After the dragon prince departed, Clorinde crossed her arms. "The Hydro Dragon King... for some reason, I have an idea of who he's talking about... Lu Li, I imagine you have the same thought?"

"Of course. After all, there's only one person in all of Fontaine who appeared in the public eye so long ago, still holds great power today, and whose strength is unfathomably deep."

"Although, my speculation is based on the tabloids. Clorinde, you don't read those, do you?"

"It's just that... most people have their suspicions, but the tabloids are irresponsible enough to publish them. To be able to change the tides and the weather without a Vision, and to have not aged a day in several hundred years... I would never believe he is an ordinary person," she said. "But, as if by a silent consensus, no one ever asks him about it."

"I suppose so. He just seems to have a... distance from the rest of us."

"Indeed," she nodded. "Alright, enough talk. Let's go see if we can find a place to stay here. We also need to report the situation of the missing person."

After they explained their findings to the governor of Petrichor, he, though saddened by the news, gratefully offered them a place to stay for the night. The local branch of the Gardes would handle the recovery of the body.

...

The house they were given was large, with two bedrooms, but there was a problem. When Clorinde sat on the bed in one of the rooms, it immediately collapsed. The wooden frame was brittle from repeated dampening and drying.

"It was the bed's quality, not my weight," she stated, and Lu Li wisely chose to believe her. After all, he knew she was all muscle, not fat, even if she did weigh 66 kilograms. The house was too dusty and dirty to sleep anywhere else, and neither of them was going to spend the night cleaning.

"This bed... is broken," she said, breaking the awkward silence. "So, Lu Li, we will have to use one bed."

Her straightforwardness caught him off guard, but he could only agree. They had been good friends for a long time; maybe she didn't think it was a big deal. And if she didn't mind, why should he?

After a brief discussion, they decided she would sleep on the inside and he on the outside. After she had gone to shower, he did the same. When he returned, the room was dark. He could just make out her graceful silhouette on the bed in the moonlight. She was already asleep... or so it seemed. He carefully lay down beside her. He was nervous at first, but hearing her steady, even breathing, he relaxed. Her heartbeat was calm. She really was asleep.