Chapter 117: Dining at Nancy’s Restaurant

Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved behind the scenes (where I couldn’t see), the day finally arrived for the Queen to visit that disgusting Nancy’s restaurant.

This time, unlike the previous visit, there were no young girls making the place lively and noisy, so that part was much easier. We didn’t need to plant any fake customers. As long as security was solid, it should be fine — assuming the Queen didn’t make any unreasonable demands.

We rode in the same carriage as before toward the shop. As we got closer, the street looked strangely clean. There was no trash on the ground. No people lying around. No broken carts or damaged doors and windows. Was the street always this clean? No, it definitely wasn’t. There was no horse manure, no traces of vomit, no rotting garbage. This was clearly the result of everyone’s desperate efforts.

They had cleaned and repaired the entire area just for today. I felt deep respect for all the people who worked so hard. It must have been exhausting... to turn that street into this.

Today, the carriage was going all the way to the front of the shop. Since there were no suitable shops nearby for the Queen to stop at, they decided it would be best to go straight there.

When the carriage stopped and we got out in front of the shop, I thought, What the hell is this? The shop had been completely transformed. The sign was brand new, with the words "Cafeteria" written in clear, readable letters. What happened to that door that used to look like it would dirty your hand just by touching it? It wasn’t brand new, but it had been thoroughly cleaned — or maybe hit with Purity multiple times. All the grime was gone.

And there was no stench in front of the shop anymore. Before, there had been a mix of rotting food and excrement that made you question whether anyone could actually eat here. It might not have been completely odorless now, but it was faint enough that you had to sniff carefully to notice it. If I had to describe it, it reminded me of the smell inside an airport terminal in certain Southeast Asian countries.

Just seeing how much they had accomplished made my body tremble with emotion.

"It’s cleaner than I expected," the Queen said. I agree completely. At the very least, it was clean enough that Her Majesty’s hands wouldn’t get dirty.

"I was secretly worried because there was trash and people lying around on the way here, but I’m relieved," the Queen added. As expected of Her Majesty — she notices everything.

"Well then, shall we go in?"

I opened the door and let the Queen enter first. My heart was pounding as I wondered what the inside looked like.

The interior was... exactly as I had hoped? Extremely clean! "Extremely clean" by the standards of how filthy it used to be — it was now about the same level as the fruit parlor. Clean enough that you wouldn’t get your clothes dirty just by sitting down. Amazing.

There were no other customers inside. The Queen hadn’t specifically asked for other guests, so this was perfect. Security personnel were standing in their place instead.

The shop had become an entirely different place from when I first came. The tables and chairs were made of clean, light-colored wood that looked almost new. They must have looked like this when they were first bought, before becoming black and shiny with years of grime. How many people used Purity to get it this clean? Did they run out of mana?

"Welcome," Nancy said as she brought over the menu. She looked much neater — she must have taken a bath and washed her hair. Her hair was now shiny with visible cuticles! She still looked a bit malnourished overall, but her clothes were clean and fresh. I’m so glad. She really shines when polished up.

When I opened the menu, it simply said "Lunch Special – 20 copper coins" in neat handwriting. I don’t know who wrote it, but I silently thanked all the people working behind the scenes.

"Two lunch specials."

"Yes, right away!"

Nancy’s crisp reply surprised me again. She must have practiced. Old man, I think I’m going to cry.ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The food came out quickly. There was only one item on the menu, and they knew the Queen was coming, so they had probably prepared in advance.

Even so, the plates weren’t chipped! That was already a huge improvement. The ones I had before had so many chips on the edges that I didn’t know where to put my mouth. The knives and forks were shiny and clean. They must have brought in new tableware. Above all, the presentation of the food was completely different. Before, it was a chaotic mess of unidentifiable meat and oily stir-fries. Now everything was neatly arranged. There was even white bread and soup. What happened to those weird wooden cups? They had been replaced with proper soup bowls!

This is way too much for one big copper coin... Even though they brought in the ingredients, this felt like overkill. The old man in the kitchen was even wearing a white chef’s uniform and a hat. Before, his hair was a mess and I was worried about dandruff falling into the food. When I pointed it out, I half-expected him to say, "It’s a seasoning. Don’t you like it?" His finger had even been in the soup, and he didn’t care at all.

The Queen took a sip of the soup, so I quickly followed. As the food taster, I can’t fall behind!

One sip and — Delicious—?! This soup was on the same level as the rear palace’s cooking! Did they bring in the water too? The water itself tasted different. I was frozen in shock when the Queen said,

"It’s delicious."

A murmur of "Ohhh—" rose from those around us. Normally it would be wonderful for the Queen to say the food was good, but considering the original goal was for her to eat terrible food, this was a bad development. What was the kitchen going to do? But since it was a set meal, that was probably everything. The kitchen suddenly became noisy.

I finished eating first and watched the Queen elegantly finish her meal. After the last bite, she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Dessert," Nancy said, carefully bringing out two servings of ice cream with shaky hands. This was probably her first time serving dessert. Nancy looked like she wanted to eat it herself — her mouth was slightly open and drool was dripping. Hadn’t she gotten to taste it during practice? Or maybe she had, and that’s why she was drooling?

I tried a bite first. Hmm? A little salty? Sweet and salty? Did they try to make it bad by adding salt to the ice cream? But the salt actually enhanced the sweetness. It was the opposite of what they intended, but it was still delicious.

The Queen briefly pursed her lips, but then smiled brightly.

"This is delicious too. Is this what commoners call ’bad’ food?"

"Well... I’m not sure..."

I had no answer, since I also thought it was good.

When we finished eating and were leaving the shop, the Queen said,

"Lord Robin, you told me this was a restaurant that served terrible food, but I found it quite delicious."

"Yes..."

I had nothing else to say. I thought so too. The old man, his wife, Nancy, and the guards all looked visibly relieved.

I had many things I wanted to say to the Queen and the committee, but I decided to stay quiet. If I just accepted that my tongue was broken, this whole matter would finally be over.

That’s what I told myself to feel better. But then the Queen took my arm, pressed it between her ample breasts, and said,

"By the way, Lord Robin, I heard you know other surprisingly delicious restaurants. Could you take me to one next time?"

I felt like an ant that had almost crawled out of the antlion pit, only to be dragged back down again. I now understood exactly how that poor insect felt.