Scarlett reappeared in DreadHaven, standing quietly on a high cliff that overlooked the entire land. The wind brushed against her hair as she gazed down at the town below, her gaze softening.

  What used to be a small, poor goblin village had now turned into a large, beautiful city. There were neat rows of houses, wide roads, and well-planned streets. Just as she had imagined it—everything was built perfectly, without any chaos. There were even smooth paths and magical transport stations scattered across the area.

  Scarlett smiled gently, her heart warm with pride.

  “Dragon Women Homecoming!” she whispered to herself.

  She slowly floated down from the cliff, descending like a feather. As her feet touched the ground, she noticed something surprising. The entire area was decorated with colorful lanterns, shining ribbons, and glowing magical lights. Stalls were lined up along the roads. It felt like a celebration.

  Scarlett tilted her head and looked around.

  "Is there a festival going on? Or maybe someone’s birthday?" she wondered.

  But the moment she took a step into the city, something happened.

  Almost instantly, many of the powerful people in DreadHaven turned their heads. Their eyes lit up. Scarlett had made special pacts with most of them, so they could always feel when she was near—unless she used magic to hide herself. Right now, she wasn’t hiding anything.

  It didn’t take long. Just a few seconds later, several people came running toward her.

  “My Lady Scarlett is back!” one of them shouted, his voice full of joy.

  He was wearing a clean, dark blue uniform. Around him were others dressed the same—guards or city enforcers, all with happy and surprised expressions on their faces.

  Others nearby heard him and gasped.

  “My lady is back?”

  “Where? Where is she?”

  People started pouring in from all directions. In just moments, a crowd had formed. Everyone wanted to see her, to welcome her. After all, Scarlett wasn’t just their ruler—she was their protector, their goddess, their hero. Her presence brought warmth and hope.

  But the guards quickly formed a protective circle around her, gently stopping the crowd from getting too close. One of the guards stepped forward and bowed deeply in front of her.

  Before he could even speak, Scarlett raised an eyebrow and asked calmly, “Is there a celebration happening? Some kind of festival?”

  The guard looked up at her, his face bright with excitement.

  “Yes, my lady! The former ruler, your master, Lord Avalokishva, has returned! The celebration is for him!”

  Scarlett raised her eyebrows.

  “Avion?” she said under her breath, clearly surprised.

  She had been planning to go out and find him herself—to visit his castle, or wherever he might be hiding. She wanted to ask him questions, to understand what he had been doing. But to hear that he was already here, inside DreadHaven… it caught her off guard.

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  She stood still for a moment, her mind spinning with thoughts.

  “Let’s go to the palace,” Scarlett said with a calm smile, taking her first step forward.

  “We have horse carriages ready... even wyverns if you prefer flying,” the guard beside her quickly offered, trying to be helpful.

  But Scarlett gently shook her head. “No need,” she said softly. “I want to walk and look around as I go.”

  And so, they walked.

  The sun was shining gently above, and a cool breeze flowed through the streets. Scarlett’s sharp eyes scanned everything around her as she walked slowly along the stone-paved roads of DreadHaven. It had changed so much.

  There were more shops now, and cleaner streets. The air felt busy, but peaceful. She noticed new faces and races too—dark elves with long ears and silver eyes, and lizardmen walking upright with tails swaying behind them.

  Scarlett’s gaze landed on a few humans wearing plain clothes. They were standing near a small stall, writing something in notebooks. She could tell from a glance—they were probably reporters or merchants, curious about this once-feared place now known as a growing, peaceful city.

  “Even though DreadHaven is known as human-friendly now, it’ll take time before humans truly feel safe here,” she thought quietly.

  Soon, they reached the farming area. Fields stretched far and wide, filled with tall trees that shimmered under the sun. Golden apples grew on them like little suns hanging from branches.

  Scarlett’s eyes lit up as she watched several humans working in the fields. Some were gently picking golden apples, placing them in wooden boxes, while others loaded the boxes onto large carriages, There was tight security too.

  She smirked to herself.

  “So, President Yumi really did it. She made a deal with the Merchant Queen,” she thought proudly, knowing how hard Yumi must have worked to make such a thing happen.

  After walking a few more minutes, Scarlett finally arrived at the grand palace gates.

  The palace looked even more alive now than it did when it was first built. Before, it felt quiet and empty. Now, it was filled with people—maids hurrying around, guards standing tall, and familiar faces like Li Feng, Lunatic, Xao Feng, Reiza, and others moved here too.

  There wasn’t much fuss made over her return—after all, she had only been gone for a week—but her presence still carried weight.

  As she stepped inside, every servant and guard she passed bowed their heads respectfully.

  “I greet Lady Scarlett!”

  “Praise the Lady!”

  Scarlett felt her cheeks warm a little with embarrassment, but she quickly straightened her back and walked confidently. She had to maintain her image. After all, she was the ruler of DreadHaven.

  Finally, she reached the guest room where Avion was staying.

  From the hallway, she could hear laughter and voices coming from inside. It was clear he wasn’t alone.

  Inside the spacious room, Li Feng and Xao Feng were sitting comfortably on a long sofa, li feng listening with interest while Xao was quite. Kroenen stood quietly in the corner, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his face unreadable as always.

  On the opposite sofa sat Avion—the first demon king, now her master. Behind him stood his maid, Lilith. Her face was completely calm, cold even, like a statue made of snow.

  Avion was in the middle of telling a story, his face lit up with joy as he laughed heartily.

  “And then—she begged me! Saying, ‘Master, I’m begging you, please teach me! I want your priceless, mighty training! I’ll even wear a dancer’s costume to prove my sincerity!’” Avion slapped his thigh and laughed until his eyes watered.

  Li Feng was also enjoying the tale even though it sounded completely made up.

  Avion continued, trying to act proud.

  “Of course, being the kind and generous man I am, how could I say no? I mean, who can resist an incomparable beauty?”

  But just as quickly as he laughed, his face changed. He sat up straight and spoke in a louder, more serious tone.

  “But I said no! I told her—‘I won’t train you because of your beauty. If you want to wear it, wear it out of gratitude, not to please me!’”

  He nodded seriously, trying to act noble. But anyone with a bit of common sense could tell—he was totally bluffing.

  “Hahaha… You are so damn hilarious, Master Avion! I thought Lady Scarlett’s master would be like her—cold, quiet, and scary!” Li Feng laughed, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes.

  “I don’t believe Lady Scarlett would ever beg to someone,” Xao Feng added softly, her voice calm but certain.

  The laughter in the room stopped.

  Avion’s smile froze as he turned his head slowly toward Xao Feng, narrowing his eyes. “You think I’m lying?” he said, sounding serious for once. “Fine then. Ask my one and only maid.”

  He turned and pointed at the silver-haired woman standing behind him. “Lilith! Tell them the truth! These fools think I’m making it all up!”

  Lilith’s short silver hair swayed slightly as she nodded once. Her face remained blank, and her voice came out flat, cold, and emotionless—like someone reading from a script.

  “As his one and only maid,” she began, “I can clearly say that everything he just said is a complete lie.”

  A beat of silence passed.

  “He is one hell of a pervert. A piece of shit who peeks into women’s baths, even though he’s already way too old to be doing such things.”

  Her tone didn’t change. Her face didn’t even twitch. But somehow… everyone in the room felt like she had just slapped Avion with words.

  Avion’s face turned bright red.

  Li Feng froze like a statue, his mouth half open.

  Xao Feng tried to hold it in—but then she burst out laughing, slapping her knee.

  Even Kroenen, who rarely reacted to anything, smirked slightly in the corner, his lips twitching up just a little.

  Avion looked betrayed. “You didn’t have to say that much truth!” he cried, glaring at Lilith. “Are you my maid or theirs?!”

  Lilith blinked. “Then should I resign?”

  She gave a small, gentle smile—but to Avion, it felt like thunder rumbling behind her eyes.

  His whole body went stiff, and he started sweating. “No, no, I was joking! It was a joke, a joke!"

  But before he could embarrass himself further—

  BANG!

  The door suddenly burst open, swinging wide with a loud crash.

  Scarlett walked in, her presence overwhelming. Her boots clicked softly against the floor.

  In an instant, the atmosphere changed.

  Everyone fell silent. Li Feng and Xao Fen

  g quickly sat upright. Even Kroenen straightened his back, his expression going serious.

  They all started to rise and bow respectfully to her, but Scarlett swiftly raised her hand.

  “No need,” she said, her voice firm but calm. “Everyone go outside. I want to have a private chat with these two.”