Even though there was a battle going on outside the city, things went on normally within Ekron, just like every day. People went about their business, ignoring the explosions that could be heard in the distance or the flashes of light that lit up the skies. At the Silver Palace, Felix, Finn, and Fiona were working. Finn and Fiona were acting as waitresses, dressed in cute dark blue uniforms with white aprons and white stockings. They also wore fluffy headbands that enhanced their feline demihuman appearance. They took orders from patrons, making trips to the kitchen to bring them their food, while Felix worked in the kitchen, multitasking to make various dishes.
He peeped over the counter and looked uneasily at a table in the corner that was drawing glances from the other people in the room. Dona sat with the Duke of Ekron. Saleem stood beside her mistress, and the Duke was accompanied by Mord and Mal, who stood on either side of him. There were several bowls on the table as Dona finished her 27th helping of pudding.
"Mistress, please carry yourself in a way that suits your position. You are nobility, the Progenitor of all dragons; please carry yourself with more dignity," Saleem said, shaking her head. She looked back at the people who were staring at their table, and they quickly looked away as if minding their own business.
"Oh, loosen up, Saleem, you're always so uptight about things. You know it's not every day I get to eat such delicious food," Dona said as she chewed her food.
"You've been eating since they got there. And she doesn't need to eat in the first place," Saleem pointed out.
"Exactly," Dona agreed, putting a spoonful of food in her mouth. Saleem sighed and wiped the food off the sides of her mouth.
Duke Philip, who was sitting across from her at the table, observed her with his chin on his hands, which he had interlocked on the table.
"I invited Jack and Glenn to join me here, but Jack was feeling uneasy about the small number of people that Kojo was taking with him to repel the goblin attack, so he took a force of raiders to patrol the inside of the wall, while Glenn went with Ovid and Heinz to carry out repairs to the city infrastructure," he thought to himself as he took his eyes off Dona and looked outside, just as a flash of light appeared.
"Kojo informed me that this girl, Dona, is a demon lord, but she physically doesn't look the part. To the normal eye, she's just a little girl entering adolescence, but the way she carries herself says otherwise. It's like she views everyone and everything around her like they are insignificant."
He remembered the meeting that took place the previous evening. He'd felt the aura she had when she ordered Kojo to take care of the goblins on his own. She seemed to only acknowledge Kojo as a being worth her attention, and even then, it wasn't on equal terms.
Just then, Finn brought the Duke's order of pancakes.
"Thank you," he said with a gentle smile. Finn smiled back.
"No, thank you," she said happily. "I knew Kojo knew people, but I didn't think he actually was friends with the ruler of a whole province. I need to make him my husband no matter what," she said, hugging her tray. The Duke chuckled.
"Kojo is quite the ladies' man, I see. He still keeps attracting women even with the harem he has. You'll need to work hard even if you want to attract his attention. Well, regardless, I wish you luck in your endeavor," the Duke said, patting her on the head.
"I'm a huge fan of Kojo's cooking, so it came as a surprise to hear that he'd set up this place without telling him, and so he just had to try it out," the Duke said, taking a bite of the pancakes.
"Hmm, it's delicious!"
"I know, right?" she said.
"Finn!" someone yelled.
"Uh-oh," Finn said, looking for a means to escape, but before she could escape, Fiona appeared and grabbed her tail.
"Nyaaah!" Finn yelled.
"This is no time to be slacking off," her sister scolded.
She bowed to the Duke and apologized.
"I apologize for the disturbance my sister caused you."
"Oh, it's nothing at all," the Duke said, raising his hand.
"Thank you for your understanding."
"You're going to do the dishes."
"What! But I don't wanna," Finn protested as her sister dragged her by the tail to the kitchen.
Dona asked the Duke if he was done with his appraisal of her. He raised his eyebrows in surprise then smiled.
"You saw right through my act. And I thought I was masking my intent perfectly," he said.
"You're too young to be attempting such moves. Besides, it was obvious when you declined to sit at an exclusive table to sit at one that was already occupied."
"Are you offended?" the Duke asked.
"I couldn't care less about the plot of the weak," Dona responded. Philip felt stung by that remark, but he ignored it. It's not like he could have done anything about it anyway, so there's no point in making a fuss, he thought with a sigh.
"Shouldn't you be observing the outcome of the battle?" the Duke asked.
"I am observing."
"All the way from here?" the Duke asked.
"Do you not believe?"
"No, if it's you, then I'm sure you know what happens in other continents," the Duke said with a shrug.
"It doesn't work like that. I'm not omnipresent. Anyway, I was observing. I never thought Kojo would cast a fear wave on the army to wither their numbers. I see he's not against using any means to win, regardless of how it is," Dona said. She saw the look on the Duke's face.
"But don't you think that that's unbecoming of the champion? To be using underhanded tactics in a battle? That there's no 'honor' in it?" Dona asked him.
"Oh, I'm not against whatever methods he uses. War is war. The battlefield is no place for ideals and especially not honor. True, there are some extremes, but I doubt Kojo would go that far unless absolutely necessary," the Duke replied, taking a sip of the juice he'd been served with.
"Hmm," Dona looked outside the window at the explosions taking place outside the city. Her eyes glowed as she observed the battlefield from a bird's-eye view. Kojo and his crew seemed to have a handle on the situation.
"Still, I'm curious to know why you chose that boy," the Duke asked.
"I've commissioned him to carry out an operation. This is just a way of introducing him to the new status quo that will happen from now. My time is almost up," she said.
"What do you mean by that?" Dona looked at him and smirked before beckoning Fiona to bring her more food.