A week passed in the blink of an eye.
In the Hutton royal capital, Ikerite.
Boss Cat Restaurant.
According to the Ikerite Gourmet Weekly, this restaurant boasted exceptionally high ratings, with a large share of the praise coming from regular patrons.
Thanks to the high quality of the food, steady customers had always loved visiting.
Every now and then, an odd review would appear, such as: "Sometimes there's a gorgeous grey-haired girl in the shop. Even though she always wears twin braids and glasses, that only makes you feel she's so stunning that she intentionally dresses plain to avoid unwanted attention. But man, she can really eat."
Pranay read through the reviews.
He stood behind the bar with a magazine in hand.
Boss Cat Restaurant had not yet opened for business today.
Pranay had originally intended to get a sense of what the locals thought about this restaurant, never expecting to stumble across a passage that gave him such an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
"As expected of our princess. At least when it comes to beauty, she has never lost."
Lounging lazily in front of the counter, Antanas couldn't help but marvel.
"Wait, that's not right. As royalty, Talia was extremely self-disciplined. In my memory, she always adhered to the strictest dietary rules and cultivation habits, even abstaining from sweets. Once, I managed to get a box of top-shelf sweets, and only then was she willing to take a bite."
Her eyes still shut, Sinora sat beside Antanas and tilted her head in confusion.
Only the Second Princess, Efatia, would slack off like that, always indulging herself and acting without a shred of royal deportment.
Although the Eldest Princess lacked talent, her dignity as a princess had always been beyond reproach. More importantly, the Second Princess had clung to the Eldest Princess since childhood, so no great demon had ever used the Second Princess's behavior to attack the Eldest Princess.
"Think about it. After coming to the human realm, even the Second Princess became a noble, dignified duchess. If the Eldest Princess came, wouldn't she be even more charming? How could she let herself go?" Antanas replied.
"True."
Both brother and sister agreed.
Even though their coworker, who was also the head chef, Miss Asna, had shared a few stories about her daily life with Talia, it sounded as though Talia was simply living in noble seclusion, conscientiously helping Asna sample dishes and providing professional feedback—taking refined, delicate tastes with utter elegance.
The three great demons chatted leisurely like this.
Suddenly, Antanas remembered something and walked over to a wall on the restaurant's ground floor.
She patted the rustic wooden boards, then retrieved a paper bag from behind the counter.
"Right, I felt like this big patch on the wall looked empty. Yesterday while I was out shopping, I saw a painting with great vibes, so I bought it. What do you think?"
Antanas pulled a framed picture out of the half-meter-tall paper bag and hung it in the vacant space.
It was a reproduction of an art piece that had generated immense buzz over the past two days.
The image depicted three humanoid figures tangled together, exuding a twisted, abstract beauty.
Because multiple official media outlets of the Southern Continent United Kingdom Council had vigorously promoted it, the piece immediately sparked a wave of new discussions across the art circles of various nations as they analyzed its artistic depths.
When Pranay saw it, he nearly dropped the magazine in his hand.
He did everything he could to control his expression.
"I don't really understand it, but for some reason, looking at this painting gives me a strong sense of intimacy. I just thought it was fascinating, so I bought it," Antanas explained.
She wasn't sure if her words were accurate, but the moment she saw the painting, she had resolved to buy it.
All along, she had considered herself lacking any eye for appreciation; whenever she saw famous works others hailed as masterpieces, she rarely felt any heartfelt resonance. Put simply, she couldn't understand them. Yet when she saw this painting yesterday, not only were others praising it profusely, but she herself felt an indescribable fondness for it, briefly wondering if the dormant artistic cells in her body had finally awakened.
"What a coincidence. I feel the exact same way."
Sinora studied the painting for a moment, sensing that same unspoken déjà vu Antanas felt.
"Right? Exactly!" Antanas cheered, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Brother, what do you think?"
Sinora was certain that among the three of them, Pranay possessed the keenest artistic insight.
"Huh? Oh... let's take this painting down for now. I just feel hanging it here might not entirely suit the restaurant's style."
Pranay broke into a cold sweat, forcing a faint smile as he tried to persuade her.
He could only put it as delicately as possible.
For now, he could still fool Sinora and Antanas.
However, he wasn't sure if he could keep feigning ignorance once the King, Hyperion, and Talia returned—when the three of them would have to stare at this painting hanging in Boss Cat Restaurant day after day, effectively doing prison time together.
"Ah..."
Antanas instantly slumped in disappointment, glancing at the painting with visible reluctance to take it down.
"Why don't we wait for Boss Cat to return and let it judge?" Sinora suggested to Pranay, seeing Antanas's pitiful expression.
"..."
Pranay was struck speechless.
You want Boss Cat to evaluate this painting? Do you want it dead or something?
Just as Pranay was trying to come up with another reasonable excuse to get Antanas to replace the painting without hurting her feelings, the wind chime of Boss Cat Restaurant rang.
A major feature of Boss Cat Restaurant was its gracefully curved, expansive roof, whose eaves extended far beyond the walls. A string of wind chimes hung beneath the deep eaves, chiming pleasantly whenever a breeze blew past or a customer arrived.
At this hour, the restaurant was clearly closed; the wind chime meant someone had returned.
They looked toward the door.
"We're back, you three!"
Hyperion, with the little black cat perched atop her head, pushed open the door and stepped inside, calling out a greeting to the trio.
She smiled and gave Antanas a subtle wink, as if telling her that their promise had been fulfilled.
The great demons all looked behind Hyperion.
Outside, Lanqi had just stepped down from the carriage in the distance, slowly wheeling a suitcase toward Boss Cat Restaurant while apparently bickering with another figure.
"I guarantee you'll be thrilled in a moment. This is your last chance to guess what I prepared for you."
"Hmph, what surprise could you possibly give me? Raspberry chocolate mousse?"
"Nope."
"Vanilla crème brûlée?"
"Not that either."
"That's it? And you dare claim you know me?"
Talia held a large box of crispy, tender fried chicken drumsticks drizzled with honey mustard, delicately popping bites into her mouth every few moments while chewing and retorting at Lanqi.
Carried by their voices, the two finally walked into Boss Cat Restaurant.
Then, Talia saw the three great demons staring straight at her.
Her voice abruptly cut off. Her eyes went wide, and the chicken drumstick in her hand hit the floor.
Chapter 518