Time moved to the present. Furina changed her clothes in the dressing room and came outside.
"How do I look?"
"Beautiful."
Liu Yuan answered seriously. For her, no matter what Furina asked, the answer would always be the same.
"Hmph, well, of course it is."
With a touch of tsundere pride, Furina adjusted her clothes in front of the mirror. After confirming there were no issues, she turned and left the room with Liu Yuan.
Outside, several guards who had already prepared themselves immediately began their work upon seeing Furina emerge, escorting her toward the designated location.
---
"Ahem, long time no see, people of Fontaine. I wonder if you missed me during the half-month I was away?"
Now on the high platform, Furina began her speech.
"Of course, I missed you very much! After all, you are my people!"
"....."
"In short, after this speech, I will also have lunch with the Knave, a Harbinger from Snezhnaya. This is enough to prove the friendship between Fontaine and Snezhnaya!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the residents below erupted in warm applause. Furina walked down amidst their cheers.
Meanwhile, in several hidden corners not far away, shadowy figures were watching where Furina had disappeared.
"Report to 'Father.' The Hydro Archon's speech today was as usual, seemingly without problems. Further observation is needed."
"Understood, brother."
A flash of cyan Anemo energy flickered and vanished, along with the figure. Another figure, wearing a magician's top hat, slowly stood up and walked out from the corner.
Sunlight spilled down, shining on him. He took a deep breath, looked at the bustling crowd, and smiled faintly.
"Well then... first step, become a great magician."
---
"This script is so long..."
Furina muttered unhappily, sipping tea in the lounge.
Every time she gave a speech, she would receive both a theme and a script. Normally, the content wasn't too long, but this time was different. Not only did she need to explain her half-month absence, but she also had to speak about the "good diplomatic relations" between Fontaine and Snezhnaya.
As a result, the script was ridiculously over the limit. And as the Hydro Archon in the public's eyes, Furina couldn't just read it dryly — she had to embellish it with her unique flair. Truly exhausting!
Feeling parched, she returned to the lounge as soon as the speech ended.
Her gaze shifted to the figure standing quietly by the window.
Liu Yuan was watching the podium in the distance, where a white-haired woman with blood-red crosses in her pupils was giving a speech, her smile unusually formal.
"What are you looking at?"
Furina leaned closer, following Liu Yuan's gaze. She froze when she saw the woman.
Liu Yuan... staring at another woman?!
Her ahoge instantly perked up. Her brows furrowed, cheeks puffed out — very unhappy.
"Is that woman very beautiful? You're staring at her like that?"
Liu Yuan: "???"
Although she had no idea what was going on, Liu Yuan felt a wave of resentment in Furina's tone.
What... did I do wrong again?
No matter how she thought about it, Liu Yuan couldn't figure it out.
"I didn't..."
She lowered her head, looking at Furina's pouting face so close to hers, unable to understand her emotions.
"Then what were you doing?!"
Furina leaned even closer, puffed cheeks inches away. The sudden closeness made Liu Yuan instinctively step back.
"I..."
"What 'I'? You were staring at her, weren't you?"
"Yes... but it's because that person was sensing you with her mind. That's why I was watching her."
Furina froze. Her puffed cheeks deflated. She stepped back, laughing dryly.
"Ah... ah... so that's how it is... understood, understood..."
The jealousy bubbling up turned into embarrassment. Her stiff expression betrayed her fluster, so she quickly tried to change the subject:
"What did you see?"
"That person has an aura around her— something protecting her. And... that aura is very dangerous to you."
Though curious about Furina's earlier outburst, Liu Yuan patiently explained.
"Dangerous?"
Furina's eyes narrowed. Inside, however, she gave herself a mental thumbs-up for changing the subject so smoothly.
"Mm... very dangerous," Liu Yuan said after a pause. "But I won't let you get hurt."
Her serious tone pierced straight through Furina's defenses, making her heart pound wildly.
Furina forced a composed smile. "Are you saying you'll protect me for the rest of your life?"
"Yes. I will definitely protect you for the rest of your life."
Liu Yuan's dark blue eyes held no impurities, only pure, unwavering seriousness.
Furina froze, immediately spun around, and flopped onto the sofa. She hugged a pillow tightly and buried her face in it.
Liu Yuan blinked in confusion.
What... did I do wrong again?
But Furina wasn't upset — her burning cheeks were simply impossible to hide. The pillow became her only shield.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, all of them circling back to Liu Yuan. Suddenly, a line surfaced in her memory:
"What does it matter! I like you! I like you without any doubt! So what if you're a Ghost? I just like you!"
It was Namiya's hasty confession to Ghost from the story she once read. And now, that sentence struck her deeply.
Yes... so what?
Even if Liu Yuan was a spirit, what did it matter?
Furina calmed down, still buried in her pillow, and slowly... a plan began to form in her mind.
.
.
.
_