Li Yuan looked up at the sound, his gaze passing over Napa and Setis to land on the short-haired young man.
After a few seconds, he gave a slight nod, a familiar smile spreading across his face.
“Of course. Please, come in.”
Lanqiu stepped over the threshold, followed closely by the youth in grey. The two took a seat by the window, and Li Yuan walked over to hand them each a menu.
The youth in grey took the menu but didn't open it, simply setting it aside. He looked around the room—the decor was brand new, yet it felt strangely familiar.
“The atmosphere here is indeed quite good,” the youth said, retracting his gaze and nodding in satisfaction. “I wonder if the skill of the brewer matches it.”
Before Lanqiu could speak, Napa, who had just stood up to take his leave, paused and sat back down at the bar counter. He turned slightly, his gaze sweeping between Lanqiu and the grey-clad youth before finally settling on the latter with a slight nod.
“I suspect it will be more than enough to satisfy Your Highness the Second Prince.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the air in the teahouse seemed to freeze for a moment.
Setis’s grip on her book tightened instinctively as her gaze shifted to the youth in grey. Looking closer, she realized this person possessed Rank 3 magical strength. Moreover, despite his plain grey clothes, his composed and effortless demeanor was certainly not that of a commoner.
She had seen the Second Prince before, but the young man before her now was a far cry from the one in her memories. She hadn't even recognized him at first. It had only been a short month since their last meeting... was he in disguise?
It was highly likely.
She had heard rumors through certain channels regarding the truth behind the Blood Moon Cult’s attack on the royal capital. There were whispers that the attack was linked to the internal affairs of the royal family, and all evidence pointed toward the Second Prince before her. What was his purpose for suddenly appearing here?
Thinking of this, Setis couldn't help but furrow her brow.
The youth in grey—Adrian—simply shook his head at Napa’s words. He gave a self-deprecating smile and said softly, “I am no longer a prince.”
Napa didn't respond. He asked Li Yuan for another cup of tea and turned back to continue sipping quietly.
Setis stood where she was, her arms wrapped tightly around her book. She had intended to leave, but she temporarily set that thought aside.
She desperately wanted to know what these two were doing here. Surely... they couldn't actually just be here for tea, right?
Lanqiu finally opened the menu, scanned it from top to bottom, and ordered a cup of green tea. Adrian ordered the same.
Li Yuan took the menus and returned behind the bar counter.
He took a tea tin from the shelf and measured out the leaves. Then, he poured spiritual spring water at the perfect temperature into the pot. A plume of white mist rose immediately, and the fragrance of tea filled the air.
Lanqiu watched Li Yuan’s busy back in silence for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.
“It is still more comfortable to sit here and drink tea.”
His voice wasn't loud, but his tone carried an unshielded sense of relaxation. It was the first time since the academy incident that he had felt such a long-overdue sense of ease.
As Li Yuan filtered the tea, he replied, “Then you are welcome to visit often.”
Lanqiu didn't answer immediately. After a long silence, he spoke again, his voice slightly lower than before.
“About what happened before—I apologize.”
Li Yuan’s hands paused for a fraction of a second before he resumed his work.
“The matter with the Legal Department... was indeed quite unexpected.”
He had only heard later about Li Yuan being taken away by the Legal Department. The reason was simple—the only reason Li Yuan had been on that list was because Lanqiu had hired this tea master as his personal attendant.
Li Yuan poured the filtered tea into two fresh cups, placed them on a tray, and brought them to their table.
“It’s in the past, and I’m fine. There’s no need for an apology.”
Lanqiu looked up at him, his lips twitching slightly. He saw that Li Yuan looked perfectly composed, as if he truly didn't care about the incident at all. Adrian, meanwhile, watched with curiosity, discreetly observing Li Yuan.
Adrian picked up his cup and took a sip. The moment the tea entered his mouth, his furrowed brows smoothed out. The crisp, mellow flavor slid down his throat, seemingly washing away the fatigue of the past several days.
He set the cup down and looked at Lanqiu, his tone carrying a rare hint of praise.
“No wonder you were so willing to invest so much. If it were me, I would have done the same.”
Lanqiu didn't reply, simply picking up his own cup and taking a drink. The taste was the same as ever, unchanged.
Adrian turned his attention back to Li Yuan, studying him with interest. He spoke at an unhurried pace.
“Speaking of which, I am rather curious about you.”
Li Yuan stood by the table and tilted his head slightly, signaling for him to continue.
“Usually, once someone is taken by the Legal Department, it’s virtually impossible for them to be released so quickly.” Adrian took another sip, his eyes fixed on Li Yuan. “Even if they are eventually proven innocent, the bureaucracy usually takes months. For a commoner like you to be released so fast... you are the first.”
Having said that, he set down his cup, his gaze sweeping over Setis before turning toward the entrance.
“Was it the influence of Duke Sebas?” Adrian’s tone was full of curiosity. “Or perhaps Vice Principal Jesuska?”
The two mentioned individuals both froze.
Setis instinctively looked at Napa, who happened to be looking back at her. They exchanged a glance, both seeing the same confusion on the other’s face.
Setis had indeed begged her father for help. But at the time, her father had been swamped with the aftermath of the attack and the subsequent investigations; he hadn't had the chance to look into it. He had agreed, but by the time he was ready to intervene, Li Yuan had already been released.
As for Napa—he hadn't even known Li Yuan had been arrested.
He set his cup down, brow furrowed, and turned to Li Yuan. “You were arrested by the Legal Department?”
He had been busy with the aftermath in the Outer City these past few days, and the reports from the Intelligence Department hadn't mentioned it.
Li Yuan didn't answer Napa. He met Adrian’s gaze and frowned slightly, somewhat unsure of the prince’s intent. That day, he...
However, he didn't overthink it. He simply replied, “Perhaps the Legal Department has become more efficient, so they processed it faster. As you know... I was innocent.”
Adrian’s hand, holding the teacup, stopped in mid-air. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. He stared at Li Yuan for several seconds before retracting his gaze and draining the rest of his tea.
“I see.”
Tranquility returned to the teahouse once more.
Napa savored his tea, and Setis reopened her book, though the speed at which she turned the pages was much slower than usual. Her ears were unconsciously straining to catch any sound.
Lanqiu and Adrian said nothing more, simply drinking their tea and occasionally looking out the window at the street. Before long, both cups were empty.
Lanqiu stood up and walked to the bar counter, pulling a deep blue stored-value card from his coat and placing it on the surface.
“Consider this compensation for you.”
Li Yuan looked down. The denomination engraved on the card was fifty thousand gold coins.
He was somewhat surprised. He had already agreed with Hogg that the royal family would compensate him for the destruction of the teahouse, and the shop was already successfully reopened. This sum from Lanqiu was not something he had expected.
“This is a bit too much.” He shook his head, having no intention of accepting it—he understood the principle of not accepting rewards without merit.
“This also includes the cost of future tea visits. Consider it a prepayment.” Lanqiu’s tone remained flat, clearly not intending to take it back.
Li Yuan pondered for a moment. Framed that way, it was hard to refuse—he had indeed accepted prepayments from Setis before. After thinking it over and deciding the reason was acceptable, he agreed.
“Then I will accept it. In the future, when you two come for tea, I will deduct it directly from this. Let me know when it runs low.”
Lanqiu said nothing more and turned toward the door. Adrian also stood up and gave Li Yuan a slight nod as a farewell. One after the other, they pushed open the wooden door, the bronze bell chiming once.
Napa also rose from the bar, placed several gold coins on the counter, and nodded to Li Yuan.
“The tea was good. I’ll be back another day.”
With that, he followed them out.
Setis closed her book and stood up. She stopped at the bar counter and gave Li Yuan a curious look.
“I’m heading back as well. See you another day.”
Li Yuan smiled and nodded. “Safe travels.”
The bronze bell rang again, and silence returned to the teahouse. Li Yuan stood behind the bar, looking at the still-swaying wooden door. He picked up the fifty-thousand-denomination stored-value card, looked at it for a moment, and then tucked it into a drawer.
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