Edited by: Priapus

– Jean–

What am I missing? She thought, looking at the pictures of familiar faces on the board, all connected to the dragon of her nightmares: Crimson. What does he want from them? From Mondsadt?

Before she could make a move, Jean needed to discover his reason for being in her region—why he was here and what he wanted. But for as much as she dug, she couldn't find anything that could be of value to him.

Money? He could just rob a bank without anyone noticing. Power? Already had it in spades, and Mondstadt had no powerful artifacts hidden anywhere as far as she knew. Venti's Gnosis was the only thing that came to mind, but Snezhnaya already stole that.

If neither of those things, then what? That's what she was trying to figure out. From what she could see, he seemed to like interacting with her knights: Eula, Barbara, Amber, Lisa, Sucrose, and Klee. Most of them viewed him positively. Lisa seemed strangely neutral, and Eula pretended to hate him, even though a child could tell she respected him highly.

Was it the knights he wanted? Did he want to control Mondstadt? That seemed to be the case. It would explain why he wasn't just killing everything in his path. Ruling a kingdom with no subjects was pointless.

But then he also seemed to enjoy interacting with Mona, Venti, and Diona, which threw a wrench in that theory. Besides Venti somewhat, the other two had no relation to the Knights of Favonius whatsoever. Hell, the astrologist seemed to be living with him. Free of charge. Why would he show kindness to someone with little political power?

And it wasn't like Mona would agree to do dirty work for him even if he was nice to her. She was a neutral entity and knew not to compromise such an advantage by making an enemy out of the knights. So then, why?

What was the connection? What was he looking for? He seemed almost too random and whimsical to be making sense. Unless… there was one trait all his 'victims' shared. One singular characteristic that brought it all together.

"Women? Is that it?" Jean murmured, then paused. "...No, that's too obvious and ridiculous. If that was what he wanted, he'd force himself on the girls and go after the less powerful to avoid drawing attention."

Plus, the fact that Diona and Klee were in the equation made her feel sick. Jean liked to think that whatever kind of monster he was, he wouldn't go that far. He had to have some limits, right? Besides, for all her praise of 'Crim-Crim', Klee didn't say anything about him touching her inappropriately.

Regardless, perhaps that was his plan after all. To deliberately look random so she wouldn't figure out what he wanted. It was like he was playing some game with her, and she was losing very badly. What did he want from Mondstadt? What had drawn him to this region specifically?

If she were in his place, Jean would stay in Liyue and bother them instead. That region was incredibly powerful and rich, far more than the humble Mondstadt. What fascinated Crimson about the knights? About her home?

I don't get it. She huffed in frustration. I just don't. What the hell does he want from me?

Because once she was sure she'd got it figured, she could actually stop him. Probably not forcibly, but perhaps they'd be able to come to some sort of a compromise, and assuming it's nothing too big, Jean would just give it to him so he could finally fuck off.

But with this frustrating and stressful game of his, Jean was more than sure that it was something she couldn't afford no matter what. The fact that Lisa was so sure that he was only here to mess with them was absurd. She expected more from the Librarian.

The knock on her office door prompted a startled gasp out of her. She whipped her head at the door and then huffed in annoyance, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She'd just told them she was too busy and not to bother her. Couldn't they follow simple instructions?

"It's me." Jean heard Lisa's voice.

Jean paused for a moment and almost told the Librarian to leave. Lisa would only start reprimanding her for being too 'paranoid' and whatever other bullshit she could come up with, as if the immensely powerful dragon in the region wouldn't be so glad to wipe them off the map at the drop of a hat.

Not much was known about them, but in every story related to dragons, they shared a common trait: their volatile temper and tendency to destroy everything in their path when sufficiently aggravated.

…But Jean couldn't do that. She felt guilty about the time they'd started yelling at each other. Hearing her good friend raise her voice like that was… well, Jean had never heard or seen it happen before. Lisa was always so calm and relaxed.

Crimson really brought out the worst in them, didn't he?

"Come in."

Lisa entered the office, and none of her usual mirth was present on her face. Jean almost forgot how she'd acted and looked before Crimson had entered the picture. They were miserable.

"How have you been?" Lisa asked.

Jean didn't say anything for a while, looking back at the board.

"...I've been better." She answered.

"I see." The Librarian responded, approaching her. "You should get some sleep. It would help you reorganize your thoughts."

"I can't sleep." Jean scowled. "And get to the point. Why are you here? If you want me to drop this investigation, then forget about it. Crimson is a huge threat that needs to be dealt with accordingly, and I will not rest until he's gone."

Lisa's eyes narrowed.

"...I'm afraid you don't have a choice anymore."

Jean stopped and slowly turned her head toward Lisa.

"Elaborate."

"You haven't been checking your mail, have you?" She questioned. At Jean's silence, Lisa continued. "I thought as much. You do remember that keeping in touch with Grandmaster Varka was part of your duties, yes?"

Jean took a breath sharply.

"Seeing that you haven't been responding, he contacted me. And I explained everything to him." The Librarian added. "And he's telling you to call off this entire thing and take a vacation before you lose your mind."

"You… you snitched?! Are you serious—"

"Snitched?" Lisa parroted before an angered scowl took over her expression. "SNITCHED?! What are you, twelve?! Is that what you call it?!"

Jean flinched.

"Varka is our leader! He had every right to know what was happening in Mondstadt!" Lisa shouted. "And you call it snitching the moment I do your job for you and inform him?!"

"I-I didn't–"

"By the Archons, Jean! You've completely lost it!"

"I'm trying to keep my city safe!"

"In the worst way possible. Where did the brilliant and brave Jean I knew go? You've turned into a completely different person." Lisa said, trying to calm herself down but failing. She then pointed at the board. "Look at you! What the hell is that?! Since when were you so irrational?!"

"When the threat can effortlessly wipe out all of Mondstadt in minutes, I'm not taking any chances," Jean said, grinding her teeth.

"This 'threat' can be taken care of if you actually approached him personally instead of constantly provoking him by sending your knights to spy on him," Lisa argued, making a good point. "But what do I know, right? I probably sound gullible to you for believing him, even though we've already established that he has no reasons to lie."

They were getting nowhere with this, and both knew it. Frankly, Jean wasn't sure why Crimson would lie about this particular thing, which was precisely what had been driving her nuts the past couple of days. It made him utterly unreadable.

Just what kind of genius was she dealing with here? If Crimson was making such a multi-layered plan that she had no way of deciphering or figuring it out, then he was taking this as seriously as she was, and none of them realized it.

…Exactly as he was hoping for. He was trying to isolate her, wasn't he? Make everyone think she's crazy and deranged. But this didn't explain why. Just what did he want from them? Or rather, what did he want from her specifically? Because, at this point, this felt targeted.

"If this is why you're here, then just leave me alone." Jean sighed. "You're not convincing me."

"Irrelevant. Varka told you to stand down." Lisa took out an envelope. "It's written right here if you don't believe me."

"The Grandmaster is on an expedition and knows nothing about the current threat," Jean argued. "I will not stop until either Crimson is dealt with or Varka returns. That is final."

There was a long, pregnant pause between the two as Jean returned to her board. Lisa could do and say whatever she wanted, but Jean wouldn't back down. Not until she knew what to do. She was close. She'd almost got it figured.

"You've gotten really arrogant recently, you know that?" Lisa said quietly. "Your lack of trust in your commanders, your treatment of me as if I'm a child, and now disobeying the Grandmaster… You've changed, Jean. And not in a good way."

Jean said nothing.

"Fine, suit yourself. I hope you don't regret your choices later," Lisa added. "I'll be in the library if you need me."

As she heard the door close, Jean's eyes narrowed. Lack of trust? Her? How could she say that when none of her own subordinates respect her constant commands telling them to stay the fuck away from Crimson unless otherwise authorized.

She couldn't trust knights who wouldn't follow orders.

What a joke.

– Lisa –

Leaning against the door, Lisa took a deep breath as the headache and nausea she was feeling made it terribly difficult to think properly. She didn't know what was happening to her. Was she really that stressed? She hadn't even been able to sleep well last night or the night before.

Partly because Crimson was nowhere to be seen now that he'd had her way with her, but that didn't stop him from messing with Jean anyway. What was he thinking when he decided to go out with Barbara? Did he not know who she was?

…Well, it would be unreasonable of her to expect him to know, admittedly. Lisa didn't think he had any way of knowing that Barbara and Jean were sisters. He kept his words to her so far, even if he was looking for loopholes, so she doubted he knew.

Even if he did, he would probably find a way to make it seem she was unreasonable anyway. Whether he interacted with Barbara knowingly or not, it didn't really matter since it was only indirectly messing with Jean, and everything he did— what he had for breakfast was indirectly messing with Jean.

…There was no point trying to protect her, Lisa realized. Jean was digging her own grave and would inevitably break from all the stress, even if Crimson wasn't doing anything. There was no helping it, as desperate as she was. And it wasn't like Jean was making her feel like she wanted to help.

This obsession of hers was genuinely driving her insane. A dignified, shrewd woman whom even Varka trusted to lead the Knights of Favonius to one jumping at shadows and misinterpreting the most obvious signs because she was too scared to admit she's just being fucked with.

What am I to do? She thought, feeling frustrated. No, genuinely angry. Why can't you just admit you're wrong?

Lisa shook her head, taking another deep breath before moving on and walking toward the library. Her head was still pounding, but her steady breath helped with her nausea significantly. This is the worst…

This was all his fault, but… was it really? For all his power, knowledge, and age, Crimson was only here on a 'vacation' as he put it, and couldn't have known that things would escalate this much. All he did, according to him, was give Kaeya a little scare because he thought it'd be funny.

Somehow, that ended up with Jean losing her marbles.

With or without him messing with her, Jean's mental health was going to deteriorate regardless. He'd only sped up the process, but Jean was often just fighting and punching shadows. He barely even tried.

And he knew that when Lisa made that deal with him, and now… now she was paying the price. The longing she felt for him was just unnatural. Why had her sex drive suddenly risen so much? And no matter what she did, she couldn't calm down. Ignoring it or masturbation would only make everything worse.

Was he that good at sex? Was she that repressed, and she simply didn't realize it? Or did his semen or something have a long-lasting aphrodisiac effect, as insane as that sounded? Whatever it was, it was not changing how she thought as far as she knew. It just made her hornier.

Lisa opened the door to her library, putting her hat on the rack before taking a seat on her desk and leaning back on it. She was tired, annoyed, and increasingly aroused as she thought more about Crimson. She hated it. She just wanted to sleep for twenty-four hours so this day could end.

As the ceiling started to look boring, Lisa brought her gaze down and nearly fell out of her chair when she saw the bane of her life sitting in one of the chairs, an uncharacteristic frown on his face and a pile of books on the table in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lisa asked in genuine shock.

Crimson lazily looked at her and waved the book in his hand.

"What does it look like?" He responded. "I'm reading."

"And who gave you permission to enter the knight's library?" She scowled.

"There was no one there I could ask, so I gave myself permission." He shrugged with a blatant lie. "Are you suffering from a low recruitment problem, by any chance? For the governing body of this region, there's barely anyone in your HQ. Rather unusual."

She looked at him silently for a few seconds, then just sighed and ignored him. No, she wasn't going to entertain him anymore. She'd let him do his thing until he got bored and left. Simple.

She also needed to make sure the other knights didn't tell Jean about this. That would only make everything worse.

Grabbing her own book from the nearby shelf, Lisa read it in silence. Surprisingly, Crimson kept quiet the entire time. Seeing how he loved being a nuisance, she'd expected him to be more annoying. She honestly appreciated his library etiquette.

A few minutes passed as Lisa enjoyed this strange atmosphere. There were only them in the library, and it was so quiet she could hear her own breathing. Lisa stole some glances, still not used to his frown. He's usually smiling, sometimes at nothing.

I guess he hates reading? She wondered. It doesn't matter. It's no concern of mine.

Lisa paused a little as she suddenly remembered something, looking at him before sighing. A bastard or not, she hated interrupting other people's reading time, but it was about time she had some answers.

"May I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know of a way where it's possible to…" Lisa hesitated a little. How should I say this? "...regain lost lifespan?"

Crimson stopped reading and then looked at her.

"Interesting question." He smiled knowingly. "Yes, there are several ways. Usually related to souls. Is it a curse?"

"I…I don't know."

Crimson paused, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them up again.

"Hmm, it's hard to tell, admittedly. I'm currently unable to access my magic, so a close examination is out of the question for now. Souls are rather hard to figure out." He says. "But if you want a general answer, then spiritual healing would do the trick. If it is a curse, then find an expert who could cure you or kill whoever cursed you. That's how this problem of yours is usually dealt with."

None of those was an actual answer. Or, well, they were, but they weren't solutions. She didn't know how or what 'spiritually healing herself' even meant, and Lisa was ninety percent sure that whoever had cursed her was a god.

Lisa was confident in herself, but killing a god? Finding someone who could dispel such a thing? Out of the question. But even though she hadn't got the answer she'd been hoping for, Lisa still didn't regret asking that.

"I… see." She sighed. "Thank you for answering."

"Of course."

Silence befell them once again, and this time, Lisa couldn't focus on her book very well. She threw a few gazes his way, wondering what exactly was he reading. Why was he here anyway? Did he really find something that interesting in her library? Yeah, right. He looked bored.

From simple, occasional gazes to full-on staring at him, Lisa closed her book. Honestly, she expected more words of mockery or annoying quips about how her condition or whatever, but he seemed oddly… focused. She couldn't read the book's title from this distance.

"What are you reading?"

"Currently? History and politics." He answered. "Of Mondstadt, to be specific."

"That is a strange subject." Lisa was slightly intrigued. "Why?"

"I want to see if becoming king is possible." He said bluntly.

"Forget it." She scoffed.

"Hmm? Why?" He questioned. "Isn't your precious Varka king already?"

"That's different."

"It is not." He disagreed, eyes still on the book. "I've spoken with many people here. When presented with the idea that your grandmaster was king, 470 out of 500 agreed. That is approximately 94%."

He'd really gone out of his to talk to that many people? What the hell was he doing?

"That's… you've certainly done your research." Lisa was surprised. This was the first time she had seen him take something seriously. "But it's not like he's officially king."

"Whether it's official or not does not concern me," Crimson replied. "I just wanted to know if it was possible, and apparently, it is."

This was weird. She had only known him for a few weeks at most, and he was doing something completely different. She'd thought he was only here to have fun and be entertained. This… this feels threatening.

Was he planning to become king? By force? No, if it was by force, then he wouldn't bother studying. He'd wipe out the knights and then proclaim he was king of Mondstadt. Nobody would be able to stop him.

Then why was he doing this?

"Do you want to become king?"

"I'm already royalty in several other worlds, even my own," Crimson scoffed. "And frankly? It's boring. There's too much responsibility for my liking. No, I'm doing something new, something different. I'm only laying the groundwork for something utterly hilarious."

Ah, there it was.

Lisa felt her headache worsen as she heard that, exhaling heavily as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Why was he like this? Why couldn't he have a normal hobby like a regular person? Actually, why'd she have to be stuck with him anyway?

Why am I even here? She thought. I should leave.

"Oh, don't give me that look." Crimson rolled his eyes and grinned. "If everything goes well, Mondstadt would also benefit quite a lot."

"In what way?"

"For starters, I will ensure Mondstadt's safety from any invading force." He said, making her freeze. "Or any monster, for that matter."

They'd be getting his protection? A dragon god? Was he being serious? If he was, and he would genuinely work for such a thing, then… then they could focus on expanding. Farms, villages, wineries. Adventurers would lose their jobs here, sure, but the economic boom would be monumental.

It would make Mondstadt prosper and thrive more in a year than it had in a century. But that was too good to be true, wasn't it? A favor that big wouldn't be free.

"At what cost?"

"Oh, virtually nothing." He responded, surprising her again. "I only ask that you crown a certain someone to be your new ruler."

Lisa looked at him in confusion.

"Not… you?"

"Like I said, I'm not interested." He shrugged. "I want someone else to rule in my stead—the birth of a new royalty. Doesn't that sound exciting?"

It did not.

"Who is it?"

"That, my dear Lisa, is a secret," Crimson said cheekily, closing the book and picking up another one. He reads fast. "For now, at least. Let's say it's a surprise."

Lisa didn't bother with that line of questioning anymore, knowing he'd just dance around the answer and act smug about it the entire time.

"Leave." She said.

Crimson chuckled.

"Should I?" He raised a brow. "Do you really want me to leave? This is your chance, Lisa~"

Bastard. She held her tongue. He's here just to bother me, isn't he?

Reminding her that she was utterly failing at protecting Jean from him, ridiculing her, knowing she couldn't do anything about it. To make matters worse, she was unfortunately attracted to him. He may not corrupted her heart and mind with his debauchery, but her body was a different story.

The fact that a part of her had felt happy when she'd seen him was damning. She was slowly losing her will to him, and Lisa didn't know just how much more she could tough out before breaking. Her deal with him was a disaster. She hadn't thought it would backfire that badly.

There wasn't a single positive, and continuing with this farce would only hurt her more.

"What's the point?" Lisa said, the anger on her face quickly draining, replaced by hopelessness. "Whether I get a week or a month off you, it wouldn't change a damn thing."

"So quick to give up. And here I was impressed by your friendship with her." He mocked. At her glare, he snorted. "You figured it out earlier than I thought you would. You should feel proud of that, at least."

"You're not making me feel any better." She muttered.

"How unfortunate." He flipped through a page. "You know… How about another deal?"

"Don't mock me." Lisa scowled. "I'm not falling for the same trick twice."

"At least hear it first," Crimson said, making her huff. "I'll help you with Jean's rapidly deteriorating mental health."

"What, are you leaving Mondstadt and never coming back?"

"Oh, we both know that'd only make things worse. The beast of her nightmares suddenly disappears into the aether with no explanation." He rolled his eyes. "Besides, you'll be missing me more than I'll be missing your frankly primitive culture."

Lisa flinched, knowing it to be true. Not the part insulting her kingdom, though.

"No, what I'll do is simple." He added. "I will 'prove' that Jean was right all along. And no, I will not kill anyone."

"...Okay. What do you mean by that, then?"

"Jean has yet to understand why I'm here. I'm sure she's tearing her hair out trying to connect the dots." Crimson accurately described. "Of course, that's because I'm not here for anything substantial, but we'll make it so that she's got it all figured out."

"We?"

"Yes, we. Doing this alone will be a lot harder—nearly impossible," Crimson explained. "That's why I need your help."

"And what will you be getting out of it?" Lisa narrowed her eyes. "I doubt you'll be doing this for free, seeing how much you enjoy driving her insane."

"One thing." He closed the book and gazed at her green eyes. "I want Jean herself."

Lisa scowled. The nerve of this man…

"You want me to whore her out to you?" She growled. "You're a scum. How dare you even say such a thing? Do you not have any shame?"

"Oh, Lisa." He chuckled, though this time it sounded cruel and malicious. It sent a shiver down her spine. "I'm getting Jean regardless of whether you cooperate or not. The real options here are whether you want me to have her as a broken doll or a woman with her mind still intact."

Both were terrible options, but one was clearly better than the other. It didn't make her feel any better. The mere thought of doing such a thing was utterly disgusting, but… what else could she do? He had her— all of them trapped, dancing on the palm of his hand.

He was a scumbag through and through

"I don't know why you're hesitating so much. You're already whoring yourself out to me. What difference does it make?" He said in a mocking tone, but before she could retort, Crimson added. "Ah, what the hell, let me sweeten it up more. If you agree, I'll fix that curse problem of yours."

Lisa froze.

Now this… this she hadn't expected. The way he'd said it made it seem like essentially nothing. This curse that had plagued her for most of her life—her lifespan cut in half—sounded like a joke to him.

But why shouldn't it? He was a dragon. A foreign god who was probably more powerful than any of the archons. If it had been one of them who'd cursed her for whatever reason, then breaking such a curse or restoring her lost time should be trivial to him.

To live a long life… It had always felt like a distant dream for Lisa. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to reach 40 was honestly something that terrified her. To be given the option to realize that dream was beyond tempting. It was something she couldn't refuse.

…The one time she'd shown him a sliver of weakness, he hadn't wasted a minute capitalizing on it. Lisa didn't know if she should laugh or cry.

"...No loopholes, no strange side effects or conditions. You'll free me of this curse and do nothing else to my soul," Lisa said. "Can I at least have that?"

"I swear on my mother's name." Crimson nodded.

Lisa studied his face for a moment, then sighed.

"Very well." She conceded. "What do you have in mind?"

I'm sorry, Jean. Lisa felt the guilt slowly creeping up to her. There's just no other choice.

She really, really hoped that this wasn't going to backfire, too.

– Crimson –

And to think it would be that easy. She should've stayed quiet about that curse of hers. Overall, it's a net positive for her, really. I originally wanted to wait for Jean to break, but you know, breaking people makes them boring. They lose whatever makes them interesting in the first place.

Short-term satisfaction is fun, but so is long-term. I don't want Jean to stop being Jean. After all, I haven't properly met the real her yet—only this hilariously paranoid version. The number of people I've seen continuously praising her has made me curious. Just what was great about this Grandmaster?

And what I have planned easily incorporates nearly everything I've been doing in Mondstadt. With Lisa's backup, Jean will fall immediately. She will stop worrying too much about nothing and realize I'm actually a decent gentleman.

Though, I am keeping my word. Once Jean is mine, I'll see if Carmine is able to dispel this curse of Lisa's. If not, I'll ask for a favor from someone else. How? I'll figure it out. I don't want her to die, not when she's so fun and entertaining, and I certainly don't want her to hate me forever.

I nearly get hit by Eula's claymore, but I evade her swing by a hair's width, throwing back a fist at her stomach, which she blocks with the flat surface of her blade.

This knocks her back a few paces, but nonetheless, she actually smiles. She is enjoying it, even though she would never admit that to my face.

"Go, Eula!" Amber cheers. "You can do it!"

And it seems that they've made up. How nice.

"Looks like the gap isn't so big anymore," Eula states, panting lightly. "Scared?"

"Not at all," I respond, feigning fatigue. "Proper duels like this are fun."

I glance at the front gate of the city in the distance. Fighting outside this time was a good idea, after all. Our duels seem to get more and more destructive, so clear and empty plains like this that are still somewhat close to Mondstadt feel perfect.

"We'll see if you keep that attitude once I beat you."

Feisty. I like it. She still doesn't realize that I'm severely holding back against her. The difference between us is unfathomably massive, but credit where credit's due, she's improving. Incredibly quickly as well. So much that she's nearly as strong as I was when we first fought.

Growth like that is rather impressive, even to me. After all, she's a normal human—no special bloodline or considerable superpower beyond her Vision. It seems that after every duel, she's more willing to learn. I almost feel proud of her.

I may not be her mentor, but such achievement is commendable. I find myself respecting her more. And her poorly-hidden excitement while sparring makes her painfully adorable.

Eula charges at me, continuously swinging her large blade with impressive skill and agility. While avoiding her attacks, I make sure to look like I'm struggling, letting some strikes scratch me in my arm and chest. Her skill has improved drastically as well. Good for her.

A few close calls here and there motivate her further, forcing her to push past her limits. With a gust of frozen wind from her vision, I'm temporarily kept in one place, giving Eula enough time to run her sword through my stomach. Or, well, attempt to.

My dragon scales grow rapidly, blocking the attack. Eula's eyes widen in shock, but she isn't fast enough to avoid the strike to her chest, sending her tumbling backward. Surprisingly, she doesn't fall, standing her ground as she clutches her chest in pain.

"W-what the hell?" She grimaces, gasping.

I put considerable strength behind that attack. To stand on her legs after it proves that her growth is no joke. I can't believe I'm even considering it, but she would make a fine recruit to the clan.

"Heh." After the shock subsides, she smirks. "So you're using your scales now, huh? I guess you are scared."

"You've more than proven yourself, Ms. Lawrence," I respond. "I will not be holding back anymore."

…Hmm, I feel bad for lying this time.

"Finally." Eula's grin widens.

Knowing this is the final attack, Eula rushes me with all her strength. She unleashes a wave of frost that's so powerful it freezes a large chunk of the hill we're on solid. Obviously, no ice or frost attack could affect me – Thanks, Mother – but I pretend that I'm at least a little slowed down by it.

This makes Eula realize that this is the perfect time to follow up with a full-power swing. Such an attack wouldn't make a dent in my scales. So, to not shatter her dreams, I barely tilt away from the attack, stomp on her blade to restrict her movement, and throw an uppercut, stopping a centimeter away from her chin.

Eula stays still for a moment, seemingly in shock, and then, for a split second, a look of frustration and anger crosses her face, fading into disappointment and acceptance a moment later. She lets go of the blade and falls back on her rear with a groan.

"Damn it." She curses. "I was so close!"

My scales retract into my skin, and I exhale deeply.

"I nearly lost this one," I say. "Perhaps I should stop accepting the duels."

"Haha, you are scared!" She points out. "I knew it!"

So cute.

"Well, I don't want to leave Mondstadt." I roll my eyes. "I like it here."

The mirth on her face disappears, replaced with realization and conflict before those also vanish. She puts her mask of haughtiness and pride on, even though she can't hide her true feelings from me.

Ah, there it is. Hesitation.

"W-well, too bad." He scoffs, not convincing at all. "The sooner we get rid of you, the better."

Time for phase two.

"So heartless," I reply. "You'll hurt my feelings again."

"I-I- Well–"

"That was so exciting!" Amber quips, approaching us. "You almost had it, Eula! Next time, for sure!"

Aw, she was just about to give me an adorable reaction.

"I still lost this one." Eula huffs, looking at me. "So? What will it be this time?"

I extend a hand, and she takes it with no hesitation. The body language confirms it for me.

"Right. How about…" I pull her up. "A date?"

Their reactions are hilarious. Amber's mouth opens in an 'O' shape, gasping silently, while Eula freezes for a good few seconds before her face goes completely red. She pulls her hand away from mine, and I can almost see steam coming out of her ears.

"A-a-a date?!" She repeats with an unusually high tone. "Us?!"

"Yes."

"W-what is wrong with you?!" She points at me.

"Is there a problem with my request?"

"Is there a proble— YES! W-we're enemies!" Eula shouts in embarrassment. "How could you ask that?! Vengeance will be mine!"

"But I'd like to know more about you as a person."

"Stop saying these weird things!" She squeaks. "Just what the hell is wrong with you, asking something like that? Did you hit your head or something?"

Her reaction is everything I hoped for and then some. How can she be so cute?

"Well, if you find me so repulsive, you could've said no," I respond, pretending to be disappointed. "You didn't have to say such a thing."

"W-what? N-now hold on, I…" Eula pauses, and her face goes redder. "I… I didn't say no."

Backpedaling so fast? This I didn't expect.

"Oh?"

"I didn't mean to be rude." She says quietly before clearing her throat. "I was just surprised. That's all."

"So, is it a yes?"

Eula rubs her arm, looking down at the grass, not wanting to meet my eyes. This makes me feel like she's never been asked on a date before, which is honestly sad. She's a very beautiful lady with strong characteristics that I personally find attractive.

Oh well, more for me.

"...F-fine." She relents. "But don't be getting too excited. I'm not doing it for you. I'm only keeping my side of our deal. That is all. You're lucky I'm a knight who values honor."

"Ah, excellent!" I smile at her, showing how pleased I am. "How about tomorrow night?"

"...Sure, whatever." Eula picks up her claymore and heads back to the city. "Let's go, Amber. We're done here."

Amber throws me a knowing grin and a wink before following her friend, leaving me alone. Everything is coming along nicely.

I love that when it happens.

Like always, more chapters await you on the Orange Money site. A certain perverted voyeur gets what she deserves.