https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-181-Talia-Will-Eventually-Figure-Out-What-He-s-Thinking/12584200/
Chapter 180: Talia's Unusual Gentleness
Chapter 180: Talia's Unusual Gentleness
As evening fell upon the city of Ikelite, the twilight bathed the royal capital in a luminous pearl-like glow, transforming every inch of the land.
Less than a kilometer east of the Ikelite Academy stood the "Cat Boss Restaurant," now bustling with dinner patrons. Tendrils of smoke and savory aromas wafted from the rooftop, beckoning diners within.
Illuminated by the street lamps, the quaint wooden building exuded an air of mystery in the dusk, while the warm light shining through its windows invited a sense of cheer and comfort.
With each customer entering or exiting, the wind chimes above the door rang melodiously, as if welcoming and bidding farewell to every guest.
Stepping through the restaurant's doorway, a lively scene unfolded.
The tables and chairs on the first floor were almost filled, with patrons toasting and chatting animatedly.
The waitresses scurried about like spinning tops, diligently serving steaming dishes, and upon spotting Lanchi and Hyberrian entering, one of them called out, "Please have a look at the menu first, customers! I'll be with you in a moment."
Hyberrian smiled and waved her hand, indicating that they didn't need immediate attention.
They had already eaten dinner and were here to meet someone.
Lanchi, familiar with the place, headed straight for the stairs to the second floor.
But something in his peripheral vision caught his attention.
He turned his head and saw Talia behind the counter.
Her hair was braided in a youthful style, and she wore a pure white dress with an apron over it, exuding a blend of wisdom, virtue, and allure—a far cry from the typical image of a demon.
Lanchi stood transfixed, realizing he had never seen this side of Talia before.
Does the Demon King still need to work part-time? he wondered. And how has she blended so perfectly into life in the royal capital? It's as if she's always belonged here, just like how I fit in at the Purgatory Corridor Academy. It's so natural, and no one seems to find her presence among other races the least bit odd.
And so, Lanchi continued to stare at Talia.
And Talia stared back at Lanchi.
Neither spoke a word.
The silence was deafening.
The usually mild-mannered Talia now wore an icy expression, as if a frost had suddenly descended upon her face.
Clearly, she hadn't expected Lanchi to visit at this hour.
He typically came by in the morning or afternoon for card crafting lessons and would leave before evening fell.
Hyberrian, who had been taking in the ambiance of the restaurant and waiting for Lanchi to lead the way, noticed his gaze fixed on the counter and followed his line of sight.
There, she saw a young woman who bore a striking resemblance to the Poet of Great Love.
"How did Lanfu end up working here?" Hyberrian whispered in surprise.
"Lanfu?" Talia furrowed her brows at the name, her golden eyes flicking from Lanchi to Hyberrian, a mix of surprise and emotion flashing across them.
Then, as if realizing something, her gaze hardened.
She understood now—her niece must have mistaken her for the Poet of Great Love at first glance.
That damn guy! She cursed him inwardly. It's all his fault for modeling the Poet of Great Love's appearance after himself!
Talia's eyes narrowed as she continued to stare at Lanchi.
She would have to settle this historical grievance with him sooner or later.
Feeling the weight of her stare, Lanchi averted his gaze, breaking the intense eye contact.
Hyberrian, sensing the tense atmosphere and realizing her mistake, tried to defuse the situation. "Ahem, this is my teacher, Miss Tata," she said, addressing Talia.
It seemed today's visit was off to a rocky start.
"Miss Tata, nice to meet you," Hyberrian said as politely as she could, doing her best to hide the turmoil within. She had thought Talia and the Poet of Great Love merely resembled each other, but now she saw they were identical!
"... "
Talia remained silent, her expression unreadable.
She seemed deep in thought.
Lanchi felt a twinge of nervousness.
He knew that Talia's initial response would set the tone for the rest of their interaction.
If Talia remained indifferent to Hyberrian, then there would be no point in continuing the conversation.
However...
Talia nodded slightly at Hyberrian, glanced around the restaurant, and then, realizing they were blocking the passageway during the dinner rush, suggested they move upstairs. She took a key out of her apron pocket and handed it to Lanchi.
"Why don't you take her upstairs first? I'll help Cat Boss with the front for a bit longer and join you shortly." Talia said gently.
"Oh... oh!" Lanchi took the key, slightly stunned by Talia's unexpected kindness.
Was the sun rising in the west? Why was this old lady being so gentle today? Could it be that the Great Love Poet has taken over her body?!
...
It was already past seven o'clock.
The dinner crowd had thinned out a little, and the waitresses were no longer as busy as they had been earlier.
Talia remained expressionless behind the counter.
To her, an hour was but a fleeting moment, and months or even years passed by in the blink of an eye.
As Talia was working diligently, a cute little black cat popped out from the kitchen and jumped onto the counter.
"Thanks, Tata!" the little cat said in a childish voice. Surprisingly, none of the customers seemed to find a talking cat unusual.
"You're welcome," Talia replied, taking off her apron and hanging it back up.
The customers believed the black cat to be a skilled metamorphmagus, but Talia knew that its true form was that of a sprite-type cat.
Although it was inherently weak and might not even be able to defeat a fierce third or fourth-stage magical beast, it had an extraordinarily long lifespan.
Talia couldn't tell how old this sprite cat was, but it had somehow managed to survive to the seventh stage.
Since Cat Boss always made special night-time meals for her, Talia would occasionally help out when he was short-staffed.
"Has that boy come looking for you again?" the little black cat asked.
Although it stayed mostly in the kitchen, it knew that a boy with black hair and green eyes often came to see Talia.
And starting last month, his visits had become especially frequent, spending long hours in Talia's room.
The little cat was extremely curious about the relationship between the seemingly icy Talia and the gentle boy.
It had intended to continue observing them.
But this time, the boy had brought a similarly beautiful girl with him, piquing the cat's curiosity even further.
"He and I are merely acquaintances, nothing more," Talia said flatly, her voice devoid of emotion.
Her relationship with Lanchi was purely that of an employer and employee.
Additionally, until he paid off his debt, she had to protect him and make sure he stayed on track with his repayments.
Also, he occasionally brought her pleasing surprises, like introducing her to Hyberrian without her even having to hint at it.
"Don't you think he's someone special?" the little black cat asked tentatively.
It had always felt that Talia and the boy had a deep connection.
Out of everyone, only he could spend extended periods with Talia, who usually kept her distance from others.
"What do you mean by 'special'?" Talia asked.
Even after spending so many years in the human realm, there were still many human emotions she didn't understand.
She knew that when Cat Boss said "special," he wasn't referring to it in a literal sense but rather in the context of human concepts of "partner" or "love."
She wanted to understand, so she sought Cat Boss's wisdom on the matter.
After all, he had lived a long life and got along well with humans; he must know a lot about them.
"He's someone who can make you happy, someone you gradually become inseparable from. You start to care about his thoughts, and your once calm self begins to experience emotional fluctuations because of him," the little black cat explained, waving its paws as it spoke. Hearing its name being called from the kitchen, it hurriedly jumped off the counter and added, "Gotta go! See ya, Tata!"
"... " Talia furrowed her brows, deep in thought.
Cat Boss's description hit the mark with uncanny accuracy.
Yet, she still couldn't quite grasp the concept.
Where was the disconnect?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
