"Speaking of which, you already know so much about me, but I don't know anything about you. Don't you think that's very unfair?" Eula suddenly asked Aether.
"Me? But I don't have anything worth mentioning…" Aether was stunned, it seemed more than one person had asked her this question.
But she also couldn't answer in much detail, or rather, even if she did answer, people might not believe her.
"No? I think you're full of secrets from head to toe." Eula took a sip of juice, propping her head with one hand, and looked at Aether with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Of course, it's fine if you don't want to say. Anyway, I've already accumulated many grudges against you, so one more won't hurt."
"It's not that I can't say, if you're willing to believe…" Aether had been with Eula long enough to automatically ignore her remarks about holding grudges.
She began to slowly explain her origins to Eula. Seeing how intently Eula was listening, she should have believed her…
"There should be a limit to joking, right?"
Alright, it seemed she hadn't believed her.
"Forget it, perhaps what you said is true, but I still find it hard to accept." Eula frowned, changing her wording.
She indeed found it hard to accept. According to Aether, she and Aether were practically people from two different dimensions.
It was more than just different worlds.
"Indeed, for you, it might be unimaginable…" Aether sighed. A train traversing the universe, and so on, might be completely unimaginable for the people of this world.
Speaking of which, do the people of this world know that they actually live on a planet?
"Then, will you also leave?" Eula couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, there are people waiting for me, and there are important things I need to do." Aether was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"…" Eula didn't speak, just took another sip of the juice in her hand.
She hadn't known Aether for long, but for some reason, hearing that the other person was leaving made her feel very uneasy.
"But I haven't found a way to go back yet, so I don't know how long I'll be in this world." Aether scratched her head again, telling Eula.
"Moreover, I've formed bonds with quite a few people in this world. I definitely can't just leave."
"Are you talking about Amber… and Jean?" Eula looked up at Aether, her tone changing slightly.
"Ah, mm…" Aether nodded somewhat awkwardly. In reality, there were more than just them.
"Speaking of which, I really want to know why you're so close to them." Eula directly voiced the question that had been on her mind.
"Amber and I grew up together, I know her very well. Although she's someone who can get along with anyone, there's currently no one else as close to her as you are, besides you."
"And the Acting Grand Master, your relationship with her doesn't seem as simple as it appears on the surface."
"This…" Aether suddenly hesitated. Should she tell Eula about her relationship with Jean and the others?
With this advance warning, if she and Eula spent more time together later and something unexpected happened, Eula might remember this and stop in time.
"My relationship with them is indeed a bit different. I'll tell you about it another day." Aether slowly sighed. Although she wanted to tell Eula, she at least needed to find a private place where they could talk alone.
"Can't you say it now?" Eula asked with a frown.
"Not for now… At least we need to find a place where no one is around."
"??" Eula still had a face full of question marks. She couldn't understand what kind of relationship could be so secretive.
"Forget it, then it's a deal. You have to tell me every single word when the time comes."
"Mm, I will." Aether nodded solemnly.
"Alright, are you done eating? We should go." Eula stood up.
"Eh? We haven't paid yet…"
"No need, I put the money under the plate. If I paid directly, Sara definitely wouldn't charge for that vegetarian dish."
"I see." Aether nodded.
Although Eula always talked about revenge, she was actually a pure and kind person.
It was just a pity that, perhaps due to the Mondstadter's cold shoulders she had received since childhood, she had to use such words to protect herself.
As a descendant of the Sinner, perhaps this was something she had to bear.
Aether sighed helplessly and followed Eula's footsteps.
-----
"Here, take this pickled meat. My uncle should be friendlier to you once he sees it." Eula handed the packed food to Aether.
"Eww—this smell, it's too…" Aether's nose twitched, and she made a sound of disgust.
A sour smell wafted over. Aether had never eaten particularly sour food in Mondstadt. The dish Eula ordered for her uncle probably wouldn't suit the taste of most Mondstadter.
"This is a hidden dish at Hunter's Deer. Only old regulars like my uncle know about this dish, it suits the taste of the aristocrat." Eula explained.
"It's hard to imagine that Mondstadt's aristocrat have such unique tastes." Aether shook her head, the sourness was a bit too strong.
"Then I'll go." Aether put away the pickled meat, then tidied her attire.
She was going to approach Eula's uncle as an aristocrat from a foreign land, and then try to get some information out of him.
According to Eula, her uncle was an arrogant fool who didn't care much about Mondstadt's daily affairs. As long as Aether remembered the aristocratic etiquette Eula had taught her earlier, she shouldn't be exposed.
"Hey, wait." Eula called out to Aether.
She scrutinized Aether from head to toe, then somewhat worriedly instructed:
"If he says anything bad to you, don't act impulsively. Leave it to me to handle."
The image of the battle from before still lingered in Eula's mind; if her uncle had taken that hit, he probably would have been annihilated.
Though if that were truly the case, her uncle would have deserved it.
But Eula didn't want Lumine to get into trouble because of her uncle; while the Laurence Family was in decline, due to the glory of their ancestors from long ago, they were still considered nobility in Mondstadt to some extent.
It would be very troublesome if Lumine got entangled with them.
"Don't worry, I'm very calm," Lumine said, patting her chest confidently.
She considered herself a very good-tempered person; no one should be able to raise her blood pressure.
No matter how difficult that person was, what could they do?
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