?”

“It’s beautiful, Miss.”

Right now, Lynet is discreetly studying different topics while touring tea places with her maid, Katrine. Lynet studied the teacup closely, scribbling swiftly to capture its shape and record its features in her journal. She sipped the tea then.

“How’s the taste?”

“It’s alright. To be honest, to someone like me, one tea is like another, and another is like this one.”

Despite Katrine’s many encounters with tea, she had never experienced its flavor, so she just drank it without any thought.

Katrine’s response, that it merely tasted like grass, was also recorded by Lynet.

“To sell premium tea here, there must be demand for it, but ordinary people with light pockets won’t drink expensive tea.”

In Indigo, the capital, the majority of the tea shops offered black, green, and flower teas. The issue was that their tastes were pretty much the same. They all appeared to have been created in the same workshop because they were all so identical.

“I think they probably purchase tea leaves from the same supplier.”

“Hmm, then opening a regular tea house would mean two out of three would fail, and one would barely break even.”

For the average person, it was difficult to discern the flavor of tea. Few individuals could distinguish the difference in flavor even when just green tea was used, and it changed depending on the season when leaves were picked.

In the end, something else than regular tea was required—something fragrant, stimulating, and unusual.

“But this structure seems quite nice.”

“Yeah, the interior looks good.”

Lynet took careful note of all she saw, even mentioning the interior of the tea house. She retained the positive aspects and threw away the negative ones.

Lynet called the pre-purchase building’s builder as soon as she had taken control of every tea establishment in Indigo. They argued vehemently over altering the interior.

“I want to widen the windows here. It doesn’t matter if it’s expensive; please make them with glass. And allow for curtains. The counter should be elongated.”

The builder nodded and took notes as Lynet described while drawing.

Lynet was an uncommon client these days. Furthermore, it was highly uncommon for someone to purchase a store and entirely renovate it during economic downturns like this one. Thus, the contractor made a firm commitment to constructing the interior precisely as Lynet had described.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you. Ah! But where should I get the signboard and furniture made?”

“We’ll take care of everything. Just tell us the style you want.”

Lynet shook hands with the manager, jotted down, and sketched the look she wanted.

“Don’t worry. We’ll start working on it right away tomorrow.”

“I hope you’ll do it as quickly as possible. This is the down payment.”

The manager’s face lit up with a broad smile as Lynet gave him some gold coins.

“Thank you. We’ll repair and strengthen it as quickly and solidly as you’ve requested.”

“If any problems arise after the work is done,”

“Just let us know, and we’ll fix it right away. Haha.”

The manager said goodbye to Lynet and nodded politely.

After a while, a few people made their way to Lynet’s store. Work started on her request quickly. The outcomes were somewhat better than those of the typical trades.

Lynet stood outside and observed the internal renovations taking place. Katrine stood by her side and gave her a handkerchief.

It was a motion to protect her nose because dust would still come out even though the work was being done inside. With an appreciative smile, Lynet covered her lips and nose with Katrine’s handkerchief.

“This is my first shop.”

When Lynet saw her first store, her face lit up with inflated dreams. . Katrine couldn’t help but smile broadly at her appearance.

“Let’s go see the items to be placed inside. We need to match them with the teacups.”

“Yes, but what about other tools?”

“Huh? Oh! I told the tea shop owner about that. They said they don’t have them in Irein, so they have to be imported from the Sepia Empire.”

In addition to renovating the inside, Lynet was making a lot of purchases. Lynet’s purchases filled the house from the inside out.

***

After a few weeks,

“Boss, it’s leaning to one side.”

“Is it okay like this?”

“Just a little more to the right!”

As two guys ascended the ladder to hang the signboard, Lynet let out a cry. It was impossible to hang the signboard unevenly because it served as the store’s front.

“Oh! That’s perfect. Please fix it in that position.”

Lynet ultimately gave her approval and watched as the signboard was mounted.

Draw.

The signboard featured a carved coffee bean design and the exquisite word “Attraction” engraved on it. She couldn’t help but smile as she studied it more.

“Attraction, what a beautiful name.”

After much deliberation, Lynet and Katrine decided on the name.

“I hope customers visit the store as its name suggests.”

“Of course, it’s a name you came up with, Katrine. I really like it.”

They had spent hours scratching their heads trying to think of a name. After considering a number of ideas, they decided on “Attraction” at Katrine’s suggestion.

What a beautiful word attraction was! Compared to sentiments like love or fondness, it seemed to strike a deeper chord.

After hanging the signboard precisely, Lynet gave Katrine a hug and started dancing.

Lynet settled the last installment and entered.

There were six tables inside. Lynet was pleased with how the two four-seater and four two-seater tables were arranged.

Katrine saw that Lynet was cleaning the store by herself, so she grabbed the mop and began to assist.

Lynet moved outdoors to assess the building’s overall appearance after admiring its glistening inside.

It felt unfamiliar. She was in shock that she had such a store. Lynet remained there motionless, still in shock, until Katrine noticed her expression and smiled.

“I hope you’ll be as happy in the future as you’ve been lonely and sad before.”

“I’m sorry for always showing that side. I’ll try to smile more often from now on.”

Lynet had been lucky to have Katrine by her side for longer than her own mother. Lynet gave Katrine a warm embrace while grinning. Katrine grinned also and gave Lynet a gentle peck on the forehead.

 Katrine spent some time looking at the shop’s interior before deciding to make dinner and leaving for home. Lynet lingered in the store by herself and looked around, despite the fact that she was already full from not eating.

“Is this really mine?”

It was not the store where she had spent years getting loans, making deposits, paying rent, and paying rights fees. It was her own, real store. It would be all hers if it turned a profit.

She made her way over to the counter. She then started roasting the coffee beans by carefully adding them to the new grinder. The freshly restored store began to smell of wood slowly as the aromatic perfume began to fill it.

There wasn’t enough competition to run a traditional tea house. Thus, she made the decision. to open the first cafe selling coffee in the Irein Empire.

Coffee cherries were not grown in Irein. It was necessary to import everything, from coffee machines to coffee beans, from the Sepia Empire. As a result, the cost increased above that of ordinary tea. Although this was partly due to the lack of knowledge about coffee prices in this area, tea stores were not competitive in terms of prices.

“We have to adjust the tea prices by watching nearby shops and raising or lowering them accordingly.”

It was difficult to fix the pricing exactly the same without collusion. Lynet did not want to hear from clients who said that because two establishments had slightly different prices, one was costly and the other was inexpensive.

It would be preferable to introduce a new coffee here to avoid such remarks, which would reduce comparisons based on price.

Resolving any objections regarding the high prices would be as simple as stating that all of the ingredients were imported.

“Yeah, coffee is definitely better than regular tea. The stimulating taste is the best. But I wonder if it will do well.”

Her research indicates that coffee drinking was widespread across the Sepia Empire. They would roast and brew their own beans, even in their regular homes.

The issue, though, was whether or not these folks—who were yet uninitiated with coffee—would actually come and sip it.

“No, I shouldn’t have negative thoughts before even starting. Well, whether it’s good or not, attraction will do well. I might even need to hire employees!”

As if making a resolution, Lynet ground the roasted beans. Then, for the first time, she brewed coffee at the attraction.

The glasses they ordered, which had decorations reminiscent of tea shops, were filled with an opaque black liquid.

Lynet took both hands and held the hot glass carefully. Lynet grinned widely and took a reverent sip of her first coffee.

“Yes, this taste.”

Those who are tasting it for the first time may notice an acidic and bitter taste. However, Lynet noticed a rich scent, a faint acidity, and a chocolatey aftertaste.

Lynet marveled as she felt the cool feeling slide down her throat. The taste of the coffee she had laboriously created pleased her, and she nodded. Naturally, she thought that even after opening, she would still need to adjust the flavor.

“Even if not throughout the Irein Empire, I’ll at least get the people in Indigo addicted to coffee!”

Lynet shouted her determination and then savored her first coffee. A woman with such lofty aspirations.

The coffee smell floated through the open entrance, luring folks in to stop and have a look even though it was not yet open. With a relieved look, Lynet drank half of the coffee, grinning at their responses.

“When did I ever have such leisure?”

Lynet raised her gaze to the clear sky.

The sky was unusually clear and high today. There was not a cloud in the sky, and all fears and anxieties appeared to have vanished. It appeared to be a good omen for attraction. Lynet gave a slight smile, one of the many people beneath that sky.

“It feels a bit strange to enjoy this leisure alone while everyone else is busy working.”

It was similar to strolling along a deserted street where no one else was heading to work.

Lynet tipped her glass, enjoying the new pastime. However, the coffee did not trickle down her mouth as she drank it. Lynet regretted fully letting her breath fall into the empty cup and setting it down.

Lynet crossed her arms as she inhaled the comforting aroma of coffee. She crossed her arms and recalled how she had come this far.

“I’m not originally from this world, am I? No, even if I’m from this world.”

Lynet stared at the beautiful cup while muttering words that no one else could comprehend.

“These people in this world wouldn’t know. that this cafe is run by the villainess who killed her sister and husband.”

Lynet smiled sardonically as she recalled the memories she had been holding onto for a while.

“Dum spiro spero”