Chapter 48
Luca came to the Duke’s mansion at lunchtime the next day.
Miller had gone off for sword training, and since the meeting yesterday, Dad and Drehan seemed busy building connections with new nobles.
And I went out with Luca.
Taro wanted to come along too, but unfortunately, Terry spotted him and grabbed him as a playmate.
So it ended up being just the two of us in the carriage.
I wondered what had happened to Marquis Gassen.
To that question, Luca said a public execution would be carried out.
It was the price for playing a reckless life-threatening game.
“This is the first time dining out alone with you.”
“Right? The place Lia reserved is that restaurant you’d been eager to try for a few days, right?”
I nodded. When Luca asked what I wanted to eat, I immediately said the restaurant we were heading to.
It was the place we had barely managed to reserve through a servant the day before when we were together.
Normally, it would take at least a week to get a reservation there.
Then suddenly, remembering the last time, I tilted my head slightly toward Luca.
At that moment, our eyes met at close range, and for some reason, Luca’s ears flushed red and he quickly turned his head away.
“Was it Serunibeti? That’s what you wrote on the card you gave me, right? A spell to bring happiness — how admirable.”
“Well, Lia has to be happy.”
“What’s that? It’s funny hearing you say that so seriously.”
“Lia will definitely become happy.”
“You too, Luca. I want you to be happy as well.”
Muttering “Serunibeti,” I stroked Luca’s smooth hair.
I’ve never really believed in superstitions, but at that moment, it felt like saying it out loud could make it come true, so I whispered the happiness spell again.
Now, Luca’s ears were visibly red enough to catch my attention, and just as my hand was about to move again, the carriage stopped, and the driver announced our arrival.
I withdrew my hand and excitedly said,
“Let’s go. Let’s see how good it really is that the magazine of Mrs. Quelly, the queen of harsh words, praised it.”
Usually, when someone known for harsh criticism praises a place, it piques curiosity even more.
Maybe because it was a leisurely lunch in the morning, there were already some relaxed nobles lining up in front of Piet Restaurant.
Of course, they weren’t literally lined up — they must have had prior reservations.
Still, people kept coming in continuously, and some well-known great nobles were even spotted.
At that point, my expectations soared, and I grabbed Luca’s hand beside me as we stepped into the restaurant.
“Welcome… Your Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince of the Griffin Empire.”
The man who greeted us with a friendly face immediately bowed deeply upon seeing Luca appear behind me.
Luca’s black hair and red eyes were like a symbol of the Crown Prince, so the servants working there each bowed their heads respectfully to Luca following the man’s lead.
Guests peered curiously to see who had arrived, so I quickly whispered to the man,
“Please show us to the reservation under the Duke of Rayes’ name.”
“Y-yes!”
Following him, we went through the main hall into a corridor that led to a private room with a large window overlooking the forest.
This room, likely used by famous nobles for discussing trade secrets or political discourse, was now serving as a hideout for two children causing a stir in the empire.
‘Of all things, the novel’s setting is so specific that just by hair color, you can immediately tell who’s who.’
Silver hair means the Duke of Rayes family, black hair means royalty. There’s no privacy in this world.
Though it was lunchtime, I decided I must try the restaurant’s signature dish and ordered a meat stew with garlic and butter.
Luca, who ordered a simple brunch, smiled broadly at me, making me chuckle.
“Do you think it’ll suit Lia’s taste?”
“That’s what I’m most curious about.”
After all, my taste buds were accustomed to the skills of the shrimp chef and the ray chef.
We chatted for a while until the food arrived in the room.
I took a bite of the steaming stew and my eyes widened.
‘What… what is this?!’
It wasn’t quite better than the shrimp and ray chefs, but it was similar.
That was the highest praise I could give. The unique aroma was wonderful.
“Wow, this is really delicious.”
Then, just as I took another bite—
BOOM!!
A loud destructive sound rang out somewhere, and at the same moment, Luca stood up and stepped in front of me.
“What, what’s going on?!”
Don’t they know not to disturb someone while they’re eating?
Who was causing a commotion in this sacred restaurant?
I followed Luca as he stood up.
Actually, before standing, I quickly shoveled the stew into my mouth, not wanting it to go cold.
“What’s going on?”
Luca turned back and replied,
“I’ll go check outside. Lia, don’t leave the room.”
He grabbed his sheath and warned me,
“I’ll be back soon.”
I nodded.
Even after Luca left the room, several loud explosions continued.
Then, suddenly, the outside fell eerily silent, and curious if the situation had calmed down, I cautiously opened the door a little.
‘Is it over…?’
But through the narrow gap in the door, what I saw was a strange lifeform like a monster I’d only read about in books.
Its purple eyes glowed sharply as it stomped down the corridor, and of all things—
‘We locked eyes.’
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
It raised its lips in a strange grin and stared at me.
