King reached out and gently covered Paimon's little mouth.
The pressure was very light.
"Paimon."
"Where did you get this newspaper from?"
Paimon, with her mouth covered, could only answer in a muffled voice:
"Mmm... Paimon was hungry last night... went looking for something to eat... saw soldiers from the Palais Mermonia burning things... so Paimon secretly hid one..."
King nodded.
Then he let go and turned towards Neuvillette.
"Soldier discipline needs to be tightened."
Neuvillette immediately nodded.
"Understood. I will handle it."
King withdrew his gaze and swept it over everyone present.
Furina puffed out her cheeks, still staring at the numbers on that newspaper.
Raiden Ei looked at him thoughtfully, her purple eyes seemingly calculating something.
Lumine smiled gently, but what was hidden within that smile was something one dared not dwell on.
Clorinde and Lynette stood behind him, the atmospheric pressure around them so low you could practically wring water from it.
Arlecchino wore an expression of someone enjoying the show.
Columbina smiled with an innocent, guileless expression; this chaos had nothing to do with her.
Ganyu hid in a corner, a small notebook having somehow appeared in her hands, and she was rapidly taking notes.
Wriothesley held a coffee cup, intently observing the ceiling.
King fell silent.
Then, he spoke.
"The content in this newspaper is not true."
His voice was very calm, very certain.
"Paimon is not my special friend."
"Furina is not my secret lover."
"And Raiden Ei is certainly not a vanquished princess I captured for a political marriage."
He denied the three most outrageous rumors in one breath.
Then he paused, his gaze sweeping over Lumine, Clorinde, and Lynette.
"Lumine is a good friend of mine."
"Clorinde is my bodyguard."
"Lynette is my employee."
"In short, everything in the newspaper is false."
"Everyone here is very important to me."
"That's all."
Clorinde's expression didn't change much.
But her cheeks flushed slightly, and her heartbeat quickened.
Lynette's cat ears perked up a little, and her tail swayed gently.
The corners of Lumine's mouth unconsciously turned upwards, her smile gentle, bright, and radiant.
Having finished, King let out a long sigh.
"But King..."
Paimon's voice sounded, tinged with a hint of confusion.
"The newspaper also says you're 'men sao'."
"That one must be true, right?"
King: "..."
"King, what does 'men sao' mean?"
Columbina tilted her head, her face a picture of innocent guilelessness.
"Is it a compliment?"
Neuvillette and Wriothesley exchanged a glance.
With just that one glance, the two men of high status in Fontaine reached a certain tacit understanding.
[I sense an aura of danger. Are you leaving?]
[Obviously. If not now, then when?]
[Should we bring the one playing dead?]
[Bring him. It's not good to leave him here.]
[Will you carry him or shall I?]
[Together.]
The exchange was complete.
The amount of information conveyed in that single glance was enough for the Fontaine Intelligence Division to analyze for three days and three nights.
Wriothesley elegantly set down his coffee cup, stood up, and casually helped up Venti, who had fainted from fright beside him.
"Mr. Venti seems unwell. I'll take him out to see a doctor."
"Hmm, indeed his complexion is very poor." Neuvillette nodded, his cane tapping lightly on the floor. "I happen to need to go deal with this morning's newspaper incident as well. Let's go together."
Venti, supported by the two men on either side, was as limp as a noodle.
Although his eyes were tightly shut, his eyelashes trembled slightly; he was clearly feigning death.
However, no one exposed him.
The three figures disappeared through the restaurant door with a speed that was incredibly natural, incredibly fluid, and so fast you could almost see afterimages.
Bang!
The sound of the door closing was especially clear in the silence.
Ganyu, crouched in the corner, held a quill pen suspended above her small notebook, writing non-stop.
"Observation Notes · Special Edition"
"Male Fontaine officials displayed astonishing survival instincts and retreat efficiency when faced with topics related to Mr. King's romantic affairs."
"This behavior is very rational and should be studied closely in the future."
After writing, her gaze fell upon Paimon.
That small, white, soft, strange creature was now standing with her hands on her hips, face lifted, completely unaware of the bomb she had just dropped.
Ganyu's pen tip tapped on her small notebook.
Truly commendable courage.
She silently made another note.
"Fontaine Observation Diary · Character Chapter" — Paimon.
Mr. King's... uh, pet? Companion?
In any case, this creature possesses remarkable boldness.
Dares to provoke and face Mr. King's wrath head-on. Worthy of admiration.
Finished writing, Ganyu lifted her head, continuing to quietly observe this battlefield of affection with her seemingly gentle, harmless, pale purple eyes.
So learning could be this interesting.
...
In the center of the restaurant, King stood in place, feeling a throbbing at his temples.
In front of him, Columbina tilted her head, eyes closed, waiting for an answer with an innocent expression.
Beside him, Paimon stared at him with her big, sparkling eyes, her whole face screaming "admit it, admit it!"
Furina let out a sudden "pfft" of laughter.
Then, realizing she shouldn't laugh, she quickly covered her mouth, but her shoulders were still shaking.
Lumine's smile remained gentle, but those amber eyes clearly held a mischievous glint of "let's see how you explain this today."
Raiden Ei frowned slightly, her purple eyes filled with an expression of serious thought.
"Men sao, what does this word mean?"
She murmured to herself.
"Men, does it refer to a closed, stuffy environment?"
"Sao, does it mean a foul smell?"
Unable to listen any longer, King took a deep breath.
"Let me make this clear first, I am not 'men sao'."
"Men sao means someone who appears very proper on the surface, but actually harbors indecent thoughts in their heart."
Columbina blinked her closed eyes, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
"What kind of things are indecent thoughts?"
"If King is 'men sao', what kind of indecent thoughts would you have?"
King: "..."
Paimon chimed in with a timely finishing blow: "Yeah yeah, what indecent things would you think?"
Raiden Ei tilted her head, her brain working furiously.
She was genuinely making a very serious effort to ponder this question.
And she was very much looking forward to the answer.
If the indecent things in King's mind included her, that meant she was very charming;
If not... then it proved she still needed to work harder.
All the girls looked at King expectantly.
Even Arlecchino tilted her head, half-squinting her eyes, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
"..."
King felt cold sweat breaking out on his back.
Damn, what a powerful aura of a battlefield of affection.
If he got pulled in, he'd definitely die.
King swallowed.
"Just now, Venti's complexion didn't look right, like he was about to die. I'll go see him off."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, King's entire being had already transformed into a blue afterimage, instantly vanishing.
"Wait—!"
Furina's shout chased after him, but King was already long gone.
"King!!!"
Furina stamped her foot in anger.
Lumine covered her mouth and laughed out loud.
Raiden Ei blinked, a flicker of confusion passing through her purple eyes.
She looked at Furina: "Why did he run?"
Furina took a deep breath, looking at Raiden Ei with an expression that said 'you idiot':
"Because King is shy!!"
"Shy?" Raiden Ei blinked in confusion. "Why be shy about stating one's inner thoughts?"
Furina: "..."
She opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but found herself utterly unable to.
Because...
How on earth do you explain that!
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