The next afternoon, the sun was just right.
Lovia cleaned her small home inside and out in advance, ensuring it was tidy.
She knew Melusines usually liked desserts, so she specially prepared some local Fontaine snacks (which she went out to buy herself) and neatly arranged them on the coffee table in the living room along with tea.
After finishing all this, her heart began to race uncontrollably again, her antennae tensed slightly, and she glanced at the door from time to time.
Despite being fully prepared, facing visitors at her door still made her feel nervous. Lovia took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
She both looked forward to this meeting and feared she might lose her composure during the interaction.
Not long after the appointed time, a steady knock sounded at the door.
Lovia took a deep breath, walked to the door, and checked through the peephole. Sure enough, it was Master Neuvillette, and by his side, slightly behind him, stood a petite figure she recognized at a glance—it was the cute little painter, Mamere.
She hurriedly opened the door.
"Good afternoon, Lovia." Neuvillette was as steady and composed as ever.
"G-good afternoon, Master Neuvillette." Lovia responded, her gaze involuntarily falling on the small figure beside him.
Mamere was cutely tilting his little head, looking at her curiously with those incredibly clear, large eyes.
"Hello, Younger Sister Lovia." Mamere looked very happy. "I'm Mamere, welcome to Fontaine!"
Hearing the sincere words "Younger Sister," Lovia was slightly stunned, then suddenly realized.
That's right, according to Melusine customs, the one born first is the "Elder Sister," and the one born later is the "Younger Sister." As a Melusine born later, in Mamere's eyes, she was naturally a "Younger Sister" who needed to be looked after.
Lovia looked at the expectant Mamere before her and realized this "Elder Sister" truly wanted to express his welcome and closeness; immediately, a surge of warmth filled her heart.
Perhaps this meeting wouldn't be as difficult as she had imagined.
"Hello, Elder Sister Mamere." Lovia tried to make her voice sound gentler and friendlier, rather than dry from nervousness. "Please, come in."
She quickly stepped aside to let the two of them into the house.
Neuvillette walked in naturally first, with Mamere following beside him.
Entering the living room, Lovia invited them to sit on the sofa.
"I prepared some refreshments, I don't know if they'll suit your taste..." Lovia said, pouring warm Liyue tea for the two, the fresh aroma slowly spreading. "And this tea, the tea leaves were a gift from Master Neuvillette, they're very good!"
"Thank you." Neuvillette nodded slightly.
Mamere also whispered, "Thank you."
He picked up the small teacup and sniffed it curiously. "It smells so good."
Then, the brief silence and awkwardness slowly melted away in the aroma of the tea.
Lovia noticed that Mamere was also a bit nervous; this discovery actually made her relax a bit, realizing she wasn't the only one trying to adapt to this first meeting.
Mamere looked at Lovia with his large eyes, then at Neuvillette. Under Neuvillette's encouraging gaze, he set down his teacup and carefully took a roll of drawing paper from the small cloth bag he carried with him.
He held it in both hands and handed it to Lovia, his large eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Lovia, this... is for you." Mamere smiled. "I painted it."
Lovia was somewhat surprised and quickly took it with both hands. "Wow, thank you!"
She gently unrolled the drawing paper.
The scene was depicted with warm and bright brushstrokes: in a sunny garden, two Melusines were holding hands, their faces brimming with happy smiles. They were surrounded by blooming Rainbow Roses, with the silhouette of Fontaine in the distance.
The amazing thing was that Mamere had never seen Lovia, yet he could draw the little Lovia figure almost perfectly!
The whole painting was filled with childlike innocence and beautiful wishes.
In the bottom right corner of the painting, it was written in childish handwriting: "For Younger Sister Lovia, welcome home."
Lovia looked at this painting, her antennae trembling slightly. She could feel the kindness and expectation Mamere had poured into the work; that pure warmth was overflowing through the paper.
This gift completely dispelled her last concerns about the meeting; what Mamere depicted with his brush was not just a scene of welcome, but a warm promise.
"It's painted so well..." Lovia's voice was a bit choked up. She looked up and gazed at Mamere sincerely. "I like it very much, I really, really like it. Thank you, Elder Sister Mamere!"
Seeing that Lovia truly liked his painting, a brilliant smile immediately bloomed on Mamere's expectant little face, and his previous nervousness vanished. "Great! When Father told me you were safe, I was so happy! I thought to myself, I must paint the most beautiful picture for you!"
"Father..." Lovia softly repeated, her fingertips gently brushing over the warm colors on the painting. "...He helped me a lot."
"Yeah!" Mamere nodded vigorously, then lowered his head a bit sheepishly. "Actually... I was very worried about you at first, because Father said you were very 'weak,' and I thought, I thought you were being bullied in Liyue."
Hearing the word "weak" mentioned again, Lovia's face grew a bit hot. She explained softly, "Actually... that was a misunderstanding. I accidentally lost something very important myself, so..."
Being described as "weak" made her a bit embarrassed, but it was the truth, and the pure concern in Mamere's eyes made her understand that it wasn't a put-down, but worry from the bottom of her heart.
This feeling of being cared for was novel, yet very warm.
Just like the feeling Neuvillette gave her.
Lovia glossed over the specific details, but Mamere seemed to understand completely, his large eyes filled with sympathy. "Ah, so that's how it was! It's okay, it's okay. Now that you're back in Fontaine, with Master Neuvillette and all of us here, we won't let you lose anything again!"
These childish yet incredibly sincere words made Lovia couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, I believe you."
Just then, Mamere's gaze was drawn to a small decoration pinned to Lovia's left sleeve. It was a blue quill pen, swaying gently with Lovia's movements.
Mamere's large eyes blinked, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.
"Ah!" He cried softly, pointing his little finger at the quill pen. "So... so it's here! This must be Lovia's Token!"
Lovia followed his gaze to the quill pen on her cuff, slightly stunned, then a complicated look of embarrassment appeared on her face.
She gently unpinned it and held it in her palm.
"Yes... it's this." Lovia's voice was very soft, with a hint of bitterness. "Back then in Liyue, I... I had no idea of its significance, so I... I threw it away."
"So that's how it was..." Mamere said softly, his eyes showing no blame at all, but instead full of understanding. Then, his tone became light again. "No wonder Father said you were in trouble, but it's okay! Now it's back by your side, just like you're back with us! That's wonderful!"
Lovia looked at Mamere's smiling face, nodded, and pinned the quill pen back on.
"Speaking of which." Mamere gestured with his hands as if remembering something. "My Token is a very, very small part! Back then I thought it was particularly beautiful, but I didn't know what it could be used for, then later..."
His large eyes curved into crescents. "Later I met Seymour, he's my best partner! He got sick once, so the Traveler and I installed that little part onto him! Then, he could move!"
Seymour... Traveler... Hearing these two names, Lovia immediately thought of that cute mechanical dog.
"I was afraid he would scare you today, so I didn't bring him," Mamere added sheepishly.
"It's okay." Lovia shook her head quickly, her eyes showing sincere anticipation. "Hearing you say that, I think Seymour must be a great partner. Next time... if there's a chance, can I go see him? I really want to meet him."
"Really?" Mamere almost jumped for joy, his antennae swaying happily. "That's great! Seymour will be so happy to know a new friend wants to see him! Even though he can't speak, he's very gentle; he helps me carry my paintbrushes and accompanies me to watch the scenery!"
Watching the atmosphere between the two Melusines gradually become harmonious, Neuvillette had been sitting quietly to the side without interrupting, only picking up his teacup to take a shallow sip of tea. His gaze fell gently upon them, a faint smile on his lips.
"Right! Lovia!" Mamere's curiosity was piqued; he leaned forward and asked softly, "Liyue... what kind of place is it? Is it very different from Fontaine?"
"Yes, very different." Lovia nodded and began to describe the great mountains of Liyue and its food, which was completely different from Fontaine's.
"Sounds so interesting!" Mamere said longingly. "I want to go see Liyue in the future too!"
"Hehe, if there's a chance, I can be your guide." Lovia smiled.
"Really? That's great!" Mamere was so happy he almost jumped.
Seeing the two Melusines chatting happily, Neuvillette spoke up at the right time, his voice gentle: "It seems you're getting along very well."
Lovia and Mamere looked at him simultaneously, nodding gently, their antennae swaying happily as they both smiled.
They sat for a while longer, finished the tea, and ate some snacks. Although Mamere still wanted more, Neuvillette checked the time and proposed to leave.
"Lovia, can I still come to play with you in the future?" Mamere asked reluctantly.
"Of course." Lovia answered firmly, without any hesitation or nervousness this time. "You're welcome anytime, remember to bring Seymour!"
"Yeah!" Mamere nodded vigorously, a satisfied smile on his face.
Seeing Neuvillette and Mamere to the door and watching their departing figures, Lovia only felt a warmth in her heart.
Closing the door and returning to the living room, her gaze fell on the rolled-up painting on the coffee table.
She gently unrolled the scroll again, looking at the two Melusines holding hands in the picture, her lips curling up unconsciously.
She finally decided to hang the painting on the wall of the study, and after examining it carefully, she nodded with satisfaction.
So gorgeous!
Next, Lovia's gaze fell on the desk, looking at the stack of completed manuscripts for "Hip Dynamics: From Meropide Fortress to the Peak of Power," a sense of satisfaction and relief welled up in her heart.
This unofficial history, which had cost her a lot of energy, was also finished!
Next, she just needed to find a bookstore to cooperate with!
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