The night deepened, the moon bright and the stars sparse. Compared to earlier, when clouds had veiled the moon, the ground was far brighter now.
But a moon riding that high also meant the night had grown late.
"Let's head back." Hearing Ye Xi's suggestion, Eula mumbled and hemmed under her breath, "L-let's walk a little longer."
"Still walking? We've practically made a full loop around Mondstadt City."
"I… I'm not sleepy yet."
But before she'd even finished, Eula let out a yawn she couldn't hold back.
There wasn't a shred of credibility in her words.
Ye Xi seemed to catch on. "Eula, don't tell me you're scared? Relax, I'm in no hurry."
"W-who said that!"
Eula crossed her arms. "We're going back right now!"
And with that, she stubbornly quickened her pace.
Ye Xi found it a bit amusing and fell in step behind her, following along.
For all her bluster, Eula couldn't stop the blush creeping over her.
When they reached the Knights' headquarters, Ye Xi spoke up. "Let's go in through the door of Grand Master Jean's office."
"Huh?" Eula blinked, and had just been about to agree when something struck her.
Right now, Amber had surely gone back into the Serenitea Pot!
If she went back now, she might run into Amber, and then she'd definitely get teased!
Wouldn't that be even more mortifying!?
At the thought, she quickly shook her head. "Can we not go back?"
"Not go back? Then where?"
"The… the dorm!"
Ye Xi was a little taken aback. He hadn't expected Eula to be so bold.
In the Knights of Favonius dormitory building, the nights were so quiet. If some strange sounds slipped out, wouldn't that be thrilling?
He smiled. "You said it, not me. Let's go, then."
When they arrived at the base of the dorm building, the Dorm Supervisor was dozing off right by the entrance.
This was the knights' dormitory, so naturally there were knights keeping watch through the night, in case anything went wrong.
But none of that was any trouble for Ye Xi.
He summoned his Stand, froze time, then scooped Eula up and carried her back to their room.
By the time the flow of time resumed, Eula was already lying on her own little bed.
That instantaneous shift, from the ground floor to inside the room, gave her a real fright.
"Huh!? Huh!"
She thought of climbing the snowy mountain earlier that day, pushing through the blizzard, it had felt exactly like this.
In the span of a single instant, everything around her had changed!
She had no idea what had just happened.
And most of all, she hadn't had a moment to brace herself mentally!
Curled up in her blankets, Eula felt uneasy. Like a little cat that had lost its way, her face was full of bewilderment.
Those expressions, of course, didn't escape Ye Xi's eyes.
He reached out and gently stroked Eula's lovely cheek, saying calmly, "Eula, if you're not ready, we can wait a few more days. There's no need to force it."
Hearing that gentle voice by her ear, Eula suddenly felt herself grow still.
The tension inside her gradually eased.
She caught a faint scent of wine on Ye Xi.
This was the first time she'd shared a room with a man at night.
She raised a hand to her cheek, then took hold of Ye Xi's hand and murmured softly, "I'm ready…"
In the end, she'd summoned her courage after all.
To become one of the [family], she too had to make her own efforts.
When she really thought about it, she had received so much from Ye Xi. Yet Ye Xi had gotten almost nothing from her in return.
If there was one way she could repay Ye Xi, it was to give herself to him.
In her heart, she was willing.
As she spoke, she slowly reached up and undid the buttons of her clothes.
Ye Xi caught the fresh fragrance rising from Eula.
It was like cool mint, refreshing and soothing.
Because that afternoon they'd already bathed in the cold mountain springs up in the snow, there was no odor on her at all.
Holding this warm, soft, sweet-scented figure in his arms, a sense of contentment settled over Ye Xi.
The next day.
Early morning.
A glow lit up inside the wardrobe, and Amber slipped out through the teleport gate.
Last night, when the girls discovered Ye Xi hadn't come home, they'd all been quite worried.
It was Amber who told everyone that Ye Xi and Eula were together in Mondstadt, and only then did they all settle down and go rest.
She really hadn't expected that Eula and Ye Xi would actually stay out all night!
She'd assumed they'd come home to sleep at night.
She couldn't help wondering just where those two had gone. Surely they hadn't gone to sit under the great tree at Windrise, or up to the snowy mountain?
Romantic, sure, but wouldn't it be a little cold? A little dangerous? Or had they checked into the Goth Grand Hotel?
Just as she was pondering this, the scene before her suddenly left her dumbstruck.
"Ehhh—!?"
"E-Eula, y-you two…!"
There in Eula's little bed, the two of them lay fast asleep in each other's arms.
This scene, the visual impact of it, was simply overwhelming!
Eula was the captain of the Knights' reconnaissance squad, so naturally she was sharply attuned to any change in her surroundings.
Hearing Amber's voice, her eyes snapped open in an instant.
"Huh! Amber, you! You…"
Eula felt a bit of an ache in her head.
She remembered now! Last night she'd been slightly tipsy, thinking only that going back to the Serenitea Pot would let Amber see her, and forgetting that in the dorm, Amber would see her all the same!
In a flash, her face went red.
Ye Xi stretched lazily and woke up as well.
Last night hadn't actually gone very late. The main issue was that the setting couldn't get too loud, or the room next door would hear strange sounds.
Partway through, the Dorm Supervisor had even come knocking to check on them. Though she hadn't come in, it had given Eula a real scare.
Because he'd turned in early, his energy and spirits had bounced back quickly too.
Opening his eyes to the situation before him, he thought nothing of it and simply closed them again.
"Hey, don't just go silent!"
Amber didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Though she'd long since prepared herself for Eula and Ye Xi being together, seeing it with her own eyes still packed quite a punch!
Watching Ye Xi play dead, Amber turned a mischievous gaze on Eula. "Well, well, Eula. So daring, right here in the dorm!"
"Aren't you afraid Head Dorm Supervisor Cecilia will find out?"
Eula knew she was in the wrong. Flustered, she pressed a finger to her lips and hissed, "Keep it down, don't let anyone outside hear!"
Amber giggled and leaned close to Eula, whispering, "Let me see, what did you wear to bed last night, hmm?"
And with that, she made to yank the blankets up.
Eula was practically dying of embarrassment and hurried to beg for mercy. "Stop it, Amber, I was wrong! Ugh…"
How could Amber pass up a chance to tease Eula like this? She kept up the teasing for quite a while.
Just then, a fiery-red Eye of God tumbled out from inside the blankets.
Amber's and Eula's gazes fell at once upon that Eye of God.
"It's a Pyro elemental one!"
Amber picked up the Eye of God, a surge of excitement running through her. "Eula, your second Eye of God, it's a Pyro elemental Eye of God, the same as mine!"
____
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉