Bronya was a wealthy young lady, completely different from the impoverished Kiana.
Why would someone like her be interested in ghosts and gods?
Filled with doubt and confusion, Zhao Bai quietly returned to his room to sleep. The next day, he opened for business as usual at eight o'clock.
Facing the morning sun and dew, Rita arrived with various kitchen cleaning supplies. Having just started work, she was about to enter the kitchen and clean it as a matter of course, only to find herself turned away.
Fu Hua stood before her like an iron tower.
Rita looked slightly surprised. "Lord Fu Hua, why are you blocking my way?"
"For the time being, I am a Guardian Knight."
Her icy, emotionless voice reflected her professional capability as security personnel. Fu Hua was in a bad mood because Zhao Bai had not told her that the maid she needed to stop was Rita.
Rita was a Valkyrie from headquarters, while Fu Hua was an undercover agent planted by headquarters within St. Freya.
Their meeting was exceptionally awkward.
Fu Hua could not cooperate with Rita. She was a deeply concealed undercover agent and only had a cooperative relationship with Schicksal. Normally, she was responsible for reporting developments within the academy to headquarters. If she rashly helped Rita, she risked exposing herself and would have no choice but to return to headquarters and await orders.
Compared to the bothersome European headquarters, Fu Hua preferred the Far East Branch.
Rita understood this as well, which was why she was so surprised. Even her microexpression slipped out of control for an instant, ruining her composure.
After some simple disguise, Rita swept her ash-gold hair upward, revealing her wine-red eyes beneath her bangs. She covered the beauty mark at the corner of her eye with concealer, and her entire bearing became vastly different from before.
Without careful observation, no one would recognize her as the vice-captain of the Immortal Blade.
To avoid exposure, Rita did not speak much with Fu Hua. Their interactions were merely those of a knight and a maid. From time to time, she stole glances toward the kitchen, but all she could see was a cold metal combination door.
Near noon, Zhao Bai emerged carrying plates.
He fearlessly met Rita's gaze, sidestepped Fu Hua's slender figure, and set two plates of creamy mushroom soup with white bread on the table. The slightly thick white soup contained diced onions and button mushrooms. A layer of freshly ground black pepper floated on its surface, its rich aroma refreshing and inviting.
"Sorry for the poor hospitality."
"This is today's staff lunch. I only made enough for two. Personally, I'm not used to French food, so I used the leftover milk and butter to make some stew for myself. I took care of my own meal."
Zhao Bai yawned and lazily invited the two of them to eat.
While he was cutting the bread, Rita approached the table with a beaming smile. Zhao Bai immediately felt a chill run down his spine, and his body could not help but shiver.
When he raised his head to meet her eyes, Rita said nothing. She simply continued smiling at him.
It was the same look a cat gave a resourceful mouse.
Like a player who had finally encountered an entertaining and challenging stage, Rita said nothing, yet Zhao Bai understood everything with perfect clarity.
Come on, seduce me if you've got what it takes!
After lunch, work continued. Rita did not come to seduce Zhao Bai, leaving him slightly disappointed. The afternoon staff meal was plum rice balls. Zhao Bai tested the sushi vinegar he had just bought; it had not reached the perfection he envisioned, but the employees still finished every last bite.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. It was nine at night.
Ghosts would not appear during the day. They could only wait until nightfall.
Although he did not believe ghosts existed, his teammates had school during the day, while Zhao Bai had to run the restaurant. Night was the only time they had to deal with this matter.
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