The cavalry officer followed the direction she was looking at and saw the man who blocked them earlier standing there while looking straight at the princess. His eyes went wide like saucers. "Insolence! This is Her Highness, Princess Catherine! Show some respect, commoner!" He shouted furiously.
Belial simply ignored him. His focus was entirely on the princess. She has a jeweled crown on her head and her white hair was styled perfectly to match her royal garments.
Belial had seen her once before, but he didn't observe her closely back then.
Upon closer examination, he found out that she had a unique constitution fit for Fire Magic. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have discovered this since there were no traces of mana in her body. "What a shame." He muttered while shaking his head.
There was a pin-drop silence after he uttered those words.
Princess Catherine also heard his words and it made her curious as to why he uttered them. She raised her hand to stop the cavalry officer from speaking and slowly walked towards Belial. "Are you a citizen of this kingdom?" She asked while staring at him from head to foot. There was something about this man, but she couldn't explain it. This mysterious feeling made her want to know more about him.
Belial didn't answer immediately. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he put down the recliner and calmly took a seat.
His actions stunned the crowd. They were wondering if he was an idiot or a suicidal man.
The soldiers were angered by his actions. Their hands were already resting on the hilt of their swords. If the princess commands it, they will behead him on the spot!
To everyone's amazement, the princess didn't show any displeasure. She just smiled and waited for his response.
Belial leaned on the recliner and placed his leg on top of the other, looking completely relaxed. "I've been here for a few years so I believe I'm already a citizen of this kingdom." He answered in a calm voice.
The cavalry officer almost failed to hold himself back. 'This bastard! What makes him this arrogant?!'
"You are a funny person, sir. Can you tell me your name?" Princess Catherine chuckled. She found it refreshing to encounter someone unafraid of her identity.
Just as he was about to give his name, someone called out to him.
"Lord Bel!"
Everyone turned their head and saw a beautiful woman coming out of the new restaurant. She had a worried look on her face as she jogged towards them.
Alora was shocked to see the princess and when she saw Belial calmly sitting in her presence, it almost made her pass out in fright.
She immediately knelt before the princess and said. "Your Highness, please forgive Lord Bel for his lack of respect! He isn't a citizen of the kingdom so he doesn't know our etiquette here." Her voice trembled as she spoke. The young woman in front of her was the favorite child of the current king. One word from her and they will be doomed!
"Oh? So your name is Bel. It's a pleasure to meet you. You must be the owner of this restaurant. I've heard a lot about this place. Can you take me inside and show me what kind of dishes you serve?" Princess Catherine didn't seem to mind his nonchalant attitude. This made Alora heaved a sigh of relief.
Alora turned her gaze to Belial and winked at him repeatedly.
"Sure. I have nothing to do anyway." Belial stood up from his seat.
"Thank you." Princess Catherine smiled gently.
Belial walked inside the restaurant with the princess trying to match his pace. Closely following them were Alora and four soldiers, including the cavalry officer.
As soon as they left, the crowd could finally breathe again.
"Just who is that man? He didn't even place Her Highness in his eyes!"
"Didn't you hear what Her Highness said? He is the owner of that new restaurant!"
At this moment, Belial had already taken the princess to a vacant table.
"Here's our menu, Your Highness!" Alora carefully placed the menu on the table.
Princess Catherine curiously grabbed the menu. It looked like a book, but when she opened it, she saw all sorts of dishes and their corresponding price. The lifelike images on the menu made her surprised. "How did you draw the images here?" She uttered in disbelief.
Belial stared at her in confusion. He didn't remember drawing those images. He just used magic to imprint the image of the dishes on a piece of paper and overlayed it with a clear material to prevent it from getting wet or crumpled.
Belial shrugged and didn't say anything. He was too lazy to explain this to her.
The cavalry officer could no longer hold back his anger. "You! Her Highness is asking you nicely! You should-" He immediately stopped talking when he saw the princess raising her hand, but he continued to glare at Belial who was sitting on the opposite side of the rectangular table.
"Let's not force them to reveal their secrets." The princess muttered in a gentle voice.
Hearing this, the cavalry officer could only lower his head.
"I don't know these dishes. Can you recommend some for me?" Princess Catherine said as she put down the menu. All the dishes looked good, but she couldn't decide which one to eat.
Belial nodded. "Why don't you try some sweet tofu pudding? It's the best food I have eaten!" He suggested.
Alora gave him a hard stare, but he ignored her.
"Sweet tofu pudding? Alright. Let's try that one." The princess agreed without hesitation.
"You heard her. Go and prepare some for her. Don't forget my portion." Belial beamed at Alora.
"Alright. Please give me a moment to prepare your order." Alora could only bitterly smile at his antics.
As soon as she left, the cavalry officer sent two soldiers to follow her. He wanted to make sure that no poison would be added to the princess' food.