CH 209

‘Then, wouldn’t I have at least given up a chicken leg…’ Thinking about what he could concede, Girgantia grumbled inwardly when someone suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

“Excuse me.”

Had someone found out he had polymorphed and snuck out? He looked back in surprise, but instead of villa attendants, there was a woman he’d never seen before.

“Me?” Girgantia stiffened with tension. What did she want? Had this woman found out that he was a dragon? Rather, how was he supposed to converse with a person? He quickly thought about all the people he interacted with so far: the emperor, empress, Kane, and Tania. If was to be honest, the only one he’d ever held a proper conversation with was Tania. To begin with, he was forbidden from talking with anyone else, and the attendants never came close out of fear. Confronted with the situation of having to talk to an unfamiliar human for the first time, the dragon broke out in a cold sweat.

Meanwhile, the woman opened her mouth and asked, “Do you have a girlfriend?”

* * *

If she was to be honest, Tania didn’t care for the restaurant the man brought her to. Putting aside its location in the corner of an alley far from the main road, or that the balcony where they were seated was located in the far corner, the place was a dump. The carpet was dirty, the table was sticky, the chairs were stained, and there was even a musty smell in the air.

‘B-but the food might be tasty!’ If not, how else would a place like this still be in business? Though she tried to assuage her fears with that thought, Tania soon found her expectations dashed. The meal that was served was truly not fit for consumption.

She couldn’t even leave because the man who’d brought her here continued to sing the restaurant’s praises, saying the cuisine was exquisite while continuing to add dishes to their order. ‘You say that but you’re leaving everything on the plates!’ Tania inwardly huffed.

And that wasn’t all. Claiming the beverages were delicious too, he ordered a bunch of drinks, but barely took a sip before pushing them to a corner of the table. Then, just as suddenly, he announced that he needed to use the bathroom and excused himself. Shortly after he left the table, the server appeared with the bill.

‘Ridiculous! It’s ten times more expensive than normal! And what’s up with this seat tax?’ Tania stared at the bill in disbelief. Though she was the daughter of a margrave, her upbringing wasn’t any different from the general populace and she was knowledgeable about the market prices of regular restaurants. The amount written on the bill was an impossible sum. Not to mention, being charged extra for seating her in a corner balcony? Could it be that she’d mistakenly received the bill for another table?

Flagging down the server, Tania asked, “Excuse me, I think there’s a bit of a problem with the bill?”

“I beg your pardon? What’s this lady talking about? Didn’t you eat everything?!” the employee angrily shouted, before turning towards the entrance, “Hey! I need you guys over here!”

A pack of intimidating-looking men who were obviously not employees of the restaurant came rushing over and promptly surrounded Tania. They began to bare their forearms and yell at her, causing a ruckus loud enough that even people walking down the alley outside turned around in surprise.

“Well aren’t you a perfectly fine-looking lass? Surely, you can’t be acting like this and bringing trouble for us. Isn’t it common sense to pay for the food you’ve eaten? Are you trying to skip out on the bill now?”

“No, it’s not that I’m not paying, just that it’s too expen—” Tania began.

“What? Are you saying we cheated on the price? It was clearly written on the menu from the beginning. Didn’t you order while knowing that?!” one of the men interrupted, thrusting a menu in her face. The exorbitant prices were printed next to the dishes in font tinier than an ant.