Episode 135

I stared at the women. They were quite beautiful, with sun-kissed, tan skin and perfectly aligned white teeth.

But…even though they were pretty, compared to my girls, they were nothing special. They were just ordinarily pretty, without any visible charm.

“Sorry, but I don’t think you’re really my type…”

“What are you doing here?”

Interrupting me, someone ran up and grabbed my forearm.

In the process, I lost grip of Kali, and she quickly jumped off and ran toward the women who had been talking to me.

The dog bit one of the women’s bikini bottoms, pulling at it as if trying to remove them. The women screamed and desperately held onto their bottoms to keep them from being taken off.

“Hey, you little brat! Stop doing weird stuff!”

I pulled Kali’s body, and with a loud rip, the side of the bikini that Kali was holding in her mouth tore.

“Oh no! I’m sorry!”

The women panicked and ran off, clutching the torn bikini. Kali, drooling, barked at their backs.

“Be quiet!”

After I smacked her across the nose, Kali finally stopped barking. The chaos had drawn the attention of everyone around me.

What a humiliation, letting Kali slip away like that. Who was it that clung to me like this? I turned to see who had wrapped their arms around my forearm.

“Saintess…?”

It was clearly Seleiza, who had gone with the staff to the changing room, now dressed in her swimsuit and looking up at me.

“Bertrand, do you know those women?”

“No, I’ve never seen them before. If they were someone I knew, would there have been this kind of mess? Anyway…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence as I looked her up and down. The saintess was wearing a pure white swimsuit with a skirt, perfectly matching her ash-colored hair and fair skin.

The delicate shoulder straps supported the chest area, which was deeply cut, exposing her cleavage, emphasizing her slender and smooth shoulders and collarbones.

The swimsuit flowed down her slim waist, turning into a wide, pleated skirt that gently covered her thighs. Below it, her sun-kissed legs and small feet in sandals shyly peeked out.

Noticing my gaze, the saintess spun playfully around. The pleated skirt lifted into the air, revealing white underwear in the form of a bikini bottom.

The back of the swimsuit was cut almost up to her tailbone. The front looked like a modest lady, but the back was quite bold, almost symbolizing Seleiza’s dual nature.

“How do I look…?”

“You look beautiful! That swimsuit really suits you, Saintess.”

“Hee…thank you…but…those women, you really don’t know them, right?”

The saintess, now staring in the direction where the women had disappeared, asked me again for confirmation.

“I swear, really. They asked me about Kali’s breed, and I just answered them.”

“Hmm…I see…”

If I were honest and said those women were flirting with me, Seleiza would probably chase them to the ends of the earth…

“But what about the others? Why are you here alone?”

“I wanted to show you first…so I hurried over alone…”

Seleiza blushed, sticking her tongue out slightly. Right now, she seemed like a pure and charming lady, not the solemn saintess.

“But where are you headed?”

“I’m heading to the inn to book a room in advance. It would be a disaster if there are no rooms left.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“Sounds good.”

We walked past the umbrellas, heading toward the large building rising above the palm grove.

The place called Grace Bay Club seemed to refer to the two buildings standing in front of us.

The five-story buildings, standing on a platform about ten meters high, gave off a considerable sense of intimidation just by looking up at them from below.

Surprisingly, the front of the building facing the sea was made entirely of white marble with intricate patterns. It was probably because if it were made of wood, the sea breeze would wear it down and it wouldn’t last long.

Behind the two buildings, another one was under construction. Judging by the size of the foundation, it looked like it would be bigger than the current buildings. It was truly a scale worthy of the title of Marquis.

We climbed the wide stairs in the center of the platform, where large stones were meticulously stacked. The stairs led directly to a long plaza paved with neat stone slabs.

The plaza between the two tall buildings was filled with outdoor tables, where people dressed in swimsuits or casual attire sat, enjoying light meals or drinks.

Each table had an umbrella set up, and the well-dressed staff in white shirts moved around, serving customers, which was quite impressive.

The first floor of the building, connected to the plaza, was open, with various facilities and simple cooking stations available to cater to the plaza’s visitors.

A bartender skillfully spun two cocktail shakers, a chef carved well-cooked piglet meat from a rotating barbecue grill, a masseuse carefully rubbed the backs of customers lying on beds, and a beauty technician was manicuring and pedicuring women’s nails.

“I thought such places could only be found in the city center…”

Seleiza crossed her arms and looked around, puzzled, at the plaza and the buildings.

“It seems like a resort area where everything is set up for visitors to enjoy. I’ve seen similar setups at other beaches, but I’ve never seen one this big.”

A staff member, noticing us standing there like country bumpkins freshly arrived in the capital, approached us with a friendly smile.

“Shall I guide you to your table?”

This attitude was a stark contrast to the rude and curt man who had told us to clear our camping site. It seemed that staff handling illegal campers were different from those providing actual service.

“No, it’s okay. We need to go to the inn for something.”

“An inn? Oh, you mean the hotel. The entrance is over there. Have a good time.”

The staff pointed to the building on the right side of where we were standing. The center of the building had a terrace extending outward, supported by several columns, leading to an entrance.

Carriages lined up on the road opposite the plaza and entered the entrance. That main road must lead directly here.

When the carriages arrived, waiting staff opened the doors and helped carry the luggage, providing a level of service one would expect in a capital city hotel.

As we approached the entrance, one of the waiting staff greeted us with a smile.

“Good day, sir.”

“We’ve come to book a room.”

“Please follow me. I’ll assist you with the booking.”

The staff tried to take Kali from me, but I declined, as handling an energetic hunting dog is not an easy task.

We followed the staff inside the hotel. Seleiza couldn’t help but marvel at the transparent glass doors. I, too, was somewhat surprised. Glass isn’t that rare, but I had never thought of making door panels entirely out of it.

“My goodness…”

The hotel lobby was spacious, clean, and luxurious. A dazzling chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and on the walls were portraits of a bearded figure. He was probably the Marquis of Keikos.

Velvet sofas in the lobby were occupied by people chatting, while staff carrying luggage-filled carts with gold plating moved elegantly across the lobby.

Soft music filled the lobby, and when I looked around, I saw a pianist performing on a low platform in the corner.

“The desk will assist you with your room reservation.”

The staff led the way into the lobby. The marble floor was so polished it looked like a mirror. If I exaggerated, I might be able to see up into Seleiza’s skirt as she stood next to me.

Overwhelmed by the splendor of the lobby, Seleiza seemed to have trouble even walking on the floor. She clung to my arm, walking gingerly. It was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.

“You must be used to places like this, Bertrand… I’m so unfamiliar with this…”

Of course, I’ll admit that the Grace Bay Club hotel was incredibly well-designed. But compared to the Royal City, this was nothing. The overwhelming pressure I felt the first time I stepped into the Royal City was indescribable.

The hotel’s desk was made of vintage wood, polished to a shine. The surface had intricate unknown patterns carved smoothly in relief. It looked like something from an entirely different world compared to the simple bar at our inn.

At the desk, attractive staff members stood, smiling as they greeted customers. The staff led us to an empty line, bowed, and left.

“Welcome.”

The staff member who greeted Seleiza and me bowed respectfully. Seleiza, caught off guard, nodded in response to her greeting.

I handed over the note given to me by another staff member at the beach and spoke.

“We’d like to book a room. Before coming here, we rented four umbrellas at the beach.”

“How many people are in your party?”

“Seven people and one dog.”

The staff member looked at the ledger and smiled as she replied.

“Fortunately, we have some available rooms. How about three double rooms and one single room?”

“Only double and single rooms? Are there no rooms for more people?”

“I’m sorry, but we only have double rooms as the starting option. If you prefer, we can recommend a suite.”

Hmm… A suite would have multiple rooms, so that might be better. I guess I should check the price.

“How much is the suite?”

The staff was about to respond when suddenly she fell silent and looked over my shoulder.

At the same time, almost all the staff in the lobby hurried toward the entrance.