Chapter 2
Even though he had received Theodore’s promise, Leander couldn’t just sit idly by. The longer he remained in this world without absorbing the soul of his summoner, the weaker he would become.
That was why Leander secretly began testing Theodore with his various cunning tactics.
“Humans seem unable to escape the seeds of sin; I’m sure I can tempt him to fall into the abyss of darkness,” Leander muttered, already plotting all sorts of devious schemes in his head.
Theodore, noticing the strange smirk on Leander’s face, gently tapped him on the back of the head while chuckling.
“Stop making that weird face. You’ll scare the customers,” said Theodore, shaking his head slowly at Leander’s antics.
Seeing Theodore carrying a tray full of bread, he chose to take the tray from him, then nodded toward the kitchen.
“Let me arrange them,” Leander said briefly.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Theodore’s lips; he let Leander handle the front of the bakery.
Meanwhile, Theodore chose to return to the kitchen to keep an eye on the bread still baking.
As Leander was arranging the bread on the shelves in the bakery, the bell at the front door rang.
Leander’s ears twitched as he heard footsteps approaching the counter.
“Coffee and bread as usual, Mrs. Howard?” As he turned around, Leander could feel his lips were still too stiff to smile naturally.
“Hahaha, yes. I really enjoy the coffee you make, Leander.”
Leander calmly prepared Mrs. Howard’s order, paying no mind to the compliment he’d received.
“Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve?”
“I don’t know, I’ll probably be here,” Leander replied, shrugging indifferently.
“A young man like you can’t possibly not have plans for Christmas Eve,” Mrs. Howard replied with a chuckle.
Leander then brought Mrs. Howard her coffee and the bag of bread she’d ordered.
“As quick as ever. Please give my regards to Theodore,” Mrs. Howard said with a warm smile on her face.
Leander simply nodded and watched as Mrs. Howard disappeared through the door.
Shortly after, the sound of footsteps could be heard coming from behind Leander.
“Was that Mrs. Howard just now?” Theodore’s head poked out from the kitchen door.
“Yeah, she just left,” Leander said, pointing toward the door.
“Oh my gosh! I forgot to slip her a Christmas card,” Theodore said, tapping his forehead gently.
“You? Celebrating Christmas?” Leander looked at Theodore as if he were a unicorn.
“Why not?” Theodore calmly looked back at Leander.
“Someone who summons a demon just to fulfill their own desires shouldn’t be celebrating Christmas,” Leander explained, still skeptical of Theodore’s actions.
Theodore laughed this time, gently wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“I consider Christmas a cultural tradition. Besides, there’s no harm in sharing a little happiness with others on such a joyful day,” Theodore replied, raising an eyebrow.
The warm smile Theodore displayed left Leander speechless.
Deep down, Leander felt increasingly uneasy.
Especially as he got to know Theodore better.
“Someone like him can’t possibly be without weaknesses. I have to find out what they are right away!” Leander clenched his fists tightly.
Leander couldn’t just sit idly by; he couldn’t afford to be trapped here with Theodore for too long.
Sooner or later, Leander had to get his hands on Theodore’s soul.
Theodore brought the last tray of bread to the front; beads of sweat were visible on his forehead.
Even though it was winter, the temperature in the kitchen seemed high enough to make him sweat.
“It looks like we’ll have more customers visiting over the next few days,” Theodore said as he glanced outside the bakery.
“What do you mean?”
“Christmas is coming. People will definitely be going out to enjoy their time off,” Theodore replied patiently.
Then, Theodore turned and looked at Leander.
“Let me know if you want to take some time off,” Theodore continued with a faint smile on his lips.
“Won’t you be all alone here if I take time off?”
“Yes.”
“Then, don’t you want me here to help you run the bakery?” Leander was growing more and more confused by the direction of their conversation.
Theodore let out a soft laugh.
“Of course I’d be happy to have you here to help me. But I won’t stand in your way if you want to take some time off,” Theodore explained.
An idea began to form in Leander’s mind; finally, an opportunity had presented itself.
. . .
After that day, Theodore noticed that Leander kept working overtime.
“Are you thinking about living a human life?” Theodore asked Leander one day.
“What kind of nonsense is that?” Leander immediately felt offended by Theodore’s remark.
“It’s not like that. It’s just…” Theodore scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Don’t beat around the bush, just say what you mean,” Leander snapped.
“Do you need more money? Is that why you’re working overtime?” Theodore finally asked, hesitantly.
Leander felt like ruffling his hair when he heard Theodore’s words.
His intention, after all, had been to test Theodore.
One of the easiest ways to test a person is to look for greed in their heart.
“Stop spouting such nonsense,” Leander replied, waving his hand dismissively.
“So that’s not it…” Theodore quietly nodded his head.
He let Leander arrange the bread on the shelves and in the bakery display case.
Meanwhile, Theodore walked over to the window and gazed out at the street.
“The streets of London are already getting busy; looks like we’re going to be busy today,” Theodore said with anticipation.
That day, Leander worked overtime for the umpteenth time.
After they finished cleaning the bakery, Theodore walked over to Leander.
“Here’s your pay for this week, plus your overtime pay,” Theodore said, handing Leander an envelope.
Leander fell silent; he hadn’t expected Theodore to pay him for all the extra hours he’d worked that week.
The details of his pay were listed inside the envelope, and Leander stared at them in disbelief.
He still couldn’t believe that Theodore hadn’t even thought of profiting off him.
“Are you really human?” Leander asked, looking at Theodore skeptically.