Chapter 62: Afternoon Tea Time
“Ladies, may I take your order?”
In the northern part of the Imperial Capital’s commercial street, a snack shop called “Lotran” was doing decent business.
Besides private rooms for lunch and dinner, the shop also offered elegant seating specifically for morning and afternoon tea.
The interior décor was extremely high-end—luxurious carpets on the floor, intricate carvings on the walls—radiating opulence.
Naturally, the prices were also quite steep. Typically, only royal or upper-class individuals frequented such places.
It was Erika’s first time in such an establishment. If not for Isana bringing her here, she wouldn’t even have known there was such a luxurious snack shop on the commercial street.
Sitting in one of the elegant seats, Erika’s big eyes curiously observed the surroundings. She was so captivated she didn’t even notice the waiter who had come to take their order.
“Erika, you order. You can get whatever you want.” Isana flashed her pearly white teeth as she smiled.
Snapping out of her daze, Erika still wasn’t used to it. She glanced at the prices on the menu and was startled.
What the heck?
A pot of fruit tea costs 50 silver coins!
Why not just rob someone! Fifty silver coins could buy so many meat buns!
“Erika?”
Seeing the other staring at the menu in silence, Isana seemed to catch on and continued, “It’s fine, just order. I’m paying.”
“But Isana… this place is so expensive. How about… we go somewhere else…”
“We’re staying here.”
Cutting Erika off, Isana patted her chest with a gesture like a big sister. “I told you, I’m paying. Don’t be so polite with me.”
Seeing how generous Isana was, Erika felt a bit suspicious.
“You’re not planning to treat me to good food and then hit me with a hypnosis spell again, are you?”
“How could I!”
Isana shook her head vigorously. “I promised you already, Erika. I won’t force you. I want you to willingly take your clothes off and become my model.”
“Who would willingly take their clothes off!”
Erika retorted, “Stop thinking about that stuff all the time, will you?”
“But I like it.”
Isana didn’t hide anything. She fantasized in her head while smiling longingly, “I think about it every day… Erika taking off all her clothes by herself… it’s just perfect… hehe…”
“No thinking about that!”
……
……
The conversation between the two didn’t escape the ears of the nearby waiter.
He was stunned, his gaze strangely fixed on Erika and Isana.
These two little girls, both quite pretty, how could they be talking so openly about such things?
Hypnosis spell? Undressing? Completely undressed? Model?
Oh my, is this really something little girls should be talking about?
The waiter began to wonder if he was falling behind the times. Even young girls were into this kind of thing now.
“Ahem…”
Shaking his head, the waiter couldn’t take it anymore and deliberately cleared his throat.
“Ladies, have you decided on your order?”
“Yes!”
Puffing up her cheeks, Erika pointed at the menu with some irritation.
“This one, this one, and this one…”
“Miss, do you like vegetable salad?”
Seeing Erika pointing only at vegetables, the waiter quickly recommended, “If you enjoy vegetables, this salad is definitely for you.”
“No, what I mean is, not these—everything else, bring it all.”
“Huh?”
The waiter thought he misheard and checked the menu again.
“Uh… miss, when you say ‘bring it all’…”
“All the meat sets—bring everything, no vegetables,” Erika said knowingly.
To her, it was clear Isana was still thinking about making her a model. Since she said she’d pay, Erika decided to make her pay dearly.
Meanwhile, Isana maintained a sweet smile. In this setting, she appeared very refined and demure.
Tapping the table lightly with her fingertip, she brushed her silver hair behind her ear and instructed the waiter,
“Just do as she says. And bring a pot of fruit tea as well.”
“Understood… please wait a moment, ladies.”
With that, the waiter left.
……
As the dishes were served, the not-so-large elegant table was quickly filled to capacity.
This, in turn, drew the attention of countless surrounding diners.
As for why…
Duh—at a place like this, for afternoon tea, most people ordered a light meal at most. Who else would order a full feast like it was a banquet?
“Guess what I just saw—two rich young ladies.”
“Hehe, yeah. Probably some spoiled girl from a noble family wasting money, ordering so much food. What a waste.”
“That silver-haired girl looks like a noble.”
“Hey, now that you mention it… could she be the little princess from the Elfreid Family? They’re known for their silver hair.”
……
The murmurs around them kept coming. Erika could feel that she and Isana were being stared at from all directions.
The closest was a middle-aged man in a tailcoat.
He wore a top hat, sat with perfect posture, his every movement exuding gentlemanly grace—but not in a forced way. It came naturally, showing his deep understanding of etiquette.
However, what he held wasn’t red wine fitting of his status, but a steaming cup of milk—which looked rather odd.
The man met Erika’s gaze, then gave her a polite smile before continuing to sip his milk, making Erika smile awkwardly and look away.
Naturally, she didn’t care about any of these people.
Wasteful?
To her, meat dishes were never a waste.
Erika began devouring her food. In front of Isana, she let her appetite run wild.
But Isana didn’t mind. She also ignored the stares around them, crossing her legs, resting her chin in her palm, sipping fruit tea through a straw with her rosy lips, her shiny black eyes never leaving Erika—watching her like she was appreciating a fine work of art.
“Hey Erika, I told you, right? The food here’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“Mm!”
Chewing away, Erika nodded happily. “Tanks, Isana, it’sh sho good!”
“Slow down.”
Isana reached out and gently wiped Erika’s mouth with a napkin. “No one’s stealing it from you. It’s all yours. I’m fine with just the fruit tea.”
After swallowing, Erika tilted her head and asked, “You’re not eating?”
“No, it’s too greasy for me.”
Shaking her head, Isana smiled and said, “My dad loves this place. When we first arrived at the Imperial Capital, he was the one who brought me here.
Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve gone out for afternoon tea with someone.”
“Doesn’t your sister come with you?”
“You mean… Otilia?”
“Mm.”
Blinking, Erika asked curiously, “You two are not close?”
“She’s such a coward…”
When Erika mentioned her sister, Isana’s face darkened. She no longer admired Erika’s “art” but instead lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.
“Coward… She's weak?”
“She once went to war with our father, in Southern County. The people there gave her the title ‘Queen of Snow’.”
“Sounds pretty impressive to me.”
“Being a coward has nothing to do with strength…
To me, Otilia is nothing but a total coward.”