Chapter 48: The Business Empire

At this restaurant, “Guinevere’s Banquet,” there weren’t many customers.
Including us, there were only three tables of people.
The speed at which the food was served was, naturally, impeccable.
But compared to the exquisite lunches at the other two tables, Elvira had single-handedly turned a high-end restaurant into a street food stall.

The waitress pushed a dining cart to our side and placed one dish after another, all exquisitely plated but with pitifully small portions, onto the table.
Soon, the table was filled with plates of various sizes.
The dishes on them looked like sculptures to me.
After hesitating for a long time, I didn’t know where to start.

“Don’t you like it?” Elvira asked with concern, seeing that I hadn’t moved my knife and fork.

“I don’t know which one to eat first. There are too many, and they’re too high-end.”

“Then I’ll feed you,” Elvira cut a piece of steak with her knife and fork, of a moderate size, perfect for one bite, and held it in front of me.

“Here, open your mouth.”

“Who wants you to feed me!”

I snatched the fork from her, fiercely bit down on the piece of meat, and glared back at her, as if to say:
Even if I starve to death, die outside, or jump from a tree, I won’t eat a single bite of food you feed me!

I returned the fork to Elvira and savored the food in my mouth.
I wanted to see what made it so expensive.
Isn’t it just a piece of meat? How delicious can it be?

Hmm… hmm?!

What… is this?!

The meat was full of juice, and the texture was springy.
The moment I bit down, it was as if the fat and the aroma of the meat were dancing in my mouth.
My tongue passed through the richly layered texture, feeling the meat fibers being pulled apart one by one, like parting the clouds to see the sun.

In my two lives, this was the first time I had eaten something so delicious!

So, so delicious!

After this one bite, I didn’t hesitate at all.
I didn’t care how to hold the knife and fork.
I went straight for the dishes in front of me.
My movements were like a whirlwind, a bit inelegant, but as long as it went into my mouth, it was fine.

But not long after, I realized that I was out of place in this environment.
Elvira in front of me sat upright, her dining manners pleasing to the eye.
Little Nia beside me was also very well-behaved.
Her two small hands held the knife and fork steadily, looking like a little adult.

In contrast, I… was like a stray dog on the street.

So embarrassing.

In the blink of an eye, I straightened my posture, switched the knife and fork that I was holding in the wrong hands, and started to eat in small bites, mimicking Elvira’s posture.

And my sudden change naturally caught Elvira’s attention.
Or rather, she had been paying attention to me all along.

“Verona, you don’t have to be like this. Just treat this as a normal meal.”

“But aren’t you also sitting so upright?”

“It’s just a habit.”

“Then what about Little Nia?”

I turned to look at the little one beside me and found that Little Nia was also looking at me at this moment, her large, pink-crystal-like eyes shining.

“Have you forgotten who her mother is?”

A flash of insight came to my mind.
Thinking of the relationship between Little Nia and that Blade Witch, everything became clear.

It’s very normal for a young lady from a wealthy family to receive education from a young age.

“That’s true…” I nodded to myself. “Then, Elvira, do you come here often?
You seem very familiar with this restaurant.”

“No, I’ve never been here before,” Elvira shook her head in denial.
“But this restaurant is a chain under the Scythe Blade Merchant Guild, so the quality can be guaranteed.
Restaurants with a curved scythe logo on their sign usually won’t disappoint.”

Perhaps I’ve been too relaxed lately.
It wasn’t until Elvira reminded me that I started to notice—this commercial empire, like a towering behemoth, is all under the control of one person, that is, Little Nia’s mother.

I haven’t met her in person, but through her enterprises and subordinates, I can get a glimpse of this strong woman.
Shrewd, calculating, and powerful.
She even has an undeniable personal charm.
And this is just the surface.

As for the deeper level…

I don’t need to think about it.

Just a little thought, and I know that Nadiesse will definitely take us to see her later, to stage a mother-daughter reunion.
At that time, I will be able to meet this long-famous Blade Witch—Coevid Lavillia.

But this is not important either, because I have no intention of taking advantage of her.
Take advantage? Moral blackmail?
Putting aside the fact that my own bottom line doesn’t allow me to do such things, with her power and means, wouldn’t it be more than enough to deal with a little witch like me who is a stranger in a strange land?

In the end, it would probably be the kind of ending where even my ashes are scattered.

Thinking of this, my gaze unconsciously turned to Little Nia, who was snuggled up against me, nibbling on a cake.
Her cheeks were puffed up like a greedy little hamster, making it hard to resist the urge to pinch her little face.

“Little Nia, you’re going to see your mother soon. Are you happy?” I asked with a smile.

“Mother…” Little Nia stopped eating.
The cake in her hand fell to the ground.
Her small nose twitched, and there was a faint sob in her voice.

Crap! Why does my mouth say whatever comes to my mind?
I’ve really been at sea for too long, and my brain is waterlogged.
The little one has been suppressing her thoughts about her mother, probably because she’s afraid of affecting us.
Now, the long-suppressed emotions have been ignited by a single sentence from me, and it’s out of control.

Little Nia threw herself into my arms, her small face buried in my chest, and began to sob.
I could feel that Little Nia was suppressing her emotions and her cries.

Pursing my lips, I knew that my expression must not be very good right now.
I had to take responsibility for the trouble I caused.
So I put down my knife and fork, held the small body, and gently patted her thin back, comforting her young soul.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. It’s sister’s fault. Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

The small face in my arms shook slightly, unable to speak.
Then, her cries could no longer be suppressed.
The whimpering of her tender voice was heart-wrenching.

At this point, some words are as pale and weak as a snowflake that will dissipate at any moment to a fragile soul.

“It’s okay. Go ahead and cry. It’ll be better after you cry it out,” I said, not knowing if I was comforting the little person in my arms or myself.

The restaurant was empty.
Only the sound of a child’s cry echoed.
The weak voice was like a continuous, drizzling rain.
The atmosphere grew cold, and my heart felt empty, as if it had been grabbed.

The fabric on my chest gradually became wet.
Tears flowed from her eyes like a broken string of pearls.
After a long while, Little Nia seemed to have cried herself out.
She finally fell asleep quietly on my body, her two small hands clenched into fists, holding on to me, like a baby returning to its mother’s embrace…

I felt very bad.
My emotions were affected by the crying just now.
I couldn’t say anything now.
I just looked up at Elvira and mouthed the words “it’s time to go.”

The latter, very understandingly, didn’t say anything.
She just nodded in agreement, got up, and went to the counter to pay the bill.
After that, I carried Little Nia and walked out of the restaurant with Elvira.
I looked at the sunlight, which was mostly blocked by the shade of the trees, and estimated that it was about time.

Let’s go and meet up with Nadiesse.

We went back the way we came.
After walking for about twenty minutes, we returned to the original docking platform.
From a distance, I saw a figure with reddish-brown hair waving at us.

“Oi! You two are finally back. This weather is a bit hot!
I hope you can get used to it.”