What was Xara seeing? Why was James, the Callahan family's son-in-law—rumored to be an infamous loser—having lunch with General Highsmith, a general under the Blithe king?
She was shocked. Covering her mouth, she gasped. James, hearing the gasp, turned and saw her. "What is she doing? Is she that surprised to see me?" he wondered. But one look at Daniel, and he understood.
He stood. "What a coincidence, Xara! You're here, too. Have you eaten? Join us. Oh, and let me introduce you to Daniel. He's a good friend—we grew up together in an orphanage. It's our first reunion in years, so we're having lunch."
Daniel, taken aback, glanced at James. He immediately understood and played along, standing and greeting Xara with a smile. "Hello, I'm Daniel."
"Ah" Xara gasped, thrilled. "General Highsmith is talking to me! What should I do? I'm so nervous!"
At the next table, Francis was stunned to see Xara greeting Daniel. He'd just been bragging about knowing General Highsmith. What now? Backing down meant losing the opportunity forever. Swallowing his pride, he approached, adopting a dignified expression. "General Highsmith, how do you do? I'm Francis, from the Leland family"
"Huh?" Daniel frowned. "Who are you? Buzz off!" Terrified, Francis pulled Xara aside. "Xara, what are you doing? Let's go! We shouldn't anger the general." He dragged the astonished Xara away, whispering, "I'll find the right time and place to introduce you to General Highsmith."
"James" Xara called out, regaining her composure.
James was seated; Francis had only noticed Daniel. Hearing Xara, he paused. "W-Who?"
Xara shrugged off Francis's grip, grabbed a stool, and placed it beside James. Sitting down with a huge smile, she said, "James, I hope you don't mind?"
"Yeah, sure thing," James replied listlessly. Francis was shocked to see James. "What's this? The Callahan family's son-in-law? How is he having lunch with General Highsmith?" Overwhelmed, he was at a loss.
Meanwhile, Xara, seated beside James, gazed at Daniel with admiration. He felt embarrassed by the beautiful young maiden's stare—especially since she was the Black Dragon's sister-in-law. "Uhm why are you staring? Is there something on my face?" he muttered.
Xara's heart raced. Meeting her idol so soon after arriving in Cansington was unexpected. She'd long dreamed of a picture with him.
"Don't just sit there. Dig in," James said, grabbing his cutlery. Francis, dumbfounded, stood nearby.
Seeing Xara seated, he took a deep breath and approached again, sitting beside her. Smiling, he said, "Xara, so you knew each other." James glanced at Francis and frowned. "Xara, who's this?" Xara, eyes fixed on Daniel, shook her head. "No idea."
Slam! Daniel slammed the table, sending shivers down Xara's spine. She stood. Terrified, Francis fell from his chair.
Daniel said coldly, "Do not make me repeat myself. Scram." Francis fled. Xara was about to leave, but James pulled her back. "Not you. Sit down and enjoy the food."
"Huh?"
The final sentence ("Search the FindNovel.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.") is clearly an advertisement and should be removed from the cleaned-up passage.