The Three-Year Wait Is Over! Welcome Back, Clervie!

Xingsu spent a lot of time gently comforting her before finally calming down the emotionally distraught Furina. Her eyes were still slightly red, and her nerves, which had been tense for five hundred years, were finally able to relax completely today.

"Get some sleep. You've had a hard time for the past five hundred years." Xingsu's voice was gentle and deep, carrying a reassuring power.

Centuries of anxiety, fear, and long-accumulated fatigue dissipated at this moment. Having finally vented her five hundred years of grievances, Furina leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and could finally shed all pretense and rest peacefully for a while.

Xingsu gently closed the door of the tea room and slowly walked out of Palais Mermonia. The evening breeze outside the palace was cool, brushing against the lamps under the corridor, and the warm yellow light and shadows swayed gently on the ground. He glanced back at the magnificent yet oppressive Palais Mermonia, determined to find a way to resolve the Fontaine prophecy.

"So your way of finding a way to break the Fontaine prophecy was to spend an afternoon alone with the water goddess Furina, a tea party?" Arlecchino's fingertips touched the table as she looked at Xingsu with a scrutinizing gaze.

"I obtained some important information about the Fontaine prophecy from Furina." Xingsu was still pondering the prophecy and didn't catch the meaning behind Arlecchino's words.

Arlecchino raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? So what specific information did you obtain?"

Xingsu gently shook his head, pointed upwards, and said with a hint of helplessness, "It concerns the principles of Heavenly Principles, and cannot be spoken of. Besides... that child, Furina, has truly suffered these past years."

"That child?"

Arlecchino instantly caught the unusual form of address, a hint of amusement and sharpness flashing in her eyes. Leaning slightly forward, she asked in a teasingly probing tone, "It was just an ordinary tea party. How come you've become so close to the high and mighty Water God of Fontaine since you came back?"

... broken!

Xingsu's heart sank suddenly.

Now Cheng Xingsu stuck in two directions!

Tell her the truth

The secret that Furina has kept hidden from the Heavenly Principles five hundred years involves the fate of the entire Fontaine and is a taboo of the Heavenly Principles hanging over everyone's heads. She must not let Arlecchino know the secret.

Let's not tell her the truth.

Looking at Arlecchino's slightly narrowed eyes, and the faint chill and hidden bitterness surging within them, Xingsu felt a chill run down his spine.

Xingsu's apple bobbed heavily, his mind a jumble of thoughts. He stammered out only half a sentence: "Um..."

"What are you thinking about? Why have you been standing there in a daze for so long?"

Arlecchino instantly dropped the cold aura that had surrounded her. Looking at him standing there, his expression conflicted and troubled, she felt nothing but tenderness and indulgence.

She walked slowly to Xingsu, pressed her breath against his ear, and whispered, "Do what you want to do. The children and I will always be there for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a soft, warm touch landed on Xingsu's cheek.

Xingsu was slightly taken aback. Looking at her lover's appearance, Xingsu felt a warmth in her heart.

Thank you, Pepe.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward, reached out and embraced her waist, then leaned down and kissed her.

The candlelight flickered gently in the room, its warmth enveloping the two of them and easing all the tension and fatigue of the past few days.

After a long while, Arlecchino gently raised her hand to his chest, and turned her head slightly to part their lips. The tenderness in her eyes lingered, but she had regained some clarity and decisiveness, and softly reminded him:

"Don't you have plans for tonight? Don't let it interfere with tonight's operation."

"Um."

As dusk settled, the light spilled over the windows of the Hotel Bouffes d'ete.

Xingsu personally cooked a simple dinner with Clervie in the kitchen.

Clervie has now integrated into life at the House of the Hearth. She mainly takes care of logistical tasks: preparing three meals a day for the children, looking after the younger ones, and in her spare time, she teaches small cooking classes, instructing the children on how to knead dough and bake pastries.

Because of her truly outstanding culinary skills, her sweet and delicious food quickly won the hearts of the children, and before long, Clervie became one of the most beloved people in the House of the Hearth.

Whether the children are practicing or playing around, as soon as news spreads in the hallway that Clervie has made fresh desserts again, everyone immediately drops what they're doing and rushes towards the kitchen to grab some refreshments.

If you arrive a step late, you can only look at the empty tray and enviously admire the small cakes in other people's hands.

In the kitchen, Clervie had a faint smile on her lips as she recounted the amusing incident of the children scrambling for desserts during the day.

The butterfly cookies I baked today were all gone in the blink of an eye, and the little ones almost got into a little tantrum over the last one.

Xingsu, wearing an apron, listened to her story as she busied herself with her work.

The large House of the Hearth is usually filled with the smoke of battle and missions, so such a warm and cozy moment is rarely seen.

Clervie's gaze swept over the still slightly bloody steak on the plate beside her, and she raised an eyebrow slightly. "By the way, Xingsu, this steak isn't cooked through; it looks like it's only medium-rare."

"Oh, that one, it wasn't for you or me," Xingsu replied casually while frying the steak in the pan.

Clervie blinked, then asked curiously, "Hmm? Is it for Pepe?"

"Yes, she doesn't like complicated dishes, so I make her very simple meals, just basic cooking. Before, she would often eat raw meat with toast... I couldn't stand it and stopped her, which is why I specifically learned to cook."

"Oh~~~ I see." Clervie drawled, feigning sudden realization, a slight smile playing on her lips.

As night deepened outside the window, the starlight of Court of Fontaine shimmered against the inky sky, its delicate rays gently scattering down.

Xingsu looked up at the deep night outside the window, her fingertips lightly lifting as she whispered that hidden name, "Lin, the precious memories you desired, I have found them for you. The memories of a water god should be enough to satisfy your needs."

An invisible consciousness silently responded from the Akasha: "Hmm? Let me have a look."

After a brief silence, Lin finished browsing through the fragments of Furina's memories, which had been sealed for five hundred years, and said with satisfaction, "Very good. The weight of this memory exceeds my expectations."

"Then, the deal is done."

Xingsu's expression hardened, and he gently grasped Clervie's wrist beside him. A faint light flowed down from the Akasha, and Lin slowly channeled the power carrying the memories into Clervie's body, a gentle warmth spreading along her meridians.

Xingsu looked at Clervie: "Clervie, congratulations, you're officially back at House of the Hearth from today onwards."

Arlecchino picked up her glass, a faint smile playing on her lips, and softly proposed, "A toast to Clervie's official return."

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Wow, what amazing memories! To exchange just a little bit of the power to maintain those memories for something so precious, what a steal!"

"Hey Lin, your microphone's still on."

"... sorry!"

(Volume 1: The Song Burning in the Embers, The End)