"We're back!"
In the evening, Paimon, back home, called out impatiently. The moment she entered, she smelled a very pleasant aroma in the air.
She knew without a doubt that Durandal was cooking in the kitchen. The thought of delicious food soon to come made Paimon's mouth water, and she couldn't wait to fly to the kitchen to see what was for dinner.
"Paimon, wait a moment."
At this moment, Shenhe suddenly appeared in front of Paimon, blocking her path to the kitchen. Her expression was serious, briefly bringing Paimon out of her food-obsessed state.
"What's wrong, Shenhe? Is something the matter?"
"Yes, there's something I want to tell you. Can you come with me for a moment?"
Hmm? A bit strange. Paimon looked at Shenhe in confusion. Shenhe usually sought Lumine's help when she had something to do. What could she, a guide, possibly help with?
If Shenhe's expression hadn't been so serious, Paimon would have definitely refused her invitation, as eating was the most important thing in her heart, and no one could stop her from having her meal.
Not only that, a feeling in her heart was warning her that it would be best to leave with Shenhe now, otherwise something terrible would happen later.
"Okay, I understand. Lumine, Paimon will go with Shenhe to handle something and will be back soon."
"Okay, you go."
Lumine didn't think much of it. Everyone in the villa was family; Shenhe wouldn't possibly harm Paimon.
Just like that, Shenhe easily led Paimon back to her room.
As soon as she entered the room, Paimon saw a table in the center, laden with delicious food. By the smell, it must have been made by Durandal.
"What... what does this mean?"
"Tonight's dinner, we'll eat here. Don't go to the living room, understand?"
Shenhe placed her hands on Paimon's shoulders, staring into her eyes with a serious expression, and said, "Durandal has something she wants to tell Lumine. She hopes that only the two of them will be in the living room tonight, and others should not disturb them for now."
"Eh? What does she want to tell Lumine? What is it? Why does she have to... uh (⊙o⊙)."
Paimon suddenly remembered Durandal's unusual behavior from a while ago. Although it wasn't the first time, Paimon's brain, uncharacteristically, started working.
She thought of a somewhat terrifying possibility. She swallowed hard, tentatively looking at Shenhe, silently asking with her eyes if things were as she suspected.
Shenhe shook her head, indicating that she didn't know what Durandal intended to do, but from Durandal's emotions that she sensed, Lumine was definitely in for trouble tonight.
Alright, she loved to eat, that was true, but the prerequisite was being alive to eat the food.
Durandal was kind, that was true, but she was also terrifying, so terrifying that one dared not make her even slightly angry.
Even if she were to get angry, it absolutely couldn't be because of her. This time, Durandal was angry, and the one who made her angry was that Lumine.
Let it be known, Paimon had no intention of saving anyone. With her meager strength, going over would only draw more fire to Lumine.
"I hope you'll be alright, Lumine. But this is also your own doing. This is the tribulation you must face. I hope you can endure it."
Paimon clasped her hands together, mimicking the Liyue custom of praying to the Gods, praying that the Geo Archon would protect Lumine and allow her to return safely.
But she suddenly realized, was praying to the Geo Archon for something like this useful? Even if the Geo Archon manifested, could he stop an angry Durandal?
"Lumine, there's no hope."
As the person involved, Lumine had no idea what she was about to face. When she arrived in the living room, she saw Durandal carrying a dish out.
How should she put it? Tonight's meal was quite good, but for some reason, she felt that these dishes looked familiar.
It must be her imagination. Durandal often cooked for them, and she couldn't possibly make a different dish every day, so it was natural for her to be serious.
"You're back. Go take a shower first. After your shower, we can eat."
"Let's eat first. Then I'll take a shower before I go to sleep; that'll be more comfortable."
Lumine sat down at the table with a grin, scanning the delicacies on the table, and couldn't help but pick up her chopsticks and take a bite.
Mmm~ Delicious. Durandal's cooking skills were getting better and better, already far surpassing the level of ordinary restaurants.
"How is it? Is it good?"
"Mmm, delicious. You truly are amazing, Durandal."
"Is that so... Then, compared to when we first started traveling together, which of these dishes do you think tastes better?"
"Of course, it's now. So much time has passed, and your cooking skills have improved so much more than before... huh?"
Lumine suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She trembled as she turned around, seeing Durandal standing beside her, a faint smile on her face, and a gentle look in her eyes.
It truly was that kind of very gentle gaze, the kind she showed when she was with Klee. This was the first time Lumine had received such treatment.
But... she shouldn't have done anything to increase her friendship recently, right? There's a problem! There must be something wrong here!
Lumine slowly calmed down, carefully observing her surroundings, and found that Shenhe and Paimon were not here.
They said they had things to do, but it had already been more than ten minutes. Why hadn't she seen them yet? What exactly were they doing?
Not only were Shenhe and Paimon missing, but even Bai Ying, the housekeeper, wasn't here.
This was very unusual. Even if Bai Ying had to manage the gang, she would definitely return to the villa at night.
As Lumine's unease grew, Durandal slowly approached her, reaching out to caress her cheek.
"Why are you like this? Didn't you say you missed the time we traveled together? Keeping silent isn't your style. Shouldn't you be saying something like, 'I want to feed you,' at a time like this?"
"Du... Durandal?"
"Even the dishes I prepared are the same ones I made back then. How is it? Doesn't it feel just like when we first started traveling together? Doesn't it feel like that time has returned?"
Oh... oh no, how did Durandal know she had said those things? Could it... could it be Guizhong? She had only said those words to Guizhong. Could Guizhong have told her?
No, the situation couldn't be allowed to worsen. She had to find a way to change the subject.
"Durandal, I..."
"Don't speak yet, Lumine. I still have many questions I want to ask you, and you must answer me well."
Durandal reached out and pressed a finger to Lumine's lips, smiling at her. Her pupils, which should have been dark purple, were now glowing blood red.
She knew that Durandal's pupils would turn blood red during battle, and normally they would be dark purple.
That was fine; dark purple was also very beautiful and suited Durandal's temperament.
But now they were blood red, symbolizing battle. What Durandal had become was very clear now. Even if Lumine was foolish, she understood Durandal's situation.
"You... you calm down first, Durandal. I'm a little scared. Let's both calm down and talk, okay?"
"Talk? I'd be happy to talk to you, but every time we talk, it has no effect. I'm getting a little tired of it."
Durandal gently touched the ornament in her hair. It was an iris ornament Lumine had bought for her when they first arrived in Liyue Harbor. To prevent it from causing problems during their later travels, she had even assimilated it as part of herself.
She truly cherished her relationship with Lumine, but ever since that incident, she seemed to have given up on herself, unwilling to have more intimate contact with her.
"Is it because you met other girls who made your heart flutter? The elegant Demoiselle Kamisato Ayaka, who had a good impression of you before even meeting and always thought of you during your time together?"
"Durandal..."
"Or is it that cute-smiling Yoimiya? Yes, if a girl like that were by your side, you'd definitely be very happy. Her clothes also suit your interests. Just a little joke, and you can see many wonderful places. Unlike me, even though this dress is beautiful, it covers my body, so I can't give you any benefits."
"Wait a minute, Durandal. Isn't something strange here..."
"Not them either? Then who could it be? Do you know other girls I don't, Lumine? When... when will you finally be willing to look at me?"
Durandal, who had been full of murderous intent, sounded like a wronged little animal by the end, burying her head in Lumine's chest and asking in a low voice.
Lumine, who had been panicking, gradually calmed down seeing Durandal like this. Recalling Durandal's past, it seemed... she was quite to blame?
Actually, she also very much hoped to interact with Durandal as before. In the past, she would shamelessly sleep in the same bed as Durandal and occasionally bother her while she was showering.
These were all things done to cultivate friendship, but after having Shenhe and Venti, two powerful rivals, Lumine could no longer act as freely as before.
She had to consider Durandal's feelings and Shenhe's thoughts.
As for Venti, she didn't need to worry about him. He usually stayed in Mondstadt and didn't come out, so even if she did something, he couldn't interfere.
Her thoughtless actions seemed to have hurt Durandal, making her think that Lumine didn't value her and had ignored her.
This was what she worried about most. Don't forget that Durandal herself was not a very confident person, especially in interpersonal relationships. Seeing so many girls who were prettier and had better personalities than herself, she would naturally develop negative thoughts like, "Is Lumine going to abandon me?"
These thoughts had been accumulating in Durandal for a long time and finally erupted all at once.
"I'm sorry, Durandal. I broke my promise again."
How many times had she broken her promise? She said she would protect her, but she still hurt her.
"Forgive me, Durandal. This time... I won't be like before."
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