[Genshin Impact] A world where only travelers are alone.

Chapter 47 Leo Chapter

Leosley actually pretended to be seriously considering it.

Seeing that Ventara's gaze was getting increasingly strange, he chuckled and teased, "Of course I was just joking. I just think it would be a bit of a waste to change into this outfit, since it's the first time I've seen you dressed like this."

He was always persistent in exploring his past, while Ventara had long since chosen to let it go.

From the moment Ashpar appeared, she knew that some things were simply unavoidable, and now that Leosley had asked, she didn't mind answering.

Ventara glanced down at the clothes: "These are old clothes. Back in Sumeru, Ashpar would occasionally take me out with him, and he prepared a set for me specifically for convenience."

However, she didn't really like the dress.

To combat the scorching heat, desert dwellers use as little fabric as possible in their clothing, like the one she's wearing, which exposes almost her entire abdomen and legs—a style completely different from Fontainebleau.

After all, she was a Fontaineble, and although she had been sent to Sumeru when she was a teenager, her aesthetic sense and habits were already fixed. Even though such clothes were indeed very convenient for movement when she went out with Ashpar, she still didn't like them.

The same thing happened now; Ventara unconsciously frowned.

Leosley immediately saw through her thoughts, abandoned his plan to ask any further questions, and let her go take a shower.

Ashpar, however, was not so lucky. When he returned from the tavern, tipsy, Leosley ambushed him.

Ashpalden sensed something was wrong with their menacing appearance, but he was too drunk to escape, so he could only ask them fiercely what they were planning to do.

Leosley curled his lips into a smile, his posture suggesting he was hiding something behind his back.

Sure enough, the next second he slowly pulled his hand out from behind his back.

Ashpar was so nervous that he broke out in a cold sweat, but the next second he saw that what Ashpar pulled out was not a dagger or any other weapon, but a bottle of wine that looked very expensive.

Ashpar: Huh?

*

"You should have said you wanted to ask me about Ventura! All this mystery made me think I'd done something to offend you and you were planning to do something to me!"

Ashpar downed most of the bottle in one gulp, patting Leosley on the shoulder with dissatisfaction as he drank.

"How could that be? I still respect you very much, after all, you are the father that Ventara respects most. You must know her very well, right?"

Even Leosley had to behave himself and act obediently in front of his future father-in-law, even choosing to say the nicest things.

After all, he had finally found this opportunity tonight, and he had to get some useful information out of it.

Leosley had even decided how he would use the wines in his wine cabinet to coax Ashpar out of his reluctance, but before he could even use that trick, Ashpar burst out laughing.

"Alright, alright, stop flattering me. For the sake of this bottle of wine, I'll tell you everything I know. So, what do you want to know about Ventara?"

His tone was gentle, and he did not object to the fact that the man had come to inquire about information.

Leosley was taken aback by this unexpected attitude; he had thought Ashpar wouldn't be willing to pry into Ventara's private affairs behind her back.

The latter is actually very open-minded, or rather, has a lot of confidence in his daughter.

Ashpar glanced at him: "At this hour, you should be asleep by now, but believe me, when you get back you'll find a Ventara with her eyes wide open?"

The implication was that he thought he was doing things secretly, but in reality, nothing he did could escape Ventara's notice; she simply acquiesced to it.

Ashpar naturally wouldn't go against his daughter's wishes: "And to be honest, I've always been very worried about her, and I've been wanting to find an opportunity to talk to you about it for a while now."

Leosley was somewhat surprised, since from any perspective, Ashpar seemed to be the one who was more worrying than the father and daughter.

"Hey!" Ashpar saw the words in his eyes, his lips twitched, but he inexplicably felt he couldn't refute it, so he could only stubbornly say, "This isn't a single thing..."

Leosley, wanting to save face for him, adopted a respectful and attentive demeanor.

Ashpar went on to explain, "You should have noticed as well, Ventara's personality... is a little bit special."

"Special?" Leosley asked thoughtfully.

It is indeed very special.

Because the two had been separated for so long, the differences in Wentara's personality between childhood and adulthood were extremely obvious to Leosley, especially her coldness.

For Ventara, nothing seemed to excite her except when she was with him.

He voiced his thoughts, prompting Ashpar to sigh, "So you noticed too. Actually, that's nothing. What bothers me most is her attitude towards people. It seems Ventara picked up some bad habits from her biological parents; she—never treats people like human beings."

"Ventara's biological parents?"

"You're also familiar with her biological parents." Ashpar smiled enigmatically. "The Delascos, the human traffickers known as philanthropists. Ventara was more emotionally detached than most people from birth, and their upbringing made her even more extreme. In her eyes, perhaps even a small dog has more right to speak to her as an equal than humans."

Leosley didn't even have time to agree with his last sentence. When he heard about Ventara's background, his eyes narrowed sharply: "You mean the Drascos are Ventara's biological parents?"

"Is it hard to imagine?" Ashpar stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I remember they looked alike, didn't they? Ventara's green eyes were inherited from Mrs. Delasco."

Some subtle clues from the past seem to have now come together.

If Ventara is the Delascos's biological daughter, it explains why they treat her so well, and it also explains why Ventara is unwilling to tell him about her past.

What separates them is not the ten years they have been apart, but their different social statuses.

Ventara is the daughter of the man who kidnapped him; Leosley is the man who killed her parents.

As if sensing his concerns, Ashpar spoke up at the right moment: "Actually, you don't need to worry about these things. The Delascos have been so successful in their parenting that Ventara doesn't even care about them. She doesn't care about her parents, even if we put that aside, the Delascos have indeed been very good to her."

"I heard that at first they were worried that doing this job would endanger their children, so they specifically entrusted Wintara to her grandmother in the countryside to be raised, and did not acknowledge her identity in public, only saying that she was an adopted daughter."

"In the end, the Delascos' business ran into some problems, and for safety reasons, they decided to send Ventura away ahead of schedule. Then, they chose me."

"I was an old acquaintance of theirs, and a member of a nomadic gilded caravan, so I didn't need to worry about anyone finding her. So they gave me a large sum of money to take care of their daughter."

"Although I initially found this little girl a bit troublesome, after spending more time with her, I started to treat her like my own daughter."

"I've tried to correct her thinking, but after all these years, all I've managed to do is teach her to treat the people around her like they don't exist. But at least, when she realizes someone's kindness, she doesn't mind responding, even if it's just a little bit."

After saying all that in one breath, Ashpar let out a long breath, then picked up the bottle and finished the remaining half of the wine.

After clearing his throat, he stroked his chin, scrutinizing Leosley as he continued, "So I'm really curious how you two became lovers. Does childhood really have such a powerful influence? Every time I ask about her past, besides that dog named Hutta, you're the one who comes up the most often."

As the only person she could remember, Leosley was practically Ventara's ideal woman.

Ashpar, believing he had thought it through, nodded and continued, "So you don't need to worry too much, really. The reason Ventara doesn't want to tell you about her past is simply because she's using common sense and thinks you'd mind having Drasco blood in her veins. She can't bring herself to tell you directly, but she feels you have the right to know the truth. See, even she disagrees, so why are you coming to me to ask?"

Leosley pursed his lips, his expression blank.

Ashpar laughed, but a cryptic emotion flickered in his eyes: "As for you, would you mind?"

"No!" Leosley said firmly.

One's background means nothing, and Ventara is not obligated to pay for the actions of the Delascos.

"See, that's more like it!" Ashpar's smile became more genuine.

He patted Leos on the shoulder and said, "But it won't do you any good if you just tell me; you have to tell her yourself."

Leosley understood this, of course.

He stood up and solemnly thanked Ashpar: "Thank you for telling me this."

"Why do you think I've been talking to you so much tonight? It's all to figure out what you're thinking. Luckily, you're as open-minded as I am, otherwise I'd have to use my own knife to help you figure it out." Ashpar's tone was innocent, but it couldn't hide the murderous intent in his words.

He didn't want Ventara to get hurt in this relationship, but now it seems she made a good choice.

Ashpar encouraged, "Go on, Ventara is waiting for you."

*

Leosley returned to his room.

It was bedtime when he left. At that time, Untara, who was lying with her back to him, had her eyes closed and was breathing evenly, looking like she was fast asleep.

The same is true now.

He began to doubt whether Ashpar's claim that Ventara was still waiting for him was true, until he lay down and heard the increasingly rapid and heavy heartbeat of the person beside him.

Ventara is nervous.

Is it because we don't know what choice he ultimately made?

In the dark room, only a few rays of moonlight shone through the gaps in the heavy curtains onto her face, allowing Leosley to see her almost unchanging expression, as if she had hidden all her unease in her heart, without revealing the slightest flaw.

Leosley found it hard to imagine how Ventara had made the decision to stay with him, or perhaps she had never made up her mind at all, and that he was the one who initially stayed despite all objections.

Recalling what happened before they got together, Leosley couldn't help but chuckle.

He rolled over, pulled Ventara into his arms, and whispered in her ear, almost in a breath, "The past is the past. We'll always be together, right?"

No one answered.

But as her heartbeats calmed down, Ventara slowly tightened her grip on his hand.

Then, they interlocked their fingers.

(End of this chapter)

The author says: The Leo arc is now complete! Hooray!

There should be another bonus chapter coming up, where our poor traveler will make his usual appearance and be forced to endure a baptism of dog food (*σ`)σ

Also, please look forward to the next Venti chapter!