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Chapter : 17
“She’s the kind of kid who cares more about almost making a wasted trip herself than about me being inconvenienced.”
It was Astella who had come looking for her on impulse, but if something like that really happened, the one who would surely be blamed was Frea.
She’d complain about how there were always so many things going on, why Frea made her wait, and then go back and tell her dad and brothers something like this again.
“I think Sister Frea forgot about me because she had so much work…… I kept waiting for her…….”
It had actually happened a few times before, so the chances of it happening again were very high.
Each time, Frea had warned Astella, but she only listened in the moment. Then she’d repeat the same thing again, never fixing it at all.
“Let’s just think of it as a good thing. At least I won’t lose my after-work time.”
Her lunch break would get longer and she’d leave work later, but she’d still be able to keep her evening free. Since it had to be done anyway, it was better to get it over with quickly.
“Let’s go, Astella. Did you think about what you want to eat?”
Frea tidied up her desk, grabbed her coat, and asked as she left the office. Astella followed behind, tapping her lips with a finger as she spoke.
“Hmm, today I want pasta and pilaf. The seafood pasta and pilaf we had together last time were really good!”
“Oh, you mean the restaurant in Distoe. That place gets a lot of reservations, so I’m not sure if there’ll be seats.”
“Really? But last time we just walked in, didn’t we?”
“That time I had made a reservation.”
With that long line outside, there was no way they could’ve just walked in. They’d checked the reservation and gone in, but it seemed she’d completely forgotten.
“Ah…… then can’t we eat there today? I really want to eat their pasta and pilaf…….”
Astella, who had been walking beside her, stopped. Seeing her standing there with her eyebrows drooping, Frea sighed and said,
“Let’s at least go and check. There might still be seats, or maybe someone canceled their reservation.”
Though the chances were slim.
The Distoe restaurant was always crowded no matter the time, and the reservations were usually full. If there were any seats left, that would be pure luck.
“Okay! Let’s hurry, Sister Frea!”
Hearing those hopeful words, Astella brightened up right away and excitedly went ahead. Walking behind her, Frea thought about other restaurants they could go to instead.
“I’m very sorry, ma’am. We don’t have any seats right now. We’re already fully booked with reservations…… I apologize, but would you be willing to wait in line until a seat opens up?”
“Ah…….”
“…….”
Yeah, I knew it.
While Astella looked at the long line the staff member pointed to with disappointment, Frea calmly accepted reality.
Just as expected, Distoe was packed to the brim. There were already over twenty people waiting outside, unable to get in.
“They say we have to line up, but there are so many people…….”
“Let’s go somewhere else. If we wait, our entire lunch break will be gone.”
She calmly ran through the list of backup restaurants she’d already thought of. There was another place nearby that did good pasta and pilaf, just like Astella wanted.
“There’s another decent restaurant across the street. Let’s go there, Astella.”
“But still, I really wanted to eat here…….”
“There are no seats. What can we do? Or are you going to wait?”
“Well…….”
You don’t want to, do you? Just looking at her hesitating and rolling her eyes around made it obvious.
“You know that sulking won’t magically make a seat appear.”
By now, Frea was far too used to Astella’s stubbornness. Cutting it off as firmly as possible was the least tiring option.
“It’s close, so let’s walk. This way.”
Whether Astella kept looking regretful or not, Frea turned and started walking.
Hearing footsteps behind her, it seemed Astella was following reluctantly. She must know herself that standing there would only waste time.
Having broken through her tenacious stubbornness, Frea’s steps felt a little lighter.
Before long, a restaurant with a nice green sign came into view. After confirming it was open, Frea opened the door and went in.
“Welcome. Will it be two of you?”
The manager near the entrance greeted them politely. Seeing that about half the seats in the hall were occupied, Frea asked,
“Yes. Do you have a private room available inside?”
“Of course. Please follow me.”
Smiling brightly, the manager led the way. As she followed, Frea glanced sideways at Astella.
“A private room will be better to talk quietly.”
She wasn’t sure she could keep her voice from rising.
And who knew how Astella might react if pressed? She’d obviously try to dodge it and make excuses, but you never knew what might happen, so it was better to be prepared.
Following the manager deeper inside, they saw several private rooms. He opened the door to one in the middle and guided them in, pulling out chairs for them.
Once Frea and Astella sat facing each other, he poured water into their glasses and handed over the menus.
“If you’ve decided on your order, please let me know.”
“You have pasta and pilaf with seafood, right?”
“Yes, we do. We have pasta and pilaf generously made with seasonal seafood.”
“Then we’ll have two of each, please. Astella, is there anything else you want?”
As Frea tried to pass her the menu, Astella shook her head. She didn’t even answer, and judging by her pouting lips, she still hadn’t gotten over it.
Whatever. Frea was annoyed too about having to spend extra, unplanned time. She ordered without hesitation.
“Please add one fruit salad each, and for drinks, lemonade and strawberry ade.”
“Understood. For dessert, I’ll bring a separate menu after your meal.”
“Okay.”
“Then please wait a moment.”
After the manager left the room with the menus, Frea took a couple of sips of water and turned her head at the sound of leaves brushing and water trickling in through the open window.
“Looks like there’s a garden inside. Is that a fountain?”
It was a view she hadn’t seen last time, probably because they’d used a different room then.
Looking at the artificial garden full of lush trees and grass, Frea smiled.
Nice. When I become independent, it wouldn’t be bad to make a garden like that outside my house.
Water flowed from what looked like a small fountain, making the scene even more refreshing. It was her first time in this room, but she liked it.
While Frea was enjoying the view, Astella spoke in a sulky voice.
“Is this place really good?”
When she turned to look, she was met with eyes full of distrust.
So that’s how you’re going to be, huh? Frea gave a small smile, blinked calmly, and replied,
“Yes. It’s a hidden gem that only people in the know are aware of.”
“Hm. There were quite a few customers in the hall, but I guess we won’t know until we actually taste the food.”
Astella shot her a suspicious look. She didn’t even touch her water glass and sat with her arms tightly crossed, as if staging a protest.
Feeling no threat at all, Frea turned her head back to enjoy the view again.
Knock, knock—
“Excuse me. Thank you for waiting.”
A moment later, the manager who had left earlier came back in with two staff members. On the trolley one of them was pushing were several dishes covered with lids.
Soon, the manager and staff removed the covers and set the food on the table. Pasta and pilaf filled with shrimp, scallops, mussels, squid, and all kinds of seafood, along with colorful fruit salads—appetizing dishes were placed in front of Frea and Astella one by one.
“Please enjoy your meal.”
After setting down the drinks as well, the manager and staff left the room.
“Wow…….”
Just moments ago she’d been full of suspicion, but as soon as the delicious-looking dishes appeared, Astella’s eyes widened in admiration.
Frea, who was hungry herself, quickly tore her gaze away from Astella and reached for the food. The savory, refreshing aroma stimulated her appetite, making her want to dig in right away.
“Let’s eat. Be careful, it’s hot.”
“Ah, okay.”
At Frea’s words, Astella uncrossed her arms and hurriedly picked up her fork. Going for the pasta first, she twirled the noodles around her fork, speared a plump shrimp, and took a bite together.
“……!”
At that moment, Astella’s eyes went wide.
