"Ah... I..."
Mona felt completely dazed.
Was she really about to leave Mondstadt just like that?
To wander the world with this man she'd only met today?
She quickly sorted through her thoughts.
No matter what choice she made, Lin Mo was bound to leave Mondstadt anyway.
The Snezhnayan officials, unable to find him, would almost certainly turn their rage on her.
As a Fontainian who'd just rented a place in the city, she didn't believe the Knights of Favonius would risk offending those officials to protect her.
Handing her over to calm their anger seemed like the most likely outcome.
Picturing their arrogant, domineering attitudes, Mona didn't even need her astrology to foresee the grim fate awaiting her in their clutches.
She turned her gaze to Lin Mo, meeting his eyes, which brimmed with a warm, gentle smile.
Memories of their encounter that day flooded back.
This man was hardworking and dedicated.
Kind and considerate to others.
Ruthless when it counted, willing to cross a high-ranking Snezhnayan official to shield someone he'd just met.
If she was doomed to leave Mondstadt behind, having a reliable guy like him by her side beat drifting alone.
Her decision came swiftly.
"I'll go with you!" Mona's voice was steady, her eyes shining with resolve.
Lin Mo nodded, smiling. "Alright, then pack your things quickly, change your clothes, and we'll head out."
"You... don't need to grab your own stuff?" Mona asked, curious.
Lin Mo chuckled softly. "Nah, you're all the luggage I need."
"You... why say something so embarrassing?" Mona covered her flushed face and spun around, hurrying back to her room to change.
Before long, she slipped into the astrologer's outfit Lin Mo had mended for her earlier. She gathered her notes and essentials into a simple bag, then stepped out.
Just then, a knock echoed from the door.
"Is anyone home? This is the Knights of Favonius security patrol."
"We're tracking a fugitive. Please cooperate with our investigation."
"Oh no..." Mona whispered, panic rising.
Lin Mo just smiled calmly and held out his right hand. "Come on, take my hand."
"Huh?" Mona blinked, then instinctively reached for him.
The instant he gripped her hand—
"Ah!"
Crash!
Her yelp mixed with the shatter of glass.
"They jumped out the window!"
"The suspect might be in there! Alert the others! After them!"
Chaos erupted in Mondstadt's residential district. Hundreds of knights buzzed around like headless flies, desperate to nab the one who'd injured a Snezhnayan dignitary.
But Lin Mo had already scooped Mona up, leaping nimbly from rooftop to rooftop. Finally, bathed in moonlight, he vaulted over the city's towering walls with her in his arms.
From that point on, the world was theirs—the open seas for leaping fish, the vast skies for soaring birds.
That very night, Lin Mo spirited Mona far from Mondstadt's troubles.
"Your... moves are incredible," Mona said, glancing up at him as he carried her.
At first, she'd been too shy to speak, but watching him dart through the city and race across the wilds, her embarrassment gave way to awe.
They finally paused by the lake behind Dawn Winery.
Mona seized the moment to ask, "Carrying me all this way... aren't you exhausted?"
"Exhausted? It's fine—you're light as a feather." Lin Mo wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
Racing from Mondstadt to here with her in his arms, he'd barely broken a sweat, his breathing steady as ever.
"With stamina like yours, you could easily handle high-paying bounties or adventure quests," Mona pointed out, eyeing him suspiciously. "So why team up with me on those mundane resident jobs?"
"Well, I usually stick to those," Lin Mo admitted with a grin. "But today, when I went to pick up a bounty, I spotted you there too."
"Me? What about me?" Mona asked, puzzled.
Lin Mo shrugged like it was obvious. "Working alongside a beautiful girl just brightens the day, you know?"
"B-beautiful..." Mona's cheeks heated up again.
In the dim moonlight, it wasn't too noticeable, but she tugged her hat brim down anyway, flustered.
"I'm calling you beautiful—why get all shy about it?" Lin Mo teased with a laugh.
"No one's ever said that to me before..." Mona murmured.
Growing up isolated with her master, she'd had little interaction with men. The compliment stirred a quiet thrill in her chest, and she ducked her head lower.
"So, what makes you beautiful?"
"Those long legs in black stockings," Lin Mo blurted without thinking.
"You—! That's not a compliment; that's just you being a perv!"
"Well, you were hiding your face!"
"Fine, how about now?" Mona lifted her hat brim just a touch.
"Hmm..." Lin Mo studied her face, nodding appreciatively. "Your eyes are bright and clear, sparkling like stars. Every little expression draws you in, that elegant glow in them is mesmerizing. And your skin—smooth and pale like fresh cream, so flawless it's almost too perfect to stare at, like you might poke holes in it with a glance."
"Enough—stop!" Mona yanked her hat down again, mortified. "You're such a smooth talker. Bet you've charmed your way through plenty of girls."
"Hey, no badmouthing me," Lin Mo said with a mischievous grin, pulling her into his arms.
Mona bowed her head, cheeks burning, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she whispered, "So... where to next?"
"We're close to Stone Gate. I recall there's an inn there. Let's grab a room and rest up for the night."
"One room!?"
"Yeah, one. We're fugitives, remember? Gotta watch our coins."
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T/N:
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