A gentle breeze brushed past, carrying the distinct sound of the ocean tide unique to South Vantina's eastern district.
The natural light over the coast outside gradually grew brighter, illuminating the spotless bedroom once Hyperion drew back the curtains.
Steam and the savory aroma of cooked food rose within the room.
The appetizer Lanqi had prepared for Talia was steamed lobster with herb butter—fresh lobster split down the middle, its tender meat drizzled with herb-infused butter, garnished with thinly sliced lemon wheels and finely minced parsley.
In under a minute, the dish was finished.
Immediately following was the main course: slow-cooked steak with wild mushroom sauce. Lanqi cut it into bite-sized pieces and brought them right to her lips. The choice beef shank had been slow-cooked until tender and juicy, its surface lightly seared over charcoal, draped in a rich black truffle and red wine sauce, made even more flavorful with slices of South Vantina-style mushrooms.
Lanqi fed her, occasionally dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin. Whenever she was about to feel thirsty, he would preemptively ask if she wanted a drink.
At first, Talia had sat up straight, but little by little she unwittingly relaxed, leaning back against the headboard. With her mind emptied of thought, she simply opened her mouth, chewed, and cooperated with Lanqi.
Hyperion had no idea how to assess this.
It was supposed to be a rather heartwarming scene.
Yet she felt the housewife-like toxicity in Lanqi surging once more; he seemed thoroughly satisfied with reducing Tata into a helpless invalid who did nothing but open her mouth.
Hyperion had heard from the Poet of Great Love that every morning after getting up in the dormitory, Lanqi liked going out to the first-floor balcony to feed his animal friends breakfast.
Right now, the natural smile at the corner of Lanqi's mouth looked suspiciously similar to the one he wore when feeding animals.
Before, just watching Talia eat had brought Lanqi immense happiness. Now that he was feeding her with his own hands, his satisfaction seemed to have reached a whole new level.
Wasn't this, in its own way, a bizarre kind of mutual devotion?
Quite some time passed like this.
Talia opened her mouth, only to find no food arriving, which suddenly snapped her back to reality.
She turned her head, only to see that the serving cart was completely bare.
"Wait a moment, Tata. I'll go have the chef prepare another cartful."
As if having read Tata's thoughts, Lanqi stood up in a hurry, pushing the cart laden with empty plates toward the door.
"Get back here!"
Talia instantly realized what was going through his head.
What girl measures her meals by the "cartful"?!
"Will do."
Lanqi halted in his tracks, let go of the cart, and obediently sat back down.
"Would you like some fruit?"
After remaining quiet for just a moment, he asked again.
"..."
Talia couldn't tell whether he genuinely cared for her right now, or if a certain notion of his had simply become second nature.
She admitted that since arriving in the human realm, her days had been exceedingly comfortable. But now that her true identity as the demon race's princess had come to light, indulging so shamelessly in gourmet food felt somewhat embarrassing.
This guy, Lanqi—while his kindness toward her was real enough, it always felt tainted by some blasted ulterior motive!
"I'll go slice some fruit in a bit, and we can take our time eating together. We're all free today anyway," Hyperion added.
Previously, when the three of them spent time together, Talia could teach them magic and card crafting, and an afternoon would fly by in the blink of an eye. Now, they obviously couldn't let Talia do any work, which left the three of them with virtually nothing else to pass the time.
Talia nodded, offering no further resistance.
"By the way, what should we do over the next few days?" Hyperion asked when Lanqi and Talia fell silent again.
She and Lanqi had already returned late from the Northern Continent, and right after getting back to Ikerite, they had rushed overnight to South Vantina. The school semester was practically over. At this point, going back felt awkward, but staying away didn't feel right either...
It was like being ten minutes late—you'd still hurry to school; but once you were hours late, whether you showed up at all made no difference.
"Let's get a few days of good rest, and then we'll head back to Ikerite," Lanqi said after a moment's thought.
Visiting the Blue Wave Coast would probably have to wait until their next trip to South Vantina, as it led straight into the Knox Mountains, and a portion of it was now under access restrictions.
High Priest Loren also planned to stay about another week to reassure the public in South Vantina before returning.
Even if Lanqi and Hyperion went back early, with Loren away, they had nowhere to submit their project report—or even if they did, the final reviewer wouldn't be there.
Furthermore, Lanqi had suggested to his father this morning that he move to Ikerite for a while.
In the coming days, the royal capital—shielded by the kingdom's core defenses and High Priest Loren's presence—would be far safer than the South Vantina frontier territory bordering the Creti Empire.
With the old Wilfort manor destroyed and having just weathered such an assault, Noe had readily agreed.
"Is Boss Cat Restaurant doing all right?" Talia asked suddenly.
Originally, she had told Asna she would only be away for about a week.
Now that she had been gone for two weeks, Asna was likely swamped with work.
"No problem at all. I brought back three excellent restaurant employees from the Northern Continent for Boss Cat. Every one of them is top talent, so just rest easy and enjoy your vacation."
Lanqi looked at Talia gently, as if reassuring her that everything was well taken care of.
"...What kind of talent could you possibly find in the Northern Continent?"
Talia's eyebrows arched slightly at his words.
While having reliable staff at Boss Cat Restaurant to take shifts with her was welcome news, she wasn't used to being around strangers. If three new workers suddenly joined the staff and clashed with her, things could get rather awkward.
Especially since people from the Protos Empire were mostly hostile toward the demon race.
"They're truly amazing. I guarantee you'll like them," Lanqi said, crossing his arms with a touch of pride and nodding.
Of the seven great demons, aside from the one provided at the start, he had already gathered three.
Only three more to go, and the loving, happy demon family would be complete.
"Heh, feeling good about yourself, aren't you? Do you honestly think you understand me so well?"
Talia closed her eyes, ignoring him.
"Of course. No one understands Talia better than me," Lanqi replied with absolute confidence. "I can already guess what you want to eat tonight."
He was already fully prepared to feed Talia tonight straight from six o'clock to eight o'clock.
"You!"
Talia glared at him.
She was certain his mind was acting up abnormally again!
"Sigh."
Listening to their everyday bickering, Hyperion shook her head helplessly from the side.
Fortunately, this level of mischief wouldn't get Lanqi killed, so she had nothing to worry about.
Those three old friends from the Demon Realm could serve as a welcome-home surprise once Talia fully recovered; Hyperion didn't intend to spoil the mood by spilling the secret early.
In Hyperion's memory, Antanas and the other two had rarely spoken about Talia, but she figured Talia had probably been just as cute back in the Demon Realm as she was now.
When the time came, it was bound to be a touching reunion.
Chapter 517