Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

How should we start the event?

"Rosalyn, you've been studying alone for the past year, and you've lost a lot of weight. It breaks my heart."

No, no, that's a really cheesy opening line. It makes it seem like I don't really care about her lately. What if she's gained weight?

“My dear, my mother longs to see you. After this, will you come back to Mondstadt with me to hold our wedding?”

No, that won't work either. What if she doesn't want to have the wedding in Mondstadt? Besides, she's an orphan with no family in Mondstadt. Am I rubbing salt in her wounds? You're the only one with parents!

"Now that I am here, would you be willing to share my bed with me, my lady?"

That's still not right! Even if she's engaged, she's just a fiancée, not a wife!

Rustan's smile deepened as he thought about it. For the first time, he truly understood the happiness one could experience when contemplating the future, when everything seemed so clear. Next was marriage, and no matter how many people thought he had made a mistake, he would still do it.

He had known Rosalyn for many years when he was a knight's squire. Those nobles of all generations did not understand love between commoners.

Marrying Rosalyn might cost him a lot, because even if Rosalyn doesn't become his legal wife, she will still be his first wife, and many noblewomen favor him largely because of his respectable background. Marrying Rosalyn would reduce the investment many people make in him, potentially diminishing his future prospects.

But Rustan had already figured it out. He had become the vice-commander of the Knights, and although he wasn't a nobleman, he was now able to establish a family with the surname "Wolf" through his own efforts. Of course, a family that relied on his wife would have an easier life, but everyone needs something to look forward to, and Rosalind was that hope for him.

After another half hour of travel, Rustan wasn't in a hurry; he was waiting for daylight. Rosalind might laze in bed during her holiday, and he would make his appearance when the sun came out and she was dressed.

Rustan strolled leisurely to the dormitory area. It was just as the morning bell of the Jigong Palace was ringing. He stood at the foot of the dormitory building, holding a bouquet of flowers. He hadn't told Rosalyn the exact time he would be there beforehand, wanting to surprise her.

He took out his pocket watch and waited until the time was exactly seven o'clock. Seven was his lucky number. He smiled silently and then knocked on the door.

Three taps, neither too light nor too heavy.

He pictured the blonde girl hurriedly getting up, peeking through the window to see him arrive, immediately dressing up in front of the mirror, putting on her wedding dress, asking her best friend how she looked, and then calming herself down to open the door—a whole series of images flashed through his mind.

This will take quite a while, but Rustan is confident he can wait.

and so on.

five minutes.

Rustan wasn't in a hurry; a wedding dress wasn't something that could be worn in a short time, and the slower she took it, the more she valued it.

ten minutes.

It took a little longer than expected.

fifteen minutes.

Rustan was getting uneasy, and he knocked on the door again. This wasn't right; if Rosalind needed a lot of time, her roommate should at least open the door for him and let him in. This... was very impolite.

That makes sense, though. Her roommate seems to be that little prince. It's normal for a demon god to be ignorant of human etiquette.

thirty minutes.

Rustan couldn't help but wonder if no one in the dormitory had heard him, or perhaps... Rosalyn wasn't there? He checked the dormitory number to make sure he hadn't gone to the wrong place, and then he cautiously pushed the door open.

The door was open, or rather, the door wasn't closed.

He suddenly had a bad feeling, and an indescribable sense of oppression enveloped him. He took off his muddy shoes and stepped inside, because the first floor was also carpeted.

There seemed to be no one on the first floor. That's right, the correspondence mentioned that their dormitory was a two-story building, with the living room on the second floor.

"Is anyone home?" Rustan asked politely before fully entering the house.

No one responded.

He hesitated, holding the bouquet, looking at the ceiling that had been opened up between the first and second floors and the wooden staircase that stretched down.

It doesn't look like no one lives here. The rooms have been cleaned, and the stair railings are clean, which means it was probably cleaned in the last couple of days.

He sniffed the air and sensed an indescribable odor in it, which made him even more uneasy.

But since he was already here, Rustan climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Just as the stairs turned a corner, the man froze, his fingers trembling slightly.

At the top of the stairs, a long lace dress lay casually, tattered and torn. It was a white, layered lace dress, exquisitely crafted. Rustan recognized it all too well, for it was the wedding dress he had bought and sent to Rosalyn.

Now it's badly damaged, and it's unclear what happened before it ended up hanging on the stairs; it clearly looks like it was torn off someone's body. Above the wedding dress, there are nail marks on the wooden floor, suggesting that not long ago, a young woman in a wedding dress was struggling to crawl up the stairs.

Rustan didn't know what had happened. He subconsciously took a step forward and saw that even the high heel with only one foot was thrown aside.

Follow the messy tracks on the ground.

The broken waistband.

White wedding stockings with snagging.

Sapphire earrings.

Everywhere were discarded parts of the wedding dress—fabric, accessories—a chaotic mess. Until Rustan reached the door, separated only by a door, he could no longer deceive himself. He couldn't hear it downstairs, but here he finally heard the voices inside—voices he wouldn't want to hear even in his deepest nightmares.

A hymn to bliss.

Chapter 116 The Vicious Young Wolf

(This chapter was updated two days later because I revised almost the entire text, considering whether it could be published... You could even say that I cut 2,000 words and revised more than 4,000 words.)

Separated by a door, Rustan felt as if a knife had been plunged into his heart. Even the sleepless nights of the journey hadn't caused him the pain of hearing that familiar voice, its labored breathing and mournful cries.

Over the years, he had thought about many things, such as whether proposing to Rosalyn would affect his reputation in the Knights, whether Rosalyn, who was always away studying, could accept the boring life of a housewife after marriage, whether he could get Rosalyn to give up the fire in her blood and be a proper noblewoman, and how to reassure her that although her children would not have first place in the inheritance, they would definitely have assets. He even thought about how he would explain to Rosalyn that he loved her the most if he were to marry a daughter from another family in the future...

He had thought about so many things.

But he never considered that Rosalyn might not necessarily belong to him.

—But we clearly…

—We were clearly having such a good time together.

—I've already sent you the wedding dress, don't you understand what I mean?

—You never rejected me, you…

—Or is this your way of refusing?

The handsome young knight turned around abruptly. He was about to leave, but a final surge of resentment and anger made him stop in his tracks.

Not reconciled.

As a gentleman and a knight, he knew he had no right to interfere with Rosalyn's actions, given that she was not yet engaged or even confessed her feelings. But as a man, he was unwilling to accept this.

He was angry.

humiliation.

He has lost all composure.

As a man, I can't leave without seeing with my own eyes who has truly surpassed me!

He finally pushed the door open with a bang!

He expected to see filth and disgust, but his pupils dilated.

A slender, venomous snake coiled around.

The beautiful flowers are in bloom.

The girl he longed for clung tightly to the incredibly handsome boy as they knelt, their embrace as intertwined as swans.

She trembled as she embraced Shen Liang, her back to Rustam, only her fair back exposed. The boy, the delicate-looking little wolf, held the girl, his small stature causing him to only meet Rustam's gaze through Rosalin's shoulder, casting an indifferent look.

Rustan was speechless. He could tell who the white-haired boy was, and that was why he was in despair.

He was the renowned young wolf knight of Mondl, but only now did he realize what truly deserved the name "young wolf." It was a vicious little wolf; he stared at Rustan, yet kissed the girl's shoulder and neck, pressing closer. Rosalind struggled, trembling, trying to turn her head away, but he gently pulled her back with a thrust of his hip.

Then they kissed.

On the only part of Rosalind's back that Rustan could see, a bright red scale pattern gradually emerged. Although he didn't know what it symbolized, he had never seen Rosalind like this before, bathed in the light of the stigmata…

So lifeless, so desperate, so poignant, so...beautiful.

Rustan suddenly realized that Rosalind hadn't said a word to him from the very beginning. She had tears in her eyes, and she had struggled, but she had never turned around to say a word.

He suddenly understood.

Gently, Rustan placed the bouquet on the ground, took out the ring from it, and without hesitation withdrew the Eye of God. He seemed a little unsteady, staggered, and then took several deep breaths before standing up and raising his head.

Shen Liang tilted her head, still looking at him calmly.

“Your Highness, there’s really no need for this.” Rustan gave a bitter smile that anyone could see. “I’m sorry to have displeased Your Highness… I’m sorry.”

He turned and left. Shen Liang felt the girl in his arms tremble for a moment, but Shen Liang didn't care.

He kissed away the tear stains from Rosalyn's eyes and ruthlessly pressed the powerless girl down onto the pillow.

Mistelin leaned against the wall, aware of everything that had happened, but feeling she had no right to be involved. Seeing Rosalind's current state, she sighed softly and hesitated for a long time.

"There are no birth control pills in this day and age that don't harm the body..."

----------------

Shen Liang stumbled forward through a white mist.

Amidst the mountains, unless it was a bright, clear day, a thick fog always lingered. He couldn't discern directions, but his heart was at peace, so he walked and walked in the fog.

I could smell the fragrance of flowers all around, but I couldn't tell what kind of trees they were. It just smelled very familiar. Maybe the pear blossoms were blooming? In my memory, Jigong was full of pear trees.

A pale blonde figure suddenly ran past him and disappeared into the depths of the mist in the blink of an eye. Shen Liang reached out to stop her, but then he saw his own arm and screamed in fright.