Lia froze. She could only stare and gape at his handsome face. A part of her screamed to stop gawking at him or else he, or worse, anybody watching would take it as her being taken in by his charms. But stare she did.
A lot of emotions played out on his face, and to her surprise, recognition was one of those, something she did not want to see in his face. She hoped that maybe her new hairstyle would make her unrecognizable. Of course, she did not have such luck. Before she could get another word out, a shout sounded behind her that made her flinch.
"You! What are you doing?" The manager came storming in and standing beside Lia.
Lia bowed her head meekly and muttered an apology. The manager did not seem too happy for obvious reasons, so Lia tried to amend by apologizing again and kneeled to pick up the shards. Before she could even pick up a broken piece, a strong hand gripped her arm and pulled her up.
"Bring a brush and a dustpan," he barked his orders to another staff member. He turned to Lia, his voice sounding softer than the one he used earlier. "If you really want to clean that, at least use the proper tool."
Beside them, the manager still fumed in silence. Lia thought it was understandable, given that these were important guests. She began to speak, only for Eldric to speak over her.
"It's okay, don't scold her. It's my fault, anyway. I moved so I bumped into her."
Both Lia and the manager looked at him as if he had grown two heads, but he only smiled at them coolly.
The manager's face twisted, "But dear sir--"
The smile remained, but it felt like it lost its warmth by a couple of degrees. "I wasn't hurt. I wasn't splashed. I'm perfectly fine." He spreads his arms as if showing the proof.
Eldric continued. "As for the broken glass, just add that to our bill. It's okay right?" He asked another person in his group which Lia recognized as one of their establishment's regular customers. The wealthy merchant waved at him as though the price to pay was of no inconvenience to him. "As I've said, it's my fault so I'll pay."
"I can pay--" Lia said, only for her to be pulled back by the manager.
The manager smiled sweetly at the protagonist while he glared at her and pulled her away with him. He turned back to Eldric with that sweet smile. "As you wish sir. Please do enjoy the rest of the evening."
Lia turned to Eldric who remained watching her. When she faced him, he raised his eyebrows slightly, amused. "I'm going to pay for that when I get my salary." Then, she left without hearing his reply. It would not matter anyway.
"Why are you so stubborn? Just be thankful that he didn't get angry," the manager hissed.
After a few more rounds of sermons and a firm reminder to be careful, Lia was allowed to work again. She purposely chose to serve the customers below. Another mistake would cost her her job so she focused on working and forgetting about the protagonist. But they only have so much staff so Lia was forced to go back again above. This time, Lia was extremely careful and mindful.
Around the big round table were the richest merchants and the most important people in the city, judging from their manners and stylish clothes. She was noticing them for the first time as she was engrossed in just getting through her shift earlier. A female aristocrat giggled, and Lia saw as she fluttered her eyelash toward the protagonist. On the other side of him was another beautiful lady tugging at his arm to get his attention.
Lia dipped her head to hide her eye-rolling. As expected of the protagonist. He never disappoints. 'Except when he pops out of nowhere.' She sighed at the thought.
She wondered back at the plot, and it was probably about time when he began to have a solid lead regarding the Unknown. Then, it probably made sense that he would be here. This was probably one of the towns he passed through in the novel. She could only pray that he got what he needed and left the town.
The rest of her shift ended peacefully, and after changing, she headed outside. She rounded in the corner that connects to the main street and where the main door of the restaurant was. For the second time today, she froze on her spot.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered under her breath.