III. The Impact of Her

As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the bakery, I immediately stepped out and approached the chauffeur.

Sternly, I instructed, “ Should my family ask for my whereabouts, you are to tell them that I am in the process of choosing a new horse. You are forbidden to tell them the truth.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” he bowed.

After I gave my permission, he left. I proceeded into the bakery and as expected, it was filled with the townspeople. Those who preferred the rushed orders lined up until the door. By far, this was one of the busiest days I witnessed in this bakery.

“Robert!” a voice surfaced from the noisy, crowded shop. I looked around and found Grandpa Ben as he waved from the counter.

I smiled and returned a wave.

Grandpa Ben gestured for me to come closer before he patted an unoccupied seat.

Gently, I pushed through the crowd. I didn’t want to bump into anyone, especially the workers. As soon as I reached the counter, I greeted, “Hello, Grandpa Ben.”

We shook hands before he replied, “Hello again, son. Have a seat.”

I raised my voice a little bit so he could hear me, “That won’t be necessary, Grandpa Ben. I will not be staying here for long.” I leaned into his ear and continued, “I was wondering if I can take Laura with me. I am to choose a new horse.”

His brows furrowed as I stepped away. “A new horse? What happened to your Lady?” Grandpa Ben asked.

“Uh, someone poisoned her,” my lips formed into a firm line.

Shocked, Grandpa Ben quickly held onto my hands. “Oh, my dear boy, I am incredibly sorry for your loss,” he replied.

“Thank you, Grandpa Ben. But I assure you that I have already recovered. I do not want to spend the rest of my days, sulking in a corner,” I said as I smiled faintly. I continued, “I already mourned for Lady and her sudden passing. I am certain that she does not want to see me miserable until my very last breath.”

“Well, as you can see,” Grandpa Ben then pointed at Laura, “She has her hands full at the moment.”

As I searched through the kitchen, there was Laura. She was preparing a huge amount of dough for their pastries.

Grandpa Ben returned to me and remarked, “You may need to wait until the chaos dies down.”

I nodded. “Then I shall wait,” I smiled. I intertwined my hands together and settled them on the counter.

“And while you wait,” Grandpa Ben grabbed a menu and slid it in front of me, “What would you like to have?” he asked.

I shook my head as I gently moved the menu away from me. “Thank you, Grandpa Ben but I don’t need to ask for anything. You already have a lot of people to attend to. And besides,” I leaned forward and whispered, “I don’t have enough money with me.”

Grandpa Ben laughed for a moment. “Robert,” he said as his hand landed on my shoulder, “You are not required to bring money whenever you come to visit. If you want anything, you only need to ask,” he explained. He then grabbed his pen and a small piece of paper. “Now, choose whatever it is that you want.”

“Uh,” my knees shook as I grew nervous whilst I read down the list. “Perhaps, the tea and apple pie that I had before,” I requested, gently.

After he wrote down my order, Grandpa Ben gave both instructions and encouragement around the kitchen.

I turned around and watched as even more people flooded the bakery. Every servant in the dining area looked like they had been working since morning. Some people stayed and ate their food with a satisfied grin, plastered on their faces. Others waited in line. Instead of losing possible customers, more people stood at the already-overcrowded line.

I returned to Grandpa Ben who was finally back with me. “Don’t they get tired of waiting? Those who stand in line?” I asked.

Grandpa Ben looked up and checked the line. With a smile, he replied, “I already told them that they can come back for their orders. But, for some reason, they prefer to wait.”

“Today must have been such a handful for you and your workers,” I remarked, a bit concerned.

“With all honesty, there are no stagnant days for this bakery. The only exception that we have would be our rest days,” Grandpa Ben explained as he grabbed a chair. “Some will send their servants to buy what they want. It’s either they wait or they ask for their orders to be delivered to their homes,” he continued as he sat across from me.

A worker from the kitchen rang their service bell. He brought out a tray with a pie and tea behind Grandpa Ben.

Grandpa Ben took the tray and served it to me. “Here you are, son,” he carefully laid the tray down before me, “You will need something to help you decide on choosing a new champion.”

“Thank you,” I nodded as I poured tea into my cup.

Grandpa Ben cleared his throat. “Lady was the perfect champion for you,” he said as he returned to his seat. “I saw how close you were as horse and master.”

I nodded before I took a sip. Their tea had a calming aroma. Its exquisite scent and taste calmed my mind and warmed my soul in an instant. As the hot liquid touched my tongue, it sent chills down my spine.

“Laura did mention that something happened to your Lady. But I never expected that she meant it was the death of your champion. Again, my deepest condolences,” Grandpa Ben lowered his voice. Immediately, he dismissed his cheerful tone and replaced it with a comforting approach. “I, myself, lost three champions in my entire lifetime. I understand the pain that you are going through. I always remind myself that our adventures will always remain here,” he then pointed to his heart.

“At the very least, you have no regrets on what you lost, Grandpa Ben,” I said as I put my cup down. The emptiness slowly formed within my heart once again. My eyes fixated itself on the food before me as my heart gradually broke. I continued, “Lady and I still have adventures to discover. However, it seems that time isn’t on our side. Without her, I will never be able to fulfil those plans.”

Grandpa Ben’s hand softly landed on my shoulder, which made me look up at him. “You must not give up, son. Perhaps, it only means that future adventures are to be explored with somebody else. And it is simply waiting for you to open your eyes and heart,” he replied with a smile.

Could it be that he pertained to Laura? Or another champion?

Grandpa Ben has a point regarding that.

Maybe, for the next chapters of my life, Lady wasn’t entirely needed anymore. But still, Lady’s death, in my opinion, wasn’t needed.

I still had questions about my life. And Lady was my only source of solace before Laura came into my life. I had yet to discover the answers to my every question and Lady suddenly left.

A long while has passed and my meal was entirely devoured.

Not a crumb was spared. I burped silently as I adjusted myself on my chair. “Thank you for the meal, Grandpa Ben,” I said as I put my soiled plate and utensils together. “I will pay for everything on my next visit.”

With a smile, Grandpa Ben replied, “That is unnecessary, son. I consider you as a part of our family and families do not owe each other anything.” He took the tray and settled it on the counter behind him. He shook his hands as he turned back to me. “Well, unless it is about business, there will be a need for a conversation. Am I correct?” he asked as he leaned onto the counter. His folded arms supported his weight.

“Grandpa Ben, this,” I gestured to the entire bakery, “This is your business. I cannot just eat here and not pay for anything. You will lose profit and that can eventually lead you to losing the bakery as well.”

Grandpa Ben stepped back with a smile. He shook his head as he let out a brief chuckle. He then said, “You are quite persistent. How about this? You can pay when you can. However, I am not obligating you to pay each time you visit and eat here.”

Laura appeared from the back and carried my tray from the counter.

Grandpa Ben immediately put his hand on top of hers. “What are you doing?” he asked Laura as she came to a full stop.

Laura’s brows knitted together. “I am going to put this in the sink,” she said as she briefly lifted the tray.

“You,” Grandpa Ben stole the tray from her, “You are not going to do that,” he continued as he returned it onto the counter. “You are going to accompany Robert today,” he then pointed at me. “He is going to choose a new champion and he needs someone to be there for him.”

Laura grew even more baffled. “Um, Grandpa Ben, are you aware of how crowded we are today?” she asked as she pointed to the waiting line. It never died down throughout my entire stay. “You need all the help that you can get,” she added.

“I will have Ronald take over your duties,” Grandpa Ben replied.

Laura groaned as she rolled her head back. “I cannot entrust my responsibilities over to Ronald. The last time we did that, one of the ovens almost caused a big fire,” she protested.

I covered my mouth as I snickered. I turned my head as I didn’t want anyone from the kitchen to catch me laughing.

‘Ronald could not be that bad of a worker, can he?’ I thought to myself. ‘Perhaps, Laura was merely exaggerating. She has been annoyed with Ronald for the longest time.’

“Hmm,” I turned back around as Grandpa Ben spoke. His chin rested on his hand as he thought for a moment. His lips pouted a bit and his brows furrowed as he was in deep thoughts. “You are probably right about that. I will handle your duties, then,” he smiled, which shocked and terrified Laura.

Grandpa Ben continued, “Ronald will be given the tasks here at the counter. You, on the other hand, shall go with Robert. He can use some of your insights in choosing a new champion.”

Laura sighed in defeat. No matter how hard she tried, there was no excuse against Grandpa Ben. “If you say so,” she smiled firmly as she untied her apron. She then handed it over to Grandpa Ben and hugged him for a bit. She walked ahead of me towards the door.

I followed closely behind her without a word.

“Shall we?” I asked as we stood outside the bakery.

Laura looked down at her clothes before she turned to me. “Can I change into something else first? I smell of freshly-baked pastries and burnt coal,” she replied. She added, “To be completely honest, I am simply a mess.”

I nodded. “Take all the time you need to prepare. I will wait for you,” I said as I laid a peck on her forehead.

Laura hid her flushed face as she walked away.

It has been a while and Laura has yet to return.

My legs shook as I anxiously waited in front of the bakery.

‘What could be keeping her?’ I thought to myself.

I didn’t require her to look like a princess or a noble lady. I would prefer if she wore something she was comfortable in. Something that she could wear with full confidence.

“Robert?” a gentle voice spoke from behind me.