Chapter 32: White Hair Is Very Rare, You Know

One look was enough—this was the person she had been waiting for.

Alberna hurried over to Perletti in just a few strides, grabbing tightly onto the hand that had pushed the door open and refusing to let go.

“You’re here to apply for the job, right? Ahem—let me introduce myself. I’m the manager of this café, Alberna Isaachsen. Welcome, welcome! Carol, make coffee for these two guests—extra sugar and milk.”

As she spoke, she pulled Perletti into the café and seated her by the window.

Just from her name alone, it was clear that Alberna was a noble. Normally, only nobles introduced themselves this way. At the same time, Perletti found herself puzzled—this noble seemed somewhat different from those she had met before.

At the very least, this was the first time she had ever seen a noble personally managing a café. How unusual.

Alberna’s attitude also didn’t seem like she intended to make things difficult for them.

“So, do the two of you intend to work here?” Alberna asked excitedly as she sat across from Perletti, her hands and feet fidgeting restlessly while she stared at her.

“Yes. The recruitment notice outside listed some information, so we thought we’d come in and take a look.”

Perletti eyed Alberna warily, one hand quietly resting on Feiye as if trying to shield her. This scene did not escape Alberna’s notice.

Were commoners really this wary of nobles nowadays?

She looked so cute—there was no way she resembled some scum who’d harm a child, okay? It had been the same at the door earlier: when this beautiful young woman realized she was a noble, she almost ran away. If Carol hadn’t reminded her, she might have missed out on these two rare talents entirely.

The reputation of nobles had truly been ruined by certain people.

“Sigh…” Alberna let out a helpless sigh.

“Judging by the way you look, you must have arrived here just yesterday, right? There’s no need to be so nervous. Feeling uneasy when you come to an unfamiliar place is perfectly normal.” Alberna placed two cups of coffee rich with the scent of milk in front of them.

“But since you’re here to apply, may I know your basic information? For example, your names.”

Her eyes were full of smiles, her tone and gestures brimming with a level of enthusiasm Perletti had never encountered before.

“Perletti… just call me that. As for the one beside me, her name is Melantha. She’s my younger sister.”
The name Feiye was simply too eye-catching—saying it out loud would almost certainly raise suspicions.

So Perletti recalled the name Feiye herself had given when Elaine came to check on them.

Feiye peeked her small head out from behind, her violet eyes curiously examining Alberna.

Alberna nodded thoughtfully.

“Perletti, Melantha, right? Such lovely names—very fitting for the both of you~”

“Alright, on to business. The pay here is one gold coin. Food and lodging included. Work starts at ten in the morning and ends at nine in the evening. You can apply for five rest days per month. After you’re hired, I’ll have custom-made uniforms prepared—this cost will be covered by me and won’t be deducted from your pay.”

“Once the contract is signed, I’ll start preparing the clothes. They should be ready by tomorrow. Then you can come in for a simple training session, and you’ll be able to officially start work.”

The salary and benefits were excellent—fully meeting all of Perletti’s expectations for a job in Falisa, and even exceeding them.

A monthly wage of one gold coin—she clearly remembered that many jobs paid less than fifty silver coins. A one–gold-coin salary for a relatively relaxed place like a café could be considered extremely generous.

Truly worthy of a noble, she thought—so wealthy that the sums they casually spent were beyond her imagination.

“Your business here doesn’t seem to be limited to just coffee,” Perletti said.

She had noticed a very distinctive window behind the counter, decorated mainly in pink. It could have been styled according to the owner’s taste, but the equipment inside was clearly for cooking, not for storing coffee beans.

And the lady making coffee was actually wearing a maid outfit. Seeing that attire gave Perletti an inexplicably bad feeling.

“Of course. Although this is a café, as you know, in the current climate, it’s quite difficult to run a shop on coffee alone. So in addition to coffee, we also offer meals like omurice, small cakes, milkshakes, fruit salads—main dishes and desserts alike.”

“Just so you know, I can’t cook.”

“That’s fine. Cooking is an important matter, so of course I’ve made preparations. You two only need to focus on serving customers.”

Only serving customers—it didn’t sound particularly difficult.

People who liked drinking coffee were usually very busy; generally speaking, they wouldn’t cause much trouble. Most would buy their drink and leave. As for the other dishes, they were probably for couples, and those certainly wouldn’t trouble her much.

All in all, it was a high-paying and very easy job.

“Wait—you said two?”

“Yes, of course. You came in together, so that includes both of you. Don’t worry—the pay is one gold coin each, not combined.”

“That’s not what I meant! She’s still just a child!”

Perletti placed her hand on Feiye’s head and gestured. Feiye’s height only reached her ample chest—she was unmistakably a child.

Hiring children to work was explicitly regulated by imperial law. Perletti believed that a noble capable of offering such conditions probably didn’t care much about the law—but letting such a small child work still felt inappropriate.

After just a single day together, Perletti had already naturally categorized Feiye as a child. Her mentality and age simply didn’t match.

“It’s fine~” Feiye shook her head.

“Whatever big sister does, I’ll do too. Don’t worry about me—I can handle it.”

“…Alright.” Since Feiye herself said so, Perletti could only agree.

“Wuwuwu, what a touching sisterly bond…” Alberna somehow produced a handkerchief and dabbed at her tearful eyes.

“There’s really no need to be this dramatic…” Perletti felt a bit speechless toward this overly exaggerated noble.

“Of course there is! Reunited sisters are the most beautiful bond between girls. If I may ask—are there any other girls in your family?” Alberna asked bluntly, catching Perletti off guard.

“What did you say?”

“To be honest, I really like white-haired girls. But they’re just so rare in the Empire that it’s been rather disappointing. Since both of you have white hair, I imagine your relatives might share similar traits.”

“No—wait, I just came here to find a job. Why are you investigating my family now??” A chill crept up Perletti’s spine. She felt that this lively-looking girl was far more mischievous than she had expected.

“Haha, I was just asking. But judging by your reaction, there probably are. As expected—going out and looking around really does help you find what you want.”

“It just makes one wonder what kind of person could have such a unique hair color, don’t you think… Miss Perletti?”