Tan didn't take long to get ready to go out. Thanks to him, we were able to leave the house faster than I expected.
However, it took us quite a while to find a suitable restaurant.
There were too many restaurants that didn't serve pheasant stew stuffed with rice and vegetables, or that turned away people who didn't have a reservation, or that kicked us out because we weren't wearing expensive clothes. By the time we went through each of them, it was getting late for dinner.
We finally found a restaurant. It was decorated so extravagantly that it was embarrassing. The restaurant was full of young women. There were no tables where only men were sitting. However, pheasant stew and fish soup were on the menu, and they didn't ask us to make a reservation and come tomorrow, and they didn't insult us by pointing out our clothes.
Tan frowned at the pink and cream silk wallpaper, the elaborate tapestries on the walls, and the glass ornaments that reflected the light in all directions. He made an even more disgusted face when he was led to a table with a lace tablecloth and a small basket full of flowers. But he didn't say anything about leaving.
The waiter took their order and disappeared. Soon, he came back with a line of dishes. They smelled delicious.
The fish soup was just okay. It wasn't as spicy as he thought it would be, so he had to call the waiter twice to change the dish. As he took a sip of the bright red fish soup, Tan said, looking at the food in front of him.
"I think I'm going to throw up."
"Is this your first time in a place like this?"
"I've been to fancy restaurants a few times. But this is the first time I've been to a place that's so suffocatingly pink. You seem to be used to it, Professor."
"I wouldn't say I'm used to it, but it doesn't bother me. Pink and lace don't attack people."
Tan made a strange expression.
"Hm?"
"It just doesn't sound like something Professor would say."
I took another sip of the soup without saying anything.
For a moment, I almost replied that 'It was what Bianca said.' Forgotten that I was Albert Lettieri, and I had lost my personal memories after eating Hadaphloraboravo.
The topic was dropped as if it wasn't meant to be anything significant. Tan shrugged and took a sip of his soup. His expression brightened a little. It seemed that he didn't like the atmosphere of the restaurant, but he liked the food.
The large bowl of soup was quickly emptied. The quick-witted waiter took the dishes away. I handed the waiter my bowl, which was about a third full.
Tan was glancing around the store again.
"By the way, Professor, did you have a girlfriend?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
Tan scratched the back of his neck.
"Oh, it doesn't make sense to ask you, Professor....... I asked a stupid question."
"Why? Was there something bothering you? I thought you were just cleaning up the warehouse today."
"Actually, I had a guest this morning."
"A guest?"
The waiter came with a steaming pheasant stew, and the conversation stopped for a moment. It came with a pie with pheasant meat inside and two kinds of pickled vegetables.
As the waiter cut the pheasant into pieces for easy eating, the rice and vegetables that had been cooked in oil spilled out from inside. It had the savory smell of oily meat.
I put some pheasant stew on an empty plate. Tan also took some meat on his plate. Only after the waiter refilled our glasses with water and left did he open his mouth.
"She was an impressive blonde woman. She looked to be in her mid-forties, and she was quite beautiful. She seemed to be a noblewoman, but I can't be sure because she didn't bring a maid with her....... She seemed to be close to you, calling you by your name, but it seemed like it wasn't a very open relationship. She was embarrassed when I came out of the house. When I asked who she was, she turned pale and quickly left."
"Is it possible that she was a relative or friend, not a lover? She might have been embarrassed because a man she didn't know came out."
"If she were a relative, she wouldn't have left without telling me her name."
Tan pointed out.
He seemed very sharp, even though I thought he was just lazy. I suddenly thought that it was a waste to just have him look for money and teach him how to do housework.
My mood sank as I thought about the lack of other suitable positions. Now that I am no longer the Grand Duke of Vintescata, it is useless to find talented people. I can't give them a place where they can excel.
The pheasant meat suddenly tasted bland in my mouth. I put down my fork and moistened my lips with water, thinking it was because of the oiliness.
It was a strange day. I heard the name of Louisiana at the Royal Academy. And a woman who might be Albert Letier's lover visited the three-story house. It felt like someone was warning me that living in a new body wouldn't be easy.
"Professor?"
"It's not easy."
"Are you laughing?"
Tan frowned slightly. He raised his hand and touched the corner of his mouth. The corner of his mouth was slightly raised.
"You don't have to be afraid just because you encounter a difficult problem."
"You're being aggressive."
"Really?"
Tan stopped talking for a moment. Then he exhaled loudly and spoke benevolently.
"I think you'll be fine on your own, but if you ever find yourself struggling, let me know. I'll help you for a cheap price."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. It's not like I'm offering to help you for free."
Tan took some more pheasant stew on his plate. It seemed to be quite to his taste. I smiled slightly at the sight of him eating well.
"Do you like pheasant?"
"Well, I like all kinds of meat. Why don't you eat it, Professor?"
"It tastes good, but it's too oily. They used good ingredients, but the cooking skills are just so-so."
I picked up a piece of pheasant pie instead of the pheasant stew. Then I took some pickled vegetables on the side. The pickled vegetables were crunchy and sour. After eating, my mouth felt refreshed.
Just as I was about to change my opinion that the chef didn't know how to cook at all, Tan, who had been finishing the pheasant stew at a frightening speed, said,
"If the store looks like this and the food doesn't even taste good, it's doomed."
I burst out laughing. It seemed that he was still bothered by the pink objects decorated everywhere.
Come to think of it, the expressions of the other men in the store weren't very good either. The ladies were enjoying the food in a sophisticated manner, but the men were staring at their plates and aggressively pushing the food into their mouths. It was strange that they were eating so quickly but not breaking any dining etiquette.
As my eyes scanned the interior of the restaurant, I met the eyes of one of the people who had just sat down. It was a rather strange combination: two boys and a middle-aged woman.
The brown-haired boy with caramel eyes frowned. When I saw his disgusted expression, I remembered who he was. He was the boy who had been making trouble during my class at the Royal Academy.
The brown-haired boy leaned over to the tall blonde boy and whispered something. The woman tilted her head. Then the tall blonde boy got up and moved to sit next to the woman. As a result, the middle-aged woman's figure was blocked and I couldn't see her well.
"Professor?"
"Hmm?"
I turned my gaze to Tan. He gestured.
"Do you know them?"
It seemed like he had completely forgotten that I had eaten the Hadaphlorabor and lost my personal memories. I shrugged.
"I saw a student I had in class. I thought it was a strange coincidence. Did I stare too much?"
"No, not really. So you only know the boy?"
"Yes. Is something wrong?"
Tan scraped the remaining rice and vegetables on his plate with a spoon and gestured to the table where the students were sitting.
"I think you'd better remember the woman's face. That lady is the one who visited today. It wasn't a total waste of time coming out to eat."
I looked at the group again without realizing it. I couldn't see her well because of the blonde boy, but I could confirm her face after looking carefully.
As Tan said, she was a person with an impressive blonde hair. Her hair, which was as bright as the finest honey, was twisted up and decorated with pearl pins. It was clear that she had put a lot of thought into her hairstyle and clothing. She could definitely be called a beauty.
The vaguely visible face looked strangely familiar. I frowned. I couldn't figure out why I felt like I knew her even though she wasn't someone I knew.
At that moment, I made eye contact with the student with caramel eyes again. He had a fierce expression on his face. It seemed like he had noticed my gaze.
I quickly averted my eyes to the plate of pheasant pie. I felt like if I looked at the woman's face for a little longer, I would figure out why I felt a sense of deja vu, but I gave up. It was definitely rude to stare at someone so openly in a restaurant.
Tan lowered his voice.
"It seems like the boy has found you, Professor. He keeps looking over here."
"Hmm."
It wasn't the first time I had been met by a student in a restaurant, but I felt like he was being overly cautious.
Could the blonde woman's visit to the three-story house today be related to this? Do parents usually visit a professor's house in person? It was also strange that the woman called Professor Letier's name so familiarly, but her behavior of running away without revealing her name when Tan came out of the house was even more suspicious.
Suddenly, a rumor circulating within the Royal Academy came to mind. Professor Letié received bribes from parents. He also tampered with students' grades. He even touched a married women.
Suddenly, I realised that I could combine the three into a single incident: 'Professor Albert Letier recieved bribes to manipulate his students' grades or he made inappropriate advances towards parents in exchange.
"Aren't you going to eat, Professor?"
Tan said, pushing the pheasant pie dish towards me. Before I knew it, the only food left on the table was a single piece of pie.
I silently took the pie. As I ate it, cutting it into small pieces, I made eye contact with Tan, who was constantly drinking water. I glanced at the half-eaten pie and asked him,
"Should we order more food?"
"No, let's go. I still can't get used to this restaurant."
Tan grimaced and tapped the table lightly.