Ronava took the paper lantern and brushed her fingertips across it. The ink of the osmanthus design had not quite dried, and she looked down at it for a long time.
"How do I release it?"
she asked.
Lin En paused, then understood. He pulled a short candle stub from inside his robe, pressed it into the wire holder at the bottom of the lantern, and lit it with a fire starter.
Warm yellow candlelight shone through the thin paper, bringing a hint of warmth.
"Make a wish to the lantern, then let go and let it fly into the sky."
Lin En pointed out the window.
Ronava held the lantern and closed her eyes.
A little while later, she opened her eyes and let go. The paper lantern rose slowly, drifting out the window to join the lights filling the sky.
The harbor's night breeze carried it higher and farther away, until it became a tiny point of light, lost among countless sky lanterns and impossible to tell apart.
Ronava watched the lantern disappear into the night, a feeling she could not describe stirring in her heart.
Lin En suddenly spoke.
"How about we go for a walk?"
Ronava turned to look at him.
"The streets are lively. It's the Moonchase Festival, after all. It only comes once a year, and staying cooped up in your room all day isn't good for your health. Besides, you seem interested in the scenery outside."
Ronava wanted to argue, but swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.
She did want to go outside and look around. The lights filling the city were undoubtedly unfamiliar to her, and unfamiliar things always made her instinctively recoil. But tonight, she suddenly wanted to try getting a little closer.
"There are too many people, and I'm still injured."
"It's fine. If you can't walk anymore, I'll..."
"If you dare say you'll carry me, I'll kill you right now."
Lin En forcibly swallowed the words "carry you."
The two left the inn and joined the crowds at the Moonchase Festival night market.
There were even more people on the streets than during the day, and it was livelier too, with vendors calling out everywhere.
Lin En walked half a step ahead, using his shoulders to shield her from the press of the crowd. Ronava followed slowly behind him, her long silver-white hair especially conspicuous in the lamplight, drawing many glances, though she remained entirely unaware.
Stalls lined both sides of the street, selling snacks, lanterns, and trinkets, with many people gathered around them.
Ronava's gaze swept over the stalls one by one. Suddenly, as though she had spotted something, she slowed her pace.
Lin En looked back at her and saw that her gaze had settled on a street stall tucked away in a corner. It was easy to miss, and no one was there; the place was deserted.
It was a jewelry stall, with an old cloth spread on the ground and a scattering of hairpins, bracelets, and earrings laid out on it. Most were handmade, and while they could hardly be called exquisite, their designs were distinctive.
Ronava was looking at a hairpin. Its shaft was ordinary silver, with a small rose set at the top, its petals layered one over another. Though the material was cheap, the craftsmanship was surprisingly delicate.
Amid the brilliant reds and greens of the lights filling the street, the silver rose lay quietly on the cloth, like something that did not belong there.
Lin En noticed where she was looking. Perhaps the hairpin would look even prettier on her.
He turned to look at Ronava again. She was staring at the hairpin in a daze, her profile especially serene in the lamplight, which made her already lovely face even more beautiful. He froze for a moment.
"Excuse me, how much is this?"
The stallholder was an old woman, her head bent as she braided a red cord. At his question, she looked up, followed his pointing finger to the silver hairpin, and smiled.
"You have a good eye, young man. My granddaughter came across that one before. It's the only one, and it's not expensive. Two thousand Mora will do."
Lin En paid and held the hairpin between his fingers. Its silver shaft was cool to the touch, and the rose looked rather small in his palm.
He turned around. Ronava was standing two steps away, watching him.
"What did you buy it for?"
He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and stepped forward.
"Don't move!"
Ronava instinctively tried to retreat, but Lin En had already reached out. He moved quickly, gently gathering the silver hair scattered over her shoulders with his left hand and slowly sliding the hairpin into her bun with his right.
Ronava smelled wonderful, leaving Lin En at a loss for a moment.
The red rose nestled in her hair, especially dazzling in the lamplight.
The whole process took only a few breaths.
Ronava stood where she was, perfectly still.
She could feel the faint sensation of Lin En's hand passing through her hair, and the cool touch of the small piece of metal against her scalp.
His fingertips brushed her ear, so lightly they barely touched her, yet she went rigid.
"You..."
She raised a hand to touch the hairpin, but stopped when her fingertips met the texture of the rose petals.
The old woman at the stall beside them looked at the two and chuckled softly.
"Young people these days..."
Lin En breathed a sigh of relief and took a closer look. Yes, it really was beautiful.
He met Ronava's eyes. Her gaze was different from every time before; there was no killing intent in it.
"You look beautiful wearing that hairpin, more beautiful than anyone else."
Lin En meant every word. At that moment, Ronava was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
"Are pretty words all you know how to say?"
"That's how I really feel."
"I suppose I'll take it as a compliment."
Lin En found it strange that Ronava had not gotten angry today, so he asked again.
"What?"
"Idiot."
She cursed him, then turned and continued walking, a little faster than before.
Lin En followed, catching sight of her raising a hand to touch the hairpin in her hair before quickly lowering it again.
As they crossed a stone bridge, she suddenly stopped once more.
Many lotus lanterns floated on the water below, drifting with the current like a flowing river of stars. A few had become tangled in the water plants by the bank and were turning in circles.
Ronava leaned against the bridge railing, looking down at the lotus lanterns.
"What's your impression of death?"
Lin En came to her side and leaned over the railing as well, looking down at the bustling harbor.
"I don't know. I've never died."
"I deal with death every day, but I never thought about what dying itself feels like, not until that day when I thought I was going to die."
She paused.
"Then you appeared."
"Why did you save me? You have to give me an answer today."
She had asked this question more than once, but this time, her voice held none of its initial wariness, nor the cold indifference of the past few days. This time, she truly just wanted to know the answer.
Perhaps there were things Lin En would have said even if Ronava had not asked.
"Because I don't want you to die!"
After finishing the version 7.1 main quest, Lin En had always felt that Ronava's death was terribly hard to accept.
Ronava looked into his eyes and remained silent for a long time. Then she straightened up and tucked her windblown hair behind her ear, her fingertips lingering on the silver hairpin for a moment.
"Let's go back."
she said.
"I'm tired."
Back in the inn room, Ronava sat on the edge of the bed, pulled out the hairpin, and held it in her palm, looking at it for a long time. The red rose lay in her hand, his fingers' warmth still lingering on its petals.
"Happiness..."
Then she put the hairpin back in her hair.
"But compared to roses, I prefer Liyue's spider lilies."