Welcome to the "Midnight Teahouse"

After the red dragon soared out the high window, the chaos Venus left behind still lingered in the banquet hall.

Most people were rooted to the spot, stunned by the sudden turn of events. Hogg watched Venus depart, his brow furrowing so deeply it looked like a series of deep furrows.

He glanced at the old King, who was similarly rubbing his temples in a headache. It seemed the King had long expected that the Empire's Great Sage wouldn't attend the gala peacefully.

Hogg didn't say much, merely giving the old King a slight nod of acknowledgment. Then, with a flash of wind mana, he swept out the window after her.

High above the royal capital, the red dragon had already circled several times.

Fortunately, Venus kept the altitude well-controlled, so she didn't cause a panic among the commoners. Up there, the night wind was far more comfortable than the air in the banquet hall.

Venus sat sideways on the dragon's back, tilting her head back to let the evening breeze brush past her cheeks, her long blue hair streaming behind her. The irritability she had felt earlier gradually smoothed out in the cool, refreshing wind.

She looked down at the capital below. She particularly enjoyed this bird's-eye view of a city; back in the Empire, she would occasionally take a few laps over the imperial capital as well.

However, her mood tonight wasn't exactly great.

Soon, the sound of air being sliced came from behind her, arriving slightly earlier than she had anticipated.

Hogg hovered not far behind the red dragon, his grey robe snapping in the night wind. He didn't approach recklessly, maintaining a distance that was neither offensive nor too far to stop her if she continued to act out.

Venus glanced back at him and curled her lip in dissatisfaction.

"I just wanted some fresh air. There's no need to be so tense, is there?"

Hogg watched her in silence for a moment before speaking in a deep voice.

"Your Excellency Venus, this action was presumptuous."

"Presumptuous?" The dissatisfaction on Venus's face became even more apparent. "I'm just flying a couple of laps over your capital; I haven't done anything else. The palace is stifling to death, and I'm being watched by a crowd of people all day. Can't I even come out to catch a breeze?"

Hogg didn't respond, maintaining his silence. Seeing his stubborn, stone-faced expression, Venus felt even more inclined to speak.

"Your Kingdom's hospitality isn't much to brag about either, restricting a guest's personal freedom at every turn."

Hogg remained silent, simply closing his eyes and letting her talk.

"Also, isn't your Kingdom a bit too stingy? Is the sky above the capital royal property too? Do I need to submit an application just to fly around a bit?"

Looking at his unchanging face, Venus couldn't help but add one more thing.

"Hogg, you're such a buzzkill. Wasn't the atmosphere I brought way more interesting than those things the Protocol Department prepared?"

Hogg finally spoke.

"Interesting and appropriate are two different things... Your Excellency Venus, I must remind you once again: this is the Kingdom."

"...How boring."

Venus gave a light snort and turned her head away, ignoring him. The red dragon circled the capital one last time.

Below, the Palace Guard had gradually begun to react. Warning lights lit up on many of the towers, though no one dared to launch an attack. After all, that was the mount of the Empire's Great Sage; if a real fight broke out, it would be difficult for anyone to clean up the mess.

She wanted to say a few more things, but seeing that Hogg had no intention of chatting with her from beginning to end, she eventually gave up on the idea.

"I get it, I get it. It won't happen again."

She waved her hand dismissively and then reached out to pat the red dragon's neck.

The dragon let out a low roar. In the next instant, its massive body transformed into a streak of red light, quickly vanishing into the night sky.

Venus, in turn, began to fall rapidly from the air.

Her skirt and long hair whipped upward in the wind as she directed an "international 'friendly' gesture" toward Hogg.

Hogg watched the falling figure, ignoring the gesture. After confirming that the red dragon's presence had completely vanished, he finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

As for Venus... she should probably settle down for the night, right? He wasn't entirely sure, but he didn't plan on continuing to follow her.

Hogg looked toward the palace, then turned and flew toward the Magic Tower.

He still had a lot of work to do... he couldn't let one person delay everything.

On the other side, as Venus approached the ground, her extremely high speed suddenly slowed. Finally, she landed lightly on a deserted street.

The Outer City.

Unlike the brightly lit palace area, this street was exceptionally quiet. The shops on both sides had closed early; a few distant dog barks could be heard occasionally, but they soon faded back into silence.

She looked toward the palace. After thinking for a moment, she completely lost any desire to go back and continue with the gala.

Compared to that, Venus would rather walk for a while on this quiet street. She began to stroll slowly along the road.

The night in the Outer City wasn't as tidy as the Inner City. One could still see traces of repairs on the road surface, and the lighting was quite poor, with the entire street flickering between light and shadow.

However, a place like this actually made her feel more at ease—no one crowded around to pay their respects, no one carefully observed her expressions, and no one spent several beats overthinking every word before cautiously speaking it aloud.

Unless necessary, Venus preferred solitude.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a different kind of light suddenly caught her eye ahead.

On this street that had almost entirely sunk into darkness, was there actually a shop still open for business?

The light wasn't conspicuous, yet it radiated a warmth that was easy to feel. She had originally intended to just glance at it, but her feet unconsciously moved in that direction.

Before she knew it, she arrived in front of the small shop. A wooden plaque hung by the door with a few simple words written on it.

—Midnight Teahouse.

Venus arched an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"A teahouse?"

She had seen all sorts of shops in the Empire; taverns and restaurants that stayed open at night were common enough, but this was the first time she had seen a teahouse operating during the night.

Moreover, this shop was located in such a remote part of the capital's Outer City. This was becoming interesting.

After hesitating at the door for a moment, she pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside.

Ding-ling-ling—

The bronze bell above her head let out a crisp chime.

Yellow light spilled out from inside the room, and the air carried a faint fragrance of tea. The interior wasn't luxuriously decorated, but it was exceptionally refined, making the modest space feel anything but cramped.

A few small tables were placed by the window. Behind the bar was a wall of tea shelves, and next to them were several rows of bookshelves.

Venus's gaze swept across the teahouse before landing behind the bar, where a handsome young man in a black butler suit stood.

The youth was looking down, seriously wiping a tea cup in his hand with meticulous, professional movements. Hearing the chime of the bell at the door, he slowly turned his head toward the entrance.

Then, a perfectly measured, professional smile appeared on his face.

"Good evening. Welcome to the Midnight Teahouse."