https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-699-The-Longest-Lunch-of-Lochie-s-Life/12585113/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-701-The-Conclusion-of-Ranchi-and-Talia-s-Journey-in-the-City-of-Flowers/12585115/
Chapter 700: Lunch with Lanchi Turns into Dinner
Chapter 700: Lunch with Lanchi Turns into Dinner
The afternoon sunlight was soft and lazy, infusing the air by the window with a languid warmth.
As delicious course after course was served, Lanchi and Thalia gradually let down their guards.
"Ah."
Lanchi cut a piece of tender pan-fried veal with his fork, dipped it in a rich sauce, and brought it to Thalia's lips.
Thalia opened her cherry lips shyly, and soon a spoonful of food was fed into her mouth, with a hand ready underneath to catch any spills.
Although these overly intimate actions attracted envious and teasing glances from others, Lanchi and Thalia were too engrossed in each other to pay attention.
Just focusing their attention on each other was taxing enough on their brains.
Nevertheless, Thalia still found it hard to relax her body as she had before. She remained tense even though Lanchi was conservative in his actions.
Whenever he fed her, she felt as if she were being held by him.
But Lanchi was so gentle, it made her feel like melting.
Thalia's heart began to scream incessantly—
She thought she must be crazy to be bewitched, sitting on Lanchi's lap and letting him feed her.
Lanchi fed her slowly, occasionally wiping her mouth with a napkin. Whenever she felt thirsty, he would anticipate her needs and ask if she wanted a drink.
At first, she sat upright, but as time wore on, she seemed to tire and deliberately emptied her mind to reduce her embarrassment. She merely opened her mouth, chewed, and cooperated with Lanchi's feeding.
As the clock ticked, the sun began to sink slowly in the west.
The afternoon sun grew more intense, and the golden light gradually turned orange-hued.
With the beauty in his arms, Lanchi's heart pounded like a drum.
At this moment, he felt she was truly like a soft, fluffy kitten—no, perhaps a large cat.
After all, the weight on his legs felt very real.
"Talia, have you gained weight? You don't weigh 52.6 kilograms, do you?" Lanchi asked quietly, as if musing to himself.
"!"
Thalia suddenly snapped out of her trance, her face reddening as she glared up at him.
"You pervert! Were you secretly feeling my weight...?"
She suspected that every time she pinned him down, he could feel her weight.
She admitted that since coming to the Kingdom of Posen, she had been eating a lot, and after merging with the Great Lover Poet, she had been lacking in exercise.
But for him to state her weight so precisely, one could hardly say Lanchi was blameless!
"Who told you to always jump into my arms like that? Aside from Boss Cat, only you would do such a thing." Lanchi muttered under his breath.
He could never guess what this old lady would do next. Every time they were together, things seemed to end up like this.
"..."
Thalia was speechless and could only continue eating the food that Lanchi fed her.
After thinking about it, she touched her stomach. Although she hadn't gained any visible weight, the slight increase in her weight was negligible.
"Hmm."
Lanchi seemed to notice her actions and the train of her thoughts, and he couldn't help but smile as he stared at her hand.
"What are you looking at?"
Thalia glared at Lanchi warily and shrunk back slightly.
Although Lanchi had strange quirks, he probably wouldn't go as far as wanting to touch her stomach and mock her, would he?
"You're right, but this is Thalia we're talking about. She weighs 52.6 kilograms, stands at 168 centimeters tall, is an 800-year-old demon, possesses mind-reading abilities, has a damage reflection skill, excels in curses and mental control, and is very beautiful. When she changes form, she even gains a boost from the Primal Tablet, dealing true damage. Oh, and she can use the Great Lover Poet's transformation magic, favoring short-skirted school uniforms. And when you feed her, she goes 'Ah, ah, ah!'"
Lanchi had started to tease her, but halfway through his sentence, Thalia grabbed his waist, causing him to let out a painful cry.
"Feed me properly!" Thalia said angrily, her emotions getting the better of her.
If they weren't still sitting in his lap, she would have loved to pin him to the sofa!
But if they did that, they would surely end up back in jail.
Light and shadow constantly shifted angles in the restaurant, and the distant Serina River was bathed in a golden orange hue. Only the two of them remained tirelessly feeding each other.
As the sun slowly descended, the sky and earth were painted in a magnificent orange and red glow.
The Cologne-sur-Jour Inn's restaurant had seen many customers come and go.
The guests arriving at this hour were probably there for dinner.
And so, Lanchi and Thalia's lengthy lunch was finally coming to an end.
The dessert after the meal was another highlight of the restaurant.
The chestnut cake was made with fresh chestnut puree from the Aquitanian Mountains of the Kingdom of Posen, offering a sweet and delicate flavor with each bite.
Lanchi cut the cake into pieces and fed them one by one to Thalia.
The cake was coated with crispy almond slices, and the main ingredient was fresh raspberry puree, whipped to fluffy perfection, as soft and airy as clouds. Each mouthful burst with the tangy sweetness of raspberries.
As they neared the end of their meal, the two of them felt as if they were finally being released from their ordeal.
With their post-meal black coffee and floral tea, Lanchi and Thalia concluded their extravagant feast.
"Welcome, and please visit us again!"
As they were leaving, the waiter presented them with an exquisite gift box of fine pastries from the restaurant, which Thalia eagerly accepted, her face still flushed.
"..."
As Lanchi and Thalia stepped out of the restaurant, the clock struck five in the afternoon, and Pariet was bathed in the warm glow of sunset.
The two strolled along the street, past ancient buildings that stood side by side. The brick walls seemed especially smooth and warm in the fading light.
No longer holding hands, the two kept a considerable distance between them.
It seemed that being even slightly closer to each other would remind them of the afternoon they spent in jail.
Gradually, they wandered out of the bustling city center and turned onto a secluded path.
The winding trail led upwards, with lush ivy cascading down on both sides.
Without needing to speak, they knew where to go next, close by.
What they needed now was to adjust their mindset, and there was a perfect place for that, highly recommended by Countess Rosalinda.
Montmartre Heights, 135 meters above sea level, was also the highest point in all of Pariet.
From the heights, the entire Flower Capital spread out before them, with comfortable benches and a panoramic view of the sunset.
The Montmarte Heights in the 3rd District of the North Bank was significantly higher than the rest of Pariet, even the Serina River couldn't flow upstream against it.
Here, there were scenic winding paths, lofty sacred churches, artist-filled Montmartre Square, and nightclubs full of revelry.
In just a few minutes, they reached the top of Montmartre Heights.
Leaves piled up by the roadside, and children ran along the path from time to time, while middle-aged men in suits and leather shoes read their newspapers in the distance.
Looking out, the vast city of Pariet lay at their feet, and the setting sun had begun to slowly melt into the horizon, painting the sky with a rosy hue, like burning clouds.
The two sat down on the bench in front of the railing, feeling like they had escaped from a dire situation.
For a long while, neither of them spoke.
The gentle evening breeze ruffled their hair, bringing with it a faint scent of roses, refreshing and soothing.
"Shall we go for dinner?"
Lanchi glanced at the clock tower and suddenly asked.
Although they had just finished lunch, it was now time for dinner.
"No."
Thalia didn't look at Lanchi, feeling that his motive for asking was despicable.
She was already full and had never felt so stuffed before.
It was all Lanchi's fault for feeding her so much. When she was with him, she seemed to lose all self-control, like a broken switch.
"I meant a normal dinner. I won't be feeding you this time."
Lanchi asked with concern, still worried that Thalia might be hungry.
"I don't want you to feed me, and I'll never ask you to feed me again!"
Thalia finally turned to him and shouted, as if making a vow to a goddess.
She recalled the entire afternoon of being held and fed by Lanchi, and her face felt hot just thinking about it.
Such absurd things would never happen between them again!
"It seems you're really full."
Lanchi said with relief.
This afternoon felt like it had lasted for several centuries.
Fortunately, they were in the Flower Capital of Pariet. If they had been in Ikelyte, hugging and feeding each other shamelessly, and their friends had stumbled upon them, then they would have truly wanted to escape from this world.
"..."
Thalia slowly turned away, no longer gazing at Lanchi's face.
The setting sun cast a soft glow on her delicate features, and her eyes reflected the twilight of the Flower Capital, as if memories were flowing within them.
Unknowingly, they had been in this beautiful city for a long time, and every moment of their memories was now especially clear as they reminisced.
When she first arrived in this city, she never imagined that she and Lanchi would bicker and quarrel every day, and they even experienced a calamity together.
Perhaps more than one...
"Regarding card making, do you have any new ideas?"
Thalia mused, as if tired of the squabbling.
Or perhaps it was because she was well-fed, and her tone had returned to normal, no longer wanting to argue with Lanchi.
"None at all."
Lanchi shook his head.
"But if you keep deliberately refraining from scolding me during card making like you did today, I might not be able to adapt."
To some extent, it was Thalia's constant nagging that had honed his skills as a card maker.
"You figured that out already?"
Thalia glared at Lanchi, questioning him.
"Of course."
Lanchi couldn't bear to tease Thalia any longer.
"Then why did you still deliberately provoke me?"
Thalia pinched Lanchi's cheeks, glaring at him angrily.
"I'm wrong, I'm wrong! Ouch!"
Lanchi surrendered immediately.
Once again, the two resumed their usual playful banter, and with the setting sun casting shadows, their silhouettes on the ground seemed to be both arguing and laughing.
They attracted the attention of children, who soon ran past them again.
"Alright, I'll let you off today."
But perhaps Thalia was truly out of energy to bicker with Lanchi, as she didn't bother him for long before gradually releasing his face.
The two sat back on the bench, watching the sun slowly disappear below the horizon.
"I always feel like we've somehow found a way to complement each other..."
Thalia murmured, frowning in thought, as if struggling to find the right words,
"If we can find the state of mind we were in during our final battle in the Posen Demon Realm, things might be different."
For some reason, she felt that if it were Lanchi from that time, they would definitely be able to work together effectively.
"But it just feels so difficult."
Lanchi gazed at the setting sun and mused.
Not just about finding their state of mind from that day.
Even refraining from quarreling with each other seemed challenging.
"Why don't we resurrect Loman and ask him how he made our hearts beat as one that day?"
"So, what do you think of her?" Thalia asked, curious to hear Lanchi's opinion.
Initially, she thought that hearing Lanchi praise other women would not affect her in any way; she had been delighted when he complimented Hubert earlier. But now, for some reason, she didn't want him to continue singing Caleigh's praises.
"She's beautiful, dignified, mature, and capable," Lanchi replied after a moment's thought.
"What?!" Thalia clenched her fists, her face reddening as she glared at him.
This guy had no respect for his opponents! How dare he say such things right in front of her?
"Isn't she over a thousand years old? Why don't you think she's older?" Thalia argued.
She couldn't accept this. Why was he so concerned about her when she was only eight hundred years old, but he chose to ignore Caleigh's age?
"She doesn't have the same aged flavor as you; you're one of a kind," Lanchi said, turning to look at her.
Thalia was at a loss for words. The second half of his statement had made her heart skip a beat—it was something any girl would want to hear. But when she considered his statement as a whole, her blood pressure rose.
His attitude was sincere and yet deadly.
She knew very well how much she disliked this man, but at this moment, she wanted to continue their tangled relationship.
As the clouds faded, the sun finally sank below the horizon.
"Let's go and make a wish to the statue," Thalia said, standing up and pulling Lanchi up by the wrist.
Before they attempted card making, they would go to the Statue of the God of Will and Love in the Temple of Love in Pariet to receive a spiritual blessing.
"Regardless, listen to me when we're making the card. I'm your teacher, your one and only teacher," she said, pointing at him.
"Then, I look forward to your guidance, Teacher Thalia," Lanchi said, his voice clear and cheerful, a harmless smile on his face.
The sky transitioned from a gorgeous orange-red to a deep indigo, almost like a night sky, and yet his face still wore that innocent smile.
Thalia felt a little uncomfortable with his choice of nickname, realizing that he had called her "Teacher" the first time in a similar manner.
But this time, she didn't let it slide.
"Let's go," she said, tugging on Lanchi's hand and heading toward the steps leading up to Montmartre Heights.
They would make a wish at the Statue of Love and then try their hand at card making.
(End of Chapter)
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