Cercei’s POV


    “Are you wearing lipstick??” inquired ire, her voice hemming on a shrill exmation.


    Feeling a twinge of embarrassment, I remained silent, pondering the trifle of the question. After all, it seemedmonce for everyone to wear lipstick, including ire herself, albeit in a striking shade of red. Each day, she paraded around with an air of elegance reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe.


    “Yes,” I curtly replied, prompting an idiotic grin to spread across her face.


    The tinkling of bells resonated through the air, glorifying the arrival of a visitor. Lucian’s gaze met mine, and a smile appeared on his lips. In that instant, my heart quickened its pace as if inextricably bound to a familiar rhythm.


    “Aha, now I understand,” ire yfully teased.


    “Pardon?” I questioned, taken aback by her insinuation.


    Lucian settled into his customary seat, and I seized my notepad.


    “You go there and retrieve his number… I mean, his order,” she motioned yfully. My eyes were rolling in mockery of ire’s jest.


    “Good morning, sir. How may I be of service to you?” I addressed him formally, extending a polite greeting.


    “A lovely morning indeed, for I have finally encountered a waitress of such affable spirit,” he responded, revealing a perfect set of pearly white teeth. Though his demeanour exuded an intimidating aura, his smile possessed an enchanting quality simr to the gates of heaven unveiling their celestial splendour. Wait, what was I thinking?


    “Let us not spoil the moment,” I interjected, attempting to maintain a semnce ofposure. He chuckled in response.


    “The usual order, please,” he eventually revealed his order, his words resonating with a certain familiarity.


    I returned to the counter, clutching the order in my hands, while ire’s mischievous grin remained stered on her face.


    “No wonder you’ve been radiating such vitalitytely; it appears that Mr. Pancake has finally captured your attention,” she remarked, wiggling her eyebrows in jest.


    “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I refuted. Was I truly exuding a livelinesstely? When we first arrived in this city, I seemed devoid of any enthusiasm. In recent days, however, I had made an effort to present myself in a more presentable manner, a fact I hadn’t even acknowledged until ire pointed it out. And, of course, there was the lipstick.


    “Oh,e on now, Miss Denial,” she taunted, her voice taking on a sing-song quality.


    The doorbell chimed once again, indicating the entrance of a tall, sophisticated woman. She exuded an air of elegance, wrapped in a form-fitting, square-necked white dress that entuated her curves wlessly. The glow of her pearl earrings caught my eye from behind the counter, and her meticulously styled blonde tresses swayed with each graceful movement. All eyes were drawn to her as she strode into the café, her heels resounding in an echoing symphony throughout the space.


    She surveyed the room, searching for an avable table, only to find that every seat was upied, save for the one upied by Lucian. Oblivious to the goddess approaching him, Lucian remained engrossed in his phone.


    “Uh oh, ‘bitch alert’,” ire whispered, both of us observing with a mixture of curiosity and amusement as the woman approached Lucian.


    An unusual surge of annoyance coursed through me, and I found myself growing increasingly… infuriated.


    The woman exuded an air of elegance and kindness as she engaged in conversation with Lucian. My teeth clenched tightly as I witnessed him nod in response, and she proceeded to upy the chair across from him. That jerk just appeared like a perfect gentleman!


    Driven by impulse, I grabbed his order and marched angrily towards his table.


    “Your order, sir,” I forced a fake smile that seemed to perplex him momentarily.


    “Excuse me, may I ce an order?” asked the blonde woman, capturing my attention. I turned towards her, acutely aware of her refined British ent. She exuded an aura of politeness and ss.


    “Certainly, miss. What would you like?” Suddenly, I became acutely conscious of my own ent. Did I sound peculiar? Her makeup was wlessly applied, her blush blended seamlessly with herplexion, and her nude lips entuated her pout.


    “Could I have what he’s having?” she gestured towards Lucian’s order.


    “Ah, this pancake is truly exceptional; you should give it a try,” Lucian interjected. My eyes narrowed in his direction. Who asked for your unsolicited endorsement? I felt the impulse to snap at him, but I restrained myself.


    “Really?” The woman beamed sweetly. I recognized that smile. It was the kind that most women wore when conversing with him. This wasn’t the first time a woman approached him, but she seemed to be his type, a figure boasting an hourss physique, exuding a rich, ssy, and chic vibe.


    “Anything else?” Her longing gaze was interrupted by my voice. She shifted her attention towards me, offering a sweet smile.


    “Perhaps a coffee?” Her voice adopted a more seductive tone, yet her eyes remained fixated on Lucian’s face.


    “Your order will be served shortly,” I replied curtly, turning my back to them.


    “Nice or nasty?” ire inquired as soon as I returned from getting the woman’s order.


    “Nice,” I sighed wearily. She mirrored my sigh and nced in their direction.


    “Fear not, it appears Mr. Pancake is not particrly interested in her,” she offered as if her words were meant to quench my unease. Wait, why should I need any reassurance? I shouldn’t care about them. To hell with Lucian.


    “I couldn’t care less,” I retorted coldly. I truly didn’t care; why should I?


    “Oh no, she’s doing the shyugh and tucking her hair behind her ear,” ire whispered in an exaggerated hush. I nced over at them. The woman leaned in closer to the table, engaging Lucian in an endearing manner, while he held his phone, busily typing away.


    “I believe she’s asking for his number,” I responded curtly. I observed as the woman handed her phone to Lucian. Turning on my heel, I headed towards the kitchen. I had no desire to witness customers flirting with one another. It was certainly not part of my job description.


    “You know, I happen to live just around the corner,” echoed the woman’s flirtatious words that lingered in the air as she looked in Lucian’s direction.


    A surge of annoyance flooded my senses, I grabbed the woman’s order and walked to their table. The woman was visibly startled when I ced her order on the table with a bit more force than intended. She had been leaning over the table, offering Lucian a shameless view of her cleavage.


    “Here’s your order,” I forced another fake smile. I could sense Lucian’s lingering gaze in my frame.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    “Hey, are you free tonight?” His hand grasped mine just as I was about to depart. Completely taken aback by his question, I stood there in a state of confusion. The woman’s flirty expression shifted to one of embarrassment, and she awkwardly took a sip of her coffee. Lucian stared at me, awaiting my response.


    “Uhm,” I stammered, struggling to process his inquiry. Did he genuinely ask me out?


    “I’ll pick you up at 7,” he dered with a finality that left me dumbfounded. Releasing my hand, he nonchntly returned to his phone as if nothing had urred.


    I made my way back to the counter, wearing an expression of bewilderment. ire erupted into apuse as if I had won a momentous victory. She even shook her head in disbelief.


    “You’re my hero, the epitome of beauty,” she eximed, shaking my hand enthusiastically.


    “And did you see the look on her face?” sheughed, yfully tapping me. “That was epic. I’m absolutely rooting for you two!” she dered, pointing at me with two fingers.


    I still couldn’t fathom the fact that he had asked me out right in front of a woman who clearly fit his ideal type. He didn’t even wait for my answer; he simply assumed I was avable.


    I couldn’t help it; a smile crept across my lips.


    He truly was a jerk.