Ronava quickened her pace. She walked ahead without looking back at Lin En again. Usually, when she walked in front, she would occasionally glance back to check whether he was keeping up. This time, though, she kept her eyes forward and never looked back once.
"Is she angry?"
Lin En lowered his voice and asked the little dragon beside him.
The little dragon looked up at him, its face full of confusion. It couldn't understand what Lin En was thinking at all.
"Rawr?"
"You think she's angry too? What should I do now?"
"Rawr."
"You're right. I really do need to find a chance to apologize."
Lin En sighed and hurried to catch up.
It was already evening by the time they reached the gates of the City of Mondstadt. The guards tensed visibly at the sight of the two of them and the dragon, their hands going to their weapons. Just then, they ran into Albedo, who was returning to the city.
Albedo hurried over and explained that they were his friends and that he had just come down from the snowy mountain with them. After hearing his explanation, the guards finally let them through.
Few people were out in the City of Mondstadt that evening. Most were drinking in the taverns and talking about what they had seen that day, though a few children were chasing windmills around the plaza.
Lin En hadn't visited Mondstadt in the game for a long time either, and he was filled with emotion for a moment. There was no need to worry about any major crisis in Mondstadt; the biggest threat was Hilichurl invasions. Living here seemed pretty nice.
"Let's find somewhere to rest first."
Ronava's voice interrupted his thoughts.
The two found a small inn in the eastern part of the city. Lin En booked two rooms, left the little dragon in his own room, took a hot bath and changed into clean clothes. Then he went to Ronava's room and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
Ronava's voice came from inside.
"It's me. I wanted to invite you to dinner. It's late, but we still need to eat."
"Give me a moment."
He heard a cabinet close inside, and then the door opened. A waft of fragrance drifted out of the room, straight into Lin En's face.
She had already bathed. Her silver hair hung loosely over her shoulders, slightly fluffed, and she had changed into a loose set of pajamas. Two buttons at her collar were undone, revealing a small stretch of collarbone.
The light fell on her, softening her usually cold face. She looked so beautiful.
For a moment, Lin En was transfixed. When he came to his senses, he asked,
"Are you going out in your pajamas?"
"Those clothes were too uncomfortable. Pajamas feel better."
"Mm, they look good on you. Come on, let's go eat."
Out on the street, a few restaurants were still open. Lin En chose the one he knew best-the Good Hunter.
Lin En sat down across from Ronava and studied the menu for a while before ordering a Mondstadt grilled fish and a glass of juice.
"What about that dragon following you?"
"It's asleep in the room. We can just bring it some food later. What would you like?"
Lin En handed her the menu, accidentally brushing her hand in the process. He quickly pulled his hand back.
They were silent for a few seconds. In the tavern beside the inn's restaurant, someone was playing an instrument and singing poetry. Even Lin En could hear it clearly. It was about love.
Lin En hesitated, then spoke up.
"Back on the snowy mountain today, when I slipped..."
"I know. It was an accident."
Ronava kept her attention on the menu.
"Right, an accident, but I still owe you an apology."
Lin En nodded, speaking sincerely. Then another thought occurred to him.
"But when I fell on top of you, you didn't seem angry?"
Ronava's fingers paused for an instant as she turned a page.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing. I just thought you would push me away right then. You seem to have changed?"
Ronava finally looked up from the menu and glanced at him with a faint smile.
"So you wanted me to push you away? There was a cliff right beside us."
"No, I..."
"Then don't ask."
She called the server over and ordered the same meal as Lin En.
When the food arrived, Lin En took a sip of juice, suppressing the smile he could barely keep off his face. He had noticed a habit of Ronava's: whenever she didn't want to answer a question, she would end it by telling him not to ask or by making a threat.
But unlike before, when "don't ask" had carried a cold sense of distance, what she had just said sounded more like an attempt to avoid the question, with a hint of awkwardness.
Is she embarrassed?
The thought made Lin En's ears burn again. He lowered his head and pretended to concentrate on cutting his grilled fish, but he couldn't help glancing across the table.
The tips of Ronava's ears were red too, though only faintly, hidden beneath her silver hair and almost invisible in the lamplight. Even this icy beauty could blush at the ears. How rare.
"Am I that good-looking?"
Ronava had clearly noticed Lin En's gaze and teased him.
"Beautiful!"
Lin En answered instinctively, then realized what he had said and quickly lowered his head to eat his fish.
After dinner, they returned to their respective rooms. Lin En pushed open his door to find the little dragon sprawled on his pillow, belly up and tail resting to one side. At the sound of the door opening, it rolled over and called out to him.
"Rawr."
"Food's here. I brought you some grilled meat and rice. I don't know if you'll like it?"
Lin En set the paper-wrapped grilled meat on the floor. The little dragon immediately came over and ate it in small bites.
Lin En sat on the edge of the bed watching it and suddenly found it rather amusing. This little dragon was the Pyro Dragon Sovereign, yet it was living such a miserable life now.
"Rawr."
After finishing the meat, the little dragon hopped onto the bed, found a comfortable spot, and lay down.
As the night deepened, the streets of the City of Mondstadt gradually grew quiet. Only the sound of turning windmills and the faint laughter and revelry from a distant tavern remained.
Lin En turned off the light and lay down. The little dragon was curled up beside his pillow, fast asleep.
He rolled over to face the window. Moonlight slipped through a gap in the curtains, casting a band of silvery-white light across the ceiling.
But he couldn't fall asleep no matter what he tried. Thinking back on the day made his heart race, and his mind was full of Ronava's smiling face.
"I can't believe I have insomnia. Would getting up and moving around help?"
Lin En muttered to himself. With that, he got up and went to the balcony.
The moon shone high outside, soothing Lin En's heart. But the wonderful scene was broken by a voice.
"Fine grape wine in a luminous cup... Tss, what was the next line again? Forget it, it doesn't matter. I'll ask the old man next time."
Lin En turned toward the source of the voice, up on the roof. When he got a clear look at the speaker, he was somewhat shocked.
"Venti?"
Hearing Lin En say his name piqued Venti's interest.
"Oh? You know me? I don't recall us ever meeting. Could you be a spy from somewhere?"
Lin En realized he had let something slip. He immediately denied it and made up a lie.
"No, no, no, I'm not. Your name has spread far and wide, after all. I heard about you from other people. Now that I've met you, your bearing really is extraordinary, and you're so learned..."
"Hehehe, all right, I'll stop teasing you. Come up and have a chat. The old man told me a few things about you, you know."