"Miss, please go back inside. You'll catch a chill."
Keqing's personal maid leapt over from a distance, moving with remarkable agility.
Though she appeared to be a simple servant, she was in truth a shadow guard trained by the Keqing family—someone who had always watched over her mistress's safety from the darkness.
Over the years, countless assassination attempts against Keqing had failed, and the shadow guards had played an indispensable role in that.
Of course, Keqing herself was no weakling. More often than not, her maid assisted with matters Keqing could not handle openly.
In fact, aside from the Yao Guang who commanded the Millelith, the remaining six members of the Liyue Qixing all maintained private forces—to protect themselves and their families, or to carry out tasks that could never see the light of day.
"Miss, what you did just now was far too dangerous," the maid said softly while helping Keqing dress.
"Your purity is more important than my life. If the Prince of Snezhnaya had harbored improper intentions, I would have intervened immediately."
Keqing shook her head.
"The Prince has seen countless beauties. He wouldn't be swayed by something as crude as me offering myself. You underestimate him."
The maid asked in confusion, "Then why do it at all, knowing it wouldn't work?"
Keqing replied calmly, "The age of human rule will come eventually. For that goal, I'm willing to pay any price."
"After tonight, the Prince will certainly help me defeat Rex Lapis. And between him and me, a thread of causality has been formed."
"One day, that single thread may save our family."
Never wasting any chance to reach one's objective—even resorting to ruthless means—was the basic quality of the Liyue Qixing. Anyone who could sit in that position was never simple.
Understanding this, the maid said admiringly, "As expected, Miss always thinks far ahead. Oh—what about the Prince's cloak?"
Keqing smiled faintly. "Put it away for now. We'll return it later."
The maid muttered, "That Prince really does have grace. Taking off his cloak to cover you—that's what a real man would do."
Keqing paused, then suddenly asked, "Do you like the Prince of Snezhnaya?"
After changing clothes, the maid looked up in surprise.
"He's certainly charming," she answered honestly, "but I know my place. I wouldn't indulge in unrealistic fantasies. What about you, Miss?"
Keqing didn't answer.
Instead, she returned to the courtyard, sat beside the flowerbed, rested her chin on one hand, and gazed up at the cloudless blue sky.
The maid sat beside her quietly, keeping her company.
She knew her mistress well—when Keqing was like this, she had something on her mind.
"The name Keqing," Keqing said softly, "means thunder clears the sky at once."
"But before meeting the Prince of Snezhnaya, my life was always shrouded in clouds. My belief in human rule was never recognized—not even by my own parents."
"He said I was a faint light shining into the abyss."
"If I truly am that light… why was he the only one who could see it?"
"Is it because… he truly understood my heart?"
On his way back, Severin encountered Beidou.
"Oh? Your Highness, you're here too."
Beidou greeted him respectfully, though she had changed back into her usual attire.
"I needed some fresh air," Severin replied.
"Perfect timing then," Beidou said cheerfully.
"If you're free, come with me to Wanmin Restaurant to try a new dish. I followed your suggestion and asked Xiangling to develop a brand-new grilled Tiger Fish."
The idea for grilled Tiger Fish had come from the Prince himself—inviting him to taste it was only fitting.
Besides, Xiangling would be overjoyed to see him.
Just two days ago, she had been muttering nonstop that if the Prince of Snezhnaya came to Liyue and didn't try authentic Liyue cuisine, it would be a real shame.
"Don't hesitate, Your Highness," Beidou laughed, hooking her arm through his.
"Just treat it as my invitation. Worried you didn't bring money? You big shots always forget these things—don't worry, I'm paying!"
Her manner made it clear that even if he refused, she intended to drag him along anyway.
Severin smiled helplessly.
If anyone else had dared to grab his arm like this, it would have been seen as a grave offense. But knowing Beidou's forthright nature, he allowed it.
At the same time, Severin glanced toward the crowd in the distance.
Disguised among the people, a Mirror Maiden watched silently, her cold eyes observing everything.
She had followed Severin since morning—with his permission, of course.
Whenever the Prince appeared openly in Liyue, crowds inevitably gathered. And among fervent admirers, some might act irrationally—rushing forward to embrace him, or even attempting to kiss him.
Such things were absolutely unacceptable.
In public, the Prince could not always act personally, so it was the duty of his subordinates to stop such disturbances immediately.
Moreover, she also carried the Tsaritsa's secret command: to keep a close watch on women who interacted too closely with the Prince.
Especially in public—if any woman acted disrespectfully and the Prince could not intervene, she was authorized to stop them… or eliminate them.
The Prince of Snezhnaya's authority was absolute.
It could not be challenged, profaned, or tainted.
Seeing Beidou link arms with him, the Mirror Maiden was just about to act—
Then she met Severin's gaze.
She immediately stopped.
Beidou, unaware that she had narrowly avoided disaster, happily led Severin into Wanmin Restaurant.
"Captain Beidou, please take a seat. I'll bring out the grilled Tiger Fish right away," Xiangling said brightly.
"Thanks, Xiangling."
She guided them into a private room.
Before long, Xiangling returned carrying a steaming platter.
The moment she entered, she saw Guoba squatting obediently beside Severin's leg, rubbing against him affectionately and humming contentedly.
"That's strange," Xiangling said in surprise.
"Guoba doesn't usually get this close to strangers. Captain Beidou, is this gentleman a special guest of your crew?"
She took another look at Severin—his noble bearing and extraordinary presence were impossible to ignore.
Beidou stood up and said solemnly:
"Xiangling, allow me to formally introduce him."
"This is the Prince of Snezhnaya."
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