Ryou recognized her at once.
It was Lisa.
She was beautiful, mature, and alluring like a violet in bloom.
Ryou had already seen plenty of beautiful women by now, yet even so, his heartbeat still quickened the moment he saw her.
Lisa was no ordinary woman. She had once been one of the Akademiya's top students and had been held in extremely high regard in Sumeru.
At her age, that mature charm had been brought to its absolute peak. Just standing there, she was a breathtaking sight.
That kind of beauty was almost impossible to describe. Compared to Ningguang's beauty, Lisa actually came out slightly ahead in Ryou's heart.
"Still looking?" Keqing shot Ryou a glare.
Even she had to admit Lisa was stunningly mature and beautiful. Even she found herself a little tempted.
Seeing Ryou staring so directly at her, Lisa let out a soft laugh. "I heard some noise, so I came out to take a look. What happened?"
Jean introduced her to the group. "This is Lisa, our librarian."
"This is Keqing, from Liyue Harbor. The man beside her is her husband, Ryou. He's the one who gave us that tea before."
"So it's you two." Lisa smiled. "I was just talking about you yesterday."
"We're happy to meet you too," Ryou said.
Keqing echoed the greeting, though she secretly glared at him.
Ryou could only shrug helplessly. He had only looked a few extra times. It was not his fault Lisa was that alluring.
Especially in that purple qipao. On her, it brought out the charm of a fully grown woman so completely that it was hard not to be dazzled.
Ningguang looked gorgeous in a qipao too, but Lisa wore it with a different kind of impact.
Compared to that, Keqing came up a little short. Even though she had already lost some of that girlishness, she still could not quite match Lisa in that regard.
Ryou even found himself wondering whether he should get a qipao made for Keqing later and have her try it on tonight. Maybe it would have its own special appeal.
"What are you thinking about?" Keqing smacked him.
"Ow... Keqing, I was thinking about you. I just had a new idea, that's all," Ryou hurriedly explained.
"I don't believe you. Weren't you just thinking about Lisa? Your eyes were practically glued to her."
"I'm serious. I just think that purple qipao looks amazing. Let's buy one later and try it on when we get back," Ryou whispered.
"I'm not buying one!" Keqing's whole face flushed red, especially when she noticed Lisa looking over. That only made her more embarrassed.
She pinched Ryou several times. "It's all your fault. All your fault."
"Alright, alright. My fault, my fault." Ryou apologized immediately.
Before long, Klee came bouncing back with a box in her arms. She set it on the ground and said, "This is the one."
"This?" Mona stepped forward and opened it, only to find a single book inside.
She picked it up and muttered, "That's strange. Why use such a big box for just one book?"
Mona opened it and flipped through a few pages. The moment she saw what was inside, she froze in shock. She rubbed her eyes, then snapped the book shut again.
In a low voice, she said, "No wonder that old hag told me not to open it. There are drawings inside..."
"Mona, why are you acting so suspiciously?" Keqing asked as she stepped closer.
"I-I'm fine." Mona shook her head quickly, then put the book away inside her Vision.
"Really, I'm fine. By the way, when are you going back to Liyue Harbor?"
"Back to Liyue Harbor?" Keqing turned to look at Ryou.
Ryou said, "We've only been in Mondstadt a few days. I still want to take Keqing around a bit more. So far, we've only been to Favonius Cathedral, Windrise, and Starsnatch Cliff."
"I still want to visit other places too, like Stormterror's Lair, Dawn Winery, Springvale, and the rest."
"You really know Mondstadt well," Lisa said with a smile.
Ryou coughed. "If you're coming somewhere to travel, of course you prepare beforehand. Besides, there are still some things between Tabibito and my cousin that haven't been dealt with yet."
"I see. Then I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Mondstadt," Jean said with a smile.
"Thanks. Keqing, let's go. Oh... I do need a guide, and Klee would be perfect. Just look at her..."
Ryou noticed Klee clinging to him and immediately got the idea.
Jean hesitated, then said, "Klee, if you go with Ryou and the others, you are not allowed to cause trouble for them. Understood?"
"I understand!" Klee said proudly.
"Ryou-nii, Keqing-nee, let's go!" Klee chirped as she bounced off, tugging both of them along.
Ryou barely had time to say anything before Klee dragged him straight out of the Knights of Favonius.
Ryou looked at Klee and asked, "Klee... no, I should say Guide. Where are you planning to take us?"
"Ryou-nii, I'll take you to Dragonspine. It's really pretty there." Klee adjusted her hat and looked up at Ryou and Keqing.
...
By the time they reached the foot of the snowy mountain, the cold was already rushing straight at them. It was the kind of cold that seeped into your bones and made you shiver uncontrollably.
Ryou took out a down jacket and draped it over Keqing's shoulders. Then he noticed Shenhe staring at him, so he could only take out another one and put it over her too.
When he saw Mona looking over as well, he quickly handed one to her too.
"Ryou-nii, Klee wants one too!" Klee blinked as she watched him wrap Keqing, Shenhe, and Mona in warm jackets, then looked at him expectantly.
Ryou crouched down and rubbed her head. "Klee, didn't you notice I don't have one myself?"
"If you don't mind, how about I carry you up the mountain?"
"T-Then alright. Ryou-nii, carry me!" Klee held out both arms.
"Alright, alright." Ryou picked Klee up into his arms and had her wrap her hands around his neck.
Klee was not heavy at all. In fact, she was surprisingly comfortable to carry, and after holding her, Ryou did not feel nearly as cold anymore.
"Why don't I give you my jacket instead?" Keqing said.
"It's fine. You girls get cold easily. I'm a man, I don't need it. Come on, let's head into the mountain." Ryou smiled at Keqing.
"Alright then." Since he insisted, Keqing did not argue further.
Snow drifted down from the sky. It looked beautiful, but the deeper they went, the harsher the cold became, enough to make anyone tremble.
Even Ryou began to feel a bit of it.
Fortunately, there were several small shelters in Dragonspine where people could stop and rest, so after going a certain distance, they paused at one of them for a break.
"S-So cold..." Keqing rubbed her hands together as she sat down beside Ryou.
Then she rolled her eyes, reached out, and patted Klee on the head. "Klee is so well-behaved. I hope the child I have one day will be just as good as her."
"Hm? Does Keqing-nee mean she wants Klee to call her Mama? That won't work. Klee already has a mama." Klee fiddled with her hat, then turned her face toward Ryou.
"But I can call you Daddy, because I don't have a daddy, and I don't know who he is."
The moment Ryou heard that "Daddy," he felt something complicated stir inside him.
He knew that you could not judge the age of the elf race by appearances alone.
Just look at Klee's mother, Alice. On the surface, she looked young and beautiful, but judging from the dates recorded in certain books, it was obvious she was much older than she looked.
Klee was cute and lovely too, but as for her real age...
"Mmm... sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up." After hearing Klee say that, Keqing quickly tried to move the conversation along and gave Ryou a look. "I'm a little hungry."
"Alright."
Ryou smiled and rubbed Klee's head, then prepared to take out some food and pastries.
"I want some too. Daddy, give me something to eat too," Klee said, snuggling against him.
"Alright... alright." Seeing how serious Klee looked, Ryou could only pat her on the head again.
"Klee is so good. But you can't call me that outside, okay? People might misunderstand."
"Then... then I'll only call you that when we're together," Klee said.
"That..." Ryou did not know what to say. Having a daughter would be nice, though... ahem.
"Just let Klee have her way," Keqing whispered.
"Alright then." Ryou nodded.
"Yay, Daddy!" Klee wrapped her arms around his neck and called out again.
Ryou shot Keqing a look.
Keqing naturally noticed it and pinched the soft flesh at his waist. "Still looking? Hurry up and take the food out. I'm hungry."
"Alright."
Ryou took out the food and set it on the table. When he brought it out, steam was still rising from it.
Shenhe sat across from them watching the whole scene, and it reminded her of that earlier image. Her gaze grew complicated, and suddenly she missed that girl again.
The feeling was hard to describe. Especially after hearing Klee call Ryou "Daddy," Shenhe found herself thinking of her even more.
"You... what's wrong?" Mona asked quietly when she noticed Shenhe's strange expression.
"I miss my daughter," Shenhe said.
"Oh, you miss your daugh—wait, you have a daughter?" Mona's eyes widened, and her whole body stiffened.
She stared at Shenhe for a long moment, unable to process it.
She was an astrologer. She could tell Shenhe was still untouched, so how could she possibly have a daughter?
Keqing looked at Shenhe for quite a while too before asking, "Shenhe, you have a daughter?"
"Oh... my daughter hasn't been born yet. She's in the future." Shenhe finally realized how that had sounded.
When she mentioned her daughter, Shenhe glanced at Ryou and said, "When I heard Klee call Ryou 'Daddy,' I couldn't help thinking of her."
"So that's it. Wait... you already know you'll have a daughter?" Keqing immediately caught the important part.
Her mood darkened a little, because she had clearly noticed Shenhe glance at her husband just now.
What was that supposed to mean?
Did Shenhe's future daughter have something to do with her husband?
Ryou was just as surprised when Shenhe mentioned a daughter.
Was he really going to have a daughter with Shenhe in the future?
He was deeply worried Shenhe might say the wrong thing. If she blurted it out directly, things would become unbearably awkward on the spot.
[End of chapter]
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