Thanks for _______ ________ and Nefasturis for becoming as Supporters!
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Not long after, Arouet walked over carrying a cup of steaming milk and set it down in front of Clorinde.
Wearing a professional, polite smile, he said softly, "Please enjoy."
Clorinde nodded in thanks and replied, "Thank you."
Then she reached out, held the cup, and took a gentle sip of the milk.
At that moment, Shao Yun, seated across from her, suddenly spoke up in reminder, "While you're recovering, you should pay attention to your diet. Stay away from coffee and any other stimulating drinks or foods. I forgot to mention this the last time I went to your place."
Hearing this, Clorinde froze for a moment, then slowly placed the cup back on the table and expressed her thanks to Shao Yun once more.
"Thank you. You seem very experienced when it comes to dealing with gunshot wounds."
Shao Yun couldn't help but smile at that and asked in return, "From the way you're saying that, don't tell me you've never been shot before?"
Clorinde blinked, then raised her left hand and turned her palm toward Shao Yun as she explained, "I've never had a gunshot wound, but when I was little, I did get my palm cut by a blade."
Shao Yun nodded thoughtfully and murmured, "No wonder…"
At this moment, Clorinde lowered her left hand. Her face looked slightly pale from nervousness as her beautiful eyes fixed on Shao Yun, and she spoke, "By the way, may I ask…"
Shao Yun calmly looked at Clorinde's hesitant expression, already understanding what she wanted to say next.
He let out a soft sigh and took over the conversation. "It's about asking me to be your teacher again, isn't it…"
Hearing that, Clorinde felt a wave of embarrassment. She instinctively lowered her head and admitted, "Yes… that's exactly it."
Seeing this, a helpless look appeared on Shao Yun's face as he tried to persuade her. "Clorinde, I really am not suitable to be your teacher. I sincerely suggest you give up on this idea."
However, Clorinde did not back down because of his words.
She stared straight into Shao Yun's eyes and said with unwavering determination, "I won't give up! If today doesn't work, I'll try again tomorrow. I believe that one day, you'll agree."
Faced with Clorinde's resolute attitude, Shao Yun was momentarily left speechless.
All he could do was raise a hand to rub his forehead, then sigh and say, "Sigh… why go this far?"
...
On the other side, after finishing signing autographs, Furina leapt down from the crate. Seeing everyone leave with satisfied smiles, she couldn't help but reveal a pleased expression.
"Woohoo, everyone's reactions today were pretty great! So, what earth-shattering thing should I do next?"
Furina's temporary guard, Eula, finally relaxed when she saw the onlookers gradually disperse.
She raised a hand to wipe the fine layer of sweat from her forehead and said with lingering fear, "Ah, thank goodness… luckily no one tried to attack Lady Furina…"
Furina, too, let out a long breath and then walked over to Eula with light steps.
She raised her hand and gently patted Eula's broad back, smiling as she said, "Haha, today really kept us busy all morning, Miss Eula. As a reward for your hard work, this Hydro Archon has decided to bestow upon you a blessing of water!"
Hearing Furina say this, Eula paused for a moment, then quickly began turning it over in her mind.
She mentally translated Furina's words according to the Fischl Interaction Guide.
"Hmm… according to the Fischl Interaction Guide, what Lady Furina means is that she wants to treat me to a drink, right?"
Thinking this, a faint smile appeared on Eula's face.
"Thank you very much for your kindness, Lady Furina! I do happen to be a little thirsty."
Furina looked around, and soon her gaze settled on a café not far away—Café Lutece.
"Let me see~ Hey! What do you think about that Café Lutece over there? Their drinks and snacks are great!"
For Eula, who didn't have any particular preferences when it came to drinks, having something to drink at all was already nice. Back when no one would sell her anything, she used to fetch water from Cider Lake and boil it herself.
"Alright, I'll follow your arrangements. I have no objections—anything is fine."
Seeing this, Furina immediately grabbed Eula by the hand and ran toward Café Lutece.
"Then let's go, hurry up!"
...
After placing their order, Furina lifted her gaze from the menu and finally noticed Clorinde and Shao Yun sitting together not far away.
Without hesitation, Furina pulled Eula along and briskly walked toward their table.
Upon arriving, she greeted them warmly.
"Oh! So, it's Clorinde and Shao Yun! What a coincidence—what are you two doing here as well?"
As she spoke, she lightly patted Eula on the shoulder and began making introductions.
"Come on, Eula, let me introduce you. This lady here is your senior, Clorinde. She's very impressive—make sure to learn from her when you get the chance!"
After introducing Clorinde, Furina turned her gaze toward Shao Yun.
However, what she said next left people both amused and exasperated.
With a playful and slightly smug tone, Furina introduced him to Eula. "As for this one, his name is Shao Yun. Originally, he had a chance to become my guard, but unfortunately…"
At this point, Furina deliberately put on a regretful expression, shaking her head as she sighed, "Sigh, under the radiance of my Hydro Archon brilliance, he felt inferior and thought he couldn't protect me properly."
"But at least he knew when to retreat—quite self-aware, I'd say!"
Hearing Furina tease him like this, Shao Yun frowned slightly.
However, he quickly adjusted his mood and, adhering to the principle of not getting angry at fools, shot back with a quip.
"Your emotional self-regulation is really something. You're just the Hydro Archon, not the Pyro Archon—why are you acting like some blazing sun all day?"
Eula gave Shao Yun a small nod in greeting, then turned her gaze to Clorinde.
She bowed slightly and said, "Hello, Clorinde."
Being called a "senior" made Clorinde feel a bit embarrassed.
She quickly waved her hand and replied, "No need to add 'senior.' Just call me by my name."
Seeing this, Eula nodded repeatedly and responded politely, "Alright, Miss Clorinde."
At that moment, Furina suddenly focused her attention entirely on Clorinde's right shoulder.
She stepped closer and asked gently, "By the way, Clorinde, how is your injury now?"
Clorinde looked up at Furina and answered, "Thank you for your concern, Lady Furina. The wound is recovering fairly well."
"However, the doctor said it'll still take some time to fully heal, and I'll need to undergo systematic rehabilitation afterward."
Hearing this, the weight on Furina's heart finally lifted. As long as she was okay, that was what mattered!
She let out a soft breath and said warmly with a smile, "That's good to hear. Make sure to take good care of yourself! I've already arranged for medicine to be delivered to you regularly."
"If you need anything else, just tell me—don't be shy. I'll take responsibility all the way!"
Just then, behind the counter, Arouet rang the service bell.
With a smile, he reminded them, "Honored Hydro Archon, the two coffees you ordered and the single serving of the 'To the Hydro Archon' cake are ready! Would you like to find a seat, or should I bring them over…"
Before he could finish speaking, the still-concerned Furina heard that her beloved cake and coffee were ready.
In the next second, she bolted toward the counter like an unbridled horse, shouting excitedly as she ran.
"Wow! My little cake—I'm coming!"
Seeing Furina suddenly launch forward like that, Eula was startled.
Watching Furina charge toward the counter without regard for anything else, Eula hurriedly took off after her.
"Lady Furina, please slow down! Be careful not to bump into the tables!"
Shao Yun looked at Furina in the distance, holding her cake high and cheering with joy, and muttered awkwardly under his breath.
"Did being cooped up in the Palais Mermonia these past few days drive her crazy? She's letting loose way too much…"
Clorinde heard Shao Yun's quiet muttering about Furina. After thinking for a moment, she spoke with a serious and earnest expression.
"Actually, there's another important reason behind this."
Shao Yun turned his head toward Clorinde in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
Clorinde swallowed and explained solemnly, "That man named Dutch van der Linde once told Furina that she treats the people's suffering as her entertainment. So, she wants to use her actions to prove that she truly cares about the people of Fontaine."
Shao Yun was left utterly confused, unable to understand why Clorinde was explaining all this to him in such detail.
"What exactly does that mean?"
Clorinde pressed her lips together, then explained more thoroughly.
"What I mean is this—although Lady Furina does have a rather whimsical and unpredictable personality, and often does things that catch people off guard, no matter what, over the five hundred years since she took office, Fontaine has truly undergone many positive changes."
"Just like I told you before—the cleanup of Fleuve Cendre, and the past surrounding the siege of Poisson. Ever since Lady Furina took office, and with Mr. Neuvillette serving as the Chief Justice, Fontaine has changed."
Shao Yun still couldn't grasp Clorinde's intention. He really didn't understand why she suddenly launched into all this and complained, "Stop with this "Clorinde's History Lecture"—I didn't sign up for this"
Clorinde herself wasn't quite sure why she was saying all this either. After holding it in for a long while, she finally explained, "Well… the reason I'm telling you this is because I noticed that you seem to hold some rather… unusual views toward Lady Furina."
Shao Yun understood her meaning—she was defending Furina.
"Oh, I see. I was just casually teasing her a bit. There wasn't any deeper meaning to it."
However, despite his explanation, Clorinde's expression did not relax.
She bit her lip and still gathered the courage to continue, "But from what I observed earlier, the way you treat Lady Furina gives off a kind of…"
"How should I put it… a rather sharp impression. Is it because of what happened at Romaritime Harbor?"
When Clorinde used the word "sharp" to describe him, Shao Yun froze for a moment, the muscles in his face tensing.
But in the next instant, he returned to normal and explained again, "Because I'm a cold person who likes making sharp jokes."
Listening to Shao Yun's self-description, Clorinde looked him up and down suspiciously.
After a long moment, she shook her head and asked, "Really? But judging from appearances alone, I can't tell at all that you're that kind of person."
Shao Yun gave a bitter smile inwardly.
If Clorinde had met me back in Sumeru, she definitely wouldn't have had this kind of doubt.
My Fontaine reputation being at zero is what caused her to think this way.
After all, zero is still better than a negative number.
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