King nodded, his gaze falling on Furina at the edge of the bed.
Those heterochromatic eyes were secretly peeking at him; upon meeting his gaze, she quickly looked away, pretending to stare blankly at the tea leaves in her cup.
Lumine gave him a look and mouthed a few words: Not, do-ing, well.
King chuckled, said nothing, and simply walked over to sit beside Furina.
Furina's body stiffened slightly.
"What are you thinking about?"
Furina bit her lip: "I'm thinking... if I, as the Hydro Archon, am too much of a failure."
"Neuvillette is also a leader of Fontaine." King's voice was calm, as if he weren't speaking ill of someone behind their back. "Do you think he's a failure?"
Furina didn't speak, but the trembling of her shoulders gradually subsided.
"You've already done enough. Don't take the sins committed by those people as your own faults."
King's hand gently ruffled the top of Furina's head before pulling back.
"The villains have been punished—those who should be arrested are arrested, and those who should be killed are killed. The families of the victims will be compensated by the Fontaine authorities. With me here, such things won't happen again in the future."
Furina looked up at him.
Her eyes were still red, but there was a flicker of light in them now.
"But..."
"That's enough." King interrupted her. "Don't overthink it."
The room fell silent.
The setting sun shone through the glass, spilling over everyone and coating them in a layer of warm gold.
After a long while.
"...King."
Furina's muffled voice came from between her strands of hair.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Paimon floated in mid-air, watching this scene with a face full of confusion.
She flew to Lumine's side and whispered into her ear: "Lumine, their conversation has no beginning or end. What exactly are they doing?"
Lumine sighed and reached out to cover Paimon's mouth.
"Don't ask, kid."
Paimon: "Mmph mmph mmph!"
Just then—
"Dinner is ready."
Lynette's voice came from the doorway.
She stood at the door holding two large trays; on them were steaming dishes, their fragrance filling the air.
Those grey-violet eyes swept across the room, lingering for a second on King's hand ruffling Furina's hair, then moved away as if nothing had happened.
"Can we start the meal?"
King withdrew his hand and stood up.
"Let's eat."
Paimon was the first to cheer: "Yay! Food time!"
She broke free from Lumine's hand and flew to Lynette's side with a "whoosh," staring longingly at the food on the trays, her mouth practically watering.
Lumine shook her head with a helpless smile and got up to help.
Ganyu also stood up from her corner, cautiously approaching, wanting to help but not knowing where to start.
Furina looked up, wiped her tears with her sleeve, then also stood up and walked to the table.
Clorinde put down her rag, adjusted her sleeves, and followed them.
The group sat around the table, beginning dinner in a lively atmosphere.
King sat at the head of the table, watching this scene, a sudden, indescribable sense of satisfaction welling up in his heart.
Is this what it feels like to be home?
It seems quite nice... After dinner ended, everyone went their separate ways.
Furina returned to her own room, looking back at King before leaving, her heterochromatic eyes filled with lingering affection.
Lumine took Paimon to wash up, while Paimon was still clamoring, "Paimon's not full, Paimon wants more."
Ganyu was arranged to stay in the guest room; before leaving, she clutched her little notebook, muttering, "I learned so much today."
Clorinde finished her final round of cleaning, and after confirming the room was spotless, she nodded in satisfaction and exited the room.
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