At Windrise.
A blonde woman knelt on one knee before the great oak, a Favonius sword held carefully in her hands.
"Lady Vennessa, may your gaze upon Mondstadt remain as clear as ever."
"I don't know if this world… and if I myself… have become stronger, the way you hoped."
Jean lifted her head, gazing up at the towering tree that had watched over Vennessa's ascension, and murmured softly to herself.
"Under the King's guidance, Mondstadt is already flourishing."
"If you were still here to see it… that would be wonderful."
"It's just a shame I let you down. I didn't manage Mondstadt very well."
"Under Father's corrections, I slowly began to understand."
"There are some people and some matters that outsiders simply cannot help with. The way I tried to handle everything personally isn't wrong in itself… but I can't blindly help with everything."
"Otherwise, some people grow dependent, and they get used to always having my help."
"I've finally figured that out. I really have to thank the King for waking me up."
"Have I gotten a little closer to you now?"
Jean no longer had her usual calm composure.
Right now, she was just like any other young woman, pouring out the troubles hidden in her heart.
And before she knew it, the topic had drifted to Rowan.
"You probably haven't met him, my lady. He was appointed King of Knights with the tacit approval of Her Majesty Arisa and that Lord."
"At the time, when he boldly chose to cut ties with Snezhnaya, we were all scared half to death."
"But in the end, he really did have the capital and strength to do it. He not only secured ten billion mora in compensation from Snezhnaya, he even drove the Fatui completely out of this country."
"He's just… incredible. From that moment on, I secretly made up my mind."
"From now on, I'll follow whatever he says. He is the one and only guiding light of my life."
As Jean spoke of him, she was already completely lost in those memories.
Her face, usually so steady and firm, was now lit with excitement and joy.
It was as if she'd gone back to that day when she followed Rowan in triumph back to Mondstadt.
That time, the citizens of Mondstadt had spontaneously crowded the streets to welcome them home.
It was something they hadn't felt for a very, very long time.
And the one who had given that feeling back to them—
Was an outsider.
It really did feel unbelievable.
Jean continued talking, her words flowing naturally from one memory to the next.
She spoke of how she had later been dismissed from her position as Acting Grand Master.
Of how afterward, she became Seamus's deputy.
She spoke of all of it.
And Jean made it clear she held no resentment about any of it.
In fact, she was more than willing—because that meant she could finally spend more time with her father.
Having lost her father's presence early on, Jean had never turned that into resentment or harsh words, even though her parents' relationship had been strained.
On the contrary, she cherished every chance she had to be with him.
She also loved going out shopping and playing with Barbara.
But after Falga led most of the Knights of Favonius' elite out of Mondstadt, that beautiful daily life was shattered.
Jean could only bury herself in work.
Her opportunities to see Barbara became fewer and fewer, something she regretted deeply.
Every time she tried to have a peaceful meal with Barbara, every time she wanted to apologize properly to her little sister at the end of the day, something unexpected would come up and ruin it.
More than once she had intended to say "sorry" that night—
Only to end up not returning home at all.
As time went by, Jean started instinctively keeping her distance whenever she saw Barbara.
Not because she didn't want to talk to her.
But because she truly couldn't spare the time to just sit and chat and fool around like sisters should.
Barbara, being kind and considerate, knew how busy Jean was.
So she rarely took the initiative to disturb her.
But many times, she would quietly watch Jean from afar.
The reason Barbara worked so hard, so often, was because she wanted to help her dear big sister.
With such a hardworking and adorable younger sister, how could Jean not love her?
It was only after Rowan removed her from the position of Acting Grand Master that she finally had some free time.
Under her father's guidance, she learned what efficient work truly was—
What tasks she absolutely needed to handle herself…
And what tasks she didn't need to shoulder alone.
And after finishing the work that truly belonged to her, she now had the time to eat with Barbara, to chat and laugh with her.
The two sisters had finally gone back to the warm, close relationship they were always meant to have.
All of that was thanks to Rowan.
Not only that, but her parents' relationship had also softened considerably.
Back then, when her parents suddenly divorced and cut ties so decisively, it had felt incredibly strange to Jean.
Why had it happened so suddenly?
Without any sign at all?
Only after Rowan spoke to her did she finally understand.
Her father and mother had not separated because of some dramatic collapse in their feelings.
It was because of politics.
What had Mondstadt's governing structure looked like back then?
On the official side, there were basically only two institutions.
One was the Knights of Favonius, responsible for every major and minor matter in Mondstadt, guarding the city and dealing with virtually everything from crime to security.
The other was the Church of Favonius, tasked with spreading the Anemo Archon's teachings, training sisters and priests, comforting people, and teaching the children.
Anything related to the hearts and faith of ordinary citizens, they were involved in.
But their core function was to uphold and propagate the faith in the Anemo Archon.
And the leaders of both of these major national institutions were closely tied to the Gunnhildr family.
Was it really possible for someone like Frederica, the previous Dandelion Knight sworn to protect Mondstadt for life, not to think deeply about that?
In any nation, once the court becomes dominated by a single family, the outcome is never good.
Just look at Sumeru—
With the Akademiya holding absolute power, they even dared to imprison their own God of Wisdom.
How outrageous was that?
Once she understood this, Frederica hadn't even bothered to leave a detailed explanation.
She immediately chose a "flash divorce" from Seamus, cutting ties at once.
Seamus didn't understand it back then.
He couldn't accept it, and so his relationship with Frederica became worse and worse.
Now, though, he had become more mature.
He had gradually come to understand why Frederica had done what she did.
But even so, everything between them could never truly go back to the way it was.
If Rowan hadn't called them both back and given each of them a way to step down gracefully…
Who knew how long the two of them would have gone on being stubborn and estranged from each other?
That was yet another reason why Jean was so grateful for everything Rowan had done.
"Actually, Lady Vennessa, there's something I wanted to ask you about."
"I realized… I might have fallen for the King."
"Ever since that time he forced me like that, I kept wondering… should I hate him or should I like him?"
"I've been torn up over it all this time, until recently, when I saw how close he was with Queen Istaroth."
"When I felt my heart ache… when I felt so jealous of her…"
"I finally understood. I've already fallen hopelessly in love with the King."
"But… how am I supposed to tell him that?"
"Lady Vennessa, please… show me the way!"
(End of Chapter)
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