Inside the little villa of the Serenitea Pot.
The girls stared at the spread of food on the table, practically drooling.
"Uwaaah——! It smells incredible!"
"It does, it does! I'm dying over here!"
"Who made dinner tonight? This is amazing — I had no idea anyone here could cook like this!"
"I think Master bought it from a restaurant in Liyue! When he pulled it all out earlier, I nearly cried from hunger!"
"Where is he, where is he?! I can't hold out much longer!"
"....."
The girls stared longingly at the delicious food on the table, barely able to contain themselves.
Keqing smiled and said, "No need to wait for Master Ye Xi, everyone — he went to the Jade Chamber to have dinner with Ningguang."
"Let's just dig in!"
"Oh~"
With that one sentence from Keqing, everyone instantly understood.
It was this late, and he'd gone out to eat alone with someone — what else could that mean?
With that thought, chopsticks began moving all around the table.
In no time at all, sounds of pure contentment filled the entire kitchen.
"Mmm~"
"Nom nom nom, this is so good——!"
"These Golden Shrimp Balls are even better than the ones we had at Liuli Pavilion at lunch!"
"Wait, you guys had a big lunch too?! That's so unfair — if I'd known, I would have taken the whole day off! I'm so full of regret!"
Setaria and Ayexia felt utterly cheated.
Nearby, Amber fished out a piece of perch and placed it in Collei's bowl.
"Collei, you have to try this Boiled Black-Back Perch~ It's so fresh!"
Not being used to chopsticks, it had taken Amber quite a bit of effort to get that piece of fish out.
Collei was deeply touched.
Eula let out a quiet "hmph" beside them. She didn't say a word, but the wave of jealousy radiating off her was so strong that Amber's hand nearly went limp.
She hurriedly wrestled another small piece of fish free and set it in Eula's bowl too. "Hehe, Eula, you try some too!"
That evened things out considerably in Eula's heart.
Watching everyone heap praise on the food, Keqing gave a light cough and spoke up. "Everyone, the dishes tonight were actually made by a well-known little restaurant back in Liyue Harbor!"
"The chef is a girl named Xiangling — very sweet and full of energy."
"Actually, she..."
Before Keqing could finish, Dehya couldn't help but exclaim, "Really?! It'd be amazing if she wanted to come with Ye Xi!"
"Exactly! Cooking this well — if she came to live with us, we'd eat like this every single day!"
"Seconded, seconded! Just imagining eating this well every day from now on makes me so happy!"
"Keqing, put in a good word for us!"
In truth, what Keqing had been trying to do was gauge everyone's feelings and soften the ground a little first.
She hadn't expected that before she could even finish her sentence, the motion would pass unanimously.
As they say — the fastest way to capture someone's heart is through their stomach.
That wisdom held true not just for men, but for women too.
She nodded quickly. "Well, the thing is — Xiangling already has feelings for Ye Xi. She's just afraid everyone will give her a hard time!"
At that, the girls all shook their heads at once.
"As if! Even if we wanted to give someone grief, it would never be the head chef!"
"What are you talking about! Our family is so harmonious here — no one gets shut out!"
"I move to shut out Master Ye Xi instead!"
"Pfft... if Master hears you say that, don't you think your backside will be paying the price?"
"Hahahaha..."
Around the dinner table, laughter rang out freely.
Everyone was thoroughly enjoying the warm, cheerful atmosphere.
Their backgrounds were all different, their origins all distinct — but now they were all family. Every day was lively and happy, free from worry.
Eula and Amber, however, felt a little different.
To them, it still felt as though they were outsiders looking in.
The atmosphere around them was wonderful, and they envied it, even longed for it.
But guests were still guests — there was always that unspoken distance.
No matter how much they enjoyed the moment, they couldn't ignore the truth: in a day or two, they would have to return to Mondstadt.
Just then, Nahida came in from outside, cradling a small cat in her arms.
It was, of course, Arlecchino — the one Ye Xi had transformed.
Nahida had been worried she might be hungry and brought her over to eat a little something.
The moment they saw the tiny kitten, the girls all melted.
"Awww, a little kitty~! ]!"
"Where did she come from?! How come we haven't seen her at all until now!"
"Lord Nahida, did you adopt her?! She's so cute!"
The girls immediately set down their chopsticks and rushed over to pet her.
Arlecchino had never seen anything like this in her life.
[What— what— what——!]
[Hands off! You uncouth rabble!]
[Do you have any idea what elegance means!]
But no matter what she said, all the girls heard was adorable little meows.
And so, Arlecchino was buried under a flood of tiny, eager hands and left helplessly sprawled on the floor.
Nahida shook her head and explained, "She wasn't adopted~"
"She's the Fourth Seat of the Fatui Harbingers — The Knave. Master is the one who turned her into this."
"Ehhh——!?"
At Nahida's words, the girls instantly froze, then scrambled backwards in alarm.
A Fatui Harbinger — you couldn't be serious.
Everyone present knew exactly what a Harbinger was.
In Mondstadt, Eula and Amber both knew of The Fair Lady.
In Liyue, Keqing knew of Childe from the Northland Bank.
In Sumeru, everyone had heard of The Doctor and The Balladeer.
Not a single one of them was anything close to a decent person.
And yet here was Nahida, telling them this adorable little kitten was the Fourth Seat.
It was beyond belief.
Arlecchino, for her part, let out a quiet sigh of relief, then composed herself into the most regal pose she could manage.
Even as a cat, she would maintain her aristocratic dignity!
Especially in front of so many beautiful young ladies!
Though — thinking about it — every last one of these lovely girls was Ye Xi's wife. That still baffled her.
She had known Ye Xi had many women around him, but she hadn't expected each and every one of them to be of such exceptional quality.
Beautiful went without saying.
But what truly defied reason was that every single one of them had a Vision!
Utterly absurd.
Seeing everyone so frightened, Nahida quickly added, "Actually, Ye Xi has sealed away all her power, so she really is just a regular little kitty right now — no need to panic."
Dehya let out a long breath of relief. "Ohh, so that's how it is!"
Nahida placed Arlecchino up on the table and used her chopsticks to pick out a piece of fish, setting it in a small bowl in front of her.
[What do you think you're doing?]
[Feeding me?!]
[Ha, you must be joking——!]
[Tell Ye Xi to turn me back! I absolutely refuse to eat like this!]
[How can a noble eat in such a barbaric manner!]
Paimon, who had been listening to the whole exchange, crossed her arms. "You've already been turned into this, and you're still going on about noble etiquette? Be grateful there's food at all!"
"Huh? Paimon, you can understand what she's saying?"
Lumine looked genuinely surprised — she hadn't expected her Emergency Food to have that particular ability.
Paimon planted her fists on her hips, looking quite pleased with herself. "Of course! Don't know why, but I can definitely hear what's on her mind."
"Hmm..."
Lumine tapped her chin thoughtfully, murmuring, "I see. Looks like we'll have to reclassify Paimon under 'pets' from now on — pets communicating with pets."
"Ehh——!?"
Paimon's eyes went wide. She stamped her little feet in indignation. "What do you mean 'pets'?!"
The rest of the girls burst out laughing.
Seeing Arlecchino still refusing to eat, Nahida sighed softly. "If you don't eat, you'll go hungry — why not just take one little bite?"
She scooped up a small spoonful of sauce and brought it to the edge of Arlecchino's mouth.
Despite her stubborn pride, the sauce brushed against the fur at the corner of her mouth, and she instinctively licked it — and then swallowed hard.
[This... this taste——!]
She couldn't help but lick it again.
The delicate freshness of the perch, paired with the rich, fragrant sauce, completely ensnared her senses.
Back in Snezhnaya, all she ever ate was thick slabs of bread.
If you wanted fish, you had to break through layers of thick ice — and even then, whatever you managed to haul up tasted plain and unremarkable.
She had never tasted anything like this in her life.
Whatever resolve remained crumbled utterly against the force of the food's appeal.
[...Fine. It tastes acceptable.]
[Mm! This is good!]
Arlecchino began wolfing it down.
From somewhere deep in her belly came a warm, contented rumble.
Nahida nodded knowingly. "I see — tough words on the outside, but the body never lies, hmm?"
Before long, the girls had all eaten their fill.
"Shall we rest a bit and then go soak in the hot spring?"
"Yes! Master said this hot spring is the real thing — completely natural! Supposedly it's incredibly relaxing!"
"There's a hot spring here too?! Take me to see it right now!"
Earlier, Lumine had taken the girls on a full tour of the house from top to bottom, and everyone had been assigned their own room.
When they came out to look at the courtyard, they had stumbled upon a hot spring in the back garden.
And it was even better than the one at the Ye Family Compound!
The discovery had sent everyone into a frenzy of delight.
Arlecchino, still in the middle of vigorously chomping away at her fish, went still for a moment.
[A hot spring!]
[There's actually a hot spring here?!]
[You people really know how to live!]
In the frozen wastes of Snezhnaya, a bath that wasn't ice-cold was already a luxury.
Getting hot water required real effort and a great deal of patience.
Of course, as a Harbinger, she had access to hot baths without much trouble.
But soaking in a natural hot spring? That was practically unheard of.
Nahida patted her on the head, smiling. "We'll bring you along later~"
Slowly, a thought crept into Arlecchino's mind.
Perhaps life here... wasn't quite as terrible as she had imagined.
.....
The Jade Chamber.
The dinner Ningguang had prepared was far less extravagant than one might expect — it could hardly even be called brightly lit.
A single dim lamp in the great hall, just enough to illuminate the table.
Beside the table was a porthole window, beyond which the glittering night skyline of Liyue Harbor stretched endlessly.
The atmosphere was calm, and quiet, and still.
The wine had made its rounds a few times over.
Ningguang's slender, delicate hand cradled her small cup as she brought the last of the wine to her lips.
A rosy flush had already spread across her refined features.
Riding the warmth of the wine, she finally voiced what had been on her mind.
In truth, Ye Xi hadn't needed her to say it — he already knew.
Keqing had told him beforehand that Ningguang would make the first move, and with a dinner request this deliberate, the purpose was obvious enough.
"...Stay in Liyue. Help build it into something greater — that's the promise I made to Keqing."
"So there's no need for you to say all this."
Ningguang let out a soft sigh. "I didn't expect you to think so highly of Keqing."
"Of course."
"She chose me — so naturally, I'll do what she wishes."
Ye Xi gently pressed his hand over Ningguang's as she reached for her cup again, and smiled. "Don't drink so fast."
"Mm."
Ningguang replied softly, then asked, "So... will you choose me?"
That question caught Ye Xi off guard.
"Why wouldn't I?"
Seeing him turn the question back on her, Ningguang sighed. "Because I'm old... I'm not as young as Keqing."
Ye Xi: ???
Ningguang continued, "In Liyue, a woman is of marriageable age at sixteen or seventeen."
"I am already twenty-five or twenty-six — by common opinion, well past my prime."
This was the one thing that made Ningguang feel most insecure — the one truth she least wanted to face.
Keqing was only eighteen or nineteen, in the full bloom of youth. It was perfectly natural for Ye Xi to be drawn to her.
But a woman of twenty-five or twenty-six — how could she possibly compare to girls so much younger?
Ye Xi was rendered completely speechless.
Back in the real world, there were women in their thirties who still called themselves little sprites.
And here was Ningguang at twenty-five, convinced she was already an old woman.
It was almost funny.
He looked at those long, graceful legs of hers. The smooth, flawless skin. Those luminous, delicate hands.
What part of any of this had anything to do with the word "old"?
What was the difference between her and a girl barely past twenty?
He could play around with this for ten or eight years and not get tired.
Ye Xi said with a helpless smile, "If age is your concern, then that worry is entirely unnecessary."
"Believe it or not, I have someone at home who's five hundred years old."
After all — what had Nahida said about herself?
"Ehh?"
Seeing Ningguang's stunned expression, Ye Xi suddenly remembered something. "Oh — I forgot to mention it to Keqing too. I know a breathing technique from the Adepti — one that absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and cultivates Adeptal power."
"I'll teach it to you and Keqing. Practice it whenever you have time."
"It's quite effective for things like maintaining one's appearance and complexion."
"Once I consult with the Adepti of Liyue for more details, eternal youth — or at least living a hundred years longer — shouldn't be out of reach."
At those words, Ningguang's eyes lit up, her heart immediately aflutter.
At her station in life, it wasn't wealth or power she cared about most.
No — the one thing that held the highest place in her heart was her appearance.
She wanted to stay young. She wanted to keep what she had.
And everything Ye Xi had just said was precisely what she longed to hear — it hit every mark perfectly.
The heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart quietly lifted.
"Then... shall we retire for the night..."
Ningguang's cheeks flushed deeper, and she made her intentions clear.
Since Ye Xi had no objection to her age, she felt nothing but pure, unbounded joy.
Ye Xi, however, was in no hurry. He gently took hold of Ningguang as she rose to her feet and drew her down to sit beside him.
He caught the faint, delicate fragrance drifting from her and asked softly, "Is there anything else you wish for? Consider it... my betrothal gift to you."
"Ehh!?"
Ningguang hadn't expected him to say something like that, and her heart stirred involuntarily.
So it really was just as Keqing had described — Ye Xi truly did dote on his women.
Someone in his position, with everything already at his disposal, and yet he still wanted to give her more.
She was genuinely moved.
Ningguang thought for a moment, then nodded. "Since you're asking... I do have one wish, though I'm in no hurry."
"I only hope that one day, my Jade Chamber will span all seven nations."
"So I'll need seven Jade Chambers in total..."
Ye Xi blinked, and inwardly let out a long breath.
Good heavens.
Wasn't this essentially nuclear deterrence?
Just how ambitious was this woman?
Seeing the conflicted look on Ye Xi's face, Ningguang quickly added, "This is a long-term goal of mine — there's no rush at all. You don't need to trouble yourself over it."
"It's a very difficult thing to accomplish."
Ye Xi, however, waved it off. "For me, that wish isn't difficult at all — it's practically effortless."
Ningguang: !!!
....
____
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉