Ch.22 If It’s Free, Why Not Eat?
Watching the girl continuously rub the gold coin in her hand—and even place it in her mouth to lightly bite and test the purity of the gold—Luo Nan felt rather helpless.
What? Do you suspect the dillion family’s gold Fara is counterfeit?
“So, Miss Anya, are you satisfied now?”
The girl, while examining the ‘Falo’s Scepter’ engraved on the front of the gold coin, casually replied to Luo Nan, “Mm-hmm, no problem—I’ve checked it. The gold Fara you gave
is of pure quality.”
“May I ask—are you in urgent need of money for sothing?”
In the early stages of the original ‘The Shining Myriad Trails’ plot, Anya Sivans was indeed extrely short on money.
Although, as the ‘Chosen Hero’, her strength and talent followed a protagonist template, just like most protagonists, her background was not favorable.
Having grown up fighting her way through the lower district as a ‘street kid’, Anya’s desire for money was particularly strong in the early plot stages. According to Luo Nan’s statistics, 70% of her side storylines were directly or indirectly related to her ‘earning money’.
Of course, as the female protagonist, she naturally managed to turn danger into safety each ti and gained even more benefits than originally anticipated.
Luo Nan even estimated that if the investigation of Apartnt 23 had been assigned to Anya as the protagonist instead, she might have already found the ‘Nature’ cult’s headquarters in Opalia and uncovered the true mastermind behind the assassination.
Unlike himself…
“What do you ask for? I’m collecting my rightful salary—that’s perfectly reasonable. Daily wages should be settled daily, right? Besides, I didn’t even ask you for yesterday’s paynt.”
Hearing Luo Nan’s question, Anya warily glanced at him and subtly slipped the gold Fara into the coin pouch at her waist.
This guy… was he scheming sothing again?
Based on Anya’s understanding of Luo Nan, she was certain that if she told him about her urgent need to purchase the material ‘scales from the corner of a rmaid’s eye’, given his unpredictable temperant, the ‘low-priced scales’ that should have belonged to her might be forcibly snatched away by him even before the black market opened!
After all, Luo Nan von dillion was the ‘debauched young master’ infamous throughout the Imperial Capital.
Anya did not doubt for a second that he was capable of doing such an annoying thing!
“Just asking casually—if you don’t want to say, fine. It’s your money—you can spend it however you like.”
Although Luo Nan said this verbally, based on his understanding of Anya Sivans and his observation of her reaction just now, he could tell she indeed had an urgent need for money recently.
But Luo Nan had no intention of digging deeper. Whatever the ‘Chosen Hero’ was preparing to do, he’d better not ddle in it.
The protagonist could break through cocoons and rise to greater heights amid all sorts of troubles or dire straits, but he, as a villain, could not.
“That’s it then. If nothing else, you may leave.”
Luo Nan waved his hand, intending to see her off.
“Wait, wait a mont, Miss Anya—you and Young Master left in such a hurry this morning, the tea I brewed for you…”
Anya turned toward the voice and saw a petite, adorable maid pushing a tea cart toward the pavilion where she and Luo Nan were seated.
On that cart sat no fewer than six teapots!
The little maid, Aina, panting slightly, pushed the tea cart into the pavilion, first bowed respectfully to Luo Nan, and seeing he did not object, she gathered her courage and spoke to Anya:
“Young Master said you enjoy the black tea from the mansion, so please…”
Luo Nan glanced at Aina, whose hopeful erald eyes were blinking brightly at Anya, and couldn’t help but feel amused.
He hadn’t realized before—his little maid was actually this exquisite!
Looking again at Anya’s slightly stunned expression and her slightly parted cherry lips, Luo Nan nearly couldn’t hold back his laughter.
He had no intention of intervening—in fact, he was rather curious to see how the ‘Chosen Hero’ would handle this ‘soft blade’.
It wasn’t that Aina was deliberately making things difficult for Anya—Luo Nan felt the little maid was rely strictly following his instructions.
After all, he had apparently said, ‘Brew several pots’ and ‘Don’t let the guest feel the Duke’s mansion is inhospitable’.
As a maid raised within the Duke’s mansion since childhood, Aina naturally placed Luo Nan’s orders as her top priority. Combined with her slight lack of ‘flexibility’, this led her to rush over to execute Luo Nan’s orders as soon as she saw Anya return to the Duke’s mansion.
“Miss Anya, don’t worry—these six pots of Sulan black tea are not leftovers from this morning. According to the ‘Maid’s Glory Handbook,’ we would never serve guests tea that has sat for over an hour!”
“Ah… Th… thank you?”
Anya Sivans had never experienced such a scene in her entire life.
She had seen deceit and betrayal in the lower district, witnessed bloodshed and carnage, and endured hunger and cold—but she had never encountered such ‘excessively enthusiastic’ hospitality.
Instinctively, she glanced at Luo Nan, hoping he would resolve this situation she didn’t know how to handle—but the guy seed to see nothing at all, sitting in his chair and staring absentmindedly at the fountain in the center of the garden.
Damn!
Faced with such overwhelming goodwill and the hopeful gaze of the adorable little maid, Anya, who wasn’t good at refusing, could only accept.
“Then… then let
pour tea for you!”
Seeing Anya agree, Maid Aina imdiately pushed the cart to the table and swiftly arranged the tea set.
Of course, she didn’t forget to pour a full cup of black tea for her young master as well.
“Miss Anya, please enjoy!”
“Ah, right—there are also tea snacks…”
After filling Anya’s teacup, Aina bent down again and lifted a three-tiered stand from the second layer of the tea cart.
“Miss Anya, what flavor do you prefer?”
Only when Aina placed the towering three-tiered stand on the table did the girl clearly see the dazzling array of treats.
Those small, round cakes with a crystal-like sheen… were they called macarons?
She had only seen such things in newspapers.
There were also fruit tarts decorated with cream and even gold leaf.
And lemon ringue cups baked with caralized spots.
Not to ntion the elegantly plated scones on the second tier and the savory snacks on the third—Anya felt the portions on this three-tiered stand were enough to supply her entire day’s energy intake!
“How much must all this cost? Extravagant nobles!”
At this point, Anya had completely forgotten her earlier embarrassnt. The mont she thought all this was being paid for by Luo Nan, an infinite fighting spirit ignited within her heart—if it’s free, why not eat?
“It seems Miss Anya is also very interested in the mansion’s tea snacks. Aina, one three-tiered stand isn’t enough—bring three more.”
Luo Nan, reading Anya’s thoughts from the changing expressions on her face, turned to the maid and instructed.
“Ah? No, no need—I’m afraid… I won’t be able to finish it.”
Clearly, the girl was still thinking according to her lower-district habits.
But after saying this and savoring it, Anya realized she seed to have lost face!
Yet not knowing how to redy the situation, the girl could only reach out and grab a rose scone from the second tier, imdiately shoving it toward her mouth.
“Miss Anya, please break it apart before eating.”
“I—I know!”
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