NOVPUBA gentle breeze wafted through, carrying with it the unique ebb and flow of the tides from the eastern district of the Nanwantina territory.
The natural light outside the window on the coast gradually became more resplendent, illuminating the spotless bedroom after Hyperion drew back the curtains.
At that moment, the bedroom was filled with the steam and aroma of cooked food.
The appetizer Lanci had prepared for Talia was steamed lobster with herb butter, the fresh lobster split in half, its flesh tender and drizzled with butter infused with herbs, garnished with thinly sliced lemon wedges and finely chopped cilantro.
The dish was finished in less than a minute.
Next, Lanci brought out the main course, slow-cooked steak with wild mushroom sauce, cut into small pieces for her, and carried them to her mouth. The selection of beef tenderloin heart after slow cooking became tender and juicy, the surface slightly charred, covered with a rich black truffle and red wine sauce, and paired with the sliced mushrooms flavored in the Nanwantina style, it tasted even more delicious.
Lanci fed her, occasionally wiping her mouth with a napkin, and when she was about to feel thirsty, he would ask if she wanted a drink in advance.
At first, she sat upright, but gradually Talia relaxed, leaning against the headboard, her mind vacant, just continuously opening her mouth and chewing, coordinating with Lanci.
Hyperion didn’t know how to evaluate the situation.
It should have been a quite heartwarming scene.
But Hyperion felt Lanci’s wife-like toxicity on the rise again; he seemed very content to turn Tata into a person who could only open her mouth.
Hyperion had heard from the Great Love Poet that Lanci liked to go to the first-floor balcony of the dormitory every morning to feed his animal friends breakfast.
Now Lanci’s natural smile at the corner of his mouth looked somewhat like he was feeding animals.
Lanci used to be very happy watching Talia eat, but now that he was feeding her by hand, he seemed even more satisfied.
It wasn’t unlike a kind of strange mutual indulgence.
Time passed in this manner for a long while.
When Talia opened her mouth, she realized there was no food coming to her lips anymore and suddenly snapped back to reality.
She turned her head to see that there were no more dishes on the small dining cart.
"Tata, wait, I’ll go and order another cart from the chef."
Lanci, as if understanding Tata’s intention, quickly stood up and left, pushing the small cart that only had empty plates on it.
"You come back here!"
Talia immediately realized what that guy was thinking.
No girl eats meals by the "cart"!
"Okay then."
Lanci stopped in his tracks, let go of the small dining cart, and then obediently sat back down.
"Do you want some fruit?"
He had just been quiet for a moment and then asked again.
"..."
Talia couldn’t tell if he was genuinely concerned about her at this moment or if he had turned some sort of thought into a habit.
She admitted that she had been living comfortably since coming to the human kingdom, but now that she had been exposed as the Princess of the Demon Clan, indulging in gourmet food made her feel a bit ashamed.
Sometimes Lanci was genuinely nice to her, but also seemed to harbor some damn bad intentions!
"Later, I’ll cut some fruit, and we can eat it together slowly since we both have a leisurely day today," Hyperion added.
In the past, when the three of them were together, Talia could still teach them magic and card making, and an afternoon would go by in the blink of an eye, but now obviously they couldn’t make Talia work, which directly led to the three of them having nothing special to pass the time with.
Talia nodded, not resisting anymore.
"Speaking of which, what are we going to do for the next few days?" Hyperion asked, seeing that Lanci and Talia had stopped talking.
Her and Lanci’s return from the Northern Continent was already late, and as soon as they got back to Ichrite, they came straight to the Nanwantina territory overnight. With the semester almost over at school, she felt it wasn’t right to return and yet not to return either...
It was as if when you’re only ten minutes late, you still feel like rushing to school, but when you’re several hours late, it doesn’t make any difference whether you go to school that day or not.
"Rest up for a few days, and then we’ll head back to Ichrite,"
Lanci said after a moment of thought.
The trip to Bibo Coast might have to wait until the next return to Nanwantina, because a section leading directly to the Nox Mountains was already under control.
The Great Priest Loren also planned to stay for another week to stabilize the people’s hearts in Nanwantina before returning.
Even if Lanci and Hyperion went back early, without Loren being there, there was nowhere to submit their report, or rather, it was submitted, but it lacked the final reviewer.
This morning, Lanci had even suggested to his father to move to Ichrite for a while.
For the upcoming period, the Royal Capital with its core city defenses and the presence of Great Priest Loren would be much safer than the Nanwantina Border adjacent to the Cerryti Empire.
Now that the Wilford family’s old house was destroyed, and having just experienced such an attack, Noe quickly agreed.
"Is everything alright with the Boss Cat Restaurant?"
Talia suddenly asked.
She had originally told Asina she would only be gone for about a week.
Now, her absence had turned into two weeks, and Asina was likely to be too busy to cope.
"No problem, I’ve brought back three excellent restaurant employees from the Northern Continent for Cat Boss, each a real talent. You just enjoy your holiday,"
Lanci looked at Talia warmly, as if to assure her that he had arranged everything. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"...How could you find any talent in the Northern Continent?"
At his words, Talia’s eyebrows slightly lifted in surprise.
It was good news that Boss Cat Restaurant would have stable staff to take turns with her in the future.
But she wasn’t used to dealing with strangers, and if she couldn’t get along with the three new employees, it could be quite awkward.
Especially since most people from the Protoss Empire harbored animosity towards the Demon Race.
"They’re really quite impressive; I promise you’ll like them,"
Lanci said with a proud embrace of his arms, nodding.
Seven greater members of the Great Demon Clan, besides the ones given at the start, he had now recovered three of them.
Only the last three were needed, and then it would be a happy Demon family reunion.
"Haha, so full of yourself. Do you really think you know me that well?"
Talia closed her eyes, ignoring Lanci.
"Of course, nobody understands Talia better than I do,"
Lanci answered confidently,
"I can even guess what you want for dinner tonight."
He was all set to start feeding Talia from six in the evening till eight tonight.
"You!"
Talia glared at him angrily.
She was certain that Lanci’s mind was getting unusually active again!
"Sigh."
Hyperion shook her head helplessly, listening to the two of them bicker as usual.
It was fine; this level of banter wouldn’t kill Lanci, so Hyperion had nothing to worry about.
As for the three old friends from the Demon World, she considered them a surprise for Talia’s recovery from a serious illness—she didn’t plan on spoiling the mood by revealing it here.
In Hyperion’s memory, Antanas and the two others seldom talked about Talia with her, but Hyperion thought that Talia must have been just as adorable in the Demon World as she was now.
The reunion was sure to be heartfelt.
