The next morning, William and his companions gathered in the inn's dining hall for breakfast.
Unfortunately, the meal was nowhere near as luxurious as the food they were accustomed to in the royal palace.
Ashley Drake stared at the dishes in front of her, her expression growing increasingly displeased.
"Ugh! I'm not eating this. It'll upset my stomach," she complained.
The others barely reacted.
William, in particular, couldn't care less. As long as there was meat on his plate, he considered it a decent breakfast.
Although he was now a prince, the memories of his previous life as an assassin remained deeply ingrained in him. During certain missions, he had spent days behind enemy lines without a single proper meal. Compared to those experiences, the food before him was practically a feast.
"Eat whatever you want," William said sternly. "But don't expect royal cuisine on the road. We still have a long journey ahead of us."
With that, he finished everything on his plate and ordered another serving.
Silver was no different. She had never cared much for royal etiquette when it came to food. Grabbing a piece of meat with her bare hands, she began devouring it with enthusiasm.
Gon, the chubby prince, burst into laughter at her behavior and immediately joined her, abandoning his chopsticks altogether.
Wilson, meanwhile, continued eating calmly with his chopsticks, seemingly unaffected by the chaos around him.
Ashley snorted at their lack of manners.
Barbarians. Every last one of them.
Still, the smell of the freshly fried chicken eventually got the better of her.
With obvious reluctance, she picked up a small piece of chicken breast and took a bite.
Her eyes widened.
"Huh? This is delicious!"
Before anyone could respond, she took another bite.
Then another.
And another.
Within moments, the elegant princess who had refused to touch the food was reaching for one piece of meat after another. Her initial hesitation vanished as quickly as the food on her plate.
Soon, her plate was empty.
Her gaze wandered toward the neighboring plates.
Then she spotted a particularly appetizing piece of meat on Silver's plate.
Without a second thought, she reached over and snatched it.
Silver froze.
"Big sister! That's mine! Stop stealing my food and order your own!" she protested, shielding her plate with both arms. "I thought you didn't even like this food!"
Ashley's cheeks flushed red.
"I don't remember saying that!"
She immediately turned toward the waiter.
"Excuse me! Bring me three more plates!"
The others exchanged glances.
Not one of them reminded her of what she had said just moments earlier.
After all, nobody wanted to risk becoming her next target.
What followed was no longer an ordinary breakfast.
It was a battle.
Silver and Ashley began competing over every dish brought to the table. Plates disappeared one after another, while empty bowls accumulated into small mountains.
The three boys watched in stunned silence.
They had always assumed that young noblewomen were supposed to eat delicately, taking small bites while maintaining their elegant appearances.
Yet the two princesses before them were eating like starving beggars who hadn't seen a proper meal in a month.
Even Gon, who had an impressive appetite of his own, gradually slowed down as he watched the sisters wage war over the remaining meat.
Where do they put it all? he wondered.
The battle continued until the restaurant owner finally appeared.
He wore a nervous smile, though the twitching corner of his mouth suggested that he was desperately trying to maintain his composure.
"Esteemed young masters and misses," he announced, bowing deeply. "I'm afraid we've run out of meat. I'm very sorry, but we'll have to close the restaurant for the time being."
The sisters stopped eating.
For a moment, the entire table fell silent.
Then the owner approached William and presented him with a lengthy bill.
"This is your bill, young master."
He wasn't particularly worried about being cheated. Judging by their clothing, bearing, and mannerisms, these youngsters clearly came from wealthy families.
William took the bill and examined it carefully.
After checking the list, he raised an eyebrow.
"You've missed a plate of braised pork. Add that, and the total comes to twenty-five silver coins."
The owner blinked before quickly checking the bill again.
William was right.
"I apologize for the oversight, young master."
William reached into his pouch and pulled out a gold coin worth one hundred silver coins.
He handed it to the owner.
"Keep the change as a tip. My companions seem to enjoy your food quite a lot."
The owner's eyes widened at the generous payment.
"Thank you, young master! Thank you very much!"
"Prepare even better dishes for us. We'll be back this evening."
"Of course! We'll make the best preparations!"
Satisfied, William rose from his seat.
"Let's go."
The others followed him out of the restaurant, leaving the owner staring at the empty plates and the generous tip in his hand.
He couldn't decide whether these young nobles were his greatest blessing or the most terrifying customers he had ever encountered.
Perhaps they were both.
Once they reached the street, Ashley finally turned toward William.
"Now what?"
Her question was directed at him, the person who had somehow become the leader of their little group.
William continued walking without answering.
Ashley frowned and hurried after him.
"I asked you a question. Where exactly are we going?"
"Don't know."
She stopped dead in her tracks.
William glanced back at her, completely unbothered.
"We've just had a heavy breakfast. I thought we'd do some sightseeing before continuing our journey."
Ashley stared at him as though he had just announced that he intended to conquer the entire kingdom before lunch.
William saw Ashley's furious expression and found it unexpectedly amusing.
Instead of apologizing, he decided to make things worse.
"Hey, listen, Ash. I'm doing you a favor by bringing you along for a walk. You're a lady, after all. After eating that much, if you don't exercise, you'll become a stout lady before long."
He paused, pretending to consider her future seriously.
"And believe me, no man will want to marry you. You'll spend the rest of your life as a grand spinster in the palace, looking after our children and grandchildren."
For a moment, Ashley stood frozen.
Then Silver burst into laughter.
Gon snickered, nearly choking on the snack he was still munching on. Even the usually composed Wilson couldn't hold back. He laughed aloud as he imagined Ashley growing old in the palace, surrounded by their children and grandchildren.
"You—!"
Ashley trembled with rage.
"Ah, you're so annoying!"
William glanced at Silver.
He didn't say a word, but the meaning behind his look was unmistakable.
Go on. Comfort your poor elder sister.
Silver immediately understood.
She hurried over to Ashley and patted her shoulder.
"Don't mind our brother's words, Sister Ash. You're perfectly fit! And if you keep growing like this for the next two years, I'm sure boys will chase after you like bees swarming around their queen!"
Her words were meant to comfort Ashley.
Unfortunately, they had precisely the opposite effect.
Ashley slowly turned her head toward Silver.
"Stop saying such nonsense!"
Silver's smile stiffened.
"We're princesses of the Fire Dragon Kingdom! Stop following the words of that terrible brother of yours!"
She then turned toward Gon, who was still struggling to contain his laughter.
"And you, Fatty! With that appearance, you won't get a girl in this lifetime! And you're still munching on snacks! My poor uncle will never get to see his grandchildren!"
Ashley shook her head and sighed dramatically.
In truth, she was simply redirecting her frustration toward Gon.
After all, she had tried to provoke William time and time again, only to end up being teased instead. At least the fatty before her was an easier target.
Gon stopped chewing.
His expression darkened.
"Hey! What's wrong with my appearance? And why am I being dragged into this?"
William watched the exchange with a faint smile.
Just as the argument was about to escalate further, a loud rumble interrupted them.
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
The sound of galloping horses thundered down the road.
Everyone turned toward the noise.
A vast cloud of dust approached from the distance. Within moments, a hundred heavily armed riders emerged from it, their weapons glinting beneath the sunlight.
They charged toward the group before abruptly bringing their horses to a halt.
The sudden arrival sent the surrounding pedestrians into a panic.
Yet, instead of fleeing, the people immediately knelt along both sides of the road, lowering their heads in reverence.
Ashley looked around in confusion.
"What's going on?"
Gon tilted his head innocently.
"Isn't that something people do only when meeting the king and queen? What's happening here?"
A middle-aged man sitting astride a magnificent horse chuckled.
He wore luxurious silk robes embroidered with a dragon, and his expression carried the unmistakable arrogance of someone accustomed to absolute obedience.
"That's only natural. In Milky Town, I am the king."
He nudged his horse forward, approaching the five young nobles.
His gaze swept across them, lingering on each face before settling on William.
"Since you haven't knelt with the others, I assume you're strangers to this town."
His expression suddenly hardened.
"And judging by your appearances, you must be the ones who dared to launch a sneak attack on my son."
The man's voice grew colder with every word.
"You've made two grave mistakes. First, you entered this town without the permission of the Gous Clan. Second, you committed the heinous crime of attacking my son through despicable means."
He leaned forward in his saddle, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Either offense would be enough to condemn you to death a thousand times over!"
He raised one hand and pointed at the five youngsters.
"Guards! Seize them and bring them before me. Don't kill them too quickly. I intend to enjoy every moment of their suffering!"
"Yes, my lord!"
The hundred armed men immediately dismounted and advanced toward the group.
Silver's expression turned icy.
What nonsense is this?
She stepped forward, glaring at the middle-aged man.
"A sneak attack? You must be joking! Why would I need to sneak up on nobodies like you?" Her voice rang through the street. "Stop spouting nonsense, or I'll cut out that tongue of yours and make a spectacle of you for the entire town!"