A knock on the door followed.
"Lady Furina, the Snezhnaya diplomatic envoy, Fatui Harbinger 'The Knave' has arrived."
Furina looked at the door. She could certainly feel the pressure emanating from outside, and a nervous tension began to rise in her heart.
But with Yu Xie and Clorinde here, there shouldn't be any problems, right?
She mentally encouraged herself, took a deep breath, and slowly spoke:
"Ahem, please come in."
With a creaking sound, the door opened, and their gazes met.
Yu Xie was first surprised, then slightly stunned.
As a Harbinger, it wasn't unusual for Arlecchino to bring an assistant to such an occasion. However, that assistant—Yu Xie found her very familiar.
Even though she was now an adult, and looked different from how Yu Xie had seen her on a screen, he immediately recognized her—it was Clervie.
But wasn't Clervie already...?
What happened?
"Lady Furina, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've brought you a small gift, and I hope you'll like it," Arlecchino said, her gaze lingering briefly on Yu Xie before quickly shifting away.
As Arlecchino finished speaking, Clervie slowly raised her hand, and a beam of light flashed through her fingers.
An exquisitely packaged item suddenly appeared.
With a smile, Clervie handed the item to the person who had accompanied them.
That person carefully took it and placed it on a nearby table.
"These are some local specialties brought from Snezhnaya. I hope they are to Lady Furina's liking," Arlecchino said calmly.
"How thoughtful," Furina replied with a smile. "Please, take a seat. Let's sit and talk about what brings you here."
Soon, the group gathered around the table.
Furina had ordered some afternoon tea pastries to be brought in, and they were quite elaborate.
The atmosphere at the table wasn't relaxed. It seemed as though both sides were harboring their own intentions.
On the surface, they were discussing diplomatic matters between Snezhnaya and Fontaine, but in reality, Yu Xie sensed that Arlecchino had a different agenda for this visit.
However, he couldn't figure out Arlecchino's intentions. There was something in her uniquely colored eyes, as if they contained too many things, yet at the same time, nothing at all.
It was like an obscure, hard-to-understand book.
"By the way, Lady Furina, the two people beside you must be the famous Champion Duelist, Mr. Yu Xie and Miss Clorinde, correct?" Arlecchino's gaze once again landed on Yu Xie.
From the moment she first saw him, Arlecchino had felt a familiar aura from Yu Xie, but she couldn't be certain.
Clervie felt the same.
"Oh, yes, these two are the proud Champion Duelist of the Fontaine," Furina said. "However, as I'm sure you've heard, Mr. Yu Xie has already resigned from his position as a Champion Duelist."
"Has Mr. Yu Xie always lived in Fontaine since childhood?" Arlechino asked.
"Mm... I guess I grew up in Fontaine," Yu Xie replied.
"Clervie and I also grew up in Fontaine. I always feel like we've met when we were kids?" Arlecchino looked into Yu Xie's eyes.
This made Yu Xie slightly confused.
As far as he could remember, aside from seeing them on the screen, today was his first time meeting Arlechino and Clervie.
So why would Arlecchino say that?
"We should be meeting for the first time," Yu Xie responded.
"Is that so?" Arlecchino smiled, a polite smile, but there seemed to be something else in it.
"May I ask, Mr. Yu Xie, where are you from?" Clervie suddenly asked.
"Although I grew up in Fontaine, I am from Liyue," Yu Xie said.
Liyue...
Arlecchino and Clervie fell silent.
Could there really be such a coincidence in the world?
Perhaps sensing the slight unease from Arlecchino and Clervie, a peculiar feeling suddenly arose in Clorinde's heart.
Was there something between Yu Xie and the two diplomats from Snezhnaya who visited today?
"I once had a friend who was also from Liyue," Clervie said with a smile. "He told me a lot about Liyue. If I have the chance, I'd love to visit Liyue."
"As a Liyue person, I can proudly say that Liyue is definitely worth a visit," Yu Xie replied with a smile.
Yu Xie still couldn't make sense of Clervie's behavior, but Clervie was right there in front of him. No matter what the situation was, as long as the outcome was good, that was enough.
Clervie had grown up, and she could now see the outside world and pursue her dreams.
But when Clervie spoke those words, although she smiled, there seemed to be a hint of sadness in her expression.
The meeting continued and time passed quickly, eventually nearing its end.
Arlecchino and Clervie stood up.
"Lady Furina, thank you for your hospitality. We won't trouble you any longer," Arlecchino said.
"Are you leaving already?" Furina asked instinctively.
"Does Lady Furina wish for us to talk a little longer?"
"Uh... maybe next time? I have a few things to take care of today."
Arlecchino looked at Furina, frowning slightly.
The Hydro Archon wasn't quite as she had imagined.
"We'll take our leave then. But... may I ask Mr. Yu Xie to step aside for a moment? We have something we'd like to discuss with him," Arlecchino said, turning to look at Yu Xie, her expression seemingly calm.
"Alright." Yu Xie nodded.
Under the gaze of Furina and Clorinde, Yu Xie gave them a reassuring look, signaling for them not to worry. Then, he followed Arlecchino and Clervie out, walking to a corner of the plaza outside of Palais Mermonia.
People were coming and going in the plaza.
"Yu Xie, do you think people change?" Arlecchino asked.
The sudden question puzzled Yu Xie.
"Life is full of diverse experiences. There are always things that can change a person, and it's unavoidable."
"But I think... you haven't changed."
Arlecchino gazed into Yu Xie's eyes.
From those eyes, although Arlecchino couldn't be 100% sure that the person in front of her was the Yu Xie she once knew, it was almost certain.
Words can deceive, but the eyes cannot.
But what exactly is going on? What happened...?
At that time, Yu Xie did indeed pass away in her arms. She still clearly remembered that hollow feeling inside her. But now...
"What?" Yu Xie paused. "Did Miss Arlecchino know me before?"
"Probably," Arlecchino smiled, glancing at Clervie beside her. "Clervie, what do you think?"
"It feels the same to me," Clervie smiled as well. "This world really is hard to understand."
Yu Xie paused, and the feeling in his heart became even more strange.
"Let's leave it for today. Clervie, let's go back," Arlecchino turned and seemed to forcefully suppress some thought in her mind. "Yu Xie, we will meet again."
"Goodbye. Next time, I'll make you a cake," Clervie left a smile before turning and walking away with Arlecchino.
Watching the two of them walk further away, Yu Xie's gaze lingered for a long time.
A certain doubt arose in his heart, and the answer seemed to be on the verge of revealing itself, yet it was too unbelievable.
"Could it be...?"
End of chapter
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