A long time ago—
When Navia was little, she heard that her father had arranged a child marriage for her.
A few years ago, when her father was still alive, he had solemnly handed her half a gem, saying it was the token of an engagement.
The person holding the other half of the gem would be her fiancé.
As the years passed, the so-called fiancé never appeared, and Navia didn't think much of it, gradually forgetting about it.
That half-gem was tossed into a corner of a drawer by Navia.
Who would have thought—
Today, after so many years, Navia had forgotten about the gem, yet the other half suddenly appeared before him??
Could it be… this Mondstadter, the one who cursed Silver and Melus to die the moment he met them, was actually the fiancé her father chose for her??
Thinking of this—
Navia's heart surged with mixed emotions.
Loss, surprise, panic, confusion… her heartbeat quickened. In all these years, it was the first time he had been this nervous.
Melus reminded him, "Demoiselle, would you like to rest??"
Navia steadied himself. "Don't worry, I'm fine…"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
When Navia slowly lifted his head and saw Ron standing before him again, his emotions only grew more complicated.
His first impression of Ron had not been good.
But regarding his father's entrustment—the engagement his father had set—he did not want to defy it.
Suddenly—
Navia seemed to remember something and quickly asked, "Mr. Ron, may I ask, are you the owner of this half-gem?? And why are you looking for the owner of the other half??"
Because he was too anxious, Navia blurted out all the questions at once.
Upon hearing this—
Ron slowly replied, "I am indeed the owner of this half-gem. As for why I'm looking for the owner of the other half…"
"All right, there's no need to hide it from all of you."
"An elder in my family once arranged an engagement for me, and the gem was the token of that engagement. I came to Fontaine this time to find my fiancée."
To make Spina di Rosula's investigation easier—
Ron chose not to conceal anything and told them everything he knew.
Hearing Ron's explanation—
Navia's emotions became even more tangled.
So it was true.
This outsider—who made such a terrible first impression, even cursing Melus and Silver to die upon arrival—was actually his nominal fiancé.
But how could this be?!
His father had been so smart, so loving. How could he have arranged for him to marry such a strange Mondstadter??
Frivolous, spouting nonsense, cursing Melus and Silver to die… Besides being somewhat good-looking, he didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities… Something had to be wrong.
Melus asked with concern, "Demoiselle, are you really all right?? Perhaps you should rest. I can handle the commission."
Navia took a deep breath. "Don't worry, I'm fine…"
Ron: "…"
[Something's wrong. This is weird!!]
[Finding one person shouldn't be that difficult for Spina di Rosula, so why does Sister Soybean look so distressed??]
[Has Spina di Rosula really declined so much they can't even handle a missing-person case??]
…
Navia's brows twitched. "????"
Sister… Soybean??
Was that a nickname for him??
How unpleasant—
Navia's expression dimmed slightly. "Mr. Ron, the information you've provided is too little. We need more details. For example… do you know your fiancée's name??"
Ron shook his head. "I don't!!"
Navia continued, "Can you provide your fiancée's age or appearance??"
Ron shook his head helplessly. "I don't know…"
Navia's lips curved faintly. "Then what else do you know about your fiancée?? Surely it isn't just half a gem, is it??"
Ron sighed. "Indeed, it's just half a gem."
Originally, his grandfather's will should have contained a name and address.
Unfortunately, because of Mona's unreliable master—who only mentioned his grandfather's will after more than a decade and even forgot the most important information—
Ron was left with nothing to go on.
If he had known more, he wouldn't have needed to commission Spina di Rosula at all.
It would have been easier to go directly to his fiancée's home, and he could have saved the hefty commission fee.
Hearing Ron's answer—
Navia quietly let out a sigh of relief, and the optimistic smile returned to his face.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ron…"
"Because the information you've given is far too little, it will take a very, very long time to investigate, and it will cost a great deal of Mora in commission fees. Even so… do you still wish to commission us??"
Because everything had happened too suddenly—
Navia had no idea how to face this strange fiancé, so for now, he had no choice but to hide the truth.
As for what to do later… Navia hadn't figured it out yet.
Ron answered sincerely, "I will find a way to get the Mora. As for the investigation and search, I'll leave it to you."
Navia nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, Spina di Rosula will do its best to help you find him."
Not at all!!
This commission was too special; there was no need to search.
If Navia wished, he could walk into Spina di Rosula right now, take out the other half of the gem from the drawer, and complete the commission on the spot.
But—
Facing this suddenly appearing fiancé, Navia was deeply conflicted.
He didn't know what to do.
All he could do was appease Ron for now, and leave tomorrow's problems to tomorrow's Navia.
Upon hearing Navia's assurance—
Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out all his Mora. "Here are fifty thousand Mora. I know it's not enough for the commission fee. Please give me a few days' grace—I'll pay the rest as soon as I can."
He hadn't brought much Mora to Fontaine.
Half of it was spent during the journey, and the remaining amount was far from enough.
After handing the Mora to Melus—
Ron didn't say anything more, turning to leave so he could find a way to earn Mora in Fontaine City.
Watching Ron's limping figure—
Navia felt a sudden pang of guilt.
This fiancé—who traveled thousands of miles from Mondstadt to Fontaine—broke his leg entering Poisson, yet instead of treating his injuries immediately, he handed over all his Mora to Spina di Rosula.
And then—
Not only did Navia fail to acknowledge him, he even accepted his commission fee.
Was this reasonable??
Although Navia's first impression of Ron wasn't great—
Ron was still his nominal fiancé, someone her father had once entrusted to him.
Deceiving Ron like this made Navia feel somewhat guilty.
"Wait!!"
Navia finally couldn't hold it in. "You've given all your Mora to Spina di Rosula—what about your injuries?? Since you've come to Poisson, stay for now and let the doctors here treat them."
Ron froze. "But…"
Navia's delicate face softened into a warm smile. "No 'buts.' You are a client of Spina di Rosula. How can we allow you to leave here injured? If outsiders heard, they'd think Spina di Rosula bullies its clients. Even if you want to leave, you should at least wait until your injuries heal."
Melus agreed. "I will arrange a room for Mr. Ron."
Seeing Navia and Melus being so warm—
Ron's heart warmed.
He felt inexplicably touched.
[Touched!!!]
[This is the Navia I know—enthusiastic, kind, and considerate.]
[If I eventually find my fiancée, and she is as kind, considerate, and enthusiastic as Navia, I will be content…]
Navia: "…"