Paimon: "That one hasn't been returned yet."
Eula noted the title without looking up.
Eula: "I see."
She turned a page in the ledger.
FLIP
Eula: "...There are a lot of overdue books."
Paimon sighed.
Paimon: "People always forget to return their books."
Eula closed her eyes briefly, as if lost in thought.
An image flashed through her mind:
Aether walking toward Mondstadt, tired but determined, returning from a journey far more arduous than simple patrols.
Eula: "Inazuma..."
She slowly raised her head toward Paimon.
Eula: "Paimon."
Paimon stopped abruptly.
Paimon: "Hmm?"
Eula glanced slightly toward the other side of the library, where Aether was still standing, busy shelving books.
Then she turned her attention back to Paimon.
Eula: "You've just returned from Inazuma."
"I imagine you faced many trials."
Paimon remained silent for a second.
Then she nodded vigorously.
Paimon: "Oh, yes."
She closed the book and sat cross-legged in mid-air, clearly ready to tell her story.
Paimon: "Even just getting there was complicated."
"Inazuma was completely closed off."
"No one could enter or leave."
Eula listened attentively, her pen hovering motionless above the paper.
Paimon: "We had to find roundabout ways, talk to lots of people, avoid problems... and that was just the beginning."
FLAP
Paimon gestured broadly with her arms.
Paimon: "Then we had to face the Shogun."
Eula's hand tightened slightly on the quill.
Eula: "The Goddess of Eternity…"?!
Paimon: "Yes!"
"She was incredibly intimidating!"
Paimon continued, his voice quickening.
Paimon: "And then there were bandits, conspiracies everywhere, the Fatui getting involved again…"
Eula's jaw tightened.
Paimon: "We also met Scaramouche, the sixth Fatui Harbinger."
"All because of some story about false Visions."
Eula frowned.
Eula: "Scaramouche…"
Paimon: "And Aether had to fight the eighth Fatui Harbinger."
A heavy silence fell.
Eula: "Signora…"
Paimon nodded.
Paimon: "Yes."
Even though not everyone knew about Signora, Eula had heard of a Fatui Harbingers who had infiltrated Monstadt and attacked Aether and a bard after their battle against Stormterror.
She lowered her voice slightly.
Paimon: "And then… Aether was almost killed by the Raiden Shogun."
The quill slipped abruptly from Eula's fingers and fell onto the table.
CLACK
Eula: "....."
"What?"
Her hand trembled slightly, and her eyes were on the verge of tears.
Eula froze.
Her eyes remained fixed for a moment, her expression hardening.
Eula: "…...."
Paimon realized what she had just said and immediately raised her hands.
Paimon: "But…!"
"But…!"
"Actually, that wasn't the real Electro Archon!"
Eula slowly raised her head.
Paimon: "And in the end, we became friends!"
A long silence followed.
Eula closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again.
Eula: "Risk being killed… and coming back."
She picked up the quill and gently placed it back on the ledger.
TAP
Eula: "…You've been through much more than I imagined."
Paimon smiled, a little proud.
Paimon: "Aether is very strong."
Eula looked back at Aether.
Her calm demeanor contrasted sharply with what she had just heard.
Eula: "And yet, he acts as if none of it affected him."
She resumed writing.
SCRATCH SCRATCH
Eula: "I understand better now."
Paimon tilted his head.
Paimon: "Understand what?"
Eula: "Why you're so determined to stay by his side."
Paimon smiled gently.
She continued her story without even pausing for breath, floating slightly higher, her hands fluttering as memories flooded back.
Paimon: "And in Liyue, we met so many people too!"
She bent down to grab another book and placed it on the pile of unreturned ones.
THUMP
Paimon: "There was Ningguang, she's kind of the leader of Liyue."
"She's a little scary, but she's super smart."
Eula glanced up slightly from the ledger, attentive.
Paimon: "And Beidou!"
"The Crux captain, she's so cool, she drinks a lot, laughs loudly, and isn't afraid of anything."
A faint smile flickered across Eula's lips before vanishing just as quickly.
Paimon: "Then there was Shenhe... she's very quiet, a little intimidating."
"And Ganyu too, always working."
Paimon started counting on his fingers.
Paimon: "Ah!"
"And Tartaglia. He's dangerous."
"Always smiling, but he loves to fight too much."
Eula pen paused briefly.
Paimon: "Qiqi too."
"She's tiny and forgets everything."
FLIP
Paimon: "We also met a girl named Keqing; she reminds me a bit of Noelle."
"She loves to work."
Eula continued to mentally note down every detail she heard.
Eula: "There are many people high up in the hierarchy."
Paimon: "And Zhongli!"
"He knows a lot, but he always forgets his money."
Eula took a discreet breath, absorbing each name.
Paimon: "Ah, there's also Baizhu."
"He's a doctor who has a snake around his neck, and what's more, the snake talks."
Author's Note (Nawafal): I realized while writing this chapter that I didn't mention Mr. Ping and Yanfei, so I apologize to Yanfei fans, but I'll find a way to make up for it.
Eula: "An impressive network."
Paimon: "And then there was Inazuma."
Her tone subtly changed, becoming more lively… but also more cautious.
Paimon: "Ayaka is very kind and elegant."
"She's always worried about Aether."
Eula unconsciously registered the detail in her mind.
Paimon: "Thoma is like a big brother, always ready to help."
Paimon placed another book on the table.
POOF
Paimon: "This one hasn't been returned either."
"Sayu sleeps all the time."
Eula: "...."
Paimon: "Yoimiya is super energetic!"
"She loves fireworks."
"Yae Miko is... strange."
"She always knows everything before everyone else."
Eula frowned slightly.
Paimon: "Gorou is very loyal, a little clumsy sometimes."
"Kazuha is calm, he likes listening to the wind and writing poems."
"He would get along well with Venti."
Paimon slowed down for a moment.
Paimon: "And Kokomi... she thinks a lot."
"Perhaps too much."
Eula closed her eyes briefly.
Eula: "A lot of women."
She caught her breath, maintaining a perfectly neutral expression.
Paimon continued, but something changed. Her body tensed slightly, her shoulders tightened.
Paimon: "There was also ...."
Eula: "...."
-
Paimon: ".... Kujou Sara."
Her hands... unconsciously tightened their grip.
TAP
Paimon: "She's very serious."
"Very strict."
Eula sensed the tension without even looking at Paimon.
Eula: "..."
Paimon swallowed hard.
Then, his voice dropped a tone.
Paimon: "And Ei."
His body stiffened slightly, as if the mere mention of his name carried weight.
Silence.
Eula slowly raised her head.
Eula: "Ei."
Paimon nodded.
Paimon: "Oh, that's the Electro Archon."
Eula remained silent for a moment.
That name resonated differently from all the others.
Not just an ally.
Not a chance encounter.
Eula: "An Archon... and yet called by her first name."
"You seem close."
Paimon hesitated, swaying gently in the airs.
SWAY
Paimon: "At first, it was complicated."
"Very complicated."
"But now... she's different."
Eula watched Paimon intently.
Eula: "Different how?"
Paimon smiled faintly.
Paimon: "More human, she's trying to reconnect with her people."
Eula gently held the quill between her fingers.
Eula: "Aether has earned the trust of an Archon."
She glanced briefly at him, still busy at the other end of the library, his face calm, almost carefree.
Eula: "...Your journey has changed many things."
Paimon: "Yes."
The small creature also looked at Aether.
Paimon: "But he, he just keeps moving forward."
A peaceful silence fell over the library.
FLAP
Eula resumed writing, but her mind was no longer in it. Completely.
Eula: "Surrounded by allies, by Archons… and yet so alone."
She gently closed the ledger.
THUD
Eula: "Thank you for telling me all this, Paimon."
Paimon smiled broadly.
Paimon: "Paimon talks a lot, doesn't he?"
Eula let out a quiet, almost amused sigh.
Eula: "Yes… but it was necessary."
Eula and Paimon continued to sort the lists of overdue books, which were set up at the far end of the library.
Tall, dark wooden bookshelves reached the ceiling, bathed in soft light filtering through the tall windows.
The scent of old paper and ink hung in the air, disturbed only by the steady rustling of pages and the light scratching of Eula's quill on the ledger.
FLIP
SCRITCH
Paimon: "This one hasn't been returned either… hm, knights really should be more careful about their borrowing."
Eula nodded absently, her eyes gliding mechanically over the names written on them.
Then, without her immediately realizing it, her gaze drifted to the other end of the room.
There, between two precarious stacks of books, Lisa was standing far too close to Aether.
She leaned slightly toward him, a mischievous smile on her lips, while the traveler desperately tried to concentrate on the books he was shelving.
Aether almost jumped.
Eula: "....."
THUMP
Eula watched the scene in silence.
She couldn't hear their words, but their gestures spoke volumes.
Aether's face was red, her movements stiff, while Lisa seemed amused by every reaction.
Eula: "Are those two secretly dating?"
Her heart sank slightly, though she didn't immediately understand why.
She looked away, pretending to return to the register.
SCRATCH
Eula: "Paimon."
Paimon: "Hmm?"
Eula paused, searching for the right words.
Eula: "Has... Aether been acting strangely lately?"
Paimon blinked, surprised by the question, then folded his arms, thinking.
HUM
Paimon: "Weird?"
"Not really."
Paimon: "He's just a little more serious when he's working."
"But that's all."
Eula nodded slowly, even though this answer didn't seem to completely satisfy her.
Eula: "And…"
She stopped abruptly. Her hand tightened slightly on the quill.
CREAK
Eula took a deep breath.
Eula: "And, is there…"
Paimon: "…"
Eula: "Is there… a girl he's interested in?"
Paimon: "…!"
The words had barely left her lips when her cheeks burned.
She immediately turned her face away, her eyes fixed on the table as if it had suddenly become vitally important to her.
DOKI DOKI
Author's Note: "The term DOKI DOKI is an onomatopoeia used to describe a person's heartbeat accelerating due to embarrassment or joy."
Paimon froze.
She looked at Eula.
Then she looked at Aether.
Then she looked back at Eula.
A slow, far too cunning smile stretched across her face.
Paimon thought: "Oh."
"Ooooh."
The realization hit her like a blinding flash of clarity.
Eula Lawrence:
- The woman whose very name made a good part of Mondstadt tremble.
- The descendant of a despised aristocratic family.
- The cold, proud, upright knight, always ready to speak of revenge.
- The one who opposed injustice, even if it meant isolating herself from the rest of the world.
That woman… was in love with the blond-haired traveler.
SWOOSH
Paimon moved slightly closer to Eula, hovering at face level.
Paimon: "Eula."
Eula flinched.
Eula: "W-What?"
Paimon narrowed his eyes, his smile widening.
Paimon: "You're in love with Aether, aren't you?"
CRASH
Eula's mind seemed to shut down completely.
Eula: "W-WHAT?!"
She sat bolt upright, nearly knocking over the stack of books in front of her.
Eula: "N-No!"
"Absolutely not!"
Eula: "That's ridiculous!"
Her cheeks were scarlet, and she crossed her arms with an almost comical rigidity.
Eula: "I have no reason to feel this way!"
Paimon stared at her without blinking.
Silence
Eula looked away.
Eula: "I mean…"
Her voice dropped.
Eula: "It's not like…"
She trailed off, desperately searching for an honorable way out.
Eula: "Revenge will be mine."
A heavy silence followed.
…
Then Paimon burst out laughing.
Paimon: "HAHAHAHA."
"Liar."
Eula clenched her fists.
Eula: "I'm not lying."
Paimon: "Yes, you are."
Eula: "I'm being mindful of his surroundings."
Paimon: "Very mindful, then."
Eula gritted her teeth slightly.
GRIT
Eula: "Tch."
She glanced furtively at Aether.
At that precise moment, Lisa was leaning a little too close to him again, and Eula felt a strange prickling sensation in her chest.
Eula: "Why does that bother me so much...?"
Paimon followed her gaze and smiled gently, this time without mockery.
Paimon: "You know... Aether is really nice."
Eula: "I know."
Eula answered almost too quickly.
Eula: "I mean... everyone knows that."
Paimon: "He always helps people."
"Even when it costs him."
Eula lowered her eyes.
Eula: "He doesn't judge me because of my last name."
Her voice was low, almost fragile.
Eula: "Even with my name."
"Lawrence."
Paimon remained silent for a moment, continuing to look at Eula as she placed another book on the table.
FLAP
Paimon was one of the few people who knew the truth. She knew that Eula was descended from a family of slave traders, aristocrats who had terrorized Mondstadt.
But despite that
There were several people who appreciated Eula, such as members of the Order of Favonius, friends like Lisa and Jean, and…
Aether, the blond-haired traveler who saves all who move, the one who helps others and bears the burden of feeling alone when no one is with him.
Eula: "Even if I tell him…"
"I'm afraid of his reaction."
Paimon: "Then it's decided."
Eula: "Decided?"
Paimon: "One day, you'll tell him."
Eula: "Never."
Paimon: "One day."
Eula took a deep breath, gradually regaining her usual composure.
Eula: "If someone finds out about this…"
Paimon: "Vengeance will be yours."
Eula: "Vengeance will be mine."
Paimon smiled, amused and touched at the same time.
Paimon: "Of course, of course."
Eula: "For interrupting me, I'll get my revenge too."
Paimon: "Huh?"
On the other side of the library:
Aether: "ACHOO!"
Aether suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.
Lisa: "Oh?"
"Were you thinking about someone, my little traveler?"
Aether: "N-No!"
Eula quickly turned her head away.
DOKI DOKI
Her heart was beating a little too fast.
A few hours later:
Calm had finally returned to the library.
The piles of books had disappeared, the shelves were perfectly aligned, and the ledgers were neatly filled out.
Aether: "There, that was the last one."
Eula: "Phew."
Paimon: "Phew."
An atmosphere of accomplishment hung in the air, mingled with a gentle weariness.
CLAP
Lisa: "We're done, finally."
She stretched her arms above her head with an exaggerated sigh, her cloak slipping slightly off her shoulders.
Aether placed the last book on a shelf, taking a step back to check the alignment.
THUD
Aether: "Yes… it took longer than expected."
Paimon floated beside him, arms crossed, a sly smile stretching across his face.
Paimon: "....."
She watched Aether with strange intensity, her eyes shining with suppressed amusement.
Aether frowned slightly.
Aether: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Paimon didn't answer, simply looking away and whistling innocently.
On the other side of the room, Eula calmly closed the register she was still holding.
Eula: "I'll leave now."
Lisa: "What, already?"
"What a shame, I would have loved to continue chatting."
"Wouldn't you agree, cuties?"
Aether: "Ummmm."
Aether didn't answer the question, but he blushed slightly.
Eula nodded briefly, already turning towards the exit.
Tap tap tap tap tap
She walked with measured steps towards the large wooden door, her blue cloak billowing behind her.
Aether watched her, then took a step forward.
Aether: "Oh, Eula, I wanted to tell you…"
He had barely uttered these words when Eula froze for a fraction of a second.
Then suddenly…
TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP
Her footsteps suddenly quickened.
BAM
The door slammed violently behind her, making the entire library vibrate.
Lisa: "…... "
Aether: ".... "
Paimon: "..... "
A heavy silence fell over the room.
...
Lisa blinked in surprise.
Lisa: "Well…"
Aether remained frozen, her hand still slightly extended towards the door.
Aether: "..."
Paimon: "Okay, she's definitely in love."
Chapter 3: Love in the Library
The End