Little Tyrant Doesn't Want to Meet with a Bad End[1-200]

Chapter 40: I Don't Want to Lose to Her

Roel realized one thing from the banquet today—the Xeclydes were not only powerful, but they had money too.

Take the wide buffet table for example. While the purpose of the food was just to stave off hunger—none of the nobles would actually feast on them—every single dish that was present here were all hard-to-come-by delicacies!

The Karon Forest's Blood-eyed Spotted Birds, known for their delectable flesh, were rumored to be the sentries of the werewolves. They were known to be both rare and hard to hunt, but they were being served on a huge platter at this banquet.

The North Sea's Papershell Crab, dubbed the wonder of the sea, was an extravagant product that was little seen even amongst veteran fishermen. Its thin and crisp skin and its overflowing crab paste made diners salivate just at the sight of it.

The fruits were rare exotic products, and the wine served was fine alcohol that had been aged for over twenty years.

If the purpose of the banquet was to highlight the affluence of the royal family, they had done a darned good job of it.

Roel wasn't sure how the culinary skills of the royal chefs were like, but just the ingredients were enough to whet his appetite. As a certified foodie from Earth, these dishes held a far greater attraction to him than whatever benefits he could derive from the other nobles.

As important as socializing was, would it be able to stop the main character and his harem from killing him ten years later? If it couldn't, he might as well stuff himself with some good food so that he could die in peace.

With such thoughts in mind, Roel moved toward one of the plates and began to slice some meat to feed Alicia.

Given that there were no servants around, he would have to take care of Alicia himself. That was also the reason why Carter told him to bring Alicia with him.

However, the embarrassed Alicia ended up rejecting him.

"Lord Brother, I-I'm not hungry. I'll have some juice instead."

Alicia wanted to accept Roel's goodwill, but having Roel feed her like a servant in public could potentially damage Roel's authority, and that was not something she could accept. Rather than seeing her beloved older brother becoming the butt of others' jokes, she would rather bear with the hunger a little.

"I'll get a cup for you then."

"There's no need for that, Lord Brother. You don't have to take care of me. I'll have a chat with those girls from earlier on instead."

"Ah, alright then."

Roel thought of the female nobles who were on close terms with the Ascart House and nodded his head. This was a rare opportunity for Alicia to make some friends. They usually pretty much stuck to one another year-round anyway, so there was no need for Alicia to follow him around on this rare occasion that they were outside.

As such, Roel parted with Alicia and began embarking on his voyage of delicacies alone. Little did he know that a pair of vile eyes had already set its sight on the lonesome little girl.

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Alicia traveled through the corridor alone.

The onset of winter had caused the temperature to drop drastically. While it was still quite warm inside the banquet hall, due to huge crowds moving to and fro, it was freezing along the corridor. The music and laughter sounded hushed here. The lights along the walls were hung up high, making the corridor look a little dark.

The tearoom that had seats provided for noblewomen to gather and chat with one another was located not too far away. Traveling through the dim corridor, Alicia suddenly felt her heart thumping in unease.