"Ronald, that's my name, you can just call me that."

After simply stating his name, Ronald lowered his head and immediately immersed himself again in the words on the book's pages.

"..."

Subsequently, Luna stood in front of Ronald, waiting for a few seconds.

Once she realized that this man named Ronald had again immersed himself in the book's content, Luna let out a bitter smile and gently shook her head before turning to walk to the other side of the living room and sit down.

Then Luna curled up on the sofa.

Even though her gaze was fixed on the street outside the window,

something in the girl's pupils seemed almost drained.

...

Time passed like this, and the sky gradually darkened.

In the quiet hotel room, both Ronald and Luna remained silent, barely having any conversation between them.

However, this silence was soon broken.

The hotel Ronald booked was considered quite luxurious in this city, so upon noticing the two staying in the room until evening without coming out, the hotel naturally sent someone to knock on the door.

Bang, bang, bang——

"Sir, Miss, it's already late, would you like something to eat?"

"Our hotel prepares complimentary meals for guests every day, of course—if you wish, you can decide to purchase more delicious food." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"..."

Ronald was awakened by the sound of the hotel staff.

So he put down the book in his hand, turned, got up, and went to open the door:

"What is your standard dinner offering tonight?"

"A pan-fried steak, some stew, a selection of one out of three drinks, and a choice between two types of bread; also, if you wish, you can replace the drink with cream soup."

Of course, Ronald had no objections to such a dinner.

But he thought for a few seconds and then turned back to look at the girl sitting on the sofa, her arms wrapped around her knees, presenting a reclusive demeanor:

"Luna, would you like something to eat?"

Upon hearing Ronald's inquiry, Luna finally looked up:

"I... I can eat anything."

The girl answered very obediently.

But Ronald was different from ordinary people; he had a spell that allowed him to sense others' emotions, so he could perceive the desire buried deep in her heart.

Probably due to her background.

In reality, Luna wasn't too enthusiastic about the hotel's complimentary dinner.

She just worried that such affectation might bring Ronald's displeasure, so she didn't directly express her feelings and accepted a reality she wasn't very satisfied with.

Thus, this left Ronald in a dilemma.

If Luna had explicitly expressed her reservations about the hotel's dinner, Ronald might not have bothered with the girl's emotions at all. But at the moment, she was being so considerate, not wanting to cause trouble for herself…

If he were to insist on her eating the hotel's complimentary dinner, Ronald would feel guilty instead.

Moreover, upon probing further into Luna's psychological activities.

The child not only wanted a splendid dinner due to hunger, but also had a longing for the outside world.

——A noble lady long confined at home, unable to experience the outside world.

The impression of a caged canary immediately emerged in Ronald's mind with this scene.

"Alright, you can go now." The most frightening thing was persuading oneself, and once the thought formed in his heart, Ronald immediately dismissed the hotel staff, "We're preparing to go out for dinner, so we won't trouble the hotel."

The hotel staff very dutifully added:

"Understood, sir."

"If you plan to have something later in the evening, you can notify our staff at the lobby. Perhaps the kitchen might still have some spare desserts to be sent to you."

With those words, the hotel staff turned and left the room's entrance.

Ronald gently closed the room door and turned to look at Luna again, only to find that after the staff left, Luna had already released her hands from her knees and was staring at Ronald with a look of anticipation:

"Did you just say 'we' are going down for dinner?"

Ronald nodded noncommittally:

"Otherwise? Since I've already brought you to the hotel, I can't possibly let you go hungry at night or eat those meals you're not happy with."

While Ronald spoke with an indifferent tone,

Luna still immediately sprang up from the sofa, eagerly heading to the door.

"We... Are we going to stroll around the streets and then eat a dinner like ordinary citizens?"

Ronald then opened the door and led the way out:

"I don't think those foods are necessarily better than the hotel's, but it seems —— you probably don't mind?"

Luna quickly followed, unable to hide her excitement in her tone:

"Of course, of course!"

"Why would I mind what I'm eating, as long as I can fill my stomach!"

...

After that, Ronald took Luna out of the hotel and started wandering through the city's streets.

During the stroll, they bought some food, satisfying Luna's inner longing.

Meanwhile, Ronald learned more about the city from Luna; they were in a city called [Niklan], which was actually the capital of the [Nicos Empire].

And the area where Ronald took Luna to stroll around and buy food was located in the city's port district. Being an important coastal port connected to a canal linking the continent and the ocean, this place was exceptionally bustling.

According to some things overheard on the road and Luna's explanation.

Even the location of the royal palace in this city was at the mouth of the canal, and the overlap of the economic center and the political center directly dictated the city's layout and tone.

So much so that, apart from the port area and the vicinity of the main roads responsible for land transportation, other areas in this city were considerably less developed by comparison.

Bang, bang, bang——

Just before night fell, while Ronald was still wandering the streets with Luna,

sudden fireworks exploded over the northern port.

Ronald instinctively turned his head, and without much thinking, guessed the reason for this scene——

It must be that Gread's fleet has docked.

As an important partner of Gread, Nikos would naturally hold corresponding reception activities for this fleet that was reopening trade routes.

With this thought, Ronald couldn't help but smile slightly.

If nothing went wrong,

the people in the fleet would probably be busy interacting with the Nicos Empire's officials over the week. No one would have time to find me hiding in the city!

At the same time, Luna next to him also noticed Ronald's head-turn.

The girl, in a good mood, immediately took the initiative to explain, though her tone revealed a hint of complexity:

"This should mean Gread's fleet docked today."

"According to the original plan, I should be at the dock, receiving these esteemed guests with those big figures."