Lilith stood at the top of the stairs, her face as cold as ice.

Kael was thoroughly drunk. The moment he opened his mouth, he bellowed, "Who, who let that widow in? Throw her out, throw her out!"

"Enough!" Lilith's body trembled, a surge of anger swelling in her chest, threatening to burst open the tightly fastened buttons on her ample bosom. "Vincent, Robert, come up here!"

Her voice wasn't particularly loud, but it carried a piercing quality. Even in her anger, the princess maintained her royal composure, refraining from shouting in someone else's establishment.

The two knights waiting downstairs rushed up, dropping to one knee beside her. "Your Highness!"

"Gag my dear royal brother's mouth to prevent his outrageous voice from disturbing the guests here."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The two knights stepped forward, roughly stuffing Kael's mouth with the cloth used to wrap their swords.

"Bind his hands and take him back," Lilith ordered.

"Wait!" A young man suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs, swiftly moving in front of Kael. He turned and knelt on one knee, facing Lilith. "Princess, isn't it somewhat inappropriate to treat the Prince this way?"

"Inappropriate?" A cold smile spread across Lilith's face. "Perhaps I should send a letter to Father and inquire if I have the authority to manage my own brother?"

She emphasized the words "own brother," for to Lilith, others' words didn't matter - it was her blood brother's slander that truly cut her to the quick.

Chad lowered his head in silence. The King had always favored the eldest princess, and if she were to send a letter, the prince would likely face a stern rebuke.

"Our mother passed away early, and Father is consumed with state affairs. As the elder sister, I believe I have every right to discipline my brother who is bringing shame to the royal family abroad, and no one should have any say in the matter."

Lilith gave Chad a cold look before raising her head. "Vincent, Robert, take him away!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Vincent and Robert, like two victorious roosters, proudly seized Kael and strode past Chad.

Chad's expression changed several times, but he ultimately dared not defy the princess. He took his sword and followed.

Lilith's expression finally softened, and she turned to Luo Wei with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for using your place to handle some family matters."

Standing nearby, Jane's jaw dropped as she turned to stare at Luo Wei in disbelief. "You, you are..."

Oops, a mask had fallen off.

"It's alright. To be honest, this incident is partly my fault. I shouldn't have let Senior Kael drink that glass of alcohol," Luo Wei first responded to Lilith, then reached out to help Jane close her mouth, which was about to hit the floor.

"I'll explain later," she whispered to Jane.

Jane closed her mouth, but her excited eyes couldn't stop darting around.

Seeing this, Lilith covered her face. "I'm truly sorry. It seems I've blundered again. I forgot you didn't want to reveal your identity."

"It's fine. Jane won't say anything, right?" Luo Wei asked.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Jane nodded vigorously and raised her hand. "I swear to the heavens, I won't breathe a word."

"See, Professor Lilith, you haven't messed up," Luo Wei said with a smile. "And even if it were revealed, it wouldn't matter. I was going to let people know sooner or later anyway."

"Luo Wei, you're such a darling," Lilith replied with a genuine smile this time. She produced a purse from her sleeve. "So, would you allow this troublesome guest to register for a diamond membership?"

"Of course!" Luo Wei personally accepted it and asked the maid to process Lilith's membership.

Seeing her actions, Lilith's fondness for her visibly grew. "I thought girls might like some sparkly things, so I put some diamonds and a few strings of jewelry inside, along with some gold coins. The gold coins can be used to compensate for the loss of scaring away the second-floor customers just now."

Some diamonds?

Jewelry counted in strings?

Luo Wei opened the heavy purse, and the dazzling light reflected from inside nearly blinded her!

Half a bag of variously sized, exquisitely cut sparkling diamonds, a string of peanut-sized South Sea pearls, a gold-set emerald necklace, a rare pink diamond necklace, a flexible ruby bracelet, and ten gold coins.

Just that string of South Sea pearls alone must be worth hundreds of gold coins, right?

"Professor Lilith, isn't this too valuable?" Luo Wei asked hesitantly.

"Not at all. It still falls far short of my true feelings," Lilith said softly. "Luo Wei, do you think a princess's gratitude isn't worth this much?"

Luo Wei felt the weight of this expensive thank-you. "Of course it is."

"Then accept it. Our friendship is priceless."

"Alright, Professor Lilith," Luo Wei took out the ruby bracelet and slipped it on her wrist. "This will be a testament to our friendship."

Lilith's expression turned joyful.

The maid quickly brought up the diamond membership card. Lilith picked up the jade tablet and noticed the number "1" in the center.

"What's this? It looks like some kind of writing," she asked, pointing at the number.

"Professor Lilith, you're so perceptive," Luo Wei replied in admiration. "This is the writing from an ancient country in our region, called Indian. This is the number one."

"One," Lilith said curiously. "But wasn't my brother the first to buy one?"

"I gave him number two. This one was specially reserved for you," Luo Wei playfully pointed to her head and feet. "This is known only to heaven, earth, and the three of us. No one else knows."

Lilith covered her mouth, laughing so hard that tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "Luo Wei, you're absolutely adorable!"

Did her foolish brother really think he could steal her friend?

Didn't he realize what kind of person Luo Wei was? Trying to win her over with money and status when she clearly didn't care about such things. What Luo Wei cared about was genuine feelings, and the biggest share of friendship had already been given to her!

It was still early, and none of them had eaten much, so they joined tables and sat down to continue eating.

Lilith sat in Kael's former seat, eating the cake he had paid for without any hesitation, taking elegant bites.

The other alcoholic drinks that Kael hadn't tasted were all consumed by Lilith.

"Professor Lilith, this glass of Peach Passion has a high alcohol content, not much lower than the Tequila Sunrise that Senior Kael drank. You should drink less," Luo Wei cautioned, worried she might get drunk.

"It's fine. My alcohol tolerance isn't something that little brat can compare to."

Lilith finished the drink in her glass, a flush appearing on her cheeks. She showed signs of intoxication, but her mind remained clear.

"Excellent wine, indeed!" Her eyes sparkled. "For wine like this, one gold coin is a bargain."

The liquor burned warmly as it went down her throat, leaving a sweet aftertaste after the initial bitterness. The aroma of ripe peaches was sweet and mature, as if all the desires in her body were about to burst forth, making one feel as if floating in clouds and mist.

If such strong liquor were sold in those dozen or so cities in the North, it would likely be fought over by the great nobles, driving the price sky-high.

Or it could be sold at a low price to the countries on both sides of the Principality of Kinoko, secretly introduced into their armies...

Lilith swirled the last of the liquor in her glass, the light in her eyes flickering, exuding an intoxicatingly seductive aura.

Luo Wei's hand holding the spoon paused. She caught the scent of power.

Princess Lilith usually appeared soft and weak, but after drinking, she intentionally or unintentionally exuded an air of dominance. It seemed she was also someone skilled in disguise~

TBC