New Chick, Who Dis?

The carriage was a surprise.

Then again, everything from the past few nights was surprising to Lydia. She couldn't believe that Jason and Lorelei had arranged so many things behind her back. Either Jason knew something, or both of them had a sense of humor. Well, as long as he didn't talk about it, neither would she. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally tell him too much.

The carriage was dazzlingly beautiful. It was decorated in shades of green, though the wheels were accented by browns. Not the murky kind, though. More like the light brown you'd see on a desk. Facing Lydia was a weird symbol. Rather than an animal on the crest, the shield had a knife with a green handle cutting something like. . . wood carvings?

Lydia was dressed in a light purple dress, one that glittered in the moonlight. The strawberry blond hair on her head was done up in one of those big, fancy bun things. Keeping the bun together was a jewel resembling the autumn leaves. Her outfit shined as she turned to look at Jason.

Dressed in a neat suit of light brown, Jason looked absolutely hot. Well, the man was married and it wasn't like Lydia wanted to be a homewrecker, but that didn't mean she couldn't look. Then again, based on what Sara and Nico had told her, it didn't sound like Lorelei and Jason were anything more than friends. Either way, Lydia wasn't about to make a move on Lorelei's man.

Jason helped Lydia into the carriage and, just like that, they were off. Lydia didn't really know where they were going but, at this point, she didn't really care. He'd been pretty nice to her so far. If he had figured out about the swap, he probably would have done something to her by now. Well, unless he was biding his time, in which case, Lydia was screwed. Eh, she'd deal with that problem when she got to it.

The scenery blurred at the carriage moved. Lydia didn't notice before, but the carriage was comfortable. Like, climbing-into-bed-after-a-long-day kind of comfortable. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so relaxed. Well, she could remember. It was before her parents died, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Lydia was falling asleep fast and, honestly? She was perfectly okay with that.

Suddenly, Jason nudged her shoulder. "We are here."

Jolting awake, Lydia let Jason lead her out to a surprisingly bright place. The lights shining within illuminated the fancy outside. With at least three floors, the building had pale yellow walls, with terraces all over the place. Even though it was nighttime, the place had a few people going in and out. A sign on the front read Yasmine's Modern Cuisine. From the smell of things, this place was a restaurant. From the look of the people around, it was an expensive restaurant.

As they walked in, Jason gave a winning smile to the receptionist. "Good evening, Grace. How are you?"

The lady perked up immediately. "Count Terrtrove! It is so good to see you! I am well. I am assuming you have a reservation?"

"Of course, Grace," Jason said, smile showing wider. "I would not dare to come without one."

Finding his name on her list, she gestured for them to follow. The inside was even more awesome than the outside. Decorated with gold in mind, the tables and chairs were all shining. Everything had a trim in white. Even the roses in the vases were colored in gold and white. The place looked more expensive than anything Lydia could afford working her whole life. However, she refused to let her self-consciousness take this from her. Stifling her anxiety, Lydia walked forward, head held high.

From the menu, which was hand-drawn, by the way, Jason quickly ordered a steak. What kind of fantasy world sold steak? Focusing on her menu, Lydia's eyes widened.

What the hell?!

Those drawings weren't just impressive pictures. The one she was looking at had fried chicken on it. On another part was a picture of what was clearly a fancy grilled cheese. Okay, maybe this place was just a little advance, but. . . 

Italian Pretty Pizza. Alright, that just looked like a pizza bagel.

What the hell is happening?

Had someone else been isekai'd, then decided to make a whole restaurant out of modern foods? How had it happened? Was there someone else who had swapped bodies? Or wait, did she have a run-in with Truck-kun?

"So," Lydia said, trying desperately to sound casual. "What is the story with this place?"

"Oh, it is quite intriguing," Jason responded. "One day, Lady Yasmine appeared out of nowhere. Not much is known about her early times but, eventually, her culinary skills were noticed by a noble family. When she first started selling her foods, many people called her insane. Over time, however, word of how delectable her food was spread far and wide. Soon, nobles were tripping over themselves to get a taste."

"Was there anything strange about her?" Lydia asked calmly.

"Well," Jason said. "I did hear that she had a peculiar sense of style. She often talks about 'jeans' or 'jorts' when I am around her."

"You've met her?!"

"Lorelei," Jason chided calmly. "Do not forget that we are in public."

Lydia couldn't believe there was another person who'd been isekai'd. Maybe Yasmine could tell Lydia about how it happened.

Maybe she knew how to make it last forever.

Sure, it sucked to speak without contractions. Seriously, why bother getting rid of them? On the other hand, Lydia would take contraction-free fantasy world over California any day. At least this air was clean. Plus, magic was real here, even if it was called something different. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Lydia ordered the Italian Pretty Pizza, just out of curiosity.

As they waited for their food, Lydia saw another group get escorted. The leader of this troop was obviously a noblewoman. From her air of refinement to her haughty way of narrowing her eyes at the staff, it was pretty dang obvious. It also didn't help that her dress was such a dazzlingly deep blue, strewn with jewels that were arranged like stars.

The woman herself was absolutely breathtaking. Her dark hair melted into her dress. Her sea green eyes, as sharp as they were, were a soft highlight to her features. Her pale skin blinded Lydia with how annoyingly gorgeous it looked. The lady looked like she could get out of bed, slap on whatever, and still be a knockout. Oddly, her description sounded kind of familiar to Lydia. Where had she heard it from? Hopefully, this wasn't one of those nobles that Lorelei was supposed to know, or else Lydia was screwed.

Suddenly the woman saw them and, without hesitation, marched over. Ignoring Jason, who was focused on his drink, she turned to Lydia. "Well, look who it is! I was not aware that this restaurant entertained those with such. . ." She looked up and down at Lydia. "Fervent spirit."

Lydia blinked, genuinely confused, but the woman didn't stop. "I do hope dishware is sturdy. We would not want another incident now, would we?" The woman plastered a mocking grin.

Lydia frowned. "Who are you, again?"

Jason choked on his drink.