Arlecchino turned to King, his expression switching to "serious mode."
"Mr. King, I actually came here for Lynette."
"Please allow me to clarify one thing."
"I don't know this woman."
Arlecchino raised his hand and pointed at Columbina, his tone decisive.
"Don't know him at all."
"Never met him."
"First time meeting."
Columbina tilted his head, his closed eyes turning toward Arlecchino, his face filled with confusion.
"Arlecchino, we clearly know each other."
His voice was ethereal, carrying a child-like innocent doubt.
"Did you forget? We met many times in Snezhnaya. You even bought me candy; I was very happy because no one had ever bought me candy before."
Arlecchino's mouth twitched.
Looking at the Damselette before him who was so innocent it was a headache, King helplessly rubbed his brow and asked:
"What is the purpose of you two coming to find me, exactly?"
Arlecchino took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Columbina.
"Speak," he said softly, "don't you have something you want to say to Mr. King personally?"
Columbina tilted his head, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
"Arlecchino, I want to quit the Fatui."
His voice was ethereal like wind chimes, filled with innocence and romance.
"And then, I want to live with King."
"Is that okay?"
The air froze.
Arlecchino closed his eyes and sighed silently.
Although he had guessed Columbina would say this.
Hearing it in person still made his blood pressure soar.
To the side, Neuvillette's hand holding his cane instantly tightened, his knuckles turning white.
His face, which usually had no expression, was now written with the word "unbelievable" in large letters.
What on earth?
Wait, wait, wait.
What did this woman, who claimed to be the Fourth Moon Goddess, just say?
Live with King?
Neuvillette's gaze swept back and forth over Columbina, his brain working frantically.
He had let him in because he heard Columbina claim to be King's "older sister."
He thought it was a proper meeting between siblings.
He didn't expect this kind of siblings!
Wasn't this letting a wolf into the house?!
That scheming woman from Inazuma hasn't even been sent away yet!
Now another "natural schemer" from Snezhnaya has arrived!
Neuvillette felt his blood pressure soaring.
Can Furina still win?
Originally, Furina didn't have much of an advantage among the "Queen" candidates.
Only his status as a deity was barely presentable.
Now two more deities have been added to the competition!
One God of Thunder, one Goddess of the Empty Moon!
Raiden Ei, Inazuma's God of Thunder, graceful figure, extremely high IQ, charm index: five stars.
Columbina, Goddess of the Empty Moon, as beautiful as a celestial, mysterious and unfathomable, charm index: five stars!
Although Furina is still the Hydro Archon, what about his advantage?
Where is Furina's advantage?!
Aside from acting and playing the fool, Furina knows nothing!
Countless thoughts flashed frantically through Neuvillette's mind.
Finally, all thoughts converged into one sentence:
Furina, I've failed you.
I shouldn't have let this woman in.
...
King stood there, silent for a long time.
He looked at the Damselette smiling innocently before him, then at Arlecchino next to him, who had a "mask of pain" on his face.
Then he spoke, his voice carrying a hint of confusion.
"Are you serious?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Columbina nodded vigorously, his dark long hair swaying with the movement.
"I've never been this serious before."
He reached out his hand and began counting on his fingers.
"From birth until now, I've met many people, but they all just wanted to use me."
"The Tsaritsa wanted to use my power."
"The Jester wanted to use my identity."
"Pulcinella wanted to use my kindness."
"And that hateful Dottore, he wanted to use my body for experiments."
He folded his fingers one by one; with each count, the smile on his face faded a bit.
After finishing the last finger, he looked up, his closed eyes "looking" at King.
"Only Rosalyn, Sandrone, and Arlecchino were truly good to me."
"Thank you, Rosalyn, Sandrone, Arlecchino."
Columbina softly repeated these three names, a warm smile appearing on his face.
Then Columbina's smile gradually faded: "But, I still feel lonely occasionally."
With closed eyes, his eyelashes trembled slightly.
"I was born in Nordkale."
"When I first opened my eyes, it was very cold, and the wind blew so hard it was uncomfortable."
"But I was still very happy."
"Because that day, I met a group of people who believed in me."
His voice was as soft as a dreamy murmur.
"They called out to me, praying to me."
"'Lord Deity, please forge weapons for us.'"
"So I forged weapons for them."
"'Lord Deity, please repair our bodies.'"
"So I repaired their bodies."
"They kept taking from me, and I kept responding."
"At that time, I felt that this was the meaning of my existence."
"To be needed, to be believed in, to be loved..."
"But later, what they asked of me were things I couldn't give."
Columbina's voice became very soft, almost inaudible.
"What happened next... I don't want to say."
He lowered his head, his dark long hair falling down, covering most of his face.
"I only know that it wasn't home."
"So I left Nordkale."
The drawing room was extremely quiet.
Arlecchino turned his head away, a flash of pity in his crimson eyes.
Although Columbina didn't continue, he could probably guess the aftermath.
The things the Children of the Frost Moon did to Columbina were nothing more than those few things.
Exploitation, DMG, abandonment.
Forcing a newly born deity to become homeless.
"If people can pray to a god when they are powerless."
Columbina looked up, his closed eyes "looking" at King.
"Then who should a god pray to when they are powerless?"
King looked at him silently.
On that exquisite little face, there was no element of performance.
He was just stating a true story.
A story of a soul that had been lonely for too long, searching for a home.
"I don't just want friends."
"I also want a family member."
"I also want a home."
He took a step forward.
"King."
"Can you please respond to my prayer?"
He tilted his head slightly, and on his face with closed eyes, a kind of almost pious expectation appeared.
"I am willing to offer everything of mine to you."
King looked at him.
Looking at his face with its eyes perpetually closed.
Suddenly he was a bit curious about what those eyes would look like if they opened.
Would they be as lively as Furina's?
Would they be as sharp as Raiden Ei's?
Would they be as warm as Lumine's?
Or rather...
Would they be a different scenery altogether?
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