Ryou was a little surprised to see Lumine.
He had to admit—her looks really held up.
[Ding! Face entering Darkened Mode!]
[Ding! Face: Darkened Mode active. Appearance increased by 25%. Opposite-sex attraction index increased by 25%!]
Ryou: ???
I don't make a living off my face!
But still… it can't hurt to have it.
Ryou couldn't tell what changed, but the numbers didn't lie. A 25% boost was huge.
"The Jade Chamber? Ningguang actually invited you?" Keqing sounded a little surprised. Then she squinted. "Hey—what are you staring at?"
Keqing was genuinely caught off guard. In Liyue, the Jade Chamber wasn't just "special"—it was on another level. Normal people didn't just get to set foot there. There were even merchants willing to spend thirty million Mora for a chance to go up.
Keqing might not always see eye to eye with Ningguang, but in business? Ningguang stood alone. No other merchant could really compare.
She'd climbed from merchant to the head of the Liyue Qixing on sheer ability—methods, skill, judgment, all top-tier.
But then Keqing remembered what Lumine had done in Mondstadt, and it clicked. The Tabibito's name had been everywhere. Liyue wasn't far, and the Qixing had eyes and ears across the land. Of course Ningguang would know plenty about her.
Keqing was about to explain how to get to the Jade Chamber when she noticed something off.
Lumine was staring at Ryou.
Not just looking—staring like she'd gotten pulled in.
Seriously?
Keqing had been thinking she could even befriend her, and now she was locking onto her husband?
Has she never heard "don't go after your friend's man"?
And Lumine was completely stunned.
She could tell something about Ryou had changed—changed a lot.
Before, his features were sharp enough, and he had that gentle scholar look. His presence was good too—more like a refined young noble than anything else. But he wasn't the kind of handsome that stopped you in your tracks.
Until that moment.
Lumine turned her head, met his eyes, and froze.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. Her breathing turned heavy. Heat rushed up her face so fast it was almost instant. Even without touching her cheeks, she could tell her whole face had gone scorching hot.
She stared at him, and the question slipped out before she could stop it.
"Ryou-sensei… do you have someone you like?"
Ryou blanked.
Huh?
The whole of Liyue knew he'd married Keqing. If Keqing weren't here, asking something like that would still be weird—but fine.
But asking him that right in front of Keqing?
What is this, a death wish?
Keqing's expression tightened. She stared straight at Lumine. "Tabibito-san, watch your words. That's my husband. What exactly are you implying? Are you trying to steal my man?"
"Ah—I…" Lumine's eyes darted around. "I didn't mean that! It just… came out."
She noticed all the looks turning toward her. Her face burned even redder.
"Sorry. I—I have something to do. I'll go!"
She panicked and bolted out of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
"W-wait, Tabibito!" Paimon called after her.
Once Lumine and Paimon were gone, Keqing finally let out a breath.
She was about to say something to Ryou—then she paused.
Something was different.
She'd spent plenty of time with him. They'd even gotten… extremely close. She knew him well.
So why did he look different now?
Keqing propped her chin up with her hand and stared at him. "Why do I feel like you… got way better-looking?"
"Is that so?" Ryou chuckled. "Didn't think you'd say something like that, Keqing."
He brushed her cheek lightly.
"But you've gotten prettier too. No—actually, you're always the most beautiful to me."
Ryou knew what was going on.
Both Keqing and Lumine got hit by the reward. The appearance boost was the most obvious part. After that came the attraction index increase—Lumine hadn't known him long, so it triggered hard the moment she looked at him.
Keqing had been around him plenty, so the effect was weaker… but it still showed.
"You're the worst," Keqing muttered, sweet as anything.
She hugged his arm tight and tugged him along. "Only you talk like that. Come on—let's go home!"
Note: Chapters up to 25 are available on my Patreon FOR FREE. I'll keep working on this fanfic as long as it's getting enough support to justify continuing.
[End of chapter]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]