NOVEL NEXT Chapter 149: Divine Appetite
"Master, I'm going to say it again. Let's go outside and patrol the garden," Celia said.
"Yes, Master. It's really beautiful out here," Linda added.
"Okay, fine, if you insist," Nolan said.
They all stepped out of the room and walked toward the garden. In the distance, they could hear the clash of armor and the sounds of knights on patrol.
"Well, let's ignore it," Nolan muttered as they passed by.
"Wait, who is that? They're chasing…" Linda squinted from afar. "Am I imagining things? Why is she spying on us? I hope it isn't who I think it is."
Lyra, unaware of their presence, ran closer. She didn't notice Nolan as she barreled forward—and bumped right into him.
"Master! What are you doing here?" Lyra exclaimed.
"I could ask you the same thing," Nolan replied. "Aren't you supposed to be at home with Cynthia? What the hell are you doing here? And how did you even get in?"
"Yeah, we thought you were at home," Linda said. "But it looks like you couldn't resist coming to eat the tasty stuff we told you about."
"What tasty stuff? There's nothing like that here. All I saw were vegetables. Nothing special," Lyra said.
At that moment, the knights approached quickly.
"Hey! Stop! Don't move!" one shouted, drawing his sword.
"Do you know who she is?" another asked.
"What's wrong?" Nolan interjected.
"Nothing. We just… she's not meant to be here. I don't know if she's a spy," one knight said.
"No, she's not. She's with me," Nolan said firmly.
"Oh, good. But she can't be in here. She's not a participant. How did she get in? Sneaking through a carriage or something?" the knights questioned.
"There's no need to worry," the captain of the knights said. "Mr. Nolan, I saw her performance. It was outstanding. She can stay here today, but she won't be allowed tomorrow."
"Good. Thank you. We won't…"
"Tomorrow… I'll be leaving anyway," Nolan said.
The knights nodded and turned, walking away, leaving Lyra and the others in the garden.
"I'm so shocked to see you here. I didn't even know you were such a food glutton," Nolan said.
"I made a mistake when I said that while touching his head," Lyra admitted.
"Yes, you did. You didn't make me stress myself for nothing. There's nothing good about this place. Not a single thing. I shapeshifted into a butler, then shifted into the princess. The princess is meant to enjoy luxury, but it's been hell," Lyra continued.
"Wait, you can shapeshift?" Nolan asked.
"Yes, I can," Lyra said.
"No wonder I found it strange. You were the butler who rode our carriage," Nolan realized.
"Oh, crap. Why did I even say I can shapeshift?" Lyra thought, shaking her head.
"Wait, you're right, master. Yes, she was the one," Linda said. "We were wondering why he used Lyra's voice. We didn't know it was Lyra who shapeshifted into the butler."
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. Since you're here and you want to eat, why don't you enjoy everything here? But there's going to be a punishment for you," Nolan said.
"What do you mean, punishment? As a behemoth, a great divine being that I am, I've gone through a lot being human. And you want to punish me like I'm a mortal? That won't be fair!" Lyra exclaimed.
"Well, anyways, follow me," Nolan said.
They all went back into the hall of the mansion, where food was still lined up on the table.
"What? What is this? This smells like heaven!" Lyra said, walking slowly toward it.
Nolan then looked at her leg. "You're wearing heels. Why are you wearing heels? You don't usually wear heels."
Lyra looked down, realizing her mistake. She removed the heel from her leg. "It's not mine, it's the princess' heel. I forgot to remove it," she said, tossing it aside.
Then, without hesitation, she rushed forward, leaping onto the table. She grabbed food, shaking and screaming with excitement, grabbing everything as fast as she could.
Nolan, Celia, and Linda turned their faces away.
"Now this is embarrassing. She doesn't even have manner. Look at her, while the other participants and the knights are staring at us," Celia whispered.
After a few minutes, it was as if all the knights and the two participants there had their mouths wide open, staring. Even the two butlers in the room were frozen, jaws dropped, unable to believe how Lyra was devouring everything.
After the other participants finished eating, the tables were refilled in case anyone else wanted to eat. But Lyra had already nearly finished everything on the table—leaving not a crumb behind. Everyone was stunned. The amount of food that 14 people could have eaten was almost completely gone in minutes.
Finally, Lyra leaned flat on the table, her belly huge, hands resting on it. "Wow… that was actually really good," she breathed out. "Ah… what did I just experience? Who the hell has the stomach of 14 people?"
The butler blurted out, then immediately covered his mouth. "Sorry… I didn't mean to say that."
"No worries," Nolan said, smirking. "Frankly, you're not mistaken. What you're trying to say is true."
He looked at Lyra, who had already dozed off right after finishing. "Hey… she's already napping. How free can she get?" Nolan thought.
Gently, he scooped her up, resting her on his shoulder. "Well, let's go back to my room," he said, as Celia followed behind, suppressing laughter while Lyra snoozed blissfully on his shoulder.
"I can't believe what she said is true. What she said and what Lyra told us… could she actually be the divine being everyone talks about?" Celia asked as they walked back and forth in the room.
"Yes, she is," Nolan replied.
"Wow… I wonder how large she would be in her true form. But could a divine being really behave like this? Even in human form, I thought she would act… majestic," Linda said.
"Well, what she did is understandable," Nolan said thoughtfully. "I don't blame Lyra. She's very wise.