The most dangerous threat to a retired Dungeon Boss wasn't a hero wielding a sword. It was the infuriatingly optimistic apothecary elf next door who believed her bakery needed a little more chaos.
Hazel Serenella Burn fled her past to open Burn & Batch in the cozy town of Puddlewick. No monster mobs. No adventurers. Just precisely measured magic.
Then she accidentally unleashed a batch of Truth Cookies that caused the Great Cookie-Quake, sending the town into emotional chaos.
Suddenly, her bakery is suspended by the rigid local constable. Her only hope is Oswin Reed—the warm, intuitive elf who sweeps the flour off her floor without asking and insists that letting go is good for the soul. To save her fresh start, Hazel has to team up with Oswin to heal the town's baking divide.
Working side by side with him was supposed to be strictly business. She didn't plan on his gentle support breaking down her carefully constructed walls. Or the way he looked at her like she wasn't a monster at all.
If she can't learn to let go of her need for absolute control, she'll lose her desperately needed fresh start. But trusting Oswin might be the most dangerous—and delicious—risk she's ever taken. †
†This was produced using author-directed AI tools.
