"Keqing, you're overthinking it. I don't have that kind of idea," Ryou said. "Besides, I married you. How could I do something like that?"
Ryou knew she was testing him, but he still answered honestly. He thumped his chest and swore, "Keqing, I can promise you this—there's only you in my heart. My father even brought this up today. He told me to treat you right and never be two-timing. You know my father, right? All these years, he's only ever had my mother."
"I do know that," Keqing said.
Hearing him say it out loud made her feel a lot better.
Before she married Ryou, she'd looked into his family. She knew every descendant only ever took one wife, so she'd always trusted what kind of man Ryou was.
But then she caught herself.
Wait. This should make her happy, sure, but that wasn't the point.
It was great that Ryou only loved her, but if he only had her for the rest of his life, her days were going to get… rough.
Those last few times were still burned into her memory.
Ryou clinging to her was a good thing—it meant he was crazy about her, and it meant she had charm—but it also scared her. His stamina was ridiculous, and she couldn't take it alone.
Keqing's expression stiffened a little.
"Keqing, I know I looked at Ganyu a bit longer just now, but I really was thinking about something important," Ryou hurried to explain. "Don't get jealous. I'll never wrong you. No harem. No concubines. Ever."
Keqing fell silent.
Just looking at his face, she could tell he meant every word. Being married to a man like this should've made her over the moon, but… pampering only her all the time wasn't going to work either.
What was she supposed to do—look him in the eye and say, "I need you to find a second wife to help share the load"?
There was no way she could say that.
She'd originally wanted Ryou to win Ganyu over, but clearly that wasn't happening. If she wanted this done, she'd have to do it herself. Ryou was too straight-laced—only she could help him land Ganyu.
With that decided, Keqing changed the subject. "Alright, alright. I believe you. But why did you come back from the Ministry of Civil Affairs so early today?"
"I finished all the work. Why would I stay?" Ryou said as he sat down beside her. "And I saw my father today. He told me to bring you home for a visit."
He studied her face. "Are you feeling any better? We have to go back today. Mother's a bit upset too, but if we explain it properly, it'll pass."
"Ah… I…" Keqing's face flushed bright red. "I can't go right now…"
After what Ryou had done to her yesterday, she was in no shape to walk around. A Vision bearer shouldn't have needed to rest at home like this, but here she was. Embarrassed, she lowered her voice. "Sorry, I…"
"It's fine." Ryou reached out and ruffled her hair. "I'll carry you home."
"Carry me home?" Warmth spread through Keqing's chest despite herself. In Liyue Harbor, it wasn't common to see a man carry a woman like that. It only proved how much Ryou treasured her, how much he cared.
"You're my wife. What's there to be embarrassed about?" Ryou said, leaving her no room to argue. "We're going home today. Come on—I've got you."
"O-okay…"
In the end, Ryou carried Keqing out.
The moment they stepped outside, they drew a flood of stares. Keqing's reputation in Liyue Harbor was sky-high—almost everyone there recognized her.
...
"Yanfei, look," Xiangling whispered, eyes widening a little. "Isn't that Keqing?"
She leaned closer to Yanfei and spoke even more softly. "Ryou is carrying Keqing! Their relationship is so good. In Liyue Harbor… I've seriously never seen a man carry a woman before."
Yanfei smiled at that. "Most men in Liyue Harbor have a bit of that macho pride. Ask them to carry a woman? None of them would want to, even if it's their own wife."
She glanced ahead again, still amused. "I didn't expect Ryou to be willing to do it. Keqing really married well. That kind of affection… it makes people jealous."
Xiangling let out a small laugh. "So you want someone like that too?"
"No." Yanfei shook her head, thinking of her own situation.
She was half-human, half-adeptus. Her lifespan was far longer than an ordinary person's. Watching someone she loved grow old and die… she didn't want to see that.
[End of chapter]
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