When Shao Yun heard that Eula had left the Knights of Favonius, his earlier anger vanished, and he asked with a hint of concern, "What? You left the Knights of Favonius?"
As long as the topic wasn't something that annoyed him, he was willing to act relatively kind toward her.
Eula let out a soft sigh and brushed the wetness from the corner of her eyes with her free right hand, her tone firm but tinged with helplessness. "Yes, that's right. I feel there's no meaning for me to stay with the Knights of Favonius any longer, so I chose to leave."
"Maybe traveling, seeing the vast world outside… maybe that can calm me down and help me think about my future."
She paused briefly before adding, "Of course, if there's a place where no one knows me… a place where I can leave all my troubles and burdens behind and start over—then that would be ideal."
Hearing her speak about her hopes for a new life, Shao Yun couldn't help letting a faint smile curl at the corner of his mouth, laced with a hint of teasing. "But you chose to come all the way out into this massive desert to start your new life?"
"If you ask me, if you really want to hide away somewhere, the Stormterror's Lair in Mondstadt isn't a bad option. Much safer than this empty desert."
The reason he didn't recommend Windrise was simply because he wanted that place for himself someday… if possible.
Eula's expression changed instantly at his words—her sorrow vanished, replaced by irritation and displeasure. Lumine and Paimon had given her confidence, and she believed that no matter what she did, Shao Yun wouldn't dare do anything to her.
"I don't need your approval to decide where I start a new life. Besides, starting over is only an idea of mine!"
Shao Yun noticed she was irritated and shook his head lightly. "It's nothing… oh, right! Here, this is for you."
He stood up, walked to the table, picked up a backpack that looked like the type adventurers used, and placed it beside her.
Eula stared curiously at the stuffed pack. "What's in here?"
He explained, "Inside, Miss Candace prepared a map of the Sumeru desert for you, and there are some practical adventuring tools that Mister Kaveh kindly provided!"
"In addition, there are several guidebooks on desert survival. Miss Candace asked me to give them to you. It was originally supposed to be Dehya's job."
He paused, then added, "And Miss Candace even prepared a desert sumpter-beast for you."
"It's carrying a tent and plenty of food for desert travel. It's right outside."
Hearing that, warmth rose in Eula's heart, and she opened her mouth to ask him to thank Candace for her. "Please thank—"
Shao Yun cut her off. "Miss Candace guessed you'd say that, so she told me to tell you there's no need to thank her. She thanks you for protecting the caravan traveling to Aaru Village."
"As for Kaveh, he said that next time you walk into a construction site, make sure you wear a safety helmet."
Eula didn't respond at first. She simply sat there silently for a moment.
Then she turned her gaze to the backpack, a complex look in her eyes.
Suddenly, as if making a firm decision, she flung the blanket off her chest.
Shao Yun whipped around instantly, nearly catching sight of smooth, snow-white skin. "What are you trying to do!?" he shouted, startled and irritated.
But Eula ignored him completely.
She crawled toward the foot of the bed, grabbed the neatly folded clothes Candace had prepared for her, and began dressing without hesitation.
Even with his back turned, Shao Yun could hear the rustling of fabric behind him.
The sound grated on his nerves, fanning the flames of his irritation.
Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore. "Are you insane? You nearly scared me to death just now!"
Eula's dressing movements paused for a moment.
She briefly thought of doing what she used to do when joking around with Amber—lifting her long leg to give Shao Yun a good kick in the lower back.
But the impulse faded just as fast. Doing that with Shao Yun felt… inappropriate.
So she suppressed the urge and lowered her leg.
She raised her head and shot him a cold look. "I'm just getting dressed. How could that scare you? You're someone who kills without blinking—don't you even have that little bit of courage?"
Shao Yun's expression twisted in frustration. He had planned to stay quiet, but after hesitating, he spoke anyway. "You should've let me leave the room and given you space! Do you think I'm Amber? Or Lumine? I'm a man. Ever heard of giving someone privacy?"
He genuinely felt awkward and exasperated.
Meanwhile, Eula continued dressing at an unhurried pace, explaining her reasoning. "Hmph. If you really wanted to do something strange to me, you already had plenty of chances—like the nights I passed out drunk on the streets of Mondstadt."
"Since you didn't take advantage of me then, why would I worry about you now?"
But then, remembering caution, she added, "Besides, if I let you out, who's to say you wouldn't peek from outside? Even if I caught you, I'd have no real proof."
"Now that your back is turned and you can't see me, I can dress properly without worrying."
Shao Yun was stunned by her flawless logic, unable to think of a comeback.
His expression contorted even more as he muttered, "You… I don't even know what to say."
"If I'd known it would turn out like this, I shouldn't have bothered bringing you medicine at all. Should've let you recover naturally!"
He groaned inwardly.
Eula really was like a different person now—the sky clears, the rain stops, and suddenly you think you're invincible. Since she couldn't fight him, she had resorted to annoying him instead—and she knew very well he would never peek at her.
At last, Eula hooked her fingers around the tight, form-fitting garment at her thigh and with a soft snap, pulled it on properly.
Then she slipped into her over-the-knee high-heeled boots and stepped off the bed.
She picked up her white hooded cape and draped it over her shoulders, adjusting it with practiced ease.
Her left hand lifted the backpack as she headed toward the door. "I'm leaving. I hope we never meet again."
Watching her back, Shao Yun offered a normal, reasonable suggestion. "Not staying in Aaru Village for the night? The desert gets cold at night."
But the obstacle in her heart was still too deep.
Eula paused but didn't turn around. "I'm afraid you'll kill me in my sleep. The psychological shadow you left in me—I'll never forget."
"I know my family crossed your bottom line when they kidnapped Paimon. But I'm a person, not a heartless machine…"
Her voice grew more complicated as she continued.
After a moment of silence, she slowly turned her head, staring at him with a mix of anger and pain.
Finally, she bit down hard and said, "What happened has already happened. I won't blame you for that night—but no matter what, I can't escape the horror of that experience."
Shao Yun crossed his arms and replied emotionlessly, "I understand. Even if your relatives were insane, they were still your family."
"I get it. So… I wish you the best."
Eula turned away, leaving him with one last cold sentence. "Let this be the last time we ever meet."
With that, she stepped out the door.
Just outside, the desert sumo-beast Candace had prepared was tied and waiting, loaded with supplies.
Without hesitation, Eula mounted and rode away into the desert.
Not long after she left, Candace appeared at the doorway.
Leaning against the frame, she glanced inside at Shao Yun, her lips curling into a sly, slightly dark smile. "I just saw your ex-girlfriend riding away from Aaru Village, didn't I?"
Her gaze shifted to the unmade bed, and she chuckled. "Nothing like old flames rekindling or destiny reuniting lovers, hmm?"
Shao Yun snorted. "You're probably the only person in the world who'd joke about that."
Still, she had saved his life. As his benefactor, harmless teasing was tolerable.
Candace walked in and began tidying the bedding. "So what exactly happened between you and Miss Eula?"
Shao Yun answered simply, "I killed her whole family. That's all."
Candace understood instantly. So that was why Eula reacted so strongly—they were enemies.
But the simplicity of his words only made her feel the situation was definitely not simple. "The simpler you make something sound, the more complicated it usually is… but since you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask."
===BREAK===
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