Right after Shao Yun and Alice had just reached a fragile agreement, a drunken, slurred voice suddenly drifted in from not too far away.
Because the source of the voice was still some distance away, by the time it reached their ears it was already broken and intermittent.
"Ah… I still want to drink… I still want…"
Hearing this, Shao Yun frowned, trying to catch the sound more clearly, muttering softly to himself.
"What on earth is that strange sound?"
On the other end of the lantern, Alice quickly discerned the general direction of where the voice was coming from.
Then she let the lantern drift toward the outside of the alley.
As it floated forward, she turned back to Shao Yun, who was following close behind, and said, "Judging from the sound, it seems to be coming from outside the alley."
Shao Yun quickly followed the floating lantern out of the dim alleyway.
The moment he stepped out of the alley's mouth, the sight before his eyes startled him.
There, sitting on the freezing cold ground, was a figure slumped against a lamppost.
Looking closer, he realized it was none other than Eula, already drunk beyond recognition! Her eyes were tightly shut, her cheeks flushed red, her short ice-blue hair messy and tangled, her entire being looking frail and helpless.
When Shao Yun saw clearly that it was Eula sitting on the ground, his mouth fell open in shock, and he blurted out.
"Wow, it's actually Eula?"
Looking more closely, he realized just how drunk she was. Shao Yun couldn't resist teasing.
"Though I've long heard that Mondstadt produces legions of drunkards, I didn't expect even a beauty like you to be so drunk you'd just fall asleep on the street. Aren't you afraid some bad guy will snatch you away in the middle of the night?"
Upon hearing Shao Yun's familiar voice, Eula slowly forced her eyes open.
Though her vision was doubled and blurry from the drink, she still summoned what little strength she had left and cursed in a weak but angry voice, "Get lost! You damn bastard."
Seeing that Eula wanted him gone, Shao Yun didn't bother with pleasantries, responding bluntly, "Alright then, sleep here."
On the other end of the lantern, Alice was shocked at Shao Yun's words and quickly tried to dissuade him.
"What? You're really just going to leave a beautiful girl lying here on the street?"
Shao Yun smirked at the lantern in his hand, raising three fingers as he explained leisurely, "First, Eula isn't as pretty as Lumine."
"Second, I'm not a Knight of Favonius. Looking after drunkards isn't my responsibility."
"Third, I wasn't the one who got her drunk."
Sitting against the lamppost, Eula heard Shao Yun's words. She tried to suppress her emotions, but the tears welled uncontrollably, sliding down her flushed cheeks.
The lamplight cast a dim glow, reflecting off her tear-streaked face.
She rubbed at her tears with the back of her hand, but more kept falling.
Her shoulders shook with sobs, leaving her looking utterly helpless and alone.
"Wuuuu…"
Shao Yun cast her a sidelong glance, his face expressionless, then turned without hesitation, striding away without looking back.
"I'm leaving," he said coldly.
Eula sat slumped and alone, her crystalline tears pouring like a broken string of pearls, falling one after another to the ground.
She hugged her knees tightly to her chest, finding only the faintest warmth and comfort in the gesture, but the cold and loneliness inside her heart never faded.
Her sobs echoed across the empty street, the wretched sound so bitterly sad it could break one's heart.
"Ahhh…"
On the other end of the lantern, Alice's heart tightened when she heard Eula's mournful crying.
She couldn't hold back from speaking again.
"You can treat my daughter so well—that proves you're not that cold-blooded. Besides, Eula has been kind to Lumine and Paimon. For their sake, at least, you shouldn't just ignore her like this."
Hearing this, Shao Yun stopped in his tracks, turning back with an annoyed look. He snapped back, "First, Klee is a child! No matter how merciless I am, I'd never bully a kid!"
"Second, I've never heard of Eula being especially nice to Lumine or Paimon. What, did she hand them each a cup of hot milk when they were shivering in Dragonspine? Hmph!"
Alice, amused, asked curiously, "Since you know about these things, why are you asking me?"
Shao Yun froze. Eula actually gave Lumine and Paimon hot milk to warm them up?
He hurriedly pressed, "Is that true? When exactly did that happen?"
Alice chuckled softly, then explained in detail.
"I remember—it must have been one time when Lumine and Paimon were adventuring in Dragonspine. That was before you made a move against the Lawrence Clan."
"At the time, Eula was bathing in the hot spring on the mountain, and she happened to meet Lumine and Paimon… Later, not only did she generously give them each a cup of hot milk, but she even reminded them to keep themselves well insulated in the snow."
After hearing Alice's explanation, Shao Yun's attitude instantly flipped 180 degrees.
Lumine and Paimon… out there mining even on Dragonspine, huh?
Since Eula had treated them so kindly, for their sake, he supposed he should lend a hand to this drunk girl too.
"Alright, for Lumine and Paimon's sake."
He walked toward Eula, reaching out to lift her up from the icy ground.
But just as his hand was about to touch her, Eula suddenly raised her own, slapping his away with drunken strength and shouting angrily, "Don't touch me! You damn murderer!"
Shao Yun wasn't angered by her slap. Instead, he said flatly, "You don't get to decide right now."
Like hefting a sack of grain, he effortlessly slung Eula over his shoulder.
Half-dazed, Eula squirmed, mumbling drunkenly.
"Let me go!"
Shao Yun whistled lightly, and his Andalusian horse, Carrot, quickly trotted up and stopped in front of him.
Then Shao Yun easily tossed Eula onto the horse's back, took hold of the reins, and said to her, "Alright, I'll take you to Amber's place. Other than Amber's, I can't think of anywhere else to send you."
Eula, slumped on the horse, continued cursing drunkenly.
"You murderer, you vile killer!"
Shao Yun shook his head, unconcerned.
"Thanks for the compliment, but I'd suggest you keep quiet. If you vomit all that booze on my horse…"
Before he could finish, Eula felt her stomach churn.
"Ugh—"
She couldn't hold it anymore, spewing everything in her stomach. The mess splattered on the ground with a sharp splat.
Watching this scene, Shao Yun couldn't help but feel a surge of relief.
"Whew, good thing I didn't carry you the whole way. Otherwise you'd have emptied your stomach all over me!"
At that moment, Carrot shot him a look of shock and indignation, her eyes clearly complaining.
Hmph! So, it's fine for people to throw up all over me, is it?
Seeing his mare's reproachful gaze, Shao Yun quickly patted her head apologetically.
"Sorry, my good girl. I'll give you a nice brushing later, I promise…"
…
Moonlight spilled over Mondstadt's streets as Shao Yun led his horse along.
On Carrot's back, Eula, already passed out, mumbled incoherently with the horse's every step.
Before long, they arrived at Amber's house.
Shao Yun tied the reins to the fence out front, then went to the window and peered inside.
The room was pitch black, not a trace of light.
Is Amber asleep already? he wondered.
He raised his hand and knocked gently on the door, calling out loudly, "Hello! Amber, are you home?"
But no matter how long he called and knocked—nearly a full minute—there was no light, no answer.
Faced with this, Shao Yun sighed and muttered under his breath, "Looks like Amber's not home…"
From the lantern, Alice suggested, "If that's the case, why not take Eula to the Knights' headquarters? There'll be people to look after her there."
Shao Yun didn't answer right away.
Instead, his eyes began searching for the spare key. He muttered, "No rush, let me check first…"
He bent down and carefully moved the flowerpot by the door.
Sure enough, a familiar object came into view—the same spare key he had found last time!
Picking it up, Shao Yun let out a helpless smile and muttered softly, "This careless, forgetful girl… She still leaves the key here?"
"Doesn't she realize she should hide it somewhere else? She's really making me worry…"