Nina sipped the last of her cola, feeling the weight of every gaze in the café pressing against her skin.
Whispers and hushed glances flitted around like insects. Some were impressed. Others curious. But all of them were watching her.
She sighed and stood up.
"This place is cursed."
She muttered under her breath.
Just as she turned to leave, the manager appeared again, somehow even more desperate than before.
Her tray was gone, her apron wrinkled, and a pleading smile stretched across her tired face.
"Wait! Miss, please—just hear me out for one second!"
Nina narrowed her eyes, hand halfway to the door.
"I'm not looking for trouble. Or attention. Or a job in this circus."
The manager's smile faltered, but she pressed on.
"I know, I know. But we really need help. And after what I saw earlier… you're perfect. You've got the patience, the strength, the aura—"
"My aura?"
Nina raised an eyebrow.
"You know. That… unshakable energy. Customers will think twice before acting up."
The manager said, waving her hands.
[They've got the wrong idea about you. You're a king, not some glorified bouncer.]
Her Patron said gruffly in her mind.
"I know. But I could use the money."
Nina replied internally, already tired of the conversation.
"Look, I'm not working as a server or counter girl. I don't have the energy to smile and hand out napkins."
She told the manager, folding her arms.
The manager's eyes lit up.
"Oh, no, no! I wasn't going to ask you to do that. You'd be wasted on the front line."
Nina blinked.
"Then what do you want from me?"
The woman leaned closer and whispered.
"A special role. One that suits your… presence."
[This feels like a trap. You should not entertain these mortals' delusions. They're going to offer you a clown hat next.]
Her Patron said immediately.
Nina ignored him.
"What kind of role?"
She asked cautiously.
The manager gave a nervous chuckle.
"We need someone to, uh… escort unruly customers out. Politely, of course! With class. Elegance. You know, like you did just now."
Nina raised an eyebrow.
"You mean throw them out when they misbehave."
"Well… yes. But you'd be compensated well! And honestly, it doesn't happen often. Maybe once or twice a week? A tiny little incident here or there."
"You want me to be the café's private… bodyguard."
"Think of it more like guest relations specialist."
The manager said with a weak smile.
[Unbelievable. They want royalty to act like a glorified janitor for humans who can't behave. You should be managing this place, not babysitting it.]
Her Patron muttered.
"You're not wrong,"
Nina admitted.
But then again… it was legal money. Clean. Traceable.
Something she could show her mother as a way to prove she was trying. A part-time job that didn't involve pretending to care about coffee temperatures or sweeping floors.
"How much does it pay?"
Nina asked, tone flat.
The manager perked up.
"Triple the server's wage. Maybe more, depending on how many problems you handle."
Triple. That caught Nina's attention.
She tapped her chin and sighed.
"And I don't have to wear a uniform, right?"
"No uniform! Just wear what makes you feel confident!"
The manager promised quickly.
Nina gave her a long, quiet look.
"…Fine. I'll try it out."
The manager almost collapsed from relief.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to me!"
"I'm not committing long-term. If it gets annoying, I'm walking out."
Nina warned.
"Understood! We'll keep things smooth.""
The manager said, bowing slightly.
As the woman ran off to presumably brag to the staff that she'd snagged a miracle worker, Nina slumped back into the chair she'd just left.
[You're going to regret this. And I refuse to help you drag coffee bros out the door unless they commit treason.]
Her Patron said.
[Relax. It's just a gig. Besides, if I don't make money soon, my mom might throw me out before I get a chance to graduate.]
Nina replied.
She sighed again.
"Welcome to the working world, I guess."
The manager looked as though a mountain had been lifted off her shoulders the moment Nina scribbled her name on the contract.
"Thank goodness. I was really worried you'd change your mind."
She breathed, carefully rolling the contract up before tucking it into a folder.
"I almost did. That contract felt weird."
Nina muttered, her eyes narrowing as a strange sensation tugged at the back of her head.
[It was soaked in desperation…and the manager's powers. I neutralized them for you. You should've run the moment she smiled like that. Smiles that wide are never sincere.]
Her Patron muttered darkly.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Nina replied under her breath.
The manager clapped her hands.
"Right! Now that you're officially part of the team, I have your first task ready!"
"Already?"
The woman gave her a sheepish grin.
"I wouldn't ask this soon if it weren't important."
Nina sighed and rolled her shoulders, already regretting her decision.
"Alright, let's hear it."
The manager led her toward the glass double doors that separated the front counter area from the seating lounge.
From this angle, Nina could see them all—the customers with glazed eyes, starstruck expressions, and frozen smiles.
Their collective gaze remained glued to the beautiful hostess sitting at the front desk, still pouting in her seat like a rejected idol.
"They've… been here for a while?"
Nina guessed.
The manager gave a nervous laugh.
"Most of them for over three hours. Some for five. We tried to ask them politely, but…"
Her voice trailed off as Nina noticed one server near the back trying to drop off a bill, only to be completely ignored by a customer still staring ahead.
"They're not going to leave unless someone makes them. I thought… maybe you could help?"
The manager admitted.
"I haven't even worked a full minute yet."
Nina pointed out.
"I know, I know! But they'll listen to you. They're scared of you! In a good way, I mean. In a respectful way!"
The manager said quickly.
"I told you this was a trap. She's going to use you like a mop for all the mess she's too weak to clean up herself."
Her Patron said smugly.
"Yeah, yeah."
Nina muttered, then looked out at the cafe again.
The customers hadn't moved. Their drinks were mostly empty. Some had even ordered second and third rounds, just for an excuse to stay longer.
"If we don't clear them out soon, the line outside's going to start getting angry. We're losing money and seating space."
The manager whispered.
Nina clicked her tongue.
"Fine. I'll do it. Just this once."
"Thank you!"
As Nina stepped into the lounge area, conversations dropped to murmurs.
Eyes turned.
People shifted uncomfortably in their seats as she walked past, the memory of the earlier beatdown still fresh in their minds.
She reached the center of the room, then stopped beside an empty table. Her fingers tapped the surface once, lightly.
Then she slammed her palm down hard enough to shake the cups nearby.
"Time's up. Get out.""
She said, voice calm but commanding.
The silence grew heavier.
A few of the smarter customers—mostly the ones seated farthest away—stood up without a word and shuffled toward the door. Others hesitated.
Nina's gaze swept across them.
"You're here to drink coffee, not audition for a marriage proposal. The object of your obsession isn't even looking at you."
She added.
The hostess still sat at the counter, head propped on her hand, completely uninterested in the attention she received.
Nina took a step toward the closest table, cracking her knuckles.
"If I have to come table to table, it won't be as polite the second time."
That was enough to break the spell.
Chairs scraped backward. Coughs and muttered apologies echoed through the air.
Within a minute, half the room was already emptying out.
The remaining guests clung to their drinks in a last-ditch effort to stall, but Nina's glare killed their courage.
A younger man stood up from his seat, trying to hold his head high.
"I paid for another cup—"
Nina walked toward him.
"I-I'll take it to go!"
He blurted, bowing before hurrying toward the exit.
One by one, they filed out, their dreamlike trance finally cracking under Nina's presence.
A few lingered long enough to glare at the manager as if blaming her for their expulsion, but none dared speak up.
The front lounge cleared in minutes.
Nina let out a long sigh and cracked her neck.
[This is how your legend begins. You need to put anyone who opposes you in their place.]
Her Patron said.
______
Just a note, there is no tipping culture in my country and I did not base any in this novel. So the workers do make decent money from the employer here. That's why, the three times rate is good for Nina in her situation.