Miss Keqing, You'd Better Apologize Properly

Hearing the door close, Keqing of relief and lifted her blindfold, but did not immediately look at the screen.

"Dominion! You're here!"

"Yes, what's up?" Another Herrscher of Dominion crawled out of the closet.

"What exactly do you want?" Keqing glared at the Herrscher of Dominion with intense hostility.

"What do I want to do?" The Herrscher of Dominion twisted his neck 180 degrees with a maniacal smile on his face.

"!"

Keqing was successfully startled by a little thing.

"Miss Yuheng Star, what are you trying to do? I'm not restricting your freedom right now. Whether you want to complain or leave, it's all up to you. Your master has already left."

"I..."

Speechless, Keqing glanced at the computer.

"... I'll leave after I finish processing these documents!"

Keqing's strong sense of responsibility made it impossible for her to ignore these documents.

"Good luck!"

"Dr. Ruan Mei's joint research report... uh, no, I can't understand this..."

"We can wait for the master to return and let him decide," the Herrscher of Dominion suggested from the side.

"Ms. Topaz's land planning documents... Why didn't you let me see them first? — And what's with this huge aerial trading platform? Hmm... But this proposal doesn't seem too far-fetched..."

Keqing began to ponder, resting her head on her hand, and then tried to respond.

"Ms. Kitsune Saiguu... uh, do I have to send hookup invitations here in the official documents?" Keqing blushed as she looked at the explicit words on the document.

"Ah, you'll get used to it. Lord Kitsune Saiguu really enjoys playing these kinds of pranks—he's probably waiting for his master to be distracted when he writes a review on it."

"... So you're saying you're going to reject it?"

"If you want, it's fine to give it a review."

"Forget it, forget it."

Keqing coughed lightly to cover up her awkwardness caused by her inexperience.

"Next up is... Watatsumi Island wants to offer a priestess as tribute to the New General... uh, Liu Bai doesn't eat people, does he?" Keqing scratched her head.

This document looks like some kind of primitive ritual.

"Isn't this obviously sending women to the master's side? Orobashi, that snake, isn't it? It would be quite good as a lackey."

The Herrscher of Dominion greatly appreciates the proposer.

Keqing, then decisively wrote a comment rejecting the proposal.

The Herrscher of Dominion didn't care, since Liu Bai would be watching it again later anyway.

"The next one is... the wedding proposal for Lady Makoto? And the bride is... Liu Bai and Acheron? Wait, wait a minute..."

"I know what you're going to say. Lady Makoto Shin is very gentle, and it's something she would do, but just reject it."

"... Is that so?" Keqing her head, feeling confused about the real proposal.

But somehow I can understand some of it.

Is it all-encompassing love...?

Is your relationship with someone very complicated?

"I don't think so. Only a few people think about this and that every day, and there are people like you who are hesitant and conflicted. Everyone else is just living a very ordinary life, occasionally thinking about cheating."

"... Don't include me in this." Keqing retorted decisively.

"Whatever you want." The Herrscher of Dominion's arrogant smile made Keqing very uncomfortable.

"And then... about the ceremony, the preparations were completed so quickly..."

Keqing was slightly surprised.

"In that case, we just need to discuss and agree on a specific time with Ningguang."

Keqing silently ticked the "allow" box.

And then... there's more...

Even Keqing stretched her shoulders.

He worked from dusk till night, and a quick glance revealed that there were still over fifty documents pending review... Is Liu Bai usually this busy?

Wait, what has Liu Bai been busy with all this time?

Keqing was slightly puzzled.

However, the main problem with these proposals is their sheer volume; they include a lot of miscellaneous everyday proposals.

"... Dominion, why are you staying by Liu Bai's side? I feel like you two are completely different kinds of people."

"Because the master is very strong and very charming."

"Admiring strength?" Keqing curled her lip, somewhat disdainful of the reasons given by those Herrscher of Dominion.

"Then there is trust," the Herrscher of Dominion continued. "Our master is willing to give us unconditional trust, and even cares about us."

"... Do Herrscher also crave such things?"

The Herrscher of Dominion did not answer the question; instead, she tilted her head and looked at Keqing.

"Miss Yuheng, would you like to join us? Our master seems to like you very much."

"A joke that's not funny at all."

The words of the Herrscher of Dominion caused Keqing snort.

"You've clearly fallen for Master too, haven't you? Maybe this is what they call 'saying one thing but meaning another'?"

"What a joke!" Keqing tried her best to keep her question calm.

Wouldn't getting excited make it seem like the Herrscher of Dominion hit a nerve?

"Who took the owner's private photos?"

The voice of the Herrscher of Dominion carried a hint of coercion and temptation.

"Who is it that dares to abuse their power to follow their master?"

"Who is it that, despite being completely free, pretends to be one of us to gain the master's trust?"

"And who is it that, instead of leaving, chooses to stay here and complete a trivial request?"

The voice of the Herrscher of Dominion was like a demonic chant, striking Keqing's heart.

"Join us now... and you won't have to pretend to be a top student so hard anymore... You must be having a tough time right now, right? You're just a young girl experiencing first love, but you have to carry the expectations of others while busy with paperwork and construction sites."

"With just a nod, you will gain the freedom to live the life of a young girl, spending every day with your beloved..."

"Come on, make your choice..."

Keqing's pupils gradually lost focus.

"I..." Keqing's cherry lips parted slightly.

"Don't wave that pocket watch in front of me!"

Keqing, whose eyes were gradually losing focus, slapped the Herrscher of Dominion's hand.

"Are you making fun of me?!"

"Hmm~ Of course~ And remember to compensate me for that pocket watch, which was bought at the two-dollar store, Miss Keqing."

The Herrscher of Dominion, with a grin, shrank back into the wardrobe in a contorted posture.

Chapter 307 Keqing must apologize properly!

Keqing has disappeared...?

Liu Bai, who was taking a walk in the Jade Chamber after finishing his meal, suddenly heard this news.

"... Pela, what's going on?"

Liu Bai looked at the petite, black-stockinged girl in front of him who had indeed delivered the message.

... So using black stockings to describe a young girl is perhaps a bit biased.

"La Signora Ningguang told me this herself, and asked me to pass it on to you." Pela gently pushed up her glasses, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"Although it may be presumptuous of me to say this... I have a feeling that La Signora Ningguang may be trying to convey something to you in a veiled way."

As an intelligence officer, Pela has a very high level of insight in this regard.

Pela's small face showed signs of her age...

Uh, okay, it's not a problem with age.

Liu Bai still remembers the first thing Pela said when she arrived:

"My name is Pela Sergeevna, you can call me 'Pela'. I graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science of the Belobog Military Academy with a double honors bachelor's degree in War Studies and Intelligence."

Although she is indeed young, she probably doesn't want to be treated like a child.

"Since Ningguang said so..." Bai stroked his chin.

Keqing is missing...

It wasn't that Liu Bai wanted to overthink it, but rather that as soon as Keqing disappeared, his own Herrscher of Dominion suddenly appeared, cosplaying Keqing.

Isn't this coincidence a bit too much?

"... Did Ningguang say anything else?"

"No, according to the testimonies I collected along the way... La Signora. Keqing has been unreachable since noon today, whether in the office or at the construction site."

Pela flipped through the booklet in her hand.

"Please rest assured that I did not disclose any information related to La Signora. Keqing's disappearance during the questioning."

Pela had just closed the memo when she suddenly remembered that Ningguang seemed to have actually said something.

"Wait a moment, now that you mention it... I do recall that La Signora. Ningguang seemed to have said something insignificant, but rather odd."

"Specifically..."

"Hmm... La Signora Ningguang is saying that if the Yuheng Star is vacant... we could try to let you take over from this aspect and enter the Liyue political arena in a legitimate way."

Pela adjusted her round-framed glasses, a hint of doubt on her face.

"Thinking about it carefully, normally no one would consider replacements on the very day a high-ranking official goes missing, right?"

This is illogical.

"... Could it be a crime of indecent assault?" Pela's glasses reflected a cold light as she glanced at Liu Bai beside her.

Ningguang, jealous of Keqing's closeness with Liu Bai, secretly eliminated Yuheng Star Keqing.

Pela adjusted her glasses again.

... It's not impossible.

Although Pela felt that Ningguang was the one who was more direct and closer to Liu Bai.

But isn't there a word for it called "cheating"?

Pela has even written the script.

One evening, Ningguang, after getting off work, accidentally discovered Liu Bai and Keqing embracing naked in the grove.

Then, recalling Liu Bai's recent subtle coldness towards him, anger surged within him...

"Ah--!"

Pela covered her head and let out a scream that made her look like she was covered in blood.

"Stop your delusional nonsense! Stop your brainwashing! Do you spend all day reading these kinds of novels?"

"... It's just a reasonable deduction from an intelligence officer!"