Maids café

"Oh, so Isaac was telling the truth." Alexander made a serious face after hearing what Swanson said 

 "Not quite..." Swanson shook his head lightly. "It is true that the Crown Prince will come here, but Selena Arabin will not attend this banquet."

 Alexander remained silent regarding this information, caressing the ring stuck on his finger

 He was curious about this chosen one, but his caution outweighed his curiosity

 He knew that it would be of no use to him if he attracted the attention of the entity hiding within that girl

 It would be perfect if he could see from afar

 But he didn't know Aphrodite's abilities and what she could do, so it was a bit risky

 It was true that he had dealt with Ner for a long time, but the matter regarding Selena was radically different

 Ner was standing by him and trusting him, but Selena might turn against him at any moment if she was upset with him.

 Alexander snapped out of his thoughts and returned his attention to Swanson who sat in front of him

 Swanson was dressed casually. Bright blond hair, and even the slight wrinkles on his face had disappeared  

 Swanson turned into a young man in his late twenties with ordinary features

 Alexander had to admit that he admired these guys' way of disguising themselves 

 Swanson crossed his fingers, looking seriously at Alexander. "The Secret Service has requested assistance in providing double protection for the Crown Prince during his visit to the city."

 I still don't know what this has to do with me... Alexander wore a neutral expression despite his boredom 

 The only thing that consoled him was that he was finally able to get out of the prison called Varvatos Academy 

 He remained there locked up for several days and was not allowed to take a single step outside

 Swanson came to him this morning and told him there was a topic they needed to discuss after class, and he offered to take a walk. 

 Alexander took advantage of the situation and took Swanson to this café 

 And that's how they ended up here

 "The situation is—" Swanson suddenly fell silent and looked to the side as a beautiful girl appeared near them

 This girl was wearing a maid outfit with cat ears 

 "This is the coffee you asked for." The waitress placed a cup of coffee in front of Swanson while she placed a cup of green tea in front of Alexander 

 After the waitress left their side, Swanson wiped his face in embarrassment, "Of all places, did you really have to take us to this café?"

 Swanson could only look around helplessly

 The place was crowded at this time as waitresses dressed as maids gracefully moved between the tables to serve customers. 

 Alexander smiled as he raised the cup of tea, "An old-fashioned man like you wouldn't understand the culture of a maid café."

 "..." Old fashioned man?

 He doesn't know why, but Swanson felt insulted when Alexander called him an old-fashioned man 

 But after thinking about it for a few seconds, he thought it made a little more sense 

 All the patrons of this café were young males

It would definitely be ridiculous and embarrassing if a grown man came to this place 

 "Pergh..." Alexander spat out the tea and put it aside with a disgusted expression. "How can others drink this thing?"

 "You didn't have to ask for it if you didn't like it."

 "I didn't know it was this bad. I always see others drinking green tea and enjoying it in movies..." Alexander stuck out his tongue with a dark expression as he moved the cup away from him.

 Then he turned his attention back to Swanson, "Then why are we here?"

 He was well aware that Swanson would not bring him here just to tell him about the Crown Prince's banquet

 Swanson looked around again to make sure that no one would interrupt them this time, then he began to explain after making sure that the place was safe, "The Secret Service forces were supposed to carry out the mission of protecting the Crown Prince and securing the places that the Crown Prince would pass through during his visit to the city..." 

 Swanson paused for a few seconds to gather the words with which to explain the situation

 Alexander arched his eyebrows, motioning with his hand to urge Swanson to continue speaking.

 "But the sudden attack by that thing made them change the plan." 

 Alexander narrowed his eyes, and immediately knew exactly what Swanson was talking about

 He must be talking about the Corrupted knight who appeared a few days ago

 Swanson continued, "Currently, intelligence forces are providing support to the Secret Service forces, and since there are several agents within the city, it has been decided that we will be part of this support force."

 Alexander leaned forward slightly, placing his arms on the table, and spoke to see if he had understood the matter correctly, "Then you will go to protect the Crown Prince during the banquet."

 The simple nod Swanson gave was all he needed to know the exact situation

 In the end, he leaned back on the seat with a regretful expression on his face, "Although it is difficult, I believe that you should do this. The security and safety of the Crown Prince is the most important."

 " Do you think so?." Swanson looked at him suspiciously

 "I mean everything I said, although I will miss you a little during this time." Alexander shook his head, feigning sadness

"In this case you don't have to be sad."

 Alexander's expression froze when he heard this and he moved his eyes to Swanson warily

 What does he mean by this?

 "You will be present at the banquet, so we will be able to monitor you and protect the Crown Prince at the same time." Swanson showed a strange smile 

 ".." Have you been messing with me all this time?

 Alexander cursed Swanson inwardly and then began to look for an escape from attending this disturbing event, "How could an ordinary person like me show up to a banquet filled with nobles and high society figures?"

 " You...?" Swanson looked at him seriously, "Did you read the information about your identity?"

 "..." Oops

 Alexander realized that he had accidentally stepped on a mine

 "Of course…" Alexander smiled unconcerned, looking out the window next to their table, "How could I forget something as important as this?" 

 "So you realize that Marco Polo comes from a noble family from the south, so you can come to this banquet without any problem."

 " Yeah, of course I know that." Alexander grabbed the cup of tea and sipped a little, not caring about the taste that he complained about moments ago

 "Okay, that's all." Swanson let out a sigh of relief when he finished this annoying topic

 But he noticed that Alexander was looking at the window and his hand holding the tea cup was trembling 

 "Hmm...?" Swanson turned his head toward the window on the side 

 He saw a girl who looked to be fifteen years old. She had sky-blue hair with beautiful features, and she was carrying in her hands a girl who looked to be five years old with the same features. 

 Isn't this an acquaintance of Alexander's, was her name Charlotte?...Swanson recognized Charlotte immediately

 But why did Alexander look so pale?

 And why is Charlotte looking at Alexander as if she were looking at garbage?

 Swanson's eyes suddenly widened and he immediately turned to the waitresses dressed as maids spread around.

 "..." It seems that Alexander's reputation is facing a real threat

 Swanson looked at Alexander with pity

 Alexander got up from his seat and rushed out of the café at breakneck speed and quickly appeared in front of Charlotte 

 Swanson picked up his cup of coffee and began to enjoy the scene currently before him

 Alexander was waving his hands exaggeratedly and seemed to be trying to explain something to Charlotte

 But Charlotte doesn't seem to be responding positively and instead makes sure to take a step away from him

 "You deserve this..." Swanson smiled gloatingly at Alexander's difficult situation

 If you're afraid of being seen then why did you come here in the first place?

 Swanson got up and went out after Alexander to take him back to the academy

When Swanson arrived where Alexander was, the discussion was already over and there was an awkward silence prevailing over the place

 Alexander was looking between Charlotte and the little girl in her arms 

 Swanson frowned, feeling that Alexander's look was not right at all

 There was something inside him telling him that Alexander was going to say something that might cause trouble

 He rushed in a pre-emptive attempt to remedy the matter

 But Alexander's mouth was much faster than Swanson's movements, "Charlotte, how old are you exactly?"

 Swanson stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but managed to regain his balance at the last moment 

 As for Charlotte, she was looking at Alexander in shock with an expression that said, ' What did you just say?.'

 "Lootie..." came a gentle voice from across the street 

 Everyone turned to look at the owner of the voice

A woman wearing a modern dress approached them with a medium-sized paper bag in her hand

 Although this woman shared the same hair color and pleasant features with Charlotte, it was clear that Charlotte was superior to her in terms of appearance. However, the mature and gentle air emanating from this woman earned her several points.

 "Mama..." The little girl extended her little hands towards the woman 

 " sweetheart!." The woman increased her speed, then took the child from Charlotte's hands and began kissing her tenderly

 "So this is her mother..." Alexander whispered and there was a look of sudden realization and shock in his expression

 "..." What the hell were you thinking?

 Swanson wanted to withdraw Alexander and leave this place immediately

 "You are Lootie's friends?" The woman turned to them as she examined Alexander's Varvatos Academy uniform 

 "Lootie...?" 

 Swanson looked at Charlotte strangely while Alexander tried to suppress the laughter that was threatening to explode 

 "Amara!..." Charlotte stomped her feet on the ground with a flushed face, "Didn't we agree that you would not call me that in front of my friends?"

 Amara giggled, looking to the side, "Sorry, I forgot about that for a moment."

 Alexander took a step forward and greeted Amara with a gentle bow, "I'm Marco Polo. Charlotte and I are close friends."

 " close friends?." Amara's eyes lit up as she looked between Alexander and Charlotte

 "..." Why does everything that comes out of your mouth lead to misunderstanding?

 Swanson wanted to cover Alexander's mouth before he made the situation worse