For a brief moment, our eyes met across the bustling dining hall.
Without showing the slightest reaction, I calmly looked away and continued toward the kitchen as though I hadn't recognized her at all.
It wasn't because I intended to ignore Leslie. Rather, nearly everyone inside the inn had their attention fixed on her. With a personal guard standing behind her and countless curious eyes watching from every direction, openly greeting her like an old acquaintance would only invite unnecessary attention.
With that thought in mind, I pushed aside the curtain leading into the kitchen and stepped inside.
No sooner had I stepped into the kitchen than a familiar voice called out from nearby.
"Arthur!"
I turned around to find Miguel hurrying toward me with an excited expression. Once he reached my side, he instinctively lowered his voice and glanced toward the dining hall.
"Did you see that beautiful woman sitting outside?"
I gave a small nod.
"I did."
Miguel let out a long, helpless sigh.
"But she's a little weird."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Weird?"
"Yeah."
He folded his arms across his chest and leaned casually against one of the kitchen counters.
"She's been sitting out there for almost an hour now without ordering a single thing."
His face was filled with genuine confusion, as though he simply couldn't understand what she was trying to accomplish.
"I went over earlier to take her order," Miguel said before his expression suddenly turned unusually serious. "...And maybe impress her a little with my irresistible charm."
I looked at him without saying a word.
Completely oblivious to my expression, Miguel continued his dramatic retelling.
"But do you know what happened?"
He pointed at himself with an exaggerated look of disbelief.
"She ignored me!"
His shoulders slumped as though he had suffered a devastating blow.
"She barely even looked at me, and no matter what I said, she just sat there without saying a word. She didn't even bother ordering anything."
He let out another dramatic sigh before shaking his head.
"I've never been ignored so completely in my life."
Listening to his heartfelt complaint, I found myself momentarily speechless, unsure whether I should sympathize with him or question where all of that confidence had come from in the first place.
Now that I thought about it, everything made sense.
From the owner's perspective, the situation was certainly unusual. A young woman dressed in expensive clothes had occupied one of the tables for nearly an hour without ordering anything, while a personal guard stood silently behind her. It was only natural for both the customers and the workers to grow curious about her identity and why she had come here.
After giving it a little thought, I finally understood the situation.
She had been waiting for me.
I silently considered what to do next. If I continued pretending not to notice her, she would most likely remain seated there until I approached her. That would only draw even more attention toward her and eventually begin affecting the inn.
In that case, there was little choice.
"I'll go take her order."
Miguel immediately looked at me as though I had just suggested something completely absurd.
"You?"
His gaze slowly traveled from head to toe before he shook his head with a look of sympathy.
"Brother..."
He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"She didn't even spare me a second glance, and my charm was practically radiating in every direction."
He let out a dramatic sigh before continuing.
"If even I couldn't get her attention, you don't stand a chance."
I simply looked at him without saying a word.
For some reason, the confidence on Miguel's face gradually began to waver beneath my silent stare. After a few awkward moments, he cleared his throat and withdrew his hand from my shoulder.
"...Alright, alright."
He gave an awkward laugh.
"You have a chance."
I simply shook my head, choosing not to waste any more time arguing with him.
Picking up one of the small order notebooks from a nearby shelf, I left the kitchen and stepped back into the dining hall.
Almost immediately, Leslie noticed me approaching. A warm smile spread across her face as she gracefully rose from her seat, but before making my way over, I casually swept my gaze around the inn.
Just as I had expected, quite a few customers were openly watching us. Even the owner occasionally glanced in our direction from behind the counter, clearly curious about what would happen. As for Miguel, he had already pulled the kitchen curtain aside just enough to peek into the dining hall, his face practically radiating curiosity.
Seeing that nearly half the inn seemed interested in the interaction, I maintained the same calm, professional expression I wore while serving every other customer and walked toward Leslie's table.
Stopping beside the table, I opened the small notebook in my hand.
"Hello, Madam," I said calmly. "What would you like to order?"
Leslie looked at me for a moment, her expression betraying a hint of confusion. She had clearly not expected me to address her so formally after everything that had happened between us. However, her confusion didn't last long. Her gaze briefly swept across the dining hall, taking in the curious customers, the inn owner watching from behind the counter, and the workers who occasionally glanced in our direction. Almost immediately, she seemed to understand why I was acting this way.
"...Ah."
A knowing smile gradually spread across her face.
"I'll have a bowl of noodles with meat."
She quietly returned to her seat as though we were nothing more than a customer and an inn worker.
I gave a small nod while noting down the order in my notebook.
"I'll bring it out right away."
Closing the notebook, I turned and walked back toward the kitchen. Behind me, the murmurs throughout the dining hall gradually resumed, though I could still feel more than a few curious eyes following me, everyone seemingly wondering who the mysterious young woman had been waiting for all this time.
Carrying the order notebook, I returned to the kitchen.
The moment I stepped inside, Miguel hurried over to me with an expression that was equal parts shocked and curious. He stared at me for several moments without saying a word.
I frowned slightly.
"What?"
Miguel looked at me, then lowered his head to glance at himself before looking back again.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
"...Are you really more handsome than me?"
I looked at him with a completely neutral expression.
Without bothering to answer, I simply shook my head and walked past him toward the chef, handing over the order I had just taken.
"A bowl of noodles with meat."
The chef acknowledged the order with a nod and immediately began preparing the ingredients.
Meanwhile, Miguel wasn't ready to give up.
He hurried over again and stood beside me.
"Arthur," he said with surprising seriousness, "tell me honestly..."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"Am I really not handsome?"
Before I could respond, the chef suddenly glanced over from her workstation with an amused smile.
"Arthur," she said with a laugh, "don't break the poor boy's heart."
She nodded toward Miguel.
"Just tell him he's handsome."
I slowly turned to look at her, my expression practically begging her not to encourage him.
The moment our eyes met, she couldn't hold it in any longer.
A burst of laughter escaped her lips, while Miguel continued waiting expectantly for my answer, seemingly convinced that this was the most important question of the day.