Chapter 95: The Restaurant

Bright sunlight shone through the clear glass fixed in the window frame onto a milky white wall near the dining table. After its diffuse reflection, the lighting throughout the room was absolutely perfect.

The room had been specially arranged so that it did not feel empty nor cramped. Most importantly, from different angles inside the room, one could observe the outside, while from any angle outside, no one could see the diners at the table inside.

This kind of special design required considering too many details, and the space utilization was not very good. It was not suitable for a home design, but as the top restaurant in Karada, such a VIP room could easily satisfy customers.

George inside looked at the interior decoration. The sky-blue ceiling, the milky white walls, and the coffee-colored marble floor created a strange harmony. The lace curtains tied with golden ribbons, if lowered, would make the room slightly dimmer. Paired with sunlight leaking through the gaps in the lace, casting mottled bright spots on the floor, it was quite interesting. As for the crystal-clear objects embedded at the bottom of the curtains, whether they were natural crystal or glass, George did not know. After all, bending down to observe such details in someone else’s shop could be considered shameful.

From George’s somewhat shallow aesthetic taste, whether looking at the overall layout or the detailed decorations, this restaurant named ‘O’Holly’ was no less luxurious than ‘Mobeisha’ and ‘Kafula’, which used extravagance as a selling point. However, on the surface, the luxury here was more restrained. It possessed more of a solemn atmosphere.

Taking the VIP room George was currently in, the objects inside were only a heavy redwood dining table, high-backed wide-rimmed chairs, and a long-necked vase similar to blue-and-white porcelain placed on an ivory-white low cabinet. On the wall of the corridor outside the private room hung portraits of famous political and military figures in the history of the Duchy of Nohan. This matched the environment and would attract middle-aged nobles who already held heavy power.

‘How could Dad set the blind date location at such a restaurant! I remember Miss Kately is only twelve years old. She wouldn’t be as mature as me, a fake child, would she? Is it really okay to meet for the first time in such a restaurant? Anyway, the first impression is very important. Wouldn’t it be better to choose a restaurant more suitable for young people or children, with a relaxed and lively atmosphere? Perhaps Dad is reminding me through this way that he is not very optimistic about this girl.’ Standing in this restaurant that did not quite fit the theme of today’s meeting, George kept worrying in his heart. After a while, he comforted himself, ‘I hope I am overthinking it.’

Looking out the window at the various buildings with different styles on the other side of the road, some of which hung different names, they were strictly protected by patrol guards riding high-headed horses.

Black warhorses, wearing breastplates, holding sharp swords, with feathers on their helmets standing high and swaying in the wind. This group of Guard members wearing the crossed sword and shield emblem changed shifts every eight hours. However, the location for every shift change was at the Tiara Fountain Square in the Inner City.

This area was one of the few areas in Karada, besides the Inner City, where guards patrolled and performed duties around the clock. The Capola District—the other noble residential area in Karada City, often referred to by commoners as the noble district—was mostly inhabited by the Court Nobility. After all, the territory of the Inner City was limited by the city walls and difficult to expand, and the composition of real-power nobles was very stable. It was difficult for these foreign exiled landless nobles and branches of original local noble families without inheritance rights to get a foothold there.

At first, only a few people settled there again, and later, as the number of Court Nobility increased, the number of nobles in this area continued to grow. Later, the commoners who originally lived there moved out one after another. As for whether someone used less than visible means, George was not very clear due to the long passage of time. Later, some less important administrative departments also moved from the Inner City to here to make some space for the increasingly crowded Inner City. Like the buildings on the opposite side of the road with names hanging on them were the office locations of those administrative departments. And as the only restaurant located in the Capola District, the background and heritage of ‘O’Holly’ could not be underestimated!

At this time, two purebred horses elegantly stepped on the road outside the window, turned a corner at a crossroad, and came to the ‘Responsibility Avenue’ in front of ‘O’Holly’ restaurant. Judging from the height of the carriage, it was mostly equipped with the latest spring devices, which could reduce the bumpiness to the lowest level. The spacious carriage could almost allow people to lie comfortably inside. Violet silk bought from imported merchants was cut into strips, and delicate round pearls were hung on them. As the shop owner, they made a carriage curtain that could be called a work of art. When noticing the shield-shaped emblem printed on the carriage with wheat ears, a spear, and a horseshoe, George understood that the person he was going to meet today had arrived.

Speaking of using purebred horses with excellent bloodlines to pull a carriage, for the nobles in the South, this was a very rare luxurious behavior. After all, the cost of any purebred horse there was high, and since they were mainly used as warhorses, they were usually protected very well to prevent any unforeseen needs. However, in the Duchy of Nohan, there were no such concerns. The number of purebred horses from the Knight Kingdom was not small. Moreover, the carriage belonged to the famous horse-breeding family Kately in the country. Because of this, Nohan’s control over purebred horses was extremely strict.

Since all the actors had arrived, the rest was just to start the show according to the script. George turned around, left the VIP room, and walked step by step to the reception hall downstairs to meet Miss Verina Keld Kately. Regardless of whether the blind date result would succeed or fail, such basic etiquette still had to be observed.

At the same time, the carriage outside the restaurant slowly stopped in front of the main gate. Several accompanying guards wearing chainmail loosened the straps of their helmets. They walked casually but surrounded the carriage. Although their hands were not directly holding the sword hilts, they were placed horizontally across their chests like a bowing gesture. As soon as any suspicious person appeared, this posture allowed them to draw their swords at the first moment. Relying on the agile movements brought by the relatively light chainmail, they could eliminate all threats in time.