🏰 The Kingdom of Edelia

A land embracing golden wheat fields and blue rivers, the Kingdom of Edelia.

🍞 Morning in the capital, Lowen, began with the smell of baking bread. People headed to work clutching warm bread, and talk of newly opened bakeries filled the squares.

👑 A country where a skilled baker could put their bread even on the royal table.

In a small alley there, lived a woman who dreamed of becoming the best baker in the kingdom. ✨

🌼 Elina's Wheat Flower Bakery

Deep inside Apricot Tree Alley, a small wooden sign carved with wheat ears and flowers.

It was the Wheat Flower Bakery, run by the commoner baker Elina Brin.

🥐 Elina handled dough from dawn every day. Soft milk bread and savory butter bread. One bite left a subtle sweetness and rich aroma lingering in the mouth.

“It’s freshly baked. Would you like to try some?” 💛

Her face, as she handed over the bread, was always filled with anticipation. When someone smiled and said it was delicious, she could momentarily forget the fatigue accumulated since dawn.

🔔 Yet, the bell hanging above the small shop's door rarely rang.

🌹 Roselia's Maison Rosé

At Maison Rosé in White Rose Square, customers lined up from the morning.

👑 It was a shop where Roselia de Bellose, the daughter of Count Bellose, made the bread herself. Top-quality flour and butter, exquisite skill, and the reputation of a noble family. There were plenty of reasons for people to visit.

Roselia took it for granted that her bread received the best evaluations.

🫖 When she heard that a commoner baker in an alley also dreamed of being the best in the kingdom, she laughed lightly.

“The kingdom's best baker? Shouldn't she start by getting customers into her shop first?”

🥀 Remaining Bread

People carrying bread bags from Maison Rosé passed by outside the window.

Elina, who looked up every time footsteps drew near, lowered her gaze again. The bread baked with care this morning still remained on the display stand.

💭 ‘Today too... so much is left.’

🪙 A few coins lay on the counter. After taking out the cost of ingredients for tomorrow, there was almost no money left for herself.

Elina took a small bite of the milk bread. It was soft and savory. It was a taste she was confident in, made with great effort since dawn.

‘It’s delicious. I really made it delicious....’

For some, there was bread precious enough to wait in line for, while her bread waited for a master all day long.
Elina bit her lip hard.

‘If only they would try it just once.’

‘I want to hear it too... that they want to eat it again.’ 💧

🌅 Back Before the Dough

The next morning, Elina tied her apron again.
The upset from yesterday hadn't vanished overnight. She worried that there would be few customers today too, and felt envious when looking toward the square.
Still, as she placed her hands on the dough, the bread she wanted to make came to mind.

💭 ‘I want to make bread that people think of again tomorrow after just one bite.’

Elina slowly rolled the dough. The touch against her palm was familiar, and seeing the surface flatten evenly bit by bit, her scattered mind settled.

‘Someday, I’ll make people come all the way to this alley just to eat my bread.’

✨ She imagined customers standing in front of her small shop. She saw herself hearing that it was delicious and confidently telling them to come again tomorrow.
A small smile spread across Elina's lips.

‘I will definitely succeed and become the best baker in the kingdom.’ 🍞💛