"Your Highness—please, wait!"
The one who burst in was Schubert Lawrence, Eula's uncle.
Staggering forward, he collapsed before the stage, crawling on his knees as he begged hoarsely:
"Please spare my niece! I was the one who sent her here—this is all my responsibility!
If someone must die, let it be me. I'm willing to bear everything!"
He had heard the commotion outside and only then realized that Eula had attacked the Prince of Snezhnaya.
A man the Lawrence Clan absolutely could not afford to offend.
"How interesting," Severin said lightly.
"So you still acknowledge her as your niece."
"She publicly severed all ties with the Lawrence Clan. She joined the Knights of Favonius to prove her resolve to abandon the old nobility."
"By my knowledge, over the years, no fewer than seventeen clan members were personally sent to prison by her hand."
Schubert bowed his head.
"Before her parents passed away, they entrusted Eula to me. I swore I would protect her."
"She is the most outstanding descendant of the Lawrence Clan—diligent, hardworking, with her own ideals. No matter how rebellious she is, she is still our blood."
"The Lawrence Clan is proud of her."
"If Your Highness is willing to spare her, I will accept all Fatui conditions. I will trade my life for hers!"
"Please… I beg you."
Schubert slammed his head against the floor again and again.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The dull sounds echoed through the silent hall.
Soon, blood flowed down his forehead, and his body went limp.
Yet the pleas did not stop.
One by one, the Lawrence Clan's core members dropped to their knees, begging for Eula's life.
In the end—
Every single Lawrence who had come to the Goethe Hotel was kneeling.
The relentless sound of kowtowing struck Eula's heart like a hammer.
If she still could not understand now, she truly would be beyond saving.
For years, she had ignored her clansmen on the streets, scoffed at their goodwill, even come to blows with them.
Those memories replayed endlessly in her mind, overlapping with the scene before her—
Filling her with unbearable shame.
Just as Severin had said—
Everything she had done for Mondstadt, whether hunting the Fatui or slaying monsters in the wild, was driven by selfish desire.
She wanted recognition.
Yet no matter how hard she tried, Mondstadt's people would forever see her as the remnant of old nobility.
They would never accept her.
Joining the guerrilla unit, living outside the city year-round, braving wind and rain—
It had all been an attempt to escape the stares and whispered insults within the city walls.
What a miserable way to live.
And yet—
Her family had always been proud of her.
They were willing to die for her.
Tears welled up in the eyes of the woman who had always faced the world with strength and defiance.
The Lawrence Clan was proud of her—
And today, for the first time, she was proud to have been born a Lawrence.
"Miss Eula," Severin said calmly,
"your ancestors' crimes were paid for on the guillotine. Mondstadt has no right to vent that hatred upon their descendants."
"Being born into the Lawrence Clan is not your sin. The guilt of centuries past does not need to be repaid by generation after generation."
"If Mondstadt were truly tolerant—if it treated your family fairly—would your uncle and clansmen still obsess over restoring the clan's glory?"
"People are often driven to extremes."
"For a law-abiding old noble family, arrogance or a short temper should never justify persecution and discrimination."
Severin's words echoed in her ears.
Eula's tears finally spilled over.
"It seems today's events have given you much to reflect upon," he continued.
"I believe you will reconsider your place in this world in the days to come."
Identity was not something resolved overnight.
Just as Severin himself, from the day he was named Prince of Snezhnaya, had known—
He would walk Teyvat as a villain.
Eula needed time.
The pressure vanished.
She dropped back to the ground.
Her gaze lingered on Severin—conflicted, grateful, fearful—before she wiped away her tears.
"I'll remember this grudge."
Then she rushed to Schubert's side, desperately trying to save her uncle.
The Mirror Maiden stepped forward in silence, draping Severin's cloak over his shoulders.
Outside the Goethe Hotel, the storm had only grown fiercer.
"Why so quiet?" Severin asked, gazing into the rain-soaked night.
"Did I frighten you all?"
One Fatui envoy answered respectfully,
"Yes, Your Highness. For a moment, I truly thought you would kill Miss Eula. Your words carried killing intent."
The others felt the same.
"Maiden," Severin said, "tell them what you think."
The Mirror Maiden smiled faintly.
"When His Highness truly intends to kill, he never wastes words.
He danced with Miss Eula and spoke at such length only to make her understand human nature."
The envoys bowed their heads in shame—
Ashamed of believing they had fully grasped the Prince's intent.
"Hehe~ Since they're calling you 'Your Highness,' you must be that Prince from Snezhnaya visiting Mondstadt!"
From the street corner, a small figure in a raincoat came trotting over cheerfully.
She wore a midriff-baring outfit, had short pink hair tied into a sprout-like tuft, and emerald-green eyes that gleamed in the night.
A long tail swayed wildly behind her in the storm.
Severin recognized her at once—
Diona.
The Cat's Tail's star bartender.
Seeing his tacit acknowledgment, Diona bowed politely.
"Honored Prince, thank you for saving my kitten!"
"Miss Diona," Severin replied,
"you seem quite busy. I wouldn't have thought you'd have time to raise cats."
Earlier, he had caught a falling kitten—
a moment Diona had witnessed while heading to work.
She had chased him all the way here just to say thanks.
Never expecting him to be the famed Prince of Snezhnaya.
"Heh… let me tell you a secret," Diona said with a sigh.
"I actually want to slack off all the time. But once night falls, hordes of drunkards flood the tavern, demanding my cocktails."
"If Your Highness ever wants to try Mondstadt's finest drinks, come to the Cat's Tail.
But my appearance fee is expensive!"
"There will be a chance," Severin said with a nod.
"Then I'll tell you a secret too," he added.
"Miss Diona—tomorrow, your wish to slack off will come true."
"Really? I get a day off?" Diona's eyes lit up.
She wasn't entirely convinced—but she felt strangely happy.
"Not just the Cat's Tail," Severin said softly.
"Tomorrow… all of Mondstadt will be on holiday."
The storm roared.
And the city stood on the brink of upheaval.
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