Early the next morning.

Liyue got up sluggishly.

Last night, she had tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

After staying at Luciel's house for eight days, it was the very first time she suffered from insomnia. Strange dreams had haunted her all night—dreams that left her cheeks burning red.

"Ahh~~" Liyue yawned, then patted her face hard to wake herself up.

She forced herself to perk up and stepped out of her room.

"Good morning, Liyue," Mino greeted warmly, lifting her head.

"What are you doing?" Liyue asked, her expression a little awkward as her eyes landed on the large bowl and four smaller cups sitting on the table.

"I'm… not too sure myself."

Mino shook her head with a blank look before explaining softly, "Luciel said these tea bowls can make tea look more valuable, so he asked me to practice preparing it."

She carefully poured water from the big bowl into the smaller cups.

"More valuable? Then where's Luciel?" Liyue blinked, scanning the hall, but didn't see him anywhere.

"He went to the plantation. Said he wanted to build a shelter for the tea trees."

Mino answered absentmindedly, still focused on pouring water back and forth with a serious expression.

"I'll go check." Liyue muttered and quickly ran outside.

From a distance, she saw the plantation, now hidden beneath a wall of stone.

"It's already finished?" Liyue whispered, staring at the shelter that looked like a hill.

She spotted a small entrance on one side and stepped through.

Inside, she saw Luciel at work.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly.

"I'm pollinating the flowers," Luciel replied while gently brushing the blossoms with a tiny brush.

"Pollinating?" Liyue tilted her head, confused. It was the first time she'd heard the term.

"Flowers need to be pollinated before they can bear fruit," Luciel explained patiently.

Since he had so few seeds, and no bees or insects to help with the process, he could only do it himself.

"I see… so that's how it works." Liyue's eyes lit with newfound knowledge.

She glanced at the lush tea tree and asked worriedly, "But is it really okay to keep both the tea tree and the Angel Wings in here?"

"It's fine. I made vents." Luciel pointed to the top of the stone wall.

Looking up, Liyue noticed several thumb-sized holes.

"We'll only be gone for one day—we'll be back tomorrow."

Luciel had no plans to linger long at the Moon Lake Tribe. Once he obtained beast spars, he could advance his domesticated beasts.

Besides, it had already been six days since he last tamed a new animal. He needed to find suitable ones soon.

"So soon? You'll be back tomorrow?" Liyue asked, dazed.

"Yes. We just drop off the goods and leave," Luciel replied casually. To him, living in the Moon Lake Tribe was nowhere near as comfortable as being on the back of the Rock Turtle.

"Then… my companion…" Liyue asked cautiously. "You're not going to speak with her?"

Luciel chuckled. "Don't worry. Just because I won't live in the Moon Lake Tribe doesn't mean I'll avoid it."

He had no intention of leaving before obtaining beast spars from them.

"That's a relief." Liyue let out a long breath.

She still wanted Yu Fei'er to study the "Angel's Tears" herb, in hopes it could be used to treat Void Ghost Infection.

"When the time comes, you can invite your companion to visit here," Luciel added, stretching lazily.

"Visit… here?" Liyue's heart trembled. Her silver eyes gleamed with an unfamiliar mix of anticipation and fear.

"Yeah. Don't you want to bring her home?" Luciel raised a brow.

Liyue blinked, unsure if she had heard correctly. She asked hesitantly, "You mean… I can treat this place as my home?"

"What silly thing are you saying? You've lived here long enough. Of course, this is your home."

Luciel reached out, ruffling her white hair roughly before smoothing it down again with surprising gentleness.

"There's even a room just for you. If you want to stay, then stay."

After a few days together, he had come to understand her: a responsible, humble, and thoughtful girl.

"I… I… you…" Liyue bit her lips, her nose stinging as tears blurred her silver eyes.

At night, she had often dreamed of this—of being accepted, of being taken in like Mino. But she always woke up, knowing it was only a dream.

After all, she was nothing but a cursed monster, marked with Void Ghost Infection. How could she dare hope?

But now, the dream had become reality.

Her heart quivered. She couldn't think, couldn't remain calm.

"You don't believe me?" Luciel asked gently, brushing a hand against the scarlet markings on her cheek.

"I… can someone like me really stay?" Liyue looked up, tears glistening in her eyes.

She clutched his shirt tightly, as if letting go would make it all vanish.

"Why not? I like someone like you," Luciel said simply, wiping away her tears.

"You… like me? You're not lying?"

Her flushed face and trembling voice betrayed her emotions, but her silver eyes shone with bold intensity as she stared at him. Her heart pounded wildly, like a fierce beast in a cage.

"It's true." Luciel's voice was steady. He genuinely admired her temperament.

A calm, responsible girl—who wouldn't like that?

"Then… I…" Liyue's face turned crimson, her voice trembling.

"Your past—I don't know it well."

Luciel's voice was low, magnetic, yet soothing. "But I can promise you this: your future will be far better than before."

No grand vows, no empty guarantees. Just plain words—yet they wrapped around her like the warmest embrace.

A bright, dazzling smile bloomed on Liyue's face. She shouted with all her heart:

"I want to stay!"

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