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THE group arrived at the Blue Ocean Bar. Before they even entered, the scent of scrumptious food wafted towards them. The fragrant aromas of cooked meat, sesame oil, carrots, and onions tickled their nostrils, whetting their appetites.
This time, Angelina planned to eat in the restaurant. Before, she’d merely bought hujiao bing to take home. Even so, she’d been planning to enjoy the restaurant at her leisure when she had the time.
The Blue Ocean Bar began serving food from noon onwards. However, as the name implied, the establishment also served alcohol.
At any rate, Angelina walked through the door of the bar with her knights in tow. “Hello!” she exclaimed.
Just as Ming Ming had taught her, she greeted everyone with a cheerful smile. Ming Ming was the young girl who’d taught Angelina how to interact with people during her first loop. She’d been the adorable salesgirl of the Blue Ocean Bar.
“Well, hello there, little miss tiger!”
The chipper man who greeted Angelina was the owner who’d taken care of her during the first loop. However, he was much younger now—still a young man helping out with the family business.
“Are you not with that splendid tiger today?” the man asked.
Ryuho’s ears drooped. Just as he’d feared, he appeared much more splendid in his feline form.
“Nope,” Angelina replied. “But I did come to have lunch with a handsome prince!”
At this, Ryuho’s ears perked up again.
The man smiled at Ryuho. “He is indeed a handsome young prince!”
As Ryuho puffed out his chest with a smug grin, his tail stood straight up. He was clearly in a good mood. All the while, the patrons of the bar regarded the tiny couple fondly.
“Did you like the hujiao bing?” the man asked.
“Sure did!” Angelina replied.
The people of the outer enclosure treated her in a relaxed, friendly manner despite knowing she was the imperial princess. People who’d never entered the palace didn’t know aristocratic etiquette. Regardless, they were still grateful and kind to the young princess who’d thawed the frozen wells. All of that filled Angelina with happiness.
“What do you recommend today?” she asked.
The man smiled awkwardly. “What would I recommend, eh? Our food isn’t anything special compared to the palace’s cuisine. There’s nothing I could recommend to a princess…”
In response to his nearly unintelligible mumbling, someone shouted at him from behind. “What the hell are you saying?! Everything we serve at the Blue Ocean Bar would make the emperor’s mouth water! Quit dawdling and become a competent chef like your father!”
When Angelina looked towards the speaker, she found a girl who appeared rather strong-willed.
“Ah!” Angelina cried. “Miss—” She closed her mouth before finishing. The strong-willed girl was the proprietress who’d taken care of her during the first loop.
Ryuho and the young man looked at Angelina curiously. “Huh?” Ryuho asked. “Do you know her?”
“Oh, um, no, but she’s a very pretty lady.” When Angelina laughed, the girl’s face turned beet red.
For some reason, the young man flushed as well, and he began speaking with bashful modesty. “Well, um, she might look cute, but she’s been a cheeky little tomboy ever since she was a little girl, and—”
“Hold on!” the girl yelled. “Where do you get off talking like that?!”
When she puffed out her cheeks sullenly, everyone in the restaurant burst out laughing. The regulars who’d been drinking since noon began making sport of them.
“The husband and wife are at each other’s throats again!” someone jeered.
“Make them stop!” the girl shouted.
“I’ve told you a hundred times—we’re not married!” the young man exclaimed.
As the bar grew increasingly raucous, Angelina smiled in satisfaction. She spoke to the strong-willed girl rather than the man. “Well then, tell me what you recommend!”
The girl came to stand beside Angelina and pointed to the menu hanging from the ceiling. “First off, you have to try the stir-fried shrimp, okay? You can’t miss out on the char siu, either. Then, there’s the twice-cooked pork, and—”
“You’re just listing off the entire menu!” the young man cried out.
“Well, we’ve got one hell of a tasty menu, don’t we?!” the girl shouted back confidently.
In response, the bar broke out into an uproar.
“You’re right about that!”
“Everything here is good enough to make your mouth water!”
Angelina smiled softly. The atmosphere of the bar hadn’t changed since her first loop.
“Hey, Lina, I’m starving!” Ryuho shouted, beating his tail against the floor impatiently. “If everything’s good, ask for whatever they can whip up the fastest!”
The knights nodded in agreement.
“Okay!” Angelina exclaimed. “In that case, we’ll have whatever’s fastest and what that girl over there is eating.”
“Coming right up,” the young man responded cheerfully before returning to the kitchen.
At the same time, the strong-willed girl smiled in satisfaction and bowed her head to Angelina.
Though the young man and girl didn’t appear to be dating yet, seeing them filled Angelina with deep sentimentality. In ten years, they’ll give birth to Ming Ming, she thought.
As the sound of sizzling oil echoed from the kitchen, steam filled the air, carrying with it a delectable aroma. Ryuho’s nose twitched.
Once they were seated, he slumped his upper body against the table and looked up at Angelina. “Gah, I’m about to die of hunger!” he cried out, his legs bobbing under the table impatiently. “I can’t wait any longer!”
Angelina patted him on the head. “Me neither! Let’s eat ’til our stomachs explode today! You too, Mishter Knights! Let’s all have as much as we want!”
Both knights nodded, regarding Angelina fondly.
“What do you like the best, White Tiger Knight?” Angelina asked.
“I like you the best, Princess!” he replied, brimming with confidence.
The gray-haired knight swatted him on the head, causing his White Tiger ears to slip down slightly.
“Hell no!” Ryuho shouted, his upper body shooting up. “Just wait until I’m a tiger again!”
Giggling, Angelina rephrased her question. “What’s your favorite food, White Tiger Knight?”
“Lamian! Have you ever tried it?”
Though Angelina had eaten lamian in her first loop, she hadn’t done so in this life. “No, but I’d love to try it!” she responded.
“Then let’s ask for some! Over here! We’ll have an extra order of lamian on the side!”
“What about you, Blue Dragon Knight?” Angelina asked.
“Oh, me? I don’t have any favorite foods in particu—”
“This guy loves sweets!” the brown-haired knight interrupted.
“Sweets?” Angelina repeated. “So you like figs?”
“I do,” the older knight replied.
“Then let’s have some for dessert!”
The gray-haired knight smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”
When their food arrived, the younger knight clumsily distributed the fried rice. Ryuho snatched up a plate and dug in. “So good!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.
“That’s right!” the strong-willed girl called out to them with a wide grin. “Everything we serve here will knock your socks off!”
“Yeah, it’s all so delicious!” Angelina cried.
Her smile filled the knights with a sense of contentment.
“Look, more food just arrived!” Ryuho shouted, holding out a spoonful of the new dish to Angelina’s mouth. “Open wide!”
“Mmm!” Angelina squealed. “So good!”
“Right?! It’s amazing!”
Being able to feed Angelina made Ryuho swell with satisfaction.
“Now you open wide, Ryuho!” Angelina exclaimed.
“Okay!”
This time, Angelina fed Ryuho. Both children seemed incredibly delighted. An air of happiness filled the entire bar.
“The princess is so cute,” the strong-willed girl muttered to herself. “I can’t wait to have a child as adorable as her…”
The surrounding adults all gaped at her. Seeing this, the gray-haired knight chuckled. He understood how she felt quite well, after all.