Venti grabbed Soren’s wrist and walked briskly, the teal Anemo elements swirling around their feet, pushing the chatter and laughter of passing citizens into the distance.
Soren stumbled as he was pulled along, his fingertips still throbbing with the pain of Rosaria’s grip.
He couldn’t help but look back at the street corner–the empty alley entrance felt as if a pair of eyes were staring fixedly at his back, making his heart tighten.
“Walk a little faster, Kaeya might be slacking off at the Angel’s Share again.”
Venti turned back to urge him, the tips of his hair brushing past Soren’s hand with the wind’s chill.
Just as they turned the second corner, Soren suddenly stopped and wriggled free from Venti’s grip.
“What’s wrong?”
Venti blinked and followed Soren’s gaze–under a nearby streetlamp, Kaeya was leaning against the wall, a customary smirk on his lips as if he had been waiting for them all along.
“Yo, rare guests indeed.”
Kaeya straightened up, his gaze landing first on Soren’s white knuckles.
“It seems Rosaria’s ‘hospitality’ wasn’t very friendly?”
Soren didn’t reply, but Venti had already scurried up to him.
“How did you know we were looking for you?”
“Just a guess.”
Kaeya shrugged, his shoulder line tilting with the movement, the silver trim of his cloak flashing a bit of cold light under the streetlamp.
With his usual playful smile on his face, he tapped the map held between his fingertips against his palm, making a soft rustling sound, while his gaze swept seemingly by chance over Soren’s hand gripping his shirt hem, carrying a knowing look.
“But-”
He dragged out his words, taking half a step forward, his lowered voice mixed with a trace of deliberate teasing amusement.
“That girl Rosaria is technically a drinking buddy of mine.
Last time at the Angel’s Share, we even shared three bottles of Dandelion Wine together.
Frankly, we’re good enough friends to talk things over.”
These words made Soren’s heart skip a beat, the hope that had just ignited sinking by half, and even Venti stopped playing with the Anemo elements, frowning as he looked at Kaeya.
Kaeya acted as if he didn’t notice their tension, his smile growing even more amused.
“You see, with a friend on one side and someone needing help on the other…
this is a bit tricky.”
He paused, his gaze landing on Soren’s reddened eye corners, deliberately slowing down his speaking pace.
“Beg me, maybe?
Just say, ‘Mr.
Kaeya, please help me,’ and maybe my heart will soften and I’ll escort you out.”
Venti said with some dissatisfaction,
“Kaeya, you jerk…”
Kaeya lightly stepped aside to dodge him, still looking at Soren, the playfulness in his eyes fading a bit, replaced by an imperceptible emotion.
(A strange outsider, yet possessing a charm that makes people lose control.
No, to be precise, anyone who comes into contact with him will fall in love uncontrollably…
How strange.)
Kaeya thought to himself, then shook his head to throw these thoughts to the back of his mind before casting his gaze back onto Soren.
“How about it?
The Cavalry Captain of the Knights himself escorting you, and free of charge, isn’t that a great deal?”
Soren’s fingertips gripping his shirt hem tightened a bit more, his knuckles turning even whiter.
“Just to be clear, I’m not bullying you.
I just wanted to see if you really want to leave.”
He paused, his voice softening.
“I know Rosaria’s temper well; once she sets her mind on something, there’s no pulling her back.
If you don’t have some determination, even if I help you escape, she’ll just find you and bring you right back.”
Soren cast his eyes down, his long eyelashes casting fine shadows beneath them.
He could hear the meaning behind Kaeya’s words, and he knew this was his only chance.
After a few seconds, he took a deep breath, raised his head, and spoke with a lingering tremor in his voice:
“Mr.
Kaeya, please…
help me.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the playfulness in Kaeya’s eyes vanished, replaced by a trace of understanding.
He immediately handed the map into Soren’s hands, his action so decisive he looked nothing like the teasing Cavalry Captain from moments ago.
“Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d just done this from the start?”
He said, patting Soren’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, with me here, Rosaria won’t catch up.”
Venti was taken aback for a moment, then realized what happened, crowding closer to Kaeya and glaring at him.
“You jerk, you were teasing us on purpose!”
Kaeya shrugged and turned to walk toward a side path.
“I was just helping him build up some courage.”
He turned back to beckon Soren.
“Let’s go find a certain fallen noble to get you settled.
With my guarantee, she absolutely won’t do anything to you.”
Hearing this, Soren hesitated to speak; after all, he couldn’t think of anyone else who could be associated with a “fallen noble.”
“Is it…
Eula?”
Kaeya’s steps faltered for a moment, turning back to arch an eyebrow, a trace of amusement hidden in his eyes.
“I didn’t expect you to know her too?”
“I’ve…
I’ve only heard of her…”
….
When saying goodbye to Venti, the teal Anemo element swirled around Soren’s fingertips twice.
Venti waved his bottle of apple cider and shouted, “If anything happens, just whistle, I’ll be there at a moment’s notice!” before slipping his wine away and swaying as he disappeared down the alley.
When Kaeya turned around, the playfulness was gone from his face, replaced by an unfathomable smile.
He took a step forward, his hands resting gently on Soren’s shoulders, his thumbs unconsciously brushing over Soren’s tense shoulder line, as if confirming whether he was still nervous.
“Don’t be stiff.
Eula might have a sharp tongue, but she has a softer heart than anyone.
Don’t judge a book by its cover when the time comes.”
Kaeya tilted his head, lowering his voice just enough for Soren to hear, and then raised his eyes to look at Eula, who was not far away, his tone carrying a touch of deliberate “weakness”:
“Eula, I need a favor.”
Eula was caressing the hilt of her sword.
Hearing him, she raised her eyes, her blue hair gently swaying with the movement, her eyes carrying her customary pride, though she didn’t refuse immediately.
“Speak.”
“Could you help me keep a close eye on this good friend of mine?
Just let him stay at your place for a bit.”
Kaeya emphasized the words “good friend,” his hands still resting on Soren’s shoulders as he gave him a gentle push, causing him to stand half a step forward.
“Lately, the city hasn’t been peaceful, and I’m not comfortable with him being alone.
I’m sure our Spindrift Knight wouldn’t refuse a colleague’s request, right?”
His words both flattered Eula’s status and tapped into their camaraderie as “colleagues,” the certainty in his tone causing Eula to arch an eyebrow.
Kaeya took the chance to shoot Soren a glance, telling him to rest easy, though his fingertips squeezed a bit tighter, as if in a silent warning to say: stay here, don’t make people worry anymore.
Eula looked at Soren’s reddened eye corners, then glanced at Kaeya’s “confident” expression, and finally let out a soft huff, though she nodded.
“Since you dare dump this trouble on me, I’ll mark this vengeance down first.”
Kaeya laughed, retracting his hands from Soren’s shoulders and patting him on the back.
“Soren, with Eula here, you can rest easy.”
Soren was just about to say thank you to Eula, but he saw the pride in her eyes suddenly fade slightly, replaced by an almost burning gaze locked firmly onto him.
That gaze wasn’t cold like Rosaria’s paranoia, but it was wrapped in an unmistakable layer of possessiveness, causing his newly relaxed spine to stiffen once more.
“Follow me.”
Eula turned to walk inside, her hair brushing past her shoulders, the previous aloofness gone from her tone, replaced by an irresistible certainty.
She walked exactly half a step ahead of Soren, as if deliberately guiding his direction.
Soren followed her through the courtyard.
The night wind carried a chill, yet it was unconsciously blocked by Eula; the position she walked in happened to shield him from most of the cold wind.
However, this subtle care made Soren’s heart panic, especially Eula’s occasional backward glances, which always carried a concentration akin to “confirming a possession.”
The room on the second floor was very tidy, with several pots of succulents sitting on the windowsill, and moonlight filtering through the window onto the carpet.
Eula pushed the door open, stepping aside to let him in, but her fingertips brushed against Soren’s arm, as if by accident, or perhaps on purpose to confirm his presence.
“My home is very safe, there’s no need to be so timid.”
Soren gripped his shirt hem, just about to say “thank you,” when he saw Eula suddenly take a step forward, raising her hand to tidy his collar.
Her fingertips carried a bit of a cool temperature, and as they brushed past his neck, the force was gentler than Rosaria’s, yet it carried the same inescapable sense of control.
“Kaeya said you were pestered by Rosaria?
She certainly has good taste.”
The shirt hem Soren gripped with his fingertips was nearly twisted out of shape, and a bad premonition welled up in his heart like a tide–the possessiveness in Eula’s eyes was far too thick, with an underlying toughness hidden beneath her gentle tone.
The moment this thought popped up, Eula looked as if she had read his mind, suddenly taking half a step forward.
The distance between them vanished in an instant.
The silver tips of her hair brushed past Soren’s cheek, carrying a bit of the snow-capped mountain’s chill; the softness in her eyes faded, replaced by a clear displeasure, and even her voice turned several degrees colder.
“What is it?
Daydreaming the moment you step inside.
Are you dissatisfied with my place, or do you have an issue with me?”
Soren was taken aback by her question.
Just as he was about to shake his head to explain, he saw Eula self-deprecatingly curl her lips.
An imperceptible trace of vulnerability slipped into her eyes, only to be quickly covered by obsession.
“Of course.
After all, the reputation of the Lawrence Clan in Mondstadt has been ruined for a long time.
Everyone thinks of us as the ‘descendants of sinners’ and can’t avoid us fast enough.
It’s only natural that you would be dissatisfied and want to escape.”
She raised her hand, her fingertips brushing over Soren’s chin, the action carrying a deliberate soothing motion, while her tone carried an unmistakable sense of oppression.
“But you must understand, you are with me now.
Whether you are satisfied or not, whether you want to run away or not, you can only stay by my side.”
Eula paused, a flash of fierceness crossing her eyes before being quickly suppressed.
Her voice grew even softer, yet it was like a sugar-coated knife:
“If you are truly dissatisfied, I can change.
I can learn whatever way of getting along you prefer.”
“Though I don’t know why I think this way, you really are quite mesmerizing.
By your side, the sensitivity and insecurity in my heart seem to be completely suppressed.”
She leaned close to Soren’s ear, her breath carrying a cold fragrance as she spoke word by word.
Soren was already starting to feel uncomfortable.
She actually regarded him as a spiritual anchor, and to behave like this the moment they met… an incredibly bad feeling welled up in his chest.
Eula seemed to realize her sudden loss of control.
She abruptly turned her head away, her tone muffled.
“I accidentally lost control just now, don’t mind me…
I’ve arranged for your room to be right next to mine.
I’ll take you over first.
Get some good rest.”
…