Finding a place to stay

“ There’s no need to thank me. I did nothing special which deserves such praisings on your part. “ Princess Vanessa aka Lady Jennifer uttered modestly.

??? You did save my life, miss. If not for you, I don’t know what would have happened to me. I could never thank you enough for saving my life.

“ What’s your name? “ She asked, curiously.

??? I’m called Sarah.

Taken by curiosity and although she knew it wasn’t her place to ask such a forward question, she couldn’t help herself. “ Sarah, do you mind telling us who that man was and why he was harassing you? “

…

Seeing how uncomfortable the question made Lady Sarah, Sir Lucas attempted to change the topic. “ I’m hungry! Do you know a good place around here that serves good dishes? “ He harbored a slight grin toward Lady Sarah who grabbed the opportunity to escape Princess Vanessa’s questions. “ Yes! My family restaurant serves the best dishes there are. “

“ Is it far from here? “ He asked in anticipation.

“ No! It’s just meters away from here. “ She retorted.

Princess Vanessa was completely ignored while Sir Luka and Lady Sarah were talking about food and restaurants.

“ Show us the way? “

“ This way, please! Follow me! “

Turning to the princess, Sir Lucas uttered, “ Let’s go, Jennifer! “

…

The princess followed Lucas and Sarah without uttering a single word on the way. She was as quiet as it got until they reached their destination at long last.

Esperanza Restaurant

“ This is my family restaurant, The “Esperanza”. “ Lady Sarah introduced them to her family’s restaurant and although it was small and modest, it transpires life and harmony. The place gave the princess a good vibe.

“ It’s pretty small for a restaurant, don’t you think? “ Sir Lucas uttered suddenly, causing discomfort by the way his words were pronounced. Lady Sarah was harboring a rather sad expression at that moment.

…

I could see by Sarah’s expression that she was disappointed by what Lucas had said. To get things on the right track, I had to do something. After all, no one likes it when something they appreciate is criticized.

“ Let’s not judge a book by its cover. Let's go in! “ The princess uttered, changing the tense vibe from earlier.

That was the only thing I could think of to ease the atmosphere and I was glad it worked. We entered the restaurant and saw a woman looking in our direction.

“ Mom, I’m back! “ Lady Sarah waved at the woman who happened to be her mother.

Mrs. Evangelina, Sarah’s mother is the owner of the “ Esperanza Restaurant” and she has been running it alongside her daughter since the passing of her husband and Sarah’s father.

“ Where were you and who are those people standing alongside you? “ Mrs. Evangelina stared at the people her daughter had brought along with her.

Staring at the benevolent woman before her, the princess subconsciously thought:

Sarah is the striking copy of her mom. The resemblance is striking. Just by looking at them, one can tell they’re mother and daughter.

“ Mom, they’re guests. I encountered them on my way here. They were searching for a good restaurant to dine in, so I brought them here. “

“ Welcome to our restaurant! Please, have a seat! “ Mrs. Evangelina uttered with a gentle voice toward Lucas and the princess.

“ Madame? “

“ Yes, gentleman! “

“ May our horses have something to eat too, please? “ He asked as he looked at the horses at the same time.

“ Surely! “ She grinned warm-heartedly.

“ Thank you, Madame! “

“ Wait here! I’ll be back with the menu. “

“ Okay! “

“ The Esperanza” is a pretty small restaurant without many clients coming in. Looking at it very closely, the place is shabby. This inn must have some serious financial issues. I was still thinking and didn’t hear someone calling out to me.

“ Earth to Jennifer! “ Sir Lucas spanned the princess back to her senses.

“ You startled me, Lucas! My heart was about to burst out of my chest. “ She uttered, startled. Retorting, Sir Lucas uttered, “ I wouldn’t have yelled out your name if you were paying attention to me. I called out to you several times but with no response. What were you thinking about? “ He asked at the end of his statement.

“ Nothing! Nothing at all! “ She averted his gaze on her.

“ You’re not telling the truth. “ Sir Lucas uttered affirmatively.

“ Why would I lie to you? “ She asked. “ I have no purpose in doing so. “

I tried my best to lie to him, but Lucas wasn’t the kind of person who would easily be fooled by my lie.

Lucas is a very kind gentleman with semi-long black hair and brown eyes. He saved my life when I was stuck in the forest and now, we’re at this restaurant dining.

“ It’s only been twenty-four hours since we met one another, but I can’t be wrong in my judgment. You’re hiding something from me. “ He uttered with insistence in his words and tone.

Sighing, she gave in to his perseverance. “ Fine! You got me there, I must admit. What can I say to that? I was thinking about this restaurant. “ She uttered conclusively.

“ What about it? “

“ Don’t you find it strange? “ She uttered suddenly, confusing Lucas in the process with her words.

“ Strange in what way? “

The princess looked at the restaurant from a close angle and said bluntly, “ It looks pretty shabby for a restaurant, wouldn’t you agree? The customers are getting fewer and fewer by the minute. “

“ What’s strange about that? The family business mustn’t be going well, that’s all. There’s nothing strange about that. “ He uttered bluntly in response.

I wanted to believe him. I wanted nothing but to believe him, but why was I unable to do so? What was this ill feeling?

“ What are you spacing out for this time? “ He asked to which he got no response.

…

“ What’s worrying you so much? “

“ Things aren’t that simple. “ She spoke yet again. “ I suggest we stay here for a bit. “ She suggested, not knowing whether he would agree with her suggestion.

“ Sure thing! “ He agreed instantly which the princess didn’t see coming.

“ What? Aren’t you against the idea? “ She asked, stunned.

Retorting to her question, Sir Lucas blatantly uttered, “ You won’t listen to anything I say if I refuse to cooperate, right? It’s better to help you out as I think what you said isn’t completely wrong. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. “ He grinned slightly at the end of his statement.

“ Thank you! “ She grinned slightly.

“ Don’t mention it! ” He said. “ We’re on the same boat, so we might as well help each other. “

A moment later, Mrs. Evangelina brought the menu and handed it to us with a grin.

“ Here’s the menu! Take a look at it and let me know what you would like to order. “

“ Okay! “ Sir Lucas nodded while the princess stared at the menu, wondering what to pick as there were so many dishes she was unfamiliar with.

“ Would you like a drink in the meantime? “ She suggested.

“ Yes, please! “ Sir Lucas nodded instantly. Turning to the princess beside him, he asked gallantly, “ What would you like to drink, my lady? “

Looking at the menu, she uttered, “ An orange Juice for me, please! “

Turning his focus back to Mrs. Evangelina, he uttered, harboring a slight grin, “ An orange Juice for the lady it is. As for me, I’ll have the same thing. “

“ Your drinks will be ready shortly. “

“ Thank you! “

Mrs. Evangelina left soon afterward to go fetch the orange juice for Lucas and the princess.

...

“ Let’s decide on what to order, shall we? ” Lucas showed the princess the menu excitedly.

“ I have no idea what to order. “ The princess replied.

I looked at the menu and I started to miss my family badly. Lucas noticed it and I tried changing my expression feature but to no avail.

“ What seems to be the problem? ” Lucas asked her with worry in his eyes.

“ What exactly do you want to know? ” She acted standoffish around him.

“ Tell me the reason why you undertook this journey. ” He asked without a second thought.

His question surprised me. What I mean is, aside from Ricardo, I never thought another person would be concerned about me, and that person who happened to be Lucas surprised me even more. Lucas is someone I only met recently. He knows nothing about me, but he’s concerned about me. How I would have liked for my family to be that way towards me. If that had been the case, I would never have run away and I wouldn’t be here now.

I tried to regain my composure and answer Luca’s question as calmly as possible.

With a calm mind, she answered his question. “ To be honest, I undertook this journey to see the world. You may not know it, but it has always been my dream to go on an adventure and travel around the world. “ She responded.

“ You wanted to go on an adventure all by yourself? Why is that? ” He asked, curiously.

“ I wanted to breathe out. I wanted to breathe life. “ She finally said.

Lucas was speechless as he didn’t understand Jennifer’s (Princess Vanessa) explanation.

“ Your refreshments have arrived! “ Mrs. Evangelina made her way to their seats with their drinks.

“ Thank you! “ Lucas uttered gratefully.

“ Have you finally decided on what to order? “ She asked them.

“ It’ll be Omurice for me, thanks. “ The princess uttered after gazing at the menu before her eyes for some time.

“ What about you, young man? “ She turned her focus to Lucas who retorted, “ I’ll have the same thing as the young lady, thank you. “

“ I’ll be back in half an hour with your order. “ Mrs. Evangelina left yet again as soon as she was done writing out their order.

Half an hour later

“ I’m back with your orders. “

Mrs. Evangelina brought two Omurice and put it on the table. Just by the smell, I knew this Omurice was delicious and I was impatient to dig in. Lucas noticed it and quickly said----------------------------

“ Thank you, Mrs. Evangelina! “ Lucas grinned slightly at Sarah’s mother while thanking her for the food.

“ I’ll leave, so you can enjoy your meal. “

Mrs. Evangelina left them some space to enjoy their meal.

“ Let’s dig in! “ Lucas uttered at the princess’s attention.

“ Yes! “

As I dug in, I couldn’t say a word. It was so delicious that I lost my voice. I finally understood why Sarah said, “ The Esperanza” serves the best dishes there are.

“ How do you like the food? ” asked Lucas.

“ It’s delicious! It’s so delicious!. “ She said with a big smile on her face.

“What a miracle! You finally smiled! ” Lucas said happily.

...

“ Have you thought about where we will be staying? “ Lucas asked for the princess’s opinion to which she retorted with a nod. “ I haven’t thought about that yet. Where will we be staying? “

“ Let's discuss it after we’ve finished eating. “

“ Are you looking for a place to stay? “ Lady Sarah showed up out of nowhere.