Bai You was so dizzy from being shaken that she grabbed her hand, both amused and exasperated.
"Take your time asking, one at a time, I can't run away."
"Then tell me first, were you scared?" Varesa cupped her face, her brows still furrowed.
"At first it was a bit..." Bai You confessed honestly, then her eyes crinkled into a smile.
"But Her Majesty the Tsaritsa is actually a very nice person; she even apologized to me."
"An apology?" This time, even Odette was stunned. " Your Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, an apology?"
"Hmm." Bai You nodded and recounted the conversation in the reception room in detail.
She said the Doctor attacked me, it was her fault, and she apologized to me.
"He also said that the Doctor has been punished, and the Doctor shouldn't be bothering me for a while."
Varesa breathed a long sigh of relief upon hearing the words, "I won't come looking for trouble again."
"That's good, that's good... That madman, hopefully he'll never show his face in front of us again in his lifetime."
"And then what?" she pressed.
"Here it is, Her Majesty the Tsaritsa said it was compensation."
Bai You took the "Peach Blossom Spring- La" from her bosom.
The emerald light flowed slowly in the morning light, and within a small space, green hills, streams, grass, trees, and wildflowers appeared and disappeared.
Varesa and Odette leaned closer to thank her, staring at the small object in disbelief.
"This... this is inside..." Varesa held her breath.
"This is a little world." Bai You, as if presenting a treasure, took Varesa's hand.
"I think I've seen this before... It was given to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa by the Geo Archon of distant Liyue..."
Columbina had appeared nearby at some point, her light purple eyes fixed on the object, her tone carrying a hint of understanding.
"It was supposed to be some kind of transaction..."
"I sensed this item using my Kuuvahki; the power it contained was immense, and the way it wielded that power was incredibly subtle."
"The person who created this must have unfathomable talent."
"Oh, right, His Majesty also said..." Bai You continued.
She said that as the twelfth seat, I could stay in Snezhnaya Snezhnaya I wanted.
"I can travel to other countries anytime I want; I can help collect Gnosis if I want, and I can just travel if I don't."
"And Rosalyne, she went to Mondstadt yesterday and said that if I'm interested, I can go Mondstadt sometime too."
These words left Varesa and Odette stunned.
" Seven Nations... anywhere?" Odette murmured, her icy blue eyes filled with disbelief.
Upon hearing the name Rosalyne, Odette lowered her head slightly, seemingly unwilling to hear anything about her.
Varesa, however, astutely grasped another key point. She reached out and gently pinched Bai You's cheek, her tone both soft and complex:
"So, you're going to leave eventually, right? To Mondstadt, to Liyue, to so many places..."
There was a hint of disappointment hidden in her voice.
The thought of Bai You going to such a faraway place in the future makes me feel empty.
Bai You could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression.
She took Varesa's hand in return, shook it, and smiled up at her.
"You're silly." She mimicked Varesa's usual tone.
"I don't go to other places alone either."
She paused, tiptoed, leaned close to Varesa's ear, and whispered:
"After your performance, I'll take you all out to have fun. I'll take you everywhere I go, and I'll take you with me for the rest of my life."
Varesa froze.
She looked down at Bai You's earnest little face in front of her.
She didn't say anything, but simply reached out and hugged Bai You tightly in her arms.
"Okay." After a long while, she finally spoke, albeit in a muffled but amused tone.
"It's a promise, you'll take me with you wherever you go."
"Yes, it's settled."
Beside her, Odette turned her face away, secretly rubbing the corner of her eye, but refusing to admit defeat, she coughed lightly:
"Alright, that's enough for you. What kind of behavior is this, hugging and cuddling so early in the morning?"
Bai You suddenly seemed to remember something, "That's right."
Bai You peeked her head out from Varesa's arms.
His Majesty also said that a large sum of compensation would be sent to you from the Snezhnaya Palace.
Varesa paused for a moment, then shook her head with a wry smile.
Her sky-blue eyes were filled with tenderness. "Who wants her compensation... My Little Bai You is alright, that's more important than anything."
"Alright." Varesa took a deep breath and rallied her spirits.
He reached out and ruffled Bai You's hair, saying, "Even the most important thing has to be eating first."
Her Majesty the Tsaritsa has left, and our little patient is still hungry.
Odette just said she baked bread, so I'm going to heat up the milk. Little Bai You, you sit still, I'll feed you spoonful by spoonful.
"I can eat it myself!"
"No, you're wounded."
"I'm all better now."
"I said no, and that's final."
Varesa won this breakfast.
Odette's bread, which she had baked early in the morning, was still warm, with a crispy crust and a soft interior, served with her chopped vegetable salad and a small dish of jam.
There were also a few glasses of warm milk. Bai You was pressed into a chair, and the piece of bread in front of her was torn into small pieces by Varesa, who fed it to her mouth bite by bite.
"I can really take it myself..." Bai You protested softly for the umpteenth time, her ears turning red.
" Little Bai You has no right to speak." Varesa, without changing her expression, handed over another piece, "Ah--"
Bai You had no choice but to open her mouth.
Beside her Columbina held a glass of milk, her light purple eyes full of smiles, slowly eating her favorite hot bread.
Odette said, "How old are you? Why are you still being fed?" but her hands betrayed her by putting several mouthfuls of salad into the Bai You dish, saying, "Eat more vegetables, you'll recover faster."
As the meal drew to a close, Bai You's face, which had just regained some color, became rounder from being fed.
As the meal drew to a close, Odette put down her cup, wiped her mouth, and got down to business.
"Regarding the performance, I went to the theater again this morning while you were sleeping."
She looked at Varesa, her icy blue eyes carrying their usual sharpness.
"It's been postponed to the evening of the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow..." Varesa nodded.