Afternoon is always the most leisurely time of the day. The sunlight in this season is not as intense as in summer, and there is no scorching heat in the air. Sitting under the shade of a tree, one can even feel a pleasant breeze. On the wide road, only a carriage is slowly moving forward, with the copper bells on it tinkling lightly. On both sides of the road, there are endless golden fields, with waves of wheat swaying in the wind. Everything is like a perfect oil painting or a beautiful frame in a movie. The only flaw is that there is a faint sound of complaint coming from the carriage.

"So slow... if only we could fly, we would have arrived long ago."

The one driving the carriage is a young girl with white hair wearing a maid outfit. She lazily leans against the back of the carriage, her beautiful face showing a hint of impatience. She just finished yawning, and there are still tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Are you dissatisfied? I will report it to Her Highness when we get back," a calm voice comes from inside the carriage, making Aya shiver and quickly snap to attention.

"No! I'm not dissatisfied! I'm very grateful for Her Royal Highness's arrangement! Absolutely no complaints! Please don't report anything!" Aya hurriedly responds, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

...

About an hour ago, Aya was still peacefully enjoying her afternoon nap in the room of Her Royal Highness. Despite all the tragedies that followed being captured, this bed was still comfortable. Taking advantage of the absence of that woman, she wanted to enjoy a little more. However, not long after, Mimi barged into the room and dragged her off the bed for no reason, leading her to the front courtyard of the castle where a carriage adorned with the royal emblem was waiting.

"So, what are we doing?" Aya asked confusedly, holding the horse whip that Mimi handed to her.

"Procuring," the maid replied concisely.

"Don't fool me, okay? The castle should have people specifically responsible for procurement, right? How could they let a maid do such a thing? Don't think that just because I'm a Dragon, I don't understand these things!" Aya retorted.

"That's true. Normally, there is indeed a convoy specifically responsible for supplying goods. But first, what we need to procure today is not within the scope of daily necessities. It is a special request from Her Highness. Second, Aya, Your Excellency, you will be Her Highness's personal maid in the future, and this trip is also an evaluation of you. And third... as a subordinate of Her Highness, when do you have the qualification to question her decisions?" the maid said.

At that moment, Aya completely lost her temper. After all, she still had the collar that sealed most of her powers around her neck. If one day Her Royal Highness became unhappy and decided to cut her neck, she would truly be considered unjustly killed.

...

The destination of the procurement was the port city "Beacon," located southwest of the Gileast Castle. This city, along with three medium-sized townships and a dozen villages, formed the territory of the Second Princess of Milenia.

Simply in terms of area, this territory was not large—even if the king loved his daughter, he could not grant Tiran too large of a domain for the sake of the stability of the kingdom and the opinions of his ministers. However, considering the location of Beacon City, it was clear that the king loved his daughter. Beacon was not only a seaside city but also the largest commercial port in the kingdom. More than half of the seaborne trade entered Milenia through here, bringing in astounding tariffs.

"What a big city..."

Sitting in the carriage, Aya could already see the towering walls of Beacon City from afar. The white walls shimmered under the sunlight, and the weathered marks left by time added a sense of historical weight.

"It's already November now, and the busy season for maritime trade has passed. Otherwise, the carriages outside the city gates could be lined up for several kilometers," the maid inside the carriage said as she pulled aside the curtain and stuck her head out. "After entering the city, go directly to this address."

After hearing the long list of addresses from Mimi, Aya was dumbfounded. "Hey hey, I've never been to this place. I have no idea how to get there!"

"Are you an idiot? Don't you know there is something called asking for directions in the world?" With a flirtatious roll of her eyes, the maid turned around and went back into the carriage.

Beacon City was an important port city with countless merchants coming and going. Therefore, the inspections at the entry checkpoints were quite strict. However, there was no such thing as inspections for carriages marked with the royal emblem. Especially considering that the outskirts of Beacon City was home to the Gileast Castle where the Second Princess resided, and the lord of this area, the gatekeepers dared not stop them. Once the identity was confirmed, they were allowed to enter without delay.Once we entered the city, the surroundings immediately became noisy. The reputation of being a trading city and port city wasn't just for show. Even though it was the off-season for trade, many shops along the streets were still open, and there were numerous itinerant vendors selling their wares from horse-drawn carriages. It was hard to imagine what it would be like during the peak season.

"It's quite lively here, not much different from the human world decades ago," Aya said in a low voice.

"Decades ago?" Mimi, who was in the carriage, paused for a moment. Aya's human appearance seemed to be that of someone in their teens, so it was quite surprising to hear such words coming from her.

"Yeah, a few years ago, I was bored and spent some time in the human world, it was quite interesting... But back then, I didn't have any demon-like women threatening me..." At first, it was a happy memory, but as Aya spoke, a bitter and resentful expression appeared on her face.

"Demon-like women, huh… I'll make a note of it and report back when we return."

"Wait, wait a minute?! Maid, no, I mean, elder sister, I was just saying it casually!" Aya swore to herself that she would never speak without thinking in front of Mimi again. Are princesses or beautiful women always this conniving?

...

The carriage eventually turned into a narrow road that only allowed one-way traffic for carriages and stopped in front of a slightly dilapidated wooden door.

Aya jumped off the carriage and stared at the door in front of her, hesitating.

"Um, are you sure this is the right place?" she asked.

"It is, go ahead and knock," Mimi replied, opening a small window in the carriage and glancing outside before nodding her head.

Still wearing a doubtful expression, Aya tentatively pressed the doorbell on the side of the door.

A crisp sound of a copper bell and heavy footsteps could be heard from inside the door. After a moment, the door lock turned, and the entire door was pulled open from the inside.

When Aya saw the man inside the door for the first time, she was startled. Could this really not be a vampire?

His skin looked like it hadn't seen sunlight in a long time, displaying a sickly paleness. He was lean and thin, resembling a refugee who often went hungry. His golden hair would have looked good, but it appeared messy and unkempt due to the lack of care...

However, when Aya saw the panda-like dark circles under his eyes, she immediately understood. Okay, this guy must be a powerful cultivator.

The question was, what did the princess need that she had to find this kind of guy to buy it?

On the other hand, the guy in the door's eyes lit up when he saw Aya, his previously lackluster gaze suddenly becoming bright. He quickly straightened out his messy appearance and said, "Finally, a face I haven't seen before... You're not that maid who looks cute but is actually really conniving, are you?"

"Roger, it seems like you have a bone to pick with me," Mimi said, pulling aside the curtain of the carriage and revealing her face. Her icy gaze directly stunned him.

"Oh... How could that be? Lady Mimi is definitely the second cutest in my heart, only second to the princess. This person... uh, this newcomer will be the one coming to get things from you in the future." Roger pointed towards Aya, who was standing on the side.

"Oh, is that so? I'm the newcomer, nice to meet you. Since I've never seen you before, I don't know what the name of this lovely maid is. I hope you can stay and have a cup of tea with me later and discuss art together..."

Facing the man's enthusiastic greeting, Aya gave Mimi a pleading look. Unfortunately, Mimi had no intention of helping him and resolutely pulled the curtain back, retreating into the carriage.

"Asta... but never mind, call me Aya," she said, cursing Mimi in her heart. Aya forced a smile as she responded to Roger, but her voice turned into a soft and sweet tone. Thanks to a small Magic attached to the collar made by Tiran, it was able to change the wearer's voice.

—So, pretending to be a maid was planned in advance... When Aya realized this, countless grass mud horses were running wild in her heart.

"Aya, huh? It's a nice name," Roger said, taking out a card from his pocket and handing it to Aya. "This is my business card. I'm Roger, an artist."

Seeing that Roger was about to continue, Aya bravely collected the business card and interrupted him, stopping him from talking further. "Roger... right? Our time is a bit tight. Can you give us what the princess wants?""Um, is time running out? Well, it is after all." Roger scratched his head, with a somewhat regretful expression, and turned to bring out a tightly sealed cardboard box from the room and handed it to Aya. "These are the things the princess ordered this time, please take care of them and don't let anyone see. As for having tea, it seems like we'll have to wait until next time."

"Uh... Ah, next time then..." Aya mumbled vaguely, holding the cardboard box and getting onto the carriage, escaping like a runaway.

What would it feel like to be stared at by another man with such eager eyes... Aya definitely didn't want to experience it again.

"Mimi, where are we going next?"

After the carriage left the alley, Aya looked at the business card in his hand and asked casually.

"Back to the castle directly."

"Oh... Ah? Aren't we supposed to go shopping? Is that it, just like that? What about the payment? Is there nothing else to buy?"

"Yes, that's right. We got the items already. As for the payment, His Highness had already settled it when he made the order."

"...Damn it, this is like receiving a delivery!"

...

The journey back was just as boring as the way there, so Aya, bored out of his mind, could only chat with Mimi sitting behind him.

"Can I call you Mimi?"

"Sure."

Um, " Aya lowered his head and glanced at the box beside him. Curiously, he asked, "What exactly is inside this box?"

The princess specifically sent someone to pick it up, and that man just now was so nervous, as if afraid of being discovered. It all seemed very suspicious, like some secret underground meeting.

"I don't know, His Highness strictly ordered not to open it, just deliver it to her room. Even I have never seen what's inside," Mimi replied casually, but suddenly, he heard the sound of paper being torn.

Furrowing her eyebrows, an uneasy feeling rose in her heart, and she knocked on the carriage wall. "Hey! What are you doing!"

Pulling back the curtain, Mimi's face immediately darkened.

The tape sealing the cardboard box had been torn off, and the box itself was half opened.

"I...was just curious." Aya stuttered to explain, with one hand already reaching into the box.

"You idiot! How dare you, as the servant of His Highness, do such a thing!" Mimi wanted to wrest the cardboard box from Aya's hand.

"I just wanted to take a look, curiosity is a virtue!" Aya had already taken out a thin booklet from the box in a flash, using one hand to block Mimi, and the other hand flipping through it. "...'Tea Party in the Angel's Garden'? What a strange name, what's inside..."

In just three seconds, Aya swiftly stuffed the booklet back into the box, sealed it with tape at lightning speed, and even Mimi couldn't see clearly. Finally, he pressed both hands tightly on top of it, as if something terrifying might come out from inside.

Seeing his reaction, even Mimi, who had originally wanted to stop him, became curious. "Hey, what did you see? What is that thing?"

"There's nothing! You really shouldn't see this kind of thing, it's better that way, really!" Aya blushed.

What the hell, an artist's sketchbook! It's obviously just a damn doodle book!