After a satisfying lunch, the guests and hosts were all in good spirits. Then the bright and cheerful elf waiters came over to collect payment.
Though it was a respectable establishment, it only showed due consideration to individuals of preeminent status. If a group arrived in a luxurious carriage, payment would be deferred to the end of the meal. But if a customer seemed less wealthy, they would have to pay before being served.
Because of this, nobles who wished to dine here would always arrive with pomp and circumstance. After all, having to pay before a meal would be an immense slight against their honor, it was akin to lowborn rather than the status they claimed to own.
Under this trend, carriage companies had become profitable, and the carriage companies in Dragon City were under the monopoly of the lord of Dragon City which served as part of her daily income.
When Princess Aurora arrived, the waiter of the restaurant saw her in a carriage that was pulled by dragons. This was equivalent to a luxury car worth more than tens of millions on Earth. How could such people not afford to pay for the meal? Naturally, the bill was settled after the meal.
“It is my honor to have lunch with Princess Aurora of the Subila Kingdom. Seeing Your Highness’ beautiful face makes this meal worth every penny. Even those elves around here are dwarfed by Your Highness, so I’ll settle the bill for this meal.”
Louie smiled and praised as he prepared to settle the bill for this lunch.
Being complimented by him, Aurora became happy. Her face gradually reddened, but her heart was joyful.
As the princess of the Subila Kingdom and the Dragon God’s Holy Maiden, Aurora had been praised countless times since she was a child. Nobles of her age would usually compliment her with all kinds of flowery words, but she remained unmoved. And although she would respond with enough zeal to give the illusion of enthusiasm, she secretly looked down on them all.
But now that she was given simple praises by this Mr. Ramses, she felt a deep joy within herself. Her face reddened a little more, and she momentarily lost track of her surroundings.
“Mr. Ramses is going to tour us around the city in the afternoon. How could I make you pay.”
Aurora’s tone was gentle as she quickly glanced at Derek, signaling him to hurry up and pay.
Aurora’s heart was filled with anxiety as countless romantic tales she had once ignored came to her mind. Visions of swimming together, being romantically approached and even her parents’ reaction to such a suitor clouded her mind.
In an instant, Aurora had thought of many things and the more she thought, the sadder she got.
There were many stories on the main continent that originated from Dragon City. This increased the trend and the spread of novels all around the main continent. Many bards and poets would also follow the trend and write their own novels. When she was in the Subila Kingdom, Aurora had also read teenage love novels, but at that time, they barely moved her.
But when she also sank into this first love situation, she found that her thoughts were more complex and difficult than what was written in stories. Although the words used in stories were beautified, they were unable to truly express the true suffering of a young girl. Aurora felt that she was bewitched, but she could not change anything and just continued to sink deeper into the feeling.
Derek quickly paid up and complained in his heart.
‘Princess, that noble in front of you is your high and mighty Father God. Everything in this city is his. You are also a princess of Dragon City, so there’s no reason for you to pay with your own personal funds too. Even you won’t be able to afford too many meals in this kind of place.’
Aurora still viewed money as important. Although she was not a pure dragon, she was still a half-dragon. Normally, she would be a penny pincher, but now, the princess did not seem to even care about her money being pulled out. Derek could only bitterly smile.
After paying the money, several people left the restaurant hand in hand.
Aurora could sense Mr. Ramses’ gaze sweeping over her legs as he walked beside her. Although she felt a bit embarrassed, this feeling gave way to pride in her appearance.
“Mr. Ramses, why don’t you also come to join us in the carriage? I have many questions about Dragon City that I would like to ask you.”
After a moment of hesitation, Aurora boldly extended an invitation.
Generally, aristocratic women would seldom invite new acquaintances into their carriages. Typically only widows or particularly bold ladies did so.
Aurora felt a surge of anxiety once the words left her lips. She worried that she was too forward and caused Ramses to misunderstand her intentions.
The Church of the Dragon God was different from the Church of the Goddess of Love and Beauty. The Dragon God was part of the order faction and would not make dragons abandon their true nature. On the other hand, humans had many dogmas. Although there was no dogma of abstinence, there was no support for indulgence. Followers of the Church of the Dragon God lived a standardized lifestyle.
In fact, most humans on San Soliel lived in a rote manner because rules and laws made it possible for the weak to survive.
Aurora’s behavior did not violate any rules, but it was somewhat immodest for an upper echelon of the church.
When Aurora thought about it, she was also considered a dragon, so she did not have to pay full attention to the church's dogma on humans!
“Since Your Highness has invited me, it would be hypocritical for me to refuse. I don’t know how many people would envy me for having the honor of joining Your Highness in your carriage.”
Louie who said this followed Aurora in a carefree manner.
Aurora felt relieved and happy in the presence of Louie, who, unlike the arrogant male aristocrats, was polite and graceful in accepting her invitation and exuded an aura of nobility.
If this was an ordinary nobleman, even if Aurora truly fell in love at first sight, Derek would definitely not allow him to enter the princess’ carriage. Even as the captain of the guards, he was afraid of entering it for fear of being criticized.
But now that he had already guessed that this nobleman was the incarnation of the Dragon God, Derek kept things to himself and pretended to see nothing as he allowed Louie to enter the carriage.
If Aurora’s mind was clear, she would have definitely noticed Derek's lack of action, but now, the turmoil in her heart prevented her from properly appraising the situation.
‘Should I close my eyes and ears to stop myself from hearing what I shouldn’t?... No, wait, this carriage is protected by powerful magic. Even if I were placing my ear next to it, I probably would not be able to hear what is happening inside.’
Thinking of this Derek relaxed. Who knew what kind of high-difficulty sports these eccentric dragons with strange lifestyles would play in the carriage?
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