Chapter 298: MY GIRLS

"Your Highness, my lord, my ladies. What would you like to order?" The waitress asked with a bright, polite smile.Aristia and Owen already knew what they wanted to order, so they quickly listed their choices.

The waitress then turned toward the two girls sitting stiffly beside them.

Heidi and Penelope remained frozen, staring blankly at the menus as if they were written in an alien language.

"Is something wrong?" Aristia asked, puzzled when she noticed Heidi and Penelope gazes.

Their expressions looked oddly similar to someone facing a life-or-death situation.

[Are they... worried about paying?] She wondered.

She assured them. "You don’t have to worry about paying."

"It’s not that!" Penelope said immediately, shaking her head so fast her twin braids bounced.

Aristia blinked.

[If it’s not about paying, then what is it?] She thought, now feeling confused.

"It’s just..." Penelope started.

"We... uh... We don’t know what to order." Heidi said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Aristia’s eyes shifted from their faces to the menus in their hands.

She barely held back the urge to facepalm.

[Ah, I don’t know whether they can read. I just assumed they could because of their abilities. The menu contains pictures of the food, but they might still find it hard to choose, especially since many of the food aren’t familiar.]

They might not be able to read... or maybe the dishes were simply too unfamiliar. Even with pictures, it must be overwhelming.

"Just pick any, or would you like me to choose for you?" She offered helpfully.

The twins’ heads snapped up.

"You would do that?" Both asked in surprise and disbelief.

"Of course," Aristia said as she scanned the menu. "Let’s see... They’ll have chocolate-filled pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and two glasses of orange juice."

The waitress bowed gratefully, the smile remaining on her face as she headed off. "Your food will be ready soon. I’ll bring appetizers in the meantime."

And she did—swiftly. Within minutes, the appetizers had been served. The table filled with lightly seasoned finger foods and fresh bread. The girls nibbled cautiously at first... then eagerly once they realized how good everything tasted.

By the time they finished, the main dishes arrived.

The twins had been looking around the place until the main course arrived.

Heidi and Penelope’s eyes widened at the sight of the warm, fluffy pancakes and colorful side dishes. Just taking a look at the food made them salivate and they subconsciously swallowed, their stomachs already rumbling.

Aristia had ordered a simple meal of buttered toast, a fried egg, and milk. Owen chose a cheese sandwich and milk as well.

Once Aristia and Owen began eating, the sisters followed suit.

The moment their teeth sank into the pancakes, their eyes sparkled.

The sweet chocolate-scented batter practically melted in their mouths.

Yes. This was The Vanilla Courtyard. And it absolutely lived up to every rumor. It truly deserved to be praised and talked about to the ends of the Earth.

Once they had taken a bite, they couldn’t stop or slow down. They just felt like stuffing their mouths.

"I’ve never tasted pancakes like this in my life." Penelope said with her cheeks full, not caring about the looks she was receiving from the guests.

Back at Willows Haven, Dahlia and Dorothy occasionally made breakfast pancakes, and those were delicious—but this was on a different level entirely.

"I could eat this forever." Heidi added, in the same state as her sister.

Owen smirked lightly. "Really? Then wait until you try the other dishes next time."

The twins’ eyes lit up even more from the anticipation his words caused.

Soon, all four finished their meals. Heidi and Penelope leaned back in the comfortable chairs, blissfully full. Aristia and Owen had finished earlier, so they all stood to leave.

But as they exited the restaurant and headed toward the carriage, Heidi hesitantly approached Aristia with a face filled with confusion.

"Your highness, won’t you pay?" She asked.

She was absolutely certain such food wasn’t free. Unless royalty ate for free? Or maybe they were allowed to pay later? She wasn’t sure.

Heidi tried to decipher the reason as they got into the carriage and it began to move, leaving the vicinity of The Vanilla Courtyard’s parking lot.

The edges of Aristia’s lips curled up in a smirk and she turned to Heidi with a mischievous glint in her eyes, saying in a low, mysterious voice.

"The owner doesn’t need to pay."

It took three long seconds for the meaning to sink into the minds of both Heidi and Penelope.

Then.

"What?!" Both girls yelped so loudly that Aristia winced, their heads snapping to Aristia so fast they almost got whiplash.

"Don’t shout." Owen said, rubbing his ears. "People outside probably heard that."

"S-Sorry..." they apologized sheepishly.

But their eyes widened again.

"Y-You’re the owner of The Vanilla Courtyard?" They whispered.

Hearing this, they almost doubted the authenticity of her words, but suddenly, they remembered that Dahlia and Dorothy worked in The Vanilla Courtyard and could said to be in charge of it as manager and assistant manager.

Aristia had built Willows Haven where Dahlia and Dorothy also lived and were in charge of.

Normally, if someone was aware of these two things, it still wouldn’t be easy to associate the mastermind with the same person, much less Aristia.

This was because people would likely think that the owner of the restaurant hired the Kendall sisters because of their competency, while Aristia noticed them because of their zeal in taking care of homeless children.

While they were already working for the restaurant’s owner, the third princess built a more comfortable home for the children under their care, making them workers of the third princess too.

This was what people would think. Nobody would assume both were owned by the same person, much less the young third princess.

But hearing it directly from Aristia herself made the pieces fall into place.

But the twins weren’t dumb. Obviously, no one else was aware of this which meant that it was a secret, but the princess had told them.

They were sure that she expected them to do the same and not tell anyone about it. The girls exchanged a quick, meaningful glance.

It wasn’t like they would anyway. They weren’t the type to gossip. It wasn’t their habit to go running their mouths off. They were people of integrity. It definitely wasn’t because they were afraid of what this capable princess would do to them if they did.

You know what! They wouldn’t admit it and they wouldn’t be ashamed to. The real reason was because they valued their lives enough not to anger a girl capable of all this at her age.

Since she was capable enough to do these things. Would it be hard for her to deal with them if they crossed her? They didn’t think so.

’And she’s so young.’ This was the thought running in their minds.

Aristia was so young, and yet she had accomplished these things. Just what other things could she do?

The twins had a feeling that following Aristia was a good choice.

’Papa, we’re almost home.’ Aristia sent through the communication link, looking out of the window.

’Mm.’ Wilson replied.

A few minutes later, the carriage rolled to a stop.

Aristia announced. "We’ve arrived."

"Ah, okay." Penelope replied.

Heidi and Penelope’s palms turned sweaty from nerves. They wiped them discreetly on their dresses, getting ready to leave the carriage.

It was normal that they were nervous. They were going to an unfamiliar place.

"Don’t be nervous." Aristia said with a small, comforting smile. "There are already others here before you. They survived."

Owen, "..."

"...!"

"...!!!"

He felt so speechless.

Heidi and Penelope were confused, but their confusion distracted them enough that their nerves eased a little, especially as their attention was now diverted as they tried to understand Aristia’s words.

"Take a deep breath and let’s go." Aristia instructed.

The twins each inhaled deeply and nodded, calming their nerves.


Owen stepped out first, then held out his hand towards Aristia to help her down.

Aristia placed her hand in his and descended gracefully from the carriage.

Her family was waiting outside, curious to see the new additions.

It now remained the sisters.

The twins slowly stepped out next, raising their head once their feet touched the ground.

Their eyes climbed the height of the enormous mansion. It was way bigger than Willows Haven.

They were going to live... here?

It felt unreal.

Feeling gazes on them, they tore their gazes away from the building to the entrance, where several elegantly dressed figures watched them.

Their brains finally recovered.

The Imperial Prince, Princess, and the Second Prince... and the rest... They didn’t know who the rest were.

Aristia gestured for them to come forward as she and Owen approached the people waiting at the entrance.

"Mama, Papa." Aristia said, getting ready to officially introduce the girls to her parents. "These are—"

Her words cut off.

Because Henry Cedmond, the butler, was staring at the girls.

Plop!

The white towel draped over his arm slipped to the floor with a soft plop.

Not only Aristia, but the others also noticed butler Henry’s abnormality.

Everyone turned to him and to their surprise.

Butler Henry’s gloved hands now hanging by his side were trembling. It was light, almost imperceptible, but Aristia and the rest noticed.

He didn’t even react, as if he wasn’t aware that the pristine white towel hanging on his hand now lay on the floor.

It was a sight Aristia had never seen before.

For the usually composed Henry to suddenly act like this, it was obvious that he had endured a great hit.

But... what caused it?

His eyes were wide as saucers and his gaze stared forward. It was like he had been frozen in place.

Everyone followed his gaze, their eyes landing squarely on the two girls who stood near Aristia and Owen.

The butler’s eyes watered with a lost look.

"My girls..."