On the other side of the headquarters, Barbara followed Klee into the Knights of Favonius.
Klee led her straight to the confinement room. When Barbara stepped inside, she found a tight circle of people crowded around Jean.
How nice for her sister.
So loved, so cherished by everyone…
If so many people adored her, could she… leave Kael to me?
Would that be alright?
Klee tugged her forward. "Make way, make way, make way! Barbara's here!"
The moment she got close, Barbara saw Jean lying there with her eyes squeezed shut, fists clenched, tears streaming out even though she never opened her eyes.
Lisa frowned. "Why does she look like she's in so much pain? I already checked her body, there's no injury at all. Could it be some kind of internal strain we can't detect?"
Barbara knelt beside the bed and examined Jean carefully.
She let gentle Hydro drift through Jean's body, touching every part of her mind and spirit with delicate precision.
Nothing. No wounds, no blockages, no signs of injury.
Lisa grew nervous. "Well? What do you think?"
Barbara looked at the dark circles beneath Jean's eyes, the cracked dryness at her lips, and finally made her judgment.
"Acting Grand Master Jean isn't hurt. She collapsed from exhaustion. Everyone, please give her some space. She needs to rest."
Hearing that, the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving only those closest to Jean—Lisa and Kaeya.
Kaeya still looked uneasy. "You're absolutely sure she'll recover with just rest?"
"I'm sure."
The confinement room had a bed specifically because Klee often ended up here for short periods.
Barbara looked delicate, but as the bearer of a Vision, her body was strengthened far beyond her appearance. She lifted Jean with ease and headed toward the bed.
"Kael…"
Jean's soft whisper cut through the room like a lightning strike.
Barbara froze.
She stared at Jean in disbelief.
How… how could this be?
Why would her sister call Kael's name?
Did she already know him?
Why…
Why did her sister, who already had everything she herself lacked, have to take Kael too?
[Barbara, Corruption +5. Current Corruption: 45.]
Kael had been reading through the System's new function when a sudden jolt of sound echoed in his ear.
He had just finished discussing how terrifying corruption was, and Barbara's had suddenly spiked another five points for no reason.
He needed to talk to her tonight. If that number kept rising, things would get dangerous.
He didn't want the kind-hearted Barbara turning into a villain.
Kael walked back into the shop on foot, since he didn't have a glider with him.
Inside, Amber was chatting with Mona and Xiangling.
"So basically… you're all my sisters-in-law now?" Kael heard Xiangling say.
Amber answered without hesitation. "Pretty much."
Mona blushed instantly, twisting her fingers. "I—I'm not!"
Amber shot her a mischievous smirk. "Really? Every time I visit Kael, the jealousy in your eyes is impossible to hide."
"I… I…"
Kael stood at the entrance listening, his expression full of black lines.
Is this what they talk about when I'm gone?
He cleared his throat loudly. All three girls turned toward him.
Xiangling and Amber greeted him as usual.
"Big brother, you're back!"
"Kael."
Mona, however, reacted as if someone had lit a fire under her.
She shot upright from her chair. She moved so fast that her chair toppled over behind her with a loud crash.
She stared at Kael, her lips trembling, her expression shifting like an overworked painter's palette.
Then embarrassment and frustration finally won out.
Her face went red. She glared at him ferociously, then bolted upstairs without a word.
Kael was stunned. He'd never seen anyone smother their reaction to a crush so hard.
He walked inside and ruffled Xiangling's hair, messing up her twin braids until they were sticking out in all directions.
"You little kid, why are you always poking into adult business? If you've got that much energy, go make dinner!"
"Hmph! Stingy grown-ups!"
She huffed, then stomped off to the kitchen with Guoba waddling behind her.
Amber glanced at Kael. "So… how did your talk with Barbara go?"
The moment she mentioned it, Kael remembered the System alert about Barbara's rising corruption. His head throbbed.
"Didn't get to talk much. I need to go find her again after dinner."
Hearing that, Amber instantly looked displeased.
"You already spent yesterday with Eula. Today's supposed to be my day."
Uh…
Seeing his troubled expression, Amber snorted.
"I want Stir-Fried Filet tonight."
"Alright. My cooking skills are top-tier now…"
She raised a brow.
Kael understood immediately. That wasn't approval. That was a test.
"No, I'll cook it myself. For you."
Amber's smile bloomed bright and victorious.
"Hehe, I didn't think you'd say it out loud."