Dragon Knight Club

As night deepens, the city lights begin to illuminate the night.

Valona and her brother Marans arrived at the entrance of the Dragon's Jaw Inn by carriage.

Since he was going to the club to discuss business, it was inconvenient to bring a maid, so Ye Weian went alone.

Today he changed into a well-tailored dark blue robe, with a light, matching cloak over it. Unlike his formal daytime attire, he appeared casual yet sophisticated.

When the porch light shone on him, Maranse Kingfeld, who was waiting by the car, felt his breath catch in his throat and froze on the spot.

Is this...is this really the same person from yesterday?!

Yesterday, Ye Wei'an was already exceptionally handsome, but now, under the deepening night and against the backdrop of his dark blue cloak that seemed to blend into the darkness, his "extraordinary charm" was amplified to the extreme, and he exuded a mysterious and intriguing aura—which perfectly struck Maranse's aesthetic.

In this respect, Valona was no less capable, but fortunately, she had already met Ye Weian that morning, so the girl had developed some resistance to him and recovered first.

"cough!"

Seeing her brother's distraught state, Valona coughed heavily.

Seeing that he still didn't react, the girl couldn't help but stretch out her leg and kick him hard in the shin.

"Ouch—!" Maranth winced in pain, then came to his senses and was immediately embarrassed to the point of wanting to disappear.

Valona glared at her brother, then looked at Ye Weian with a bright smile: "Good evening, Your Excellency Ye Weian. Are we not late?"

"The timing is perfect." Ye Wei'an nodded slightly, his gaze calmly sweeping over the flustered Maranth.

Valona nudged Maranth with her elbow.

Maranth suddenly remembered his sister's prior instructions.

He steeled himself and took half a step forward, stammering as he spoke:

"Your Excellency Ye Wei'an... I once again express my sincerest apologies for my rudeness and offense yesterday. It was entirely my fault, please... please forgive me."

He had clearly practiced this beforehand, and his delivery was fairly complete.

Ye Wei'an looked at him quietly for two seconds, then simply hummed in agreement: "Let's leave the past behind for now. I hope the Golden Feather family's sincerity goes beyond words."

Maranth, as if granted a pardon, replied: "Yes, yes, certainly."

After the awkward apology, the three boarded the carriage and headed towards the "Dragon Knights Club".

The atmosphere inside the carriage became somewhat somber for a moment.

Valona tried to find a topic of conversation: "Lord Yevian, how was your day?"

Ye Wei'an looked at her in surprise—hadn't they just met this morning?

Valona immediately realized she had asked a stupid question and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Oh, I mean... what did you do this afternoon? Did it go well?"

Ye Wei'an understood her panic and followed up, saying, "I went to the Royal Court this afternoon and submitted a formal application for noble status. I also received the decree to go to the Thun Plains for pioneering work. The procedures were a bit tedious, but I finally got it done."

"That's wonderful!" Valona was genuinely happy for him, then, remembering something, she frowned. "By the way, you said today that some guy in court yesterday was rude to you and deliberately delayed the proceedings... Did he cause any more trouble today? If needed, I can help you..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone present knew what she meant.

"You mean that clerk?" Ye Wei'an laughed heartily as he spoke of this. "He was quite sensible today, very respectful to me, and completed the formalities in five minutes. He even chased after me afterward to apologize repeatedly for his 'misunderstanding and neglect' yesterday, adopting an extremely humble attitude."

He shook his head. "Arrogant at first, then obsequious; it's truly laughable. People like this definitely need to be taught a lesson."

"Serves him right! He deserves to know what's what." Valona could imagine the snobbish man's terrified and obsequious appearance, and couldn't help but chuckle.

Maranse, standing to the side, felt a strange sensation as he looked at his sister.

The Valona he remembered was not like this at all. Sharp-tongued and picky were her synonyms. Even towards her brother, she rarely showed him a kind look. He had never seen her so careful and attentive to anyone. He had never seen her worry about others and rejoice in others' joys.

This is exactly the same way she treats...the princess!

Thinking of this, an idea suddenly popped into my head.

Could it be... that Valona has also fallen for Ye Wei'an?

This speculation left him with mixed feelings, but they were understandable.

After all, even he himself couldn't help but be attracted by that mysterious and dazzling aura, let alone Valona.

The carriage soon arrived at its destination.

The club is housed in a rather unassuming stone building, with only an inconspicuous, abstract dragon-shaped door knocker on the heavy wooden door.

Maranse was the first to get off the bus.

"This is it, the Dragon Knights Club." Now that they're here, he finally seems to be in charge, introducing it to Ye Weian: "Although it's only been open for a year, it's already become the favorite gathering place for... well, the more 'daring' young people in Susar City."

"They don't care much about those outdated family trees and rigid etiquette here. The entry requirements are more flexible, and the atmosphere is more... relaxed. As long as you have enough money to prove that you're not just here to freeload, you can come in for a drink and enjoy the club's services."

Ye Wei'an looked at the building, which didn't seem particularly eye-catching, with some curiosity: "It sounds like it has a unique concept. Just relying on a 'relaxed atmosphere' doesn't seem like enough to make it so popular so quickly, does it?"

"Of course not. There are the best 'masked dancers' in Susar here," Maranse said with a knowing look. "With that, the club quickly attracted a group of enthusiastic customers and then built its own circle."

"Masked dancers, what are those?" Ye Wei'an asked Valona quite naturally.

Upon hearing this question, Valona's face flushed red. Her lips moved, but she couldn't come up with a proper explanation for a long time. In the end, she just mumbled an "um" and turned her head away.

Ye Wei'an then looked at Maranth.

Maranse was about to say something when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his ribs.

Valona gave him a hard elbow.

He gasped in pain, swallowing back the words that were about to come out: "Well... haha, you'll see for yourself when you go in. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

Marans was about to push open the door when several burly guards at the entrance recognized this frequent visitor to the Jin Yu family and opened the door for them first.

A warm atmosphere mingled with music and whispers, wafting in through the open door. The scene inside seemed like two different worlds compared to the quiet street outside.

The light mainly comes from the rows of lanterns on the wall, and the flickering flames are reflected on dozens of gleaming bronze ornaments and mirrors, creating a mesmerizing and shimmering play of light and shadow.

Waitresses moved among the small round tables—unlike ordinary taverns, all the waitresses here wore metal masks, and their form-fitting uniforms accentuated their graceful figures, making them appear alluring and mysterious.

The background noise consisted of constant whispers, clinking glasses, and suppressed laughter. In the depths of the hall, in the center of an area surrounded by small round tables, behind a rising stage bathed in dark red light, came a melodious and gentle flute sound, as smooth as silk.

"Welcome back, Master Marans," a calm and gentle female voice rang out.

Ye Wei'an looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall, slender woman with a brisk demeanor coming forward to greet him.

She wasn't wearing the usual waitress or hostess dress, but rather a well-tailored, exquisitely crafted dark leather suit. She looked to be around thirty years old, with her long, dark brown hair styled in a simple bun at the back of her head. She was beautiful and exuded a mature aura.

"Good evening, Ms. Therese." Marlans was clearly familiar with her. "I brought two friends along to meet you."

The woman called Therese's gaze swept quickly over Valuna, and when it landed on Ye Weian, a hint of amazement flashed in her calm eyes, which was quickly concealed by a perfect professional smile.

This woman is indeed extraordinary.

This was the first person Ye Wei'an was able to resist his passive charms immediately after he gained extraordinary charisma.

"Welcome everyone. The seat that young master Marans usually sits in is currently empty. Please follow me."

Maranse's table was in the first row, directly facing the club's only semi-oval stage. It offered a perfect view of the performance without being disturbed by the lights.

Clearly, his status in the club is higher than one might imagine.

After the three were seated, Therese patted Maranth's shoulder familiarly and asked with a smile, "Did you bring any new faces tonight? And who are these two...?"

"This is my sister, Valona. This is Lord Yevian, my friend."

"So it's Miss Jin Yu and your friend. Welcome." Therese's gaze turned to Ye Weian again, this time lingering a little longer.

"Is this your first time here, Mr. Ye Wei'an? With your elegant demeanor, you must come often. Trust me, the ladies here... and many other guests, would be very happy to get to know you."

She was right. Ye Wei'an noticed that he seemed to be surrounded by a special aura.

The masked waitresses would always mess up their skirts, trays, or loosen their shoelaces whenever they passed by my table, forcing me to stop and tidy up—and then take the opportunity to observe me up close while turning around or looking down.

Even many maids from further away would rather take a detour just to catch a glimpse of him.

By the end of the day, Ye Wei'an had gradually gotten used to the attention brought by his "extraordinary charm".

He nodded politely. "Thank you for the invitation, Ms. Therese. But I'm mainly here tonight to see if there's any suitable business to discuss."

"That's a real shame. The Dragon Knights Club could have given you the best memories... But it's up to you."

She didn't try to persuade them further, nor did she call out to the nearby maids. Instead, she went to the wine cabinet herself and personally picked out a bottle of wine for them.