Chapter 1082: Lunch with Leona

Upon hearing that question, Leona froze.

Her heart began pounding, and her breathing quickened.

’What does she mean by that?’

Back when they were communicating through the crystal ball, Shion had asked her a similar question.

"Have you been having any strange dreams?"

At the time, Leona had almost revealed that she was a reincarnated soul, but she held back. And sure enough, Shion didn’t know.

"I..." she stammered, unsure whether she should say anything.

Seeing how nervous she was, Shion laughed.

"Pfft! Sorry, I was just joking. If you don’t want to tell me, I won’t force you," she said gently.

Leona slowly relaxed, though she was still a little tense. She quickly took a sip of tea to hide her awkwardness.

"To be honest, I’m just curious," Shion continued. "When I asked about the dream, I was just guessing. Who would’ve thought it was actually true? So my master really did meet you in a dream. I don’t know, it’s just strange."

Her eyes scanned Leona from head to toe.

From the beginning, she hadn’t noticed anything particularly special about Leona, aside from the fact that she was much more mature than other kids her age.

Now that she knew Nolan was interested in Leona simply because they’d met in a dream, it made even less sense.

How could two people who were so different and lived so far apart meet in a dream?

She suspected Leona was hiding something, but she had no right to force her to tell the truth.

Leona pursed her lips. She felt guilty about keeping things from Shion, but her reincarnation was something she simply couldn’t reveal.

Besides, she didn’t even know whether the owner of the Blue Moon Trading House was a reincarnator like her.

Fifteen minutes later, their food finally arrived.

Leona felt much more relaxed. The past fifteen minutes had been tense and awkward.

After the server finished setting the food on the table, Shion motioned for Leona to start eating.

Leona didn’t hesitate and immediately dug in.

She picked up some mashed potatoes and took a closer look. They looked exactly like the ones on Earth.

The only difference was that the potatoes in this world were a bit bigger, so the portion was pretty generous.

She scooped up a small bite with her fork and took a taste.

"This..." Leona’s eyes widened. "It’s so delicious!"

"Is it good?" Shion asked with a smile.

"Mhmm!"

Leona nodded repeatedly as she continued eating.

"It’s so delicious!"

"Pfft!" Shion laughed at her adorable reaction. "Glad to hear that! The food here has been carefully tested, so you can bet it’ll taste good."

She looked pretty proud of herself as she said that.

"Tested by someone?"

Leona looked a little surprised.

"That’s right."

Shion nodded as she twirled her fork, wrapped the spaghetti-like noodles around it, and took a bite.

"Princess Eliza herself did it."

Leona was shocked.

Eliza was the youngest princess of the Great Velmora Empire.

She had never met her in person, but she had seen her photos at several Blue Moon Trading House restaurants in her city.

"Eliza has a talent for evaluating food. She can pinpoint a dish’s shortcomings. With her help, we’re able to perfect the flavor of every dish on the menu."

"I see..."

Leona’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

On Earth, that profession was called food critic. However, in her opinion, it was rare for a critic to have truly objective judgment.

Some of them were even frauds, looking for free meals at the restaurants they reviewed.

Leona continued eating, cutting into the grilled fish with oyster sauce and mixing it with the mashed potatoes.

As she chewed, the food practically melted in her mouth. It was absolutely delicious!

She eagerly devoured her meal, completely forgetting that Shion was sitting right in front of her.

Shion simply smiled without saying a word.

An hour later, they finally finished eating.

Leona rubbed her stomach, feeling like she’d eaten enough to make it twice its usual size.

"Ahem! Sorry, Miss Shion. I got a little carried away," she said, looking embarrassed.

"It’s okay."

Shion waved her hand and wiped her lips with a napkin.

"Anyway, let’s go. I’ll contact my master. He’ll definitely be happy to see you."

Leona swallowed nervously. The moment had finally arrived.

She took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

"Mhmm!"

...

Nolan was relaxing on his bed, reading a book.

"Literature in this world has really come a long way," he murmured.

Most likely, it was all thanks to Edward Layard, whose works had greatly improved the quality of literature circulating in this world.

As Nolan immersed himself in the story, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Are you there, my lord?"

Nolan was startled, but soon smiled.

"Yes. What is it, Arnold?"

"I have some important news to report, my lord."

Nolan closed his book and placed it on the nightstand.

He stood up, picked up his wine glass, and walked over to the open window at the far end of the room.

The afternoon sunlight bathed the capital, which was bustling with people.

The festival would begin in two days, and people from the imperial palace were busy decorating every corner of the city.

"Tell me the news," Nolan said casually as he sipped his wine.

"Princess Elina won the battle three days ago. The rebel forces have been wiped out, and the Valtanir reinforcements have been defeated. They’re now on their way home."

Nolan’s expression remained as calm as ever. He had expected as much.

"The second piece of news concerns Draco, one of the Constellation Mages. It turns out he was a spy for the Holy Empire of Valtanir and nearly turned the tide of battle. Fortunately, Cassiopeia managed to stop him and kill him."

Nolan merely nodded as he took another sip of his wine.

"Why do you seem so calm, my lord?"

Arnold’s voice sounded puzzled.

"Did you already suspect his betrayal?"

"Yes. Chloe told me. Draco was..."

Nolan explained his meeting with Chloe and recounted Draco’s past.

"I see. That was truly unexpected."

Arnold let out a long sigh.

"No need to get too sentimental. Planting spies in enemy territory is commonplace, isn’t it?"

"You’re right."

"Any other reports?"

"None. That’s all."

"All right. Thank you."

"You’re welcome, my lord. By the way, have you met the Dragon Ancestor yet?"

Arnold’s voice sounded nervous.

Nolan laughed.

"Not yet. The Dragon Festival begins in two days. I’ll head to the palace when it starts. If I’m not mistaken, the imperial dragon family will perform a ritual at the Dragon Ancestor’s shrine, right?"

"M-My lord, are you serious?"

"Do you think I’m joking?"

Arnold was at a loss for words.

"Come on, relax. I know my limits. I won’t cause any trouble," Nolan said with a reassuring smile.

’Of course, that’s only if the old dragon doesn’t pick a fight with me first.’

He muttered the last part to himself.

"I understand."

Arnold let out another long sigh.

After exchanging a few more words, their telepathic connection was severed.

Nolan straightened up and finished his wine.

"Two more days. I hope that old dragon isn’t as stubborn as he used to be," he whispered.