"Certainly, Senior!"

Luo Wei was thoroughly pleased. One gram equals five carats, and this blue sapphire weighed a staggering thirty carats. Its value couldn't be calculated by gram anymore.

The larger the gem, the more valuable it becomes, with prices increasing exponentially. This indigo-colored gem strongly resembled the 20-carat Kashmir sapphire Luo Wei had acquired in her previous life for 4 million dollars, chain included.

Due to the lower cost of living in this world, gems were slightly cheaper, but this sapphire was still worth at least 600 to 700 gold coins.

Exchanging it for cakes worth 100 gold coins, plus a cord she had personally braided worth less than ten silver coins, and a worthless water jade pendant, for 700 gold coins - it was an absolute steal!

The trio ascended to the second floor, where a maid specially assigned to guide guests led them to the VIP seats. She then adorned their table with fresh flowers, lit aromatic candles, brought three milky-white beans, and finally served three large bowls of warm water with floating petals along with three damp towels.

Kael was immediately irked. He had spent 100 gold coins, and this is what they served him!

If they wanted to fool him, they should at least bring some wine. Just serving bowls of water with flower petals - even dogs wouldn't drink that!

He was about to lose his temper when he saw Luo Wei and Jane pick up the white beans and then dip their hands into the large bowls, rubbing them in the water.

"What... are you doing?" he inhaled sharply.

Were noble young ladies these days so uncouth? Stirring their drinking water with their hands? Were those beans salt grains or some kind of spice? How could they drink it after rubbing it like that?

"Senior, why aren't you washing your hands?"

Seeing Kael's bewildered expression, Jane felt a sense of superiority rise within her.

As someone who had been through this before, she could tell from his expression what he had misunderstood. He probably thought, just as she once had, that this was drinking water.

"Senior, these are soap beans. They're used to clean the dirt off your hands," Jane explained while washing. "Escari provides a pre-meal hand-washing service for members, all free of charge."

Kael's face flushed with embarrassment. He quickly grabbed a soap bean and plunged his hands into the water, mimicking their actions.

After washing their hands, the three of them dried them with the towels. The maid cleared away the washing bowls and finally brought the desserts they had ordered to the table.

Plate after plate of exquisite small cakes and fragrant buttered toast were placed in front of Kael. Because there were so many items, the maid even brought out a three-tiered dessert stand that was originally planned to be introduced in a few days.

Beef and cheese pizza and shrimp bacon pizza were cut into fan shapes and placed on the large plate at the bottom. The middle tier held stacks of colorfully frosted cupcakes, while the top tier featured nougat and small cookies. The rich layers were a feast for the eyes.

Jane, who had been here many times, had never seen such a grand display. She was so excited that her eyebrows seemed to dance.

"Oh my goodness, this is truly a feast for the eyes! Senior Kael, you're so generous!"

With such tangible benefits right before her eyes, Jane's admiration for Kael returned considerably. However, her eager gaze wasn't fixed on him, but rather lingered on each small cake.

Luo Wei also smiled and said, "Thanks to Senior Kael, this is the first time I've seen so many desserts on one table."

She had previously thought that this kind of dessert stand set could only be sold when someone was hosting a party. She hadn't expected it to be unlocked so quickly.

Now she didn't need to think of ways to advertise; Kael had already done the promotion for her. This was evident from the amazed looks from the surrounding tables.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"No need to thank me, help yourselves to whatever you like." Kael was very pleased with the praise and adoration from the two young ladies.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he focused his attention on the delicacies on the table. Smelling the enticing aroma, he eagerly picked up a small croissant.

Heavens!

The taste, the texture, it was exquisite!

After swallowing the croissant in two bites, he picked up a pizza sprinkled with beef crumbles. The sweet and savory soft pizza crust was fragrant with meat. As he took a bite, there was a layer of soft, chewy, milky substance that stretched into fine white strings as he bit down.

Good gracious!

What on earth was this? How could it be so delicious!

Kael was a young man who greatly enjoyed the pleasures of food. His father, the king, disapproved of him dallying with women, so in the palace, he often could only indulge in food to find release.

He had sampled delicacies from all over, tasted all kinds of rare ingredients, and considered himself quite the gourmet. But the food he tasted today surpassed his imagination. Once he started eating, he couldn't stop!

"Esteemed guest, here are the fruit drinks you ordered."

The newly trained maids lined up in a row, carrying various colorful drinks in crystal glasses. They walked over with light steps, the liquid in the crystal glasses not even rippling!

"This is grape boba fruit tea, this is honey grapefruit tea, this is rose sweet orange snow top, this is sweet sweet strawberry juice..."

One by one, glasses of brightly colored fruit teas were placed on the table, dazzling the eyes of the three.

"Honored guests, allow me to introduce these next few glasses. These are our special fruit-flavored alcoholic drinks. The alcohol content is quite high, and excessive consumption may lead to intoxication. Those with low alcohol tolerance should drink with caution."

Kael was immediately displeased upon hearing this: "What's with all this nonsense? If you're going to serve it, hurry up. Do I look like someone with low alcohol tolerance? I drink alcohol like water! Hurry up, I can hold my liquor very well, a thousand cups won't get me drunk!"

He had just eaten too much bread and felt a bit choked, so the drinks came at the right time. He looked down on all those fruit teas, considering them drinks for the poor. He only loved alcohol.

The maid had given all the warnings she could. If the guest wouldn't listen, she didn't say more. She just gently set down the alcoholic drinks while introducing their names.

"This is Red Lotus Blaze, made with a base of red wine, infused with rose hips and pomegranate juice."

"Peach Passion, made with a base of specially distilled white grape spirit, mixed with sweet lime juice and sea salt."

"Heaven's Kiss, made with a blueberry wine base..."

"Tequila Sunrise, a cocktail made with strong spirits..."

Kael impatiently listened to her finish, then grabbed the Tequila Sunrise and poured it down his throat, hiccupping and sneering: "What strong spirits? It's just like water *hic*, not strong at all *hic*, cough—"

He clutched his throat, confused. Why was there a burning sensation, as if boiling water had been poured down?

"What kind of, what kind of drink is this *hic*—"

He hiccupped again, shaking his head. He felt the table in front of him swaying non-stop, and his heart was burning.

What was happening? Why did he feel so dizzy?

Kael gripped the table with both hands, but his body swayed left and right on the chair. His face turned as red as a baboon's bottom, and his ears burned hot and scarlet.

"*Hic*—"

With one final long, alcohol-reeking hiccup, he face-planted onto the table with a thud.

Luo Wei and Jane looked at each other, momentarily at a loss.

Luo Wei truly hadn't expected Kael's alcohol tolerance to be so poor. He had started with the cocktail with the highest alcohol content. Tequila has an alcohol content of up to 40%, and he had downed it in one go.

She had almost believed him when she saw Kael so confident, saying he drank alcohol like water.

The result? One cup knockout!

"What should we do now?" Jane asked worriedly.

Luo Wei calmly called over two maids and asked them to help Kael to a soft couch by the window, where he could wait until he sobered up before leaving.

There was still three-quarters of the food left on the table. Kael had barely eaten a quarter of it. Perhaps he would want to continue eating when he woke up. It would be a waste to send him away now.

The maids carried Kael to the soft couch. As soon as they put him down, he sat up on his own, his eyes dark as he looked at them.

"Hmph, you think my royal sister is a good person?"

"My poor brother-in-law James, she probably killed him herself! She just wants to return to the palace to compete with me for the throne!"

"Thump thump—"

Luo Wei heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind her. With a sense of foreboding, she immediately turned to look.

"Is that so? So this is how my little brother sees me."

To be continued