Genshin Impact: Watch me turn the tables and kill my servants at the start!

Fanes never imagined that one day he would be dragged around trying on clothes until his legs went weak.

The commercial street in Zhidong is completely different from that in Fontainebleau. Fontainebleau takes a delicate and romantic approach, with shop windows displaying ribbons, lace, and jewelry; while in Zhidong, the buildings are angular, the walls are thick, the signs along the street are heavy ironwork, and even the streetlights are designed to look like icicles.

But Fanes had no time to appreciate the exotic scenery, because he was being dragged by the back of his collar and stuffed into a children's clothing store by a lady—no, Sister Rosalyn—and then spent the next hour experiencing the most intense dressing-up experience of his life.

"Try this one."

Rosalyn pulled a cream-colored cloak from the hanger. The collar was trimmed with snow-white fur, and the hem was adorned with tiny silver stars. Before Fanes could even comment, she had already deftly draped the cloak over his shoulders, fastened the thin belt around his neck, then stepped back half a step, looked him over from left to right, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Next item."

As soon as Fanes took off his cloak, another dark blue pullover was shoved into his hands. This one was even more outrageous, with a little snow fox embroidered on the chest, its two round eyes sewn on with black buttons, looking rather silly and cute.

"Sister Rosalyn, this is too—"

"It looks good. Next one."

The third item was a pale yellow hooded jacket with two triangular cat ears sewn onto the hood, and a small bell hanging from the zipper pull that jingled every few steps Fanes took. The fourth item was a white sweater with blue stripes, featuring a penguin holding an ice crystal printed on the front. The fifth item was…

Fanes had lost count. He was manipulated by Rosalind like a life-size cardboard cutout, with all sorts of cute outfits appearing on him in turn, from fluffy bunny onesies to cat overalls with tails, none of which were styles that would have appeared in his wardrobe in his previous life.

She looked down at the pink vest she had just changed into, then at her reflection in the mirror—the child in the mirror had a round face, messy hair, a pink vest paired with a white lantern-sleeved shirt, light gray shorts, and little leather boots.

He looked like a lost young master from a noble family, completely unrelated to their status as "prisoners of war" who had come to winter.

Fanes' expression was complicated.

Rosalyn stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders, her eyes meeting his in the mirror. She tilted her head, her long golden hair cascading down her side, a satisfied smile playing on her lips: "Beautiful. I bought this set too."

The sales assistant was a middle-aged woman wearing a monocle. She maintained a professional smile throughout and deftly folded the clothes she had tried on and put them into paper bags.

Rosalyn paid without batting an eye, pulling out a wad of Mora from her purse and placing it on the counter—an amount so large that even Fanes felt a pang of heartache upon seeing it.

Fanes followed behind, carrying a large stack of paper bags. His short legs struggled to keep up with her pace. "Sister Rosalin, aren't these clothes too many? I can't wear them all..."

Rosalyn glanced back at him, her gaze lingering on his small, slightly hunched figure, weighed down by the paper bag. Then she reached out and took most of the paper bag from his hand, carrying it herself.

"Not much. Your old clothes are all too old to wear. Winter in Zhidong is much colder than in Fontainebleau. You won't be able to get through it without a few thick clothes."

Fanes wanted to say that it didn't have to be all cute styles, couldn't he wear something like a normal little boy? Plain cargo pants, a simple sweatshirt, or even a dark cape would be better than a pink vest, right? But looking at Rosalind's "my aesthetic is perfect, you dare to disagree" expression, he swallowed his words.

Oh well. Clothes are free anyway, so what's the difference what I wear? Besides, what's wrong with a pink vest? At least a pink vest is warm.

Rosalyn led him into a busier street lined with dessert shops and tea rooms, the air filled with the sweet aroma of cream and the caramel scent of baked goods.

Fanes' stomach growled loudly, so loudly that Rosalind, who was half a step ahead, heard it. She turned around, raised an eyebrow, and her smile deepened. "Hungry?"

"I haven't had a proper meal in days," Fanes replied truthfully. That was the truth; he had spent most of the journey from Fontainebleau to Winterfall in a coma, and after waking up, he was too busy dealing with the clown and his new colleagues to have time to eat.

Rosalind bent down and placed the paper bag she was carrying next to a bench by the roadside, then straightened up and clapped her hands. "Perfect timing. There's a tea party this afternoon; I'll go prepare some refreshments first. Would you like to come and pick some out?"

Fanes' eyes lit up: "Great! Buy some more pastries, I haven't had any for days!"

Rosalind's words touched a nerve, and she bent down to pinch his cheek, much lighter than before: "Of course, how can we let such a cute young master go hungry? Pick whatever you want to eat, it's on me."

Fanes rubbed his cheek, which had been pinched, and silently gave Rosalyn a high score in his mind. This lady... no, this sister Rosalyn, although her temper can be a bit bad at times, is really good to the people she likes.

Before she could even finish feeling touched, Rosalyn straightened up and added, "Oh, and let's call our new colleague over too."

Rosalind knew perfectly well who Fanes, the "new colleague" she was referring to. Aregino had just taken over as the fourth seat and hadn't officially met his colleagues before today's tea party.

"I didn't like the previous servant, Kujavina."

Rosalyn's tone became flatter, a hint of undisguised indifference flashing in her eyes, "I hope this new colleague won't make me too disliked."

Fanes looked up at her and tentatively asked, "Sister Rosalyn, why do you hate that 'servant'?"

Rosalind looked down at him and remained silent for a moment. People came and went on the street, and she stood in front of Fanes, the woman in golden clothes and long hair and the little boy in pink vest forming a strange picture.

Rosalie's expression didn't change much, but her tone softened a little: "I don't like the way Kujavina treats the children... Never mind, let's not talk about this anymore."

Rosalyn bent down and patted Fanes's hair, which was sticking up on his head: "Let's go buy some tea and snacks first, and we can talk about other things later."

Fanes nodded and obediently followed her toward the dessert shop on the street corner, which smelled sweet. The shop's storefront was exquisitely decorated, and the window displayed rows of beautifully designed cakes and tarts, which looked incredibly tempting.

When Rosalyn pushed open the door, the shop's bells jingled, and a warm, sweet aroma wafted out, causing Fañes' stomach to rumble again.

She glanced back at the snow-covered street, wondering when Arecino and Clévy would finish their business and come over. But then she thought, Rosalind said she'd call her over, so it shouldn't be too long.

Fanes tucked his hands, which were tucked into his sleeves, into the pockets of his newly bought pink vest, and followed Rosalyn inside.

The pastry chef behind the counter was taking a plate of freshly baked apple pies out of the oven. The golden crust was brushed with glistening syrup, and the aroma was so rich that it almost made one faint with happiness on the spot.

Phanes stood on tiptoe and leaned over the counter, looking at the rows of colorful pastries, and suddenly thought that joining the Fools was absolutely wonderful.