New World, New Life: I Became A Bigshot In The Ancient World
Chapter 106: THE GRAND OPENING

Chapter 106: THE GRAND OPENING

"What is that door over there, Princess?" Dorothy asked, pointing at a door in the corner. They were the only people in the restaurant, so it was safe to address the princess by her title.

Aristia turned in the direction pointed at by Dorothy. "That is a storage room. The cooking ingredients will be kept there."

"Can we see it?" Dorothy asked eagerly.

"Of course," Aristia nodded, going towards the door and them following behind. She unlocked the storage room. "Follow me."

The room was large and wide. There were rows of metal shelves in it. They were empty as nothing had been put in it. There was another door inside the storage room at the far end. Aristia unlocked it and entered.

There were also rows of metal shelves in this room just like the storage room.

"This is the Ice Room. It will not be used now as I am yet to find what I need." She explained.

She had chosen to use the term ’ice room’ instead of refrigerator so that they would understand it.

Dahlia and Dorothy were a little confused but they refrained from asking since it wasn’t going to be used now.

They left the kitchen area and entered into the main area of the restaurant.

Aristia clapped twice and the golden lights of the chandelier and wall lights lit up, lighting up the dark restaurant.

"Gasp."

They all gasped. Even Owen’s eyes showed surprise. Aristia just smiled.

The restaurant was grand and elegant, but with a warm ambiance, making one feel relaxed.

The walls were painted a warm brown with some gold outlines and designs. The tables were round and were made with high quality rosewood.

There was a semi circular counter near the entrance of the restaurant.

"What is that for, Princess?" Dahlia asked.

"It is where the guests will pay for their food." Aristia explained. "Let us head upstairs."

There was a grand staircase at the end of the hall that led upstairs. Its steps were covered with a beautiful red carpet.

Upstairs had a similar layout as the ground floor, but the walls had more defined and detailed golden designs. They had a more fancy and sophisticated feel to it but managed to retain its warmth.

The tables were also made of high quality rosewood, but unlike the ground floor, the tables here had its edges and centers inlaid with gold. They were smooth and were polished until they were shining.

The chandeliers in the ceiling emitting golden rays of light made the restaurant even more elegant and sophisticated.

There was a similar kitchen as the one on the ground floor, and there was also a semicircular counter for paying for food.

"Why are there two floors?" Dahlia asked.

"Oh, there aren’t only two floors. But, the ground floor is for the common folk and this floor is for the aristocrats." She explained simply.

The sisters nodded in understanding. So, that was why this floor looked more expensive.

Aristia had considered a lot of things very carefully and thoroughly. Though the ground floor where the commoners would stay had no gold tables, lesser intricate designs, and whatsoever, there was a warm atmosphere present that complemented the warm tones.

She made sure that it would be comfortable for the commoners to enjoy a meal happily.

They climbed up another set of stairs leading to the second floor and arrived at what looked like a corridor with doors on each side.

Aristia opened one of the doors where there were two sofas and a wide, round table in the middle.

Aristia explained. "These are rooms. They are called private rooms. They can be booked or reserved. That means someone can pay beforehand to use the rooms on a specified date."

She turned to look at them. "There are different levels. This is the lowest. I will explain this later. These private rooms are not available to the public for now."

"What about the last floor?" Dahlia asked. There were no stairs in sight leading upstairs.

"That is my office. That part of the building is inaccessible to anyone, including workers. It is off limits. Do you understand?" She asked sternly.

Dahlia and Dorothy nodded. The little princess was actually a little intimidating when she said that. They didn’t know if it was their imagination, but they actually felt a little bit of pressure on themselves.

Owen stared at Aristia in deep thought, his brows knotted together.

After they were done looking around the restaurant, they headed back to the ground floor.

"I am appointing you as the Manager, Dahlia. Dorothy will be your assistant. Here is the key. No matter what, do not lose them." Aristia warned, handing the bunch of keys to Dahlia. "I hope you understand what your role is?"

"Yes, Princess." The sisters replied. Aristia had explained it to them before.

"Good. The ingredients will arrive in three days and will be stocked in the storage room. On that day, when the participants arrive at Broughton Hall, record the names of those who didn’t pass who are willing to do other work other than cooking in the book I gave you. After you have made sure of their readiness, inform them to return the next day. Assign the their roles and then bring them to the restaurant to start working immediately." She told them what to do.

After that, they left the restaurant through the backdoor after Aristia had locked the door.

"Princess Tia, your restaurant is very beautiful. I have never seen anything like it." Adeline praised as soon as they settled in the carriage.

Owen still seemed to be deep in thought. Aristia didn’t know what was wrong with him. He kept staring at the carriage wall with a blank look as if he was thinking of something.

[Was it something in the restaurant?] She shrugged off the thought, instead thinking about her next course of action.

***

Aristia was in a good mood today. Her parents could tell, the servants could tell, and even the birds outside her window could tell. She smiled at each one of them that passed her by.

Her bright smile could affect anyone. She would have said it had affected the servants so much that they moved around the mansion performing their duties in a vibrant mood, if not for the fact that there was no difference in the dutiful way they had always worked and the way they worked now.

[Killjoys!]

She thought as she climbed into the carriage.

The Grand Duke’s family was heading out. They had been ’invited’ to what the opening event of the new building in the middle of the capital.

After four months since the beginning of the restaurant’s construction, the long awaited moment had finally arrived— the completion of the restaurant.

The participants had gathered in Broughton Hall on the seventh of the month of November— the day before, and would officially start work at the restaurant today.

For the whole of the previous day and this morning, Dahlia and Dorothy led the hired staff; the waiters, cleaners and cooks, around the restaurant in a tour. They stated the dos and don’ts, along with the rules. They avoided the fourth floor and also sternly warned the workers not to go there, not that they could. After all, there was no stairs or door leading to the supposed floor.

The family of the Grand Duke got into the carriage and headed to the restaurant in the evening.

However, they were not the only people heading to the restaurant. Carriages marked with emblems of various noble families could be seen heading in the same direction, and carriages carrying Aristocrats also could be seen, all heading in the same direction.

The restaurant’s premises was very wide. Aristia had used it as a parking lot for carriages.

Wilson and Catherine couldn’t help smiling on seeing how happy Aristia was. They could obviously see how much this meant to her.

[I’ve waited for this moment, not my entire life, but ever since I decided to open a restaurant.] Aristia thought.

Deep down, she knew it was because it grounded her. It gave her a sense of familiarity and normalcy in her life that had become anything but normal now that she lived with a forced fake identity in an unfamiliar world.

The restaurant was the only semblance of balance she had to the real world, and that was why she put so much effort and importance to it.

The carriage slowed down when it finally arrived at the vicinity of the restaurant and moved to park in the space meant for parking carriages in the parking lot.

Through the window, Aristia could see carriages already parked and others in the process of parking.

A few people in uniform given the work of a valet could be seen directing the carriages on where to park.

One of them bowed and pointed the way to their Coachman in a particular direction.

Lucas obeyed with a silent nod and parked the carriage accordingly.

"Finally," Aristia muttered.

"Master, Madam, we have arrived." Lucas informed.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.