CHAPTER 222: CHAPTER 222

The next morning, Angela woke us up bright and early, eager to keep working through her outdoor activity list. Just as we were about to follow her out the door, our hearts sank when we saw her list spilling onto the floor, pages fluttering everywhere.

"Angela, maybe we should let someone else decide where we go today," Edge suggested cautiously.

Angela tilted her head, stubborn. "You don’t know this place like I do. Just let me plan our day." She rolled her eyes at him.

Cypher chimed in with a grin. "How about we pick an activity, vote on it, and then you decide where to go?"

Angela sweetly smiled at him. "Oh, okay!"

Edge shot a sidelong glare at Cypher. "Maybe we can choose an activity, vote, and then you’ll be the one choosing where it’s best to go?" he mimicked, clearly annoyed.

Before their bickering could escalate, I stepped in. "Alright, let’s write down our plan for today, and we’ll discuss it," I said, hoping to bring some order to the chaos.

They all agreed as we wrote down our plans for the day. After that, we took turns voting on the activities. One by one, we discussed our ideas, and when it was finally my turn, they all said "pass." Even Cypher! That traitor! After helping him clear out a dungeon, he won’t even try to defend me.

"Come on, you haven’t even heard my plan yet! Aren’t you even curious?" I asked, trying to get them to listen.

Rex grinned. "Let me guess—you’re planning to sleep the whole day?"

I shook my head quickly. "N-No?" I stammered, trying to defend my proposal. I then showed them my plan. "From 7 to 10, we’ll be sleeping, then from 10:30 to 11, meditation. At noon, we’ll eat outside, which Angela can choose, and for the whole afternoon, we’ll sleep again," I explained.

The room fell silent for a moment as they processed my schedule.

"Boo!" Christian exclaimed, chucking a crumpled piece of paper at me.

"Don’t you know anything else to do other than sleeping?" Whitney chimed in, shaking her head.

I smiled confidently. "Did you know that sleeping is the most important part of the day?" I countered, trying to defend my plan.

They all burst into laughter.

"Isn’t it supposed to be "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"?" Angela teased.

"Tomato, potato, it’s still the same," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

Well, they couldn’t blame me for being obsessed with sleep. It wasn’t my fault that I hadn’t had enough rest in my world, always chasing the deadlines for publishing my books. I rolled my eyes at them, realizing that my plan probably wouldn’t be chosen after all.

In the end, we each decided to pick one of our plans for the day.

From 7:30 to 8:30, we would be having breakfast at Cosina Del Caza, which was chosen by Christian. It was the name of their restaurant, by the way. My partnership with them had been a success—there are now five branches of Cosina Del Caza spread across Aeonia.

We finally arrived at the restaurant and were amazed by the interior design. It seemed that Robert had meticulously followed my designs, and I couldn’t help but feel a little proud of how well things were going with the restaurant. The place was already full, even though it was still 7 in the morning.

"Table for seven, please," Christian said confidently.

"Right this way, sir," the usher replied, guiding us to our seats.

As we settled in on the second floor outside the veranda, I looked around and froze for a moment when my eyes landed on a dish that a couple was enjoying at a nearby table.

The waiter immediately handed out the menus, and Angela wasted no time. "What’s your chef’s specialty?" she asked the waiter, her curiosity piqued.

"I recommend you to try our famous dishes, ’Vyvern’s Wing Skewers,’" the waiter said, his enthusiasm evident. "They are grilled skewers of marinated wyvern wings, served with a smoky dipping sauce. We also have the ’Lurking Shadow Pulled Monster,’ which is a smoky, slow-cooked pulled meat served with a dark berry reduction. And don’t miss out on the ’Aragon’s Flame Ribs,’ spicy smoked ribs infused with fiery seasoning, reminiscent of an Aragon’s breath."

As the waiter finished describing the dishes, everyone around the table was stunned—eyes wide with surprise and curiosity—except for Christian and me, who exchanged knowing looks. We knew these dishes all too well, having sampled them during our soft launch of the remodeled restaurant.

"W-What? Why are the dish names the same as the monsters?" Whitney asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

I hesitated for a moment, wanting to respond, but my attention was drawn back to the dish I had seen earlier—the one that had caught my eye. My curiosity grew stronger as I focused on it, ignoring the conversation for a moment.

"The dishes you’ve recommended are great, but I’d like to try something new," I announced, fixing my gaze on the waiter. "I’ll have the Frost Glant Froth Feast."

The waiter froze, visibly stunned. "That dish is not yet ready to be served," he said nervously, glancing around as if worried about being reprimanded.

I leaned in slightly, my voice calm but firm. "Then why did I see the same dish being served downstairs?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

The waiter started sweating profusely, clearly uncomfortable. "I’m sorry, but I can’t answer that," he stammered. "I’m just newly hired here, and I wasn’t told much. But I heard that the manager ordered us to serve that dish secretly, as long as the customer pays willingly," he whispered hurriedly, glancing over his shoulder.

It seemed that the waiter didn’t really know much. "Lead me to your manager," I said firmly.

"Wait, what’s going on?" Christian asked, concern etched on his face.

"There’s something wrong," I replied, my instincts kicking in.

"Do you want me to join you?" Christian offered, ready to back me up.

"No need," I said. "This will be fast, but please explain why the dishes are named like that," I added, looking at the waiter.

"Lead the way," I instructed him, who was waiting anxiously.

Sensing that I knew a lot about this restaurant, the waiter smartly didn’t ask any more questions. He immediately led the way to the office and knocked on the door. "Miss Shawn, someone’s looking for you," he announced.

I could hear noises as if someone had immediately hidden something just before we entered.

"Come in," the voice on the other side of the door beckoned.

The waiter hesitated for a brief moment before opening the door wider. I stepped inside, followed closely by him. The room was modest but maintained an air of controlled elegance.

The manager looked up as we entered, her eyes sharp and assessing. She gave a slight nod. "What can I help you with, miss?" she asked, her tone polite but with an underlying hint of curiosity. She seemed to be judging me, perhaps trying to gauge my background based on my demeanor and aura. It was clear she thought I was from a wealthy family.

"The Frost Glant Froth Feast," I said, getting straight to the point.

Her eyes lit up with a broad, almost mischievous smile. "Oh! I’m surprised you know of that dish, miss! Did someone among our privileged customers recommend it to you?" she asked, her voice smooth, as if pleased by my knowledge.

I kept my expression neutral, playing along with the manager’s game. "Yes," I said softly, carefully choosing my words. "I want to know what it tastes like."

The manager’s eyes gleamed with greed, and she chuckled, her voice full of self-satisfaction. "I’m sorry, but only privileged members can eat that."

I tilted my head, feigning curiosity. "Oh? And what does it take to become a privileged member?"

Her smile widened as she leaned in slightly. "Privileged members can only enjoy dishes that are exquisite, rare, and... illegal, if you want to become one, you need to avail yourself of our special card. The banquet starts at 11 PM every day."

A surge of frustration and disgust bubbled inside me. Why are there so many corrupt and unscrupulous people? I inwardly sighed, feeling the urge to confront her more forcefully. But before I could, the waiter finally found his courage and spoke up, voice trembling but firm.

"Y-You know that it’s illegal to cook monsters that aren’t listed in the restaurant policy, and yet you still went ahead and did it? You’re breaching your contract!"

The room fell silent for a moment. The manager’s smile flickered, and she quickly composed herself, though a trace of nervousness crept into her eyes.

The manager’s glare intensified as she snapped, "I thought you couldn’t read? Then how the hell did you know this restaurant’s policy? You’re just a newbie here! Those damn owners of this restaurant don’t know how to run a business! Don’t they realize that the rarer the monsters and beast meats, the higher the price customers are willing to pay?! The owner is lucky they were the first to think of this business and even patented it, or else I’d be the one richer than them!"