“Xiali sis~ and sister and little Luya!”
Ennis was waiting at the entrance of the Kafus Manor. Seeing Xiali and the other two approaching, she waved and ran over, snuggling into Xiali’s arms.
Xiali endured the sharp, murderous glare from Filia beside her and gently patted Ennis’s head. “Everyone’s already here. Filia, you’re more familiar with the restaurants nearby. Where should we go?”
“There’s a newly opened restaurant by the Lafso family three streets ahead. Let’s go there.” Filia grabbed her own sister’s hand and pulled her out from Xiali’s embrace.
“Why Lafso again?”
“Have you been there before?”
“More or less. I’ve been to the clothing and magical artifact shops with the same name. My biggest impression is that they’re expensive and always out of stock.” Xiali added silently in her mind, and they always seem to have new troubles and pretty girls.
“The Lafso family is the richest merchant family in the capital these years. Their main clientele are nobles, and their businesses span every city. They’re even called the fifth noble family of the empire.”
Luya explained to Xiali, “The Stein family, the fourth of the great families, is already showing signs of being replaced. Our mother is probably so eager to get the help of the Kafus family because of this.”
“I see.” Xiali searched her mind carefully.
Now that she thought about it, this name had indeed appeared in the game.
But it was just an ordinary merchant NPC without anything special.
Here, they’d actually become nobles?
No wonder the game she was playing was a pirated version.
“It’s said that the Lafso family grew into such a giant in just a few years with the help of a Saint.” Luya paused, “Sorry, Xiali sis, you probably aren’t interested in this, right?”
“Hm, I’m more curious about what good food there is.” Xiali had already started daydreaming about what kind of grand feast this other world might offer.
“Speaking of which, Xiali…” Mentioning the Saint, Filia suddenly remembered something. “What’s that black mark on your neck? A birthmark?”
“A mark?” Xiali touched the inverted cross mark on her neck.
The game’s female protagonist’s portrait and model all had that mark.
As for its function…
She still didn’t know, even after nearly finishing the game.
Maybe it was some kind of weird fetish of the game’s author?
But normally, wouldn’t such strange marks be on the lower abdomen?
“Maybe. Why do you ask?” Xiali was curious why Filia suddenly brought it up.
“I saw the same thing on the Saint.”
“You mean… Velenica?”
“Yes, that night at the marriage alliance banquet, on the back of her hand.”
“Back of the hand… I didn’t see that.” Xiali recalled her time with Velenica today; such an obvious mark couldn’t have escaped her notice.
The game’s Velenica didn’t have this mark either.
“Is that so? Then maybe I was mistaken.” Filia said, but her gaze lingered on the mark on Xiali’s neck, her brows furrowed slightly.
The more she looked, the more familiar it seemed.
Had she seen it in some ancient magic tome?
She would have to check when she got back.
Filia felt this was not so simple.
“Xiali sis, sister, stop talking about these confusing things. The Lafso restaurant is just ahead.” Ennis pointed at the street in front where a restaurant was lit by crystal lamps.
The sign with the fancy font spelling “Lafso” came into view.
Xiali pushed open the door. The bell chimed “Ding-ling-ling” as she entered. The restaurant’s decor was elegant; the crystal chandeliers were dimmed slightly, and the soft piano music echoed around.
There weren’t many customers, all dressed in formalwear or evening gowns, behaving gracefully — all local nobles or wealthy merchants.
There were even quite a few familiar faces, ones they had met briefly before.
From the night of the marriage alliance banquet.
The arrival of Xiali and her group caught the attention of several pairs of eyes.
Especially on Xiali.
Her clothes were indeed beautiful, but appearing in such a setting, she stood out with a strong sense of incongruity compared to the others.
Of course, the most important was her reputation.
Which noble in Steinburg didn’t know that someone had dared to crash the Stein family’s banquet to snatch a fiancé, reviving the supposedly disabled Stein family heiress?
They even caused the city lord, a transcendent mage, to fall unconscious!
They had also heard that this countryside girl hadn’t just stolen the Stein heiress’s heart but was secretly involved with the Kafus family’s target of the alliance.
Filia Kafus lost both her fiancée and admirer overnight, which was why she had gone mad at the banquet, beating guards and some nobles who were just there to watch so badly that they still hadn’t recovered.
There were even rumors that adventurers had seen this girl behaving intimately with Filia Kafus’s sister in the suburbs a few days ago — both ragged and looking like they’d been through something.
To see them both here together today was astonishing!
Several noble ladies wanted to approach and talk but seeing Filia next to Xiali reminded them of those unfortunate nobles’ fates at the banquet, so they calmly sat back down.
“Aren’t we a bit too famous?”
Xiali sat down at a table in the corner, enduring those noble stares.
“We’re just famous among the nobles… but after a few days when the newspapers spread it through Steinburg, who knows.” Filia chuckled softly as she sat opposite Xiali.
“I don’t want to be famous like this. Why don’t we elope to a city where no one knows us?”
“Hehe, then you’d have to go to the demon tribe to find one.”
“So you agree to elope?”
“As if you really dare to go to the demon tribe.”
“Xiali sis, someone’s watching us…” Luya sat beside Xiali, grumbling unhappily.
“Ahem… let’s order first.” Xiali took the menu handed by the waiter and just as she flipped open the first page, her smile froze at the corner of her mouth.
Appetizers, Queen’s Salad 50 copper coins; Caesar Salad 45 copper coins; Fried Egg with Ebilia-style Ham 1 silver 10 copper coins; Seafood Cold Platter 2 silver 50 copper coins; Pan-Seared Foie Gras with Fig Sauce 3 silver.
Are they robbers?!
Is this really the appetizer section?
One dish costs as much as a normal person’s monthly food budget!
“Xiali, you said it yourself, you’re treating us tonight.” Filia rested her elbows on the table, fingers interlaced beneath her chin, her lips curling into a smile.
Xiali’s mouth twitched.
Good grief, so Filia’s trap was right here!
The four of them eating here would easily cost over a hundred silver coins.
Filia was a saint in the game, but how was her heart so dark?
Though she clearly misunderstood Xiali.
“Fine, order whatever you want.” Xiali shrugged casually.
Just because she liked making money didn’t mean she was stingy.
High prices on clothes felt wasteful, but on magical artifacts they were necessities, and at a restaurant…
She had to taste the flavors!
Wasteful?
Is enjoying food and drink really a waste?
This was called indulgence!
She had worked hard for days to earn money for this very reason!
Besides, she still had 100 silver coins on hand — money she had “extorted” from Filia.