Amber listened to Ningguang and nodded quickly, completely convinced.
"You're right. If Kael stays here, he'll keep worrying about me. Lady Ningguang, could you find a room for him? Let him rest properly."
Ningguang smiled. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of him."
Kael gently ruffled Amber's hair.
"Eat something first. Once I've rested, I'll come back."
Ningguang led Kael out and brought him to her own room.
"Kael, you can sleep here for now. I'll handle everything regarding Amber. You don't need to worry."
"Thank you."
Ningguang had a sharp eye for people's moods. The moment she looked at him, she saw how drained he was, how heavy his heart felt. Her brows pinched together.
"Kael… did something happen?"
"…"
Even though the System had wiped the negative emotions out of him, standing here.. looking at the real Amber recovering, still stirred guilt deep in his chest.
And Ningguang's worried expression made that guilt spill into his words.
"Amber fainted… because of me. I'm the one who hurt her."
Kael lowered his eyes. "Sometimes I think meeting me is the worst luck any of you could have…"
In the simulation, he had been forced to watch people he loved die. To feel that pain firsthand.
After experiencing what happened with Kamisato Ayaka, after watching Amber die in his arms, he finally understood how hopeless it felt. How unbearable it was to stand there and watch someone you love slip away.
And he had the System to clear his emotions.
But everyone else… they had no such escape. They could only live through the grief.
Each time the consciousness of someone from a simulation transferred to the real world, Kael could feel how hard their simulated life had truly been.
Ningguang's eyes widened slightly.
"Why would you think that?"
"When Amber looks at you, she's filled with happiness and affection… I don't believe she regrets meeting you. In fact, I'm certain she thinks meeting you is the luckiest thing that ever happened to her."
Kael thought of the final moments of the simulated Amber. The memory twisted painfully. "I don't think so…"
Ningguang stepped forward and cut him off.
"Because I think the same way."
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her. His ear rested right over her heart.
A strong, quick heartbeat thudded against him.
Kael froze.
Her calm face didn't match the rapid rhythm. He could hear her nerves in every beat.
"Can you hear it? My heart is beating for you."
Her fingers slid gently through his hair as she continued, her voice soft.
"To others, I am the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing. I hold power, wealth, and influence."
"But when I'm with you, I get nervous. I worry that your feelings for me might not be as deep as mine for you."
"And I don't hate that feeling."
"Before I met you, my life was only Liyue. Politics, negotiations, strategy. But after meeting you… I finally understood how beautiful love could be."
"Every day, I look forward to seeing you. Just thinking of you makes my heart feel sweet, like it's been dipped in honey."
"Having feelings like this is a blessing."
"So why would I ever regret it? I'm sure Amber feels the same."
Kael lifted his head, stunned, meeting Ningguang's warm gaze.
There was a faint blush in her eyes, but she still looked straight at him—steady and sincere.
"Don't say things like that anymore. If you regret meeting us, then you're denying our feelings."
Her words soothed something inside him. The doubt clouding his eyes faded. Tiredness—real, physical exhaustion finally sank in.
The honesty in her gaze told him she meant every word.
She was right.
He couldn't keep drowning in guilt. Not after everything they'd shared.
He had found ways to make up for the pain he'd caused.
He had ways to fix things. To go back into the simulations, repair the damage he'd left behind.... just like he did for Ayaka and Amber.
Sure, it would cost more Attribute Points.
But it was possible.
Motivation returned to him like a warm rush. Kael took Ningguang's hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it.
"Thank you, Ningguang. I understand now. I won't say anything like that again."
I'll make it right. I won't let any of you suffer again.
Ningguang smiled. "Good. You've been through a lot these past few days. Rest."
Kael lay down, and Ningguang carefully pulled the blanket over him.
She watched him drift into sleep, her eyes overflowing with tenderness.
If anyone else from Liyue had seen her like this, they would have been shocked.
The mastermind of the Liyue Qixing, the one who always moved with precise calculation… now looked soft enough to melt.
Her earlier words weren't just comfort. They held her own hopes.
She didn't want to watch Kael drown in sadness over other women.
She wanted him to see her feelings clearly. To know how deeply she loved him.
Amber, Keqing, anyone else… Ningguang wasn't afraid of comparisons.
Because she knew her heart held just as much—if not more.
So please…
Don't look only at others.
Look at me, too.