Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Natasha! What Did You Add to the Black Tea?

The familiar scent made Su Xuan pause, teacup in hand. He searched his mind for the memory of this aroma, but for a moment, he couldn’t recall it...

’Whatever, why overthink it!’

’How could the kind and beautiful Lady Natasha possibly want to harm me?’

Su Xuan took a light sip, savoring the tea’s aftertaste.

He then asked Natasha, "What kind of tea is this? Its fragrance is very unique."

"It’s delicious, isn’t it?" Natasha said with a smile. "It’s because I added some special nectar. This is it~"

As she spoke, she took out a delicate little vial containing a crystal-clear liquid.

"Special nectar?" Su Xuan asked curiously.

"Shhh~"

Natasha gently pressed a finger to the corner of Su Xuan’s lips and whispered with a laugh, "That’s a secret~"

"..."

Su Xuan was a little speechless. ’Does this really need to be a secret? Is it some top-secret formula or something?’

Still, he didn’t dwell on it. The tea was truly excellent—mellow and delicious. It was almost intoxicating, as if the fragrance was seeping into his very being.

Just then, Roxia walked in.

"Has Aunt Natasha told you two about it? The day after tomorrow is my birthday, and I sincerely hope you can both come!"

"Your birthday is the day after tomorrow?"

Su Xuan said, still savoring the tea’s aroma, "Alright, we’ll be there."

"The day after tomorrow is Roxia’s coming-of-age ceremony. But for certain reasons, she doesn’t want to make a big fuss about it, so she’s only inviting a few close friends," Natasha explained with a smile as she refilled Su Xuan’s black tea.

"Just a few close friends? That’s nice. I’m not a fan of big crowds myself." As Su Xuan finished his cup, Natasha immediately refilled it.

’This black tea, with its special nectar, is so intoxicating I can’t stop drinking it!’

"They’re all friends from the Knight Academy. Roxia used to study at the Knight Academy in the Royal City," Natasha continued.

"The Knight Academy in the Royal City?"

Su Xuan’s gaze shifted to Roxia, who was sitting across from him. She was just picking up a cream puff and popping it into her mouth.

"Yes~" Natasha sat demurely beside Su Xuan, handing him a slice of cream cake. "Roxia was one of the top three Law Enforcement Knights at the academy. I even heard a Princess invited her to become a Royal Knight~"

"A Princess?"

"Mhm~ Not just that Princess, there were also..."

"That’s enough, Aunt Natasha! Why are you telling him everything?" Roxia quickly cut in, afraid her aunt would start recounting her childhood stories to Su Xuan.

"Alright, alright~ We’ll drop the subject~" Natasha quickly changed topics, turning her gentle gaze to Ivsha. "Miss Ivsha, how do you take care of your skin~"

"..."

At the ladies’ tea party, Su Xuan felt completely unable to join the conversation. He was like a silent observer, just listening to them talk.

In this respect, Roxia seemed to have inherited a fine family gene; like her aunt, she wasn’t particularly talkative and rarely initiated conversation.

The conversation between Ivsha and Natasha, however, lightened the atmosphere. Su Xuan poured himself another cup of tea and sipped it thoughtfully.

He asked curiously, "Roxia, how many years did you spend in the Royal City?"

Roxia paused for a moment before answering, "About three years."

"Then you must be very familiar with things in the Royal City?"

"Yes. The scale of the Royal City is far beyond what a remote place like Sunset City can compare to." A light shimmered in Roxia’s eyes, a clear sign she still longed for the capital. "The Royal City is hundreds of times larger than Sunset City, with an uncountable population. Excellent Law Enforcement Knights are a common sight there, and I was even lucky enough to meet a Star Knight once!"

"Star Knight?" Su Xuan narrowed his eyes in thought. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Roxia nodded firmly, a trace of regret in her eyes. "Yes, they represent the greatest military strength of our Star Kingdom. If my aunt were still alive, she might have had a chance to become a Star Knight..."

Su Xuan nodded in agreement.

’Rosaline was Legendary quality. If she were still alive, she really could have become a Star Knight.’

Suddenly, Roxia’s brow furrowed. "Mr. Su Xuan," she said, looking at him, "your face..."

At the same moment, Ivsha and Natasha also turned their attention to Su Xuan.

"Hm?"

Puzzled, Su Xuan glanced at a mirror on the table. He saw that his face had turned bright red, and steam was even rising from the top of his head.

’What’s happening?’ Su Xuan’s brow furrowed, and he immediately checked his status bar.

Status: Bestial Frenzy (Cause: Don’t eat random things from strangers! Can be cured by drinking salt water)!

’Bestial Frenzy?’

Su Xuan’s eyes widened as he thought back to what he had just drunk the most of...

He stared at the black tea in his cup, deep in thought.

Then, with a suspicious look, he turned to Natasha. "Lady Natasha, what exactly did you put in the tea?"

"How can that be? It’s never been a problem before," Natasha said, pulling out the delicate little vial, her face a mask of confusion.

’She and Ivsha had drunk the tea too, so why was nothing happening to them?’

"Water... I need water..."

Unable to withstand the effects of the frenzy, Su Xuan’s muscles began to tremble. He lost his footing, and as his hand slipped, he grabbed Natasha’s wrist.

"Ah~"

Natasha let out a soft moan and said weakly, "Mr. Su Xuan~ please not here... At least not in front of Roxia..."

Su Xuan: "¿"

Roxia: "?"

After chugging a large amount of salt water, Su Xuan finally cleared the Bestial Frenzy status. However, even by the end of the tea party, he still hadn’t gotten an answer from Natasha.

What exactly had been added to the black tea remained a mystery.

After Su Xuan left, a curious Roxia asked her aunt, "Aunt Natasha, what did you really put in the tea?"

A subtle light flickered in Natasha’s beautiful eyes. After a moment of thought, she answered softly, "The night before last, I went to your study and saw you’d fallen asleep. I was going to put a blanket on you when I smelled a peculiar fragrance, so I..."

Hearing this, Roxia’s face instantly flushed. "You mean, it’s what... came out of me while I was sleeping..."

"It was tears! Tears!" Natasha explained anxiously, afraid Roxia was getting the wrong idea.

However, Natasha’s explanation only made Roxia blush even more fiercely.

’So she had let her imagination run away with her!’

But now, an even bigger question surfaced in Roxia’s mind.

She had learned from Mero that the curse in their bloodline caused them to secrete a special bodily fluid, one that should only affect Demon Beasts.

’But why did the curse affect Su Xuan?’

’Could it be... that he’s a Demon Beast!?’

...

ACHOO!

Back in the Underground City, Su Xuan sneezed and rubbed his nose.

’Who’s thinking about me?’

He raised his head, his gaze piercing the white mist before him. The sea of fire ignited by the Flame Cocoon was gone, replaced by billowing steam that shrouded the entire Underground City. And in the midst of this white vapor, Rosaline stood silently.

After absorbing the third Memory Fragment, her soul-body had undergone a subtle change. It was as if starlight flickered within her. Paired with her skeleton of Diamond Crystal, her form shone like a brilliant star, utterly dazzling!

The small serpent conjured by her Soul Magic Power had changed as well. The once ten-centimeter-long snake had grown to about half a meter. Its aqua-blue body shimmered with a faint starlight, just like Rosaline’s. Despite its cute appearance, it exuded an undeniable sense of danger.

[Water Fairy Magic purity increased to 50%]

[Water Elemental Magic power increased by 50%]

[Rosaline has absorbed the third Memory Fragment!]

[All Attributes +20!]

[Past events have surfaced in her memory, involving a Witch hidden within the Star Kingdom...]