"I can walk on my own, you know," she muttered as her hand slipped from his as she looked down at her hand, still feeling warmth of his hand that she want to feel it again.


    Lucan chuckled softly as Julia withdrew her hand, her flustered expression not lost on him. "Of course, you can. But it''s always polite to offer."


    Julia shot him a half-hearted re but didn''t respond, clearly too distracted by the sight of the grand restaurant in front of them. It was much more extravagant than either of them was used to. The towering columns at the entrance were adorned with intricate carvings, and the soft glow of goldennterns illuminated the polished stone path leading up to the door.


    Inside, they could already see elegantly dressed nobles mingling, theirughter and chatter a low hum in the night air.


    Julia swallowed nervously as they approached the entrance, her fingers instinctively brushing against the fabric of her gown as if to make sure it was still in ce. "This… This is a bit fancier than I expected," she muttered under her breath.


    Lucan gave her a sideways nce, raising an eyebrow. "You made the reservation here, didn''t you?"


    Julia''s blush deepened, and she shifted ufortably. "Well, yeah, but I didn''t know it was this kind of ce! I just thought it sounded… nice." She crossed her arms defensively, trying to hide her growing difort. "It''s not like I nned for it to be so fancy."


    Lucan couldn''t help but smile at her flustered admission. "It''s alright, Julia. I''m sure we''ll manage."


    They stepped inside, greeted by a doorman in a crisp uniform who bowed deeply before leading them to their table. The interior of the restaurant was even more impressive. The ceilings were high, with crystal chandeliers hanging down, casting a warm, golden glow over the entire space. The tables were adorned with pristine white tablecloths and glittering silverware, each ce setting immacte.


    Julia shifted ufortably in her seat as they were shown to a table near the center of the restaurant. "I feel out of ce here," she whispered, ncing nervously at the other diners, many of whom were nobles dressed in extravagant outfits. "These people look like they do this kind of thing every day."


    Lucan smiled, finding her nervousness endearing. "You''re doing fine. Besides, you look just as elegant as any of them."


    "Stop saying things like that!" Julia hissed, her blush deepening. "I already feel awkward enough."


    As they sat down, a waiter appeared almost instantly, handing them menus made of thick, embossed paper. Julia stared at the menu for a long moment, her brow furrowed as she scanned the borate names of the dishes.


    Lucan noticed her confusion and leaned over slightly. "Need help with the menu?"


    Julia shot him a quick re. "I''m fine," she muttered, though the uncertainty in her voice was clear. She frowned at the page, struggling to make sense of the unfamiliar items. "Why does everything have suchplicated names? Can''t they just call it chicken or something?"


    Lucan chuckled softly, scanning his own menu. "That''s part of the charm of ces like this. They like to make everything sound fancier than it really is."


    Julia rolled her eyes, closing her menu with a sigh. "This was a mistake…"


    Before Lucan could respond, the waiter returned, standing patiently by their side. Julia froze, clearly not sure what to order.


    "I''ll have the roastedmb with herbs," Lucan said smoothly, before ncing at Julia. "And for thedy?"


    Julia hesitated, her eyes darting back to the menu before blurting out, "Uh… the soup… and the sd."


    The waiter smiled politely, jotting down the order withoutment, and disappeared back into the kitchen.


    Lucan couldn''t hide his amusement as Julia slouched slightly in her seat, clearly feeling out of ce. "Soup and sd? Really?"


    Julia scowled, her arms crossing defensively. "Shut up! I panicked, okay? It''s not like I''m used to ces like this."


    Lucanughed softly, shaking his head. "It''s alright, Julia. You''re doing great. Besides, you''re here to enjoy yourself, not worry about impressing anyone."


    Julia huffed, clearly still embarrassed, but didn''t argue. As they waited for their food, Lucan noticed that Julia kept fidgeting with the sleeves of her gown, her eyes darting nervously around the room as if afraid someone would notice how out of ce she felt.


    "Rx," Lucan said softly. "No one''s judging you."


    Julia''s gaze snapped back to him, her blush returning. "I-I know that! It''s just… this isn''t really my scene. I feel like I''m going to mess something up."


    Lucan smiled warmly. "You''re fine. Just be yourself."


    Julia bit her lip, ncing away. "Easier said than done."


    Their food arrived shortly after, and Lucan couldn''t help but chuckle when he saw the tiny portion of soup that had been ced in front of Julia. It was served in a delicate bowl, with a single leaf of some exotic herb floating on top. Julia stared at it in disbelief.


    "This is soup?" she muttered incredulously. "It''s barely a mouthful!"


    Lucan tried to stifle hisughter but failed. "I told you, everything''s fancy here."


    Julia red at him. "This is ridiculous."


    Despite herints, she picked up her spoon and took a sip, her expression immediately softening. "Okay… it''s good," she admitted grudgingly, though the portion size clearly still bothered her.


    As they ate, the conversation flowed easily between them, Lucan teasing her gently about her unfamiliarity with the restaurant''s etiquette, and Julia trying her best to maintain her usual tough demeanor, though her nervousness kept shining through.


    At one point, however, Julia made an embarrassing mistake that drew the attention of the entire room. As she reached for her ss of wine, her hand identally knocked over the ornate silver candle holder in the middle of the table. The candle wobbled precariously before toppling over,nding with a soft clink onto her te.


    For a moment, the restaurant seemed to go silent as all eyes turned toward their table. Julia froze, her face turning bright red as she stared at the candle on her te,pletely mortified.


    Lucan quickly picked up the candle, setting it back in its holder, and shed an apologetic smile to the other diners. "Nothing to see here, folks," he said casually, waving off the attention.


    Julia buried her face in her hands, groaning softly. "I want to die…"


    Lucan chuckled, reaching across the table to gently pat her hand. "It''s alright, Julia. These things happen."


    Julia peeked at him from between her fingers, her face still flushed. "How can you be so calm about this?! I just made aplete fool of myself in front of everyone!" Readtest chapters at м??


    Lucan smiled, leaning forward slightly. "Because it doesn''t matter. You''re here to have fun, remember?"


    Julia let out a frustrated sigh, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "You''re impossible."