Chapter 494: The Beautiful Receptionist

“It’s so lively here?”

The car passed the toll booth and drove straight into the city.

The brightly lit streets and the pedestrians walking in small groups, laughing and chatting, surprised Elise quite a bit.

She glanced at the time. It was already almost two in the morning, yet it was as bustling as if it were daytime. ‘Don’t these people need to sleep?’

“Big cities are like that,” Sean said.

He called it a big city, but Cadola Royal City was different from any city he had ever been to before.

The green-tiled stone roads, the old castle-like architecture, the patrolling guards in their tall top hats and medieval-style uniforms… everything was very retro, with the distinct feel of the Era of Polymath. Yet, paradoxically, this vintage setting was infused with modern technology. There were automated newsstands, horse-drawn carriages with steering wheels, and clocks that, despite their antique appearance, had digital displays…

It was as if a brand-new city had been artificially aged, a perfect and unconventional interpretation of “timeless and ever-new.”

It was a little strange at first; the fusion of new and old created a sense of contradiction. After getting used to it, however, Sean found it quite interesting. The air throughout the city seemed saturated with Magic Power. He figured there must be a Great Magic Array underneath protecting the city—a project on a much grander scale than the Magic Array in the Grev Family’s Witchwood Forest.

“Same as always, let’s find a hotel first,” Sean said.

“Okay.”

Elise opened the navigation app. After crossing a few main streets, they quickly arrived at a high-end hotel.

The hotel was styled like a manor. Next to its Trident-shaped iron gates stood an artistic stone sculpture engraved with the hotel’s name: William Castle.

Just like the buildings on the street.

It looked like an Ancient Castle on the outside, but the lobby was splendid and dazzling.

The female receptionist was also very beautiful. She had wavy, light-golden hair, fair and delicate skin, and rosy lips, as exquisite as a porcelain doll. Seeing Sean and the two women enter, she immediately broke into a smile and said, “Hello, how may I help you?”

“How about a suite?” Sean said, looking at Elvire and Elise to ask for their opinion.

Elise beamed. “I’m fine with that.”

Elvire also indicated she had no objection.

‘A suite has more than one bedroom, so what’s the big deal about staying together?’

‘Didn’t they almost always get a suite when they traveled for business before?’

The fact that Sean would even ask about such a small thing struck Elvire as a bit strange. ‘When did this guy get so considerate of our feelings?’ she wondered.

In reality, Sean was just acting on instinct.

It was mainly because the last time they stayed at a motel, it was also him and two girls, and they had argued for a while about how many rooms to get. In the end, he was forced to squeeze into the same bed with Anna and Elise. The thought of it was so thrilling… no, so unjust.

‘So a suite is definitely better. We can each have our own room and not disturb each other, but we’ll still be close by, making it convenient to discuss things or make plans.’

“One moment, please.”

The receptionist asked for the IDs of Sean’s party of three, typed on her keyboard for a moment, and quickly booked the room. She handed the room key and IDs back to Sean, pointed in a direction, and said with a smile, “Room 0607. Sir, you can take the elevator over there.”

“I have a question.”

Sean took the key card, tilted his head, and said, “Aren’t you going to charge me?”

The receptionist’s smile was sweet as she joked, “Of course we are, sir. But we charge upon checkout. The price list is posted on the wall, which you’ve probably already seen. So please be sure to have your money ready then, or you won’t be able to leave~”

Sean chuckled. “Understood. Thank you.”

The receptionist lowered her head slightly. “You’re too kind, sir.”

The girl at the front desk had a genuinely sweet smile and two small dimples, full of youthful energy. Even Sean, who was rarely tempted by beauty, uncharacteristically took a second look.

Elvire, of course, noticed Sean’s small action. The moment they entered the elevator, she began to interrogate him with a hostile gaze, “Was she pretty?”

Sean: “Very pretty.”

Elvire: “?”

“Oh, really? Then why don’t you go back and take a better look?”

“No need for that.” Sean suppressed a laugh and winked at her. “Is Miss Flame Crow jealous?”

“Me? Jealous of you?” Elvire snorted. “I just think it’s tacky when certain people can’t tear their eyes away from a beautiful woman.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Sean said. “Everyone appreciates beauty. I was just admiring her.”

Elise gave Sean a sly look, fanning the flames. “Then why don’t you admire Eli a little more?”

“Isn’t our Miss Flame Crow prettier than her?”

Sean answered with sound logic, “Of course Miss Flame Crow is the prettiest. But it’s rude to stare at a girl, and I have to respect Miss Flame Crow, so I can only look at others.”

“Pah,” Elvire spat. “Always full of excuses. You scumbag.”

But for all her scolding, his “Miss Flame Crow is the prettiest” line was still quite pleasing to her ears. It proved he wasn’t completely clueless about how to placate a girl. On account of Sean’s “honesty,” she decided not to be angry this time.

“Don’t let it happen again,” Elvire warned Sean fiercely. “No more staring.”

Elise, on the other hand, said, “Honestly, I don’t see what was so pretty about that receptionist.”

Although she was saying this to back Elvire up, it was also what she truly thought.

‘Is it because men and women have different standards of beauty?’

‘But she and Sean both think Elvire is beautiful, don’t they?’

“It’s mainly her skin. It’s really good, very fair,” Sean said.

There’s a saying that fair skin can hide a hundred flaws, and it’s not like the receptionist was ugly to begin with.