As dawn approached, Lin En dozed off, having not slept a wink all night.
He leaned back in his chair, his head tilted to the side, his chin almost touching Ronava's head.
The weight on her shoulders was still there. Ronava rested her head on his shoulder, her breathing shallow and steady. Her coat had slipped down halfway, and in her half-awake state, she reached out and tugged at it, pulling it up a little.
" Lin En?"
A voice came from the side, exceptionally clear on the empty street.
Lin En suddenly opened his eyes, his mind not yet fully processing what was happening, but his hand had already shielded Ronava.
He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a person standing under the streetlight, wearing a dark brown long robe and holding a lantern, walking this way. It was Zhongli!
"Mr. Zhongli?"
Lin En's voice was still a little hoarse, and his speech had a bloody taste; his internal injuries had not yet healed.
Zhongli walked to the bench and stopped, the lantern light shining on the two of them.
He glanced at the bruises and scabs on Lin En's face, then at Ronava, and his brow twitched slightly as he asked in confusion.
"What happened to you all? So you really didn't have Mora when you left that day?"
Lin En lowered his voice, not wanting to disturb Ronava, and briefly recounted the events of the Chasm.
From accepting the commission to discovering the explosives, encountering the Tsaritsa and the Jester, and then fighting a battle and retreating.
Zhongli didn't interrupt during the conversation, but he was stunned when he heard " The Tsaritsa has come in person."
"I see."
Zhongli nodded.
" The Tsaritsa is indeed gathering power everywhere. She has contacted me several times. However, we are bound by a contract, so there are some things I cannot directly interfere with."
He glanced at Ronava, then looked at Lin En.
"However, there is still an empty room in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Hu Tao cleaned it up for guests. No one lives there normally. You can rest there; it's better than sleeping on the benches."
"Thank you so much."
Lin En quickly thanked him.
He tried to stand up, Ronava was still leaning on his shoulder.
He carefully removed her from under his shoulder, his movements as gentle as could be.
Ronava frowned slightly in her sleep, mumbled something, and didn't wake up.
Lin En supported her back with one hand and lifted her up by the knees with the other. Ronava wasn't heavy, but she was covered in injuries. Her legs trembled when she stood up, but she gritted her teeth and steadied herself.
Let's go.
Zhongli led the way with a lantern. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was not far from the port; they arrived in just a few steps.
Zhongli pushed open the door. A small lamp was still lit in the main hall of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Hu Tao peeked out from behind the curtain of the inner room, her hair disheveled and her eyes narrowed to slits.
" Zhongli, why are you up so early again...?"
She yawned, then her eyes widened when she saw Lin En hugging someone behind Zhongli.
"What happened? What's wrong?"
"The two of them encountered the people of Snezhnaya in the Chasm and fought a battle."
Zhongli gave a brief explanation.
So I'd like to borrow an empty room to rest.
"Empty rooms? Yes, yes, yes!"
Hu Tao lifted the curtain and strode out.
"The room's empty anyway, you can take it and it'll make the place feel more lively."
She ran up to the second floor, and Lin En followed Zhongli Li upstairs with Ronava in her arms.
At the end of the second-floor corridor was a small room with the door open. Hu Tao was inside, busy making the bed.
The morning light streamed through the window, illuminating the entire room softly and cleanly.
"Alright, alright, put it down now."
Hu Tao patted the pillow and left with Zhongli.
Lin En gently placed Ronava on the bed.
Ronava snuggled against the pillow, finding a comfortable position, and her breathing calmed down again.
Lin En pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and stood by the bed for a while.
The morning light shone on her face, turning her silver hair a warm white, and her eyelashes cast soft shadows under her eyes. Lin En bent down and gently touched her forehead with her lips.
Ronava's eyes suddenly opened.
Her golden eyes stared straight at him, still a little drowsy from just waking up, but a smile played on her lips.
"So you're planning to surprise me first thing in the morning?"
Lin En froze on the edge of the bed, her lips still hanging in mid-air, her face instantly turning red from her ears to her neck.
"When... when did you wake up?"
When you kiss me.
Ronava sat up in bed, her silver hair draped over her shoulders, the blanket slipping down to her waist, and looked around.
Where is this?
" Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
Lin En took a step back, unsure of what to do with his hands. He was a little confused as to Ronava had suddenly woken up.
" Zhongli met us on the road and brought us here to stay. Hu Tao made up the beds for us."
Ronava's gaze shifted to the doorway, where Hu Tao was standing outside the door frame, covering her mouth. When she saw Ronava looking over, she quickly waved her hands vigorously and explained.
"I didn't see anything! You guys continue, you guys continue!"
After saying that, he turned and ran, his footsteps echoing in the corridor.
Ronava withdrew her gaze and looked back at Lin En.
What did you just do?
"... nothing."
"I have something on my forehead?"
"No."
"Then why are you kissing me?"
Lin En opened his mouth, trying to come up with an excuse, but after a long time he could only manage to utter one sentence.
"It... it looks pleasing to the eye."
Ronava looked at him for two seconds, and the smile on her lips twisted a little more.
"Alright, you should get some sleep too. You're still injured, don't stand up."
"Then you sleep on the bed, I'll just sleep on a makeshift bed on the floor."
"The bed is wide enough."
Lin En paused for a moment, Ronava moved in, making room on the outside.
He stood there hesitating for a few seconds, then finally took off his shoes and lay down, facing outwards and with his back to Ronava.
The rustling of blankets came from behind me, Ronava's voice drifted over from the pillow.
" Lin En."
"Hmm? Is there something you need?"
"Next time you kiss me, at least don't choose a time when I'm asleep."
"... knew."
After Lin En lay down, the muscles that had been tense all day finally relaxed. It would be a shame not to sleep on such a soft bed for a while.
The bed was indeed wide enough, with more than half a fist's distance between the two people. Lin En lay facing outwards with his eyes closed, his mind racing with all sorts of random thoughts, but he couldn't resist his body being too tired, and his consciousness began to blur after only a few minutes.
In his hazy state, he felt the blanket behind him move slightly, and then a hand reached out and gently touched his back through the fabric of his undergarment, as if testing him.
Lin En didn't move or speak; his hand remained there, unmoved.
After a while, he heard Ronava's voice coming from the other side of the pillow, muffled.
Your back is covered in bruises.
" The Jester who injured him."
Lin En answered with her eyes closed.
"It's just a minor injury; it'll be fine in a few days."
The hand lingered on his back for a few seconds, then slipped past him from the side and hugged him, Ronava pressing his entire body against his back.
Lin En was completely awakened by this, but she kept her eyes closed, though her heartbeat betrayed her.
In the morning light Ronava's eyes were closed, her silver hair spread out on the pillow, her brows relaxed, and there was a small smile on her lips; she was probably fast asleep.
He closed his eyes again, this time without letting his mind wander, and soon fell asleep.
When I woke up again, it was already broad daylight outside.
Lin En turned over and found that Ronava had gotten up and was sitting in a chair by the window. She had changed into clean clothes and had her silver hair combed again. She no longer had the broken feeling she had last night.