Receiving confirmation from her subordinates, Princess Mira boasted, "Now that I know the secret behind Lily's Bistro, I will surely defeat Lily Evans! I'm reopening Suxin Pavilion, just you wait—Lily will lose everything and beg for mercy!"
Princess Mira's spy wiped his brow nervously, thinking to himself that Her Highness truly lived a pampered life and had no idea how complex cooking could be. He said, "Your Highness, while we do know Lily Evans's secret for her seasonings, we don't have her recipes! Even if I steal a few bags of spices, no one here knows how to use them. Suxin Pavilion still can't reopen."
Princess Mira's eyebrows shot up. She kicked the spy and scolded, "You fool! Must I worry about every little thing myself? What's the use of you all! I don't care—Suxin Pavilion will reopen, and I will defeat Lily Evans! You, come up with a plan. If you can't, I'll chop off your head and use it for a ball!"
The spy was so terrified he dropped to his knees, trembling. "Your Highness, I—I have an idea."
"Speak!" Princess Mira urged impatiently.
The spy wiped his sweat and said, "Your Highness, my idea is to poach the head chef from Eight Treasures Bistro. That way, we'd have both the seasonings and the chef!"
On the roof, Bella Bell and the Hayes Family Shadow Guards rolled their eyes, thinking, "These two idiots really think the head chef at Eight Treasures Bistro is just some ordinary person?"
Those chefs were handpicked from the Hayes Family Shadow Guard—not only are they culinary masters, they're also skilled martial artists and fiercely loyal. These two fools really think they can steal them away? Dream on!
But Princess Mira had no idea about the true identities of the chefs at Eight Treasures Bistro. Hearing her spy's suggestion, her eyes lit up. "That's right! If we poach a few of their chefs, that'll do the trick! Great, it's settled! Aren't those chefs all money-hungry anyway? Lily Evans pays them well, but I'll pay even more. Go to the treasury and get some gold—make sure you bring back the best chef! Hmph, if Lily's own chefs betray her and run off with the seasonings, she'll be furious!"
The more Princess Mira thought about it, the more pleased she became. She couldn't wait to instruct her subordinates, grabbed the spy to get the money, then turned to order preparations for reopening Suxin Pavilion.
Suxin Pavilion was located directly opposite Eight Treasures Bistro, a prime spot with every advantage. Princess Mira was convinced this would ensure her victory.
Princess Mira, thoroughly satisfied and brimming with confidence, left. Outside, Bella Bell and the Hayes Family Shadow Guards also returned to Eight Treasures Bistro.
It was already late at night. Bella Bell figured the masters were all asleep by now, and she absolutely couldn't disturb their rest. She would have to wait until morning to report to Lily Evans.
The next day was Lily Evans's teaching day at the Royal Academy of Mathematics. Busy with her new class, Lily got up even earlier than usual and left ahead of time.
When Bella Bell went to report, she found Lily Evans was already gone—she'd left for the Academy.
So Bella Bell hurried to the Academy in a carriage to find Lily Evans. As she arrived, she saw several carriages pulling up to the entrance—evidently, parents were dropping off their children to study. Bella Bell was astonished; she'd been so busy with the restaurant lately that she hadn't noticed how much Lily's Academy had grown.