Chapter 120: Rosalyne: Queen mode? Little wife mode! Switch!

In the quiet private room.

Luo Li waved his hand to close the door. He felt not a shred of the timidity one might have when meeting an old acquaintance, and even took the initiative to walk up to the two of them.

Before coming over, he had already agreed with Ganyu that she should stay there, lest she expose the identity Zhongli was intentionally hiding for the future.

Seeing him approach, the Signora retreated continuously.

The scorching flames within her heart were burning; instinct made her want to pounce on him right then and there to feel the temperature and reality of Luo Li’s body.

Yet, her reason left her at a loss.

At this moment, where was the prestige and aura of a Fatui Harbinger of Snezhnaya? She was merely a pitiful girl who loved but could not possess.

She could treat the Anemo Archon with contempt, heap sarcasm upon the Geo Archon, and arrogantly berate the Raiden Shogun, yet she could not say a single word to the man before her.

"What, it’s been so long, you don’t recognize me anymore?"

Luo Li acted as if he hadn't noticed this, until he had backed the cold, elegant beauty into a corner.

Her usually lithe waist and slender, beautiful legs stiffened. The Signora lowered her head, as if the person who had dared to mock the Geo Archon just moments ago was not her.

Luo Li gently reached out to lift her chin, forcing the beauty’s gaze to meet his own.

Rosalyne felt very uneasy, especially when she saw his gaze fall upon the area covered by her mask; she had an urge to flee.

He must know everything she had done by now.

For the first time, Rosalyne felt lost regarding her own fallen self.

Unexpectedly, however, there was no disappointment in Luo Li’s eyes; instead, he opened his arms with a faint smile of reunion.

"Shall we have a hug like the one before we went to study? By the way, a reunion should always last longer than a farewell."

No matter how Rosalyne was now, to Luo Li, she was no different from that Princess of the Windblume Festival from back then.

If one were to speak of cause and effect, he himself was the reason she had become this way.

Her fingers twitched. Before Rosalyne, who longed to throw herself into his embrace, could make a move, she was already pulled into Luo Li’s arms.

Unable to restrain her emotions any longer, the high-and-mighty Harbinger surrendered to instinct and melted into the warm, reassuring embrace.

Zhongli watched this pair of lovers embrace from the side and sighed silently.

This friend of his truly had an endless amount of romantic debts.

He didn't know where he got the energy to provoke so many women all day long.

The moment he held Rosalyne, Luo Li couldn't help but sigh; times had changed, and five hundred years had brought so many shifts.

For instance, the two of them couldn't embrace as closely as he did with Ganyu, and even Raiden Makoto paled in comparison—she hadn't been this developed back then.

Moreover, this cold beauty couldn't suppress her emotions; she was even more intense than Ganyu.

It was a good thing he’d left that girl in the next room, or she would surely be jealous.

It was unknown how much time had passed, until Yunjin had finished singing a play downstairs, before Zhongli coughed lightly to interrupt the two.

It was hard to imagine they would be like this while he was still here; he didn't dare to imagine what would happen if he weren't.

Releasing Rosalyne, Luo Li led her back to their seats.

What made her stronger than Ganyu was that the cold beauty at his side did not shed tears.

Perhaps her tears had already run dry five hundred years ago when she became the Crimson Witch of Embers.

"You knew I was still alive when you were in Mondstadt, right? Why didn't you look for me? That guy Venti came to extort a bottle of fine wine from me after you took his heart."

Trying to bring up the topic in a light, teasing tone, Luo Li’s words made Rosalyne’s eyes turn cold for no reason.

That rat who stole from the granary actually dared to do such a thing.

Her cold Queen mode flashed and vanished, and she lowered her head slightly to face Luo Li: "I'm sorry, I caused you trouble."

Zhongli: "???"

You weren't this humble just a moment ago. Is this what women are like, flipping their faces faster than turning a page?

"What kind of trouble is that? It was just a jar of wine."

Sensing the atmosphere had lightened slightly, the "fishpond owner" Luo Li looked at the crown mask the cold beauty had deliberately turned away, exposing the unblemished side of her face to him.

He paused and reached out to touch the mask.

Rosalyne turned her head away in a panic.

"Is this the scar left from when you became the Witch?"

"How did you know?" she responded subconsciously.

"Take it off and let me see."

Rosalyne hesitated. It was precisely because she didn't want the man she liked to see her broken side that she had fled to Liyue, only to walk right into his trap.

Even though Luo Li’s tone wasn't forceful, and was even filled with pitying gentleness, the beauty couldn't bring herself to refuse.

In the end, Rosalyne didn't take it off herself, but she did turn her head back...

Seeing this, Luo Li stopped for a moment, then removed the mask for her.

The next moment, a butterfly-shaped pattern with fiery red markings was reflected in Luo Li’s eyes.

He was stunned for a moment, then met Rosalyne’s uneasy, self-deprecating, and pitiful gaze.

After a while, just as the light in her eyes was about to dim.

"It's very beautiful."

This heartfelt sentence made Rosalyne’s eyes widen; the mad love that could no longer be contained overflowed from her eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes, it's very beautiful. I was almost mesmerized just now."

Luo Li repeated it again, not to deceive her, but because he truly felt it from his heart.

He had thought her face was shattered and disfigured, making it exceptionally hideous and terrifying.

Who could have expected it to be a fiery red pattern? Not only was it not scary, but it added a touch of passionate, bold, and ambiguous allure to the cold beauty.

If one didn't look closely, it was almost no different from a tattoo.

Moved beyond words by these remarks, Rosalyne never expected that he could ignore even her flaws.

The love that had been dormant for five hundred years was constantly awakening, a mad love that made her burn herself and consume her own body.

Now, a flame was being lit in her heart, expanding until it consumed her entire being.

Even if these were sweet words laced with poison, she was willing to swallow them with joy.

Moreover, Luo Li’s eyes were so sincere and clear.

A sourness surged in her nose, but unfortunately, the tears that had long since run dry could not reappear.

Following this, Rosalyne uncontrollably raised her head and lightly pecked the corner of his mouth.

Watching from the side as Luo Li persuaded an arrogant and dismissive cold beauty into this state, even Zhongli had to sigh that Luo Li was truly a master.

The other party was the Signora, one of the eleven Fatui Harbingers.

She had swept through the seven nations and possessed authority comparable to a god, granted by the Tsaritsa.

Just moments ago, she hadn't even taken him, the Geo Archon, seriously, yet now she was like a little wife, raising her head to show herself, letting an old friend whisper in her ear.

This ability was something he estimated he would never reach in his lifetime.

— Author's Notes —

PS: Two more chapters. I estimate I can only finish nine chapters by dawn. I'm exhausted, wuwuwu.