abcnovels
Book 5: Chapter 32: Acquaintance
Book 5: Chapter 32: Acquaintance
Book 5: Chapter 32: Acquaintance
“Welcome! How may I…”
The bell at the door rang melodiously, announcing the arrival of a guest. The receptionist raised her head and wore a professional smile.
As soon as she laid eyes on the newly arrived guest, the smile on her face froze.
A handsome “man” stood before her in black training clothes, long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, and sporting a pair of sunglasses.
The word “cute” would come to the mind of anyone who saw this “man” with an otherworldly charm. Needless to say, “his” presence had already attracted the attention of both men and women who seemed eager to claim “him” as their own.
For some reason, she thought that this “man” looked quite familiar.
Not only that, “his” companions behind “him” were…
“Ahem.”
The “man” cleared his throat irritably and stuffed “his” hands into “his” pockets. “He” secretly stood on tiptoes, so that he could be at eye level with the receptionist sitting behind the counter.
“Hello beautiful, two couples’ suites please,” the “man” deliberately said in a low voice.
“Uh…”
The receptionist scratched her cheek with a troubled look on her face and said, “I’m afraid that our establishment has strict policies which we must abide by. Simply changing your attire won’t…”
“Cut the crap!”
A scene that happened not long ago repeated itself again as the “man”, now identified as Leonith, grabbed the receptionist by the collar and snarled, “I-I’m trying my best to be courteous here. If you continue to find fault with me, I’ll tear this shoddy boat apart!”
The receptionist trembled and said, “I… I don’t have a choice either! I can’t disobey the owner’s instructions or I’ll be fired!”
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”
Leonith slammed a bag of gold coins on the counter and said, “Make an exception for us. Here’s a little tip for you.”
The receptionist fixed her gaze on the bag of gold coins and gulped audibly.
It was a sum that she could not even earn in ten years.
She looked around before discreetly accepting the bag and said in a hushed voice, “Well then, please don’t blow your cover, sir. I’ll be in trouble if the owner finds out about this.”
Lilith patted her chest and assured, “Don’t worry. No one will be able to tell.”
The receptionist scanned Lilith’s chest then nodded in agreement.
She immediately resumed her professional demeanor and said, “Welcome to our establishment, sir. Are you here to stay or dine?”
Leonith rolled his eyes under the sunglasses, but played along with her.
“Two couples’ suites, please.”
“Certainly. I’ll need the basic information for all guests, along with a deposit of one gold coin.”
The receptionist pulled out a registration form and began the process. As she was filling the form out, she suddenly looked up at Lesiah and Thea who were standing behind Leonith.
“How would you like me to assign the rooms?”
“……”
The question caused the atmosphere to freeze again.
After a few moments of silence, Lesiah was the first to snap out of it. She took Leonith’s arm and hurriedly said, “The two of us will share a room.”
Thea was not going to give up just like that. She took Leonith’s other arm and said, “Don’t listen to that hag. We’re obviously the ones who will share a room.”
“So… who will it be?”
Unable to make a decision, the receptionist turned her uncertain gaze to Leonith, whose feet were now dangling in the air.
Her instincts told her that any comment she made could lead to dire consequences, such as becoming an unidentified female corpse floating along the river.
So, it would be wiser for her to keep her mouth shut for the time being.
Fortunately for her, Leonith did not give her a hard time. He interlaced his fingers together and rested his chin on it. After a moment of silence, he said, “Why don’t the three of us share a room?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Three people immediately expressed their confusion all at once.
The receptionist waved her hand. “That’s not possible. The policy of this establishment states that only real couples are permitted to stay in the couple’s suite. I’ve already made an exception for you. I can’t possibly go against the policy again.”
“Your establishment sure has many stupid policies.”
Leonith sighed softly, then took the arms of the two ladies beside him and pulled them closer to him.
He looked at the receptionist and said, “Never seen a love triangle?”
“What?”
The receptionist’s eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, she did not know how to react.
Having worked as a receptionist at this establishment for several years, she had seen various types of couples — married couples, married men with mistresses, friends with benefits…
Even so, it seemed like she was still too green as this was the first time she had seen people in a love triangle seeking to book a couple’s suite.
“What are you staring at? Hurry up!”
The lady at the reception desk jolted. She could only begrudgingly continue to fill out the form, grouping Leonith, Lesiah and Thea’s names together in one column and listing down Brea’s name separately in another.
As for Cornelia, she was treated as luggage by Leonith so she did not need to be registered as a guest.
Once the registration was completed, Leonith received two keys from the receptionist. He took the hands of his two dazed companions and headed further into the establishment.
Brea carried their bags and followed behind them with Cornelia.
Meanwhile, the receptionist tried to calm herself down by patting her chest and pondered how to explain the situation to her often ill-tempered owner.
?????
Inside the pink couple’s suite, Lesiah and Thea both closed in on Leonith, with an unusually kind and gentle smile on their faces.
“Lilith~ Care to explain what was that love triangle all about?”
Leonith was unfazed. He pushed back a strand of hair on his forehead and responded in a serious tone, “You two are looking for that incredibly adorable Lilith, yes? What does it have anything to do with me, the incredibly handsome Leonith?”
“Oh~? So it doesn’t matter to you huh? Then I guess teaching Lilith a good lesson has nothing to do with you either huh, Leonith?”
The two ladies cracked their knuckles.
Leonith nodded. “Yes, it doesn’t matter. Knock yourselves out, I’ll excuse myself now. I happen to be a bit hungry, and I heard the restaurant on the third floor serves a decent meal.”
With that, Leonith slipped away from the room, leaving the two ladies behind.
The two exchanged a quick glance and decided to set aside their differences for the time being to focus on their common enemy.
“Let’s go after her!” Lesiah hissed through her gritted teeth.
“Yes!” Thea nodded in agreement.
?????
This boat was named “Lovetide”. Judging by its name, it was obvious that this was a love hotel. It was no surprise that Lilith, no, Leonith mostly saw couples on his way to the restaurant. There were only a few people wandering alone.
Since he was not the only person walking around without a companion, Leonith did not have much to worry about. For some reason, he felt burning gazes on him.
Lilith could not help but wonder if her disguise was really that handsome.
Leonith put his hands behind his back, thinking that he could walk with a little more confidence in the future.
“Lilith~ Where are you going~?”
Lilith was caught off guard as a ghostly voice filled her ears, causing her to jump in surprise. Her instincts kicked in and she bowed slightly, her body tensing up like a leopard ready to pounce. Her back arched like a bow and she was ready to dart away like an arrow at any moment.
She lightened his footsteps, her body fluidly weaving through the crowd with ease.
In just a few breaths, she left the voice far behind and stopped to breathe a sigh of relief.
Lilith was not sure what had caused both Lesiah and Thea to become that terrifying. How humiliating that she, a supposedly formidable individual, could not control those two ladies.
She figured she had to find an opportunity to assert her dominance over those two ladies!
But for now, she was just going to take it easy as she was hungry and had no strength to teach anyone a lesson.
Leonith looked around and his appetite was stimulated.
The food in the restaurant definitely lived up to what he heard about them on his way here. Despite not having seen the dishes, the aroma wafting through the crowd already made him feel like he had already sampled all the sea’s delicacies.
Unfortunately, there was a long line of people waiting to be seated.
Looking at the long queue in front of him, Leonith wondered if he should just send all of them to heaven with a magic scroll.
As he was contemplating that, a slightly familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
“Are you… Lilith?”