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“Young Lady Lumine, this is the bodyguard, Master Morax, assigned to you, Xiao,” Ganyu introduced.
The cold look from her newly assigned green-haired bodyguard made Lumine, Zhongli’s (otherwise known as Morax) youngest daughter, uneasy.
“I am Xiao. From today onwards, I will protect you with my life,” Xiao said with an icy tone.
Lumine curtsied in her summer dress, minding her manners as she had been taught. “I am Lumine. I will be in your care from now on, Master Xiao.”
“…”
Lumine tilted her head in curiosity when she saw how Xiao’s brows furrowed, seemingly troubled. “Is something the matter?”
“Just call me Xiao. I am merely your bodyguard, Young Lady Lumine,” he replied.
“Okay then, Xiao! Then you can just call me Lumine. Nice to meet you!”
……
From then on, everywhere she went, Xiao followed closely. The bodyguard took his job seriously, even to the point where her friends felt uneasy with how he always made an indifferent expression, bordering cold-heartedness. Lumine tried to live her life as she wanted but having Xiao around made it difficult for her to relax. She knew being the daughter of a renowned president would have effects on her life but she still couldn’t help but whine about it to her brother, Aether.
Aether, too, had his own bodyguard and he always had a snide remark about Dainsleif but the man never seemed bothered about whatever the young master of the house had to say about it him. As long as he did his job keeping Aether safe, he had no other cares in the world.
“Aether! Xiao just… breathes down my neck every waking moment and it's so hard to breathe with him around. Even my friends hang out with me less because of that,” Lumine whined, burying her face into her soft pillows.
Aether’s long braided hair trailed down his back as he continued reading his book on the bed, lying prone on his stomach. “You should have known that Zhongli would eventually hire a bodyguard for you, just like he did with me. You’ve finally hit that age, sister.”
“What age? You and I are twins. We’re both the same age.”
Aether turned on his side, looking unsatisfied. “Well, you’re the lucky one since I got Dain earlier than you and he’s just as bad, maybe even worse. At least yours doesn’t speak much. Dain has way too much to say. It’s fucking irritating.”
Lumine laughed softly. “This just proves that father trusts me better than you.”
“No, he does not!”
“Yes, he does!”
“When will father stop treating us like children and stop with the bodyguards?” Lumine moaned. “I don’t want someone trailing back and forth school. I want to hang out with people without getting weird looks.”
“You’re not the only one getting weird looks. At least Xiao trails from a distance. Dain walks right next to me,” Aether replied.
“I mean, I don’t think we need bodyguards. You and I can hold our own in a fight just well.”
“But, you still can’t win me.”
“Not true!”
“Have you ever won a fight with me, Lumine?”
“Yes, I have!”
Aether threw a pillow at Lumine and she retaliated by kicking him in the sides. Once their pillow fight was over, they ended up laughing hysterically at some joke in the book Aether was reading. He and Lumine were very close, despite having been sent to separate schools.
Soon, the evening ended with the both of them falling asleep on Aether’s bed, curled next to each other.
The door quietly opened and Xiao stepped in. His approach was silent and there weren’t any sounds from his footsteps. Approaching the twins on the bed, he almost reached when someone’s presence in the room alerted him and he whirled around. Dainsleif stood at the doorway, a solemn look on his face.
As though they had spoken with just their eyes, Xiao carefully picked up Lumine into his arms, wrapping her body in blankets and walked out the room. He nodded at Dainsleif when he walked past him.
Xiao carried the sleeping Lumine back to her room, gently putting her back onto her bed. Just as he tried to pull away, Lumine wound her arms around Xiao’s neck, pulling him forward. Xiao, caught off guard, braced a hand and a knee against the bed, to not accidentally fall forward and on top of the young lady.
“Lumine,” he whispered, prepared to offer an apology when he realized that she was still asleep.
Exhaling faintly, he pried off Lumine’s fingers and tucked her back into bed. “Goodnight.”
……
“Lumine, did something happen to your bodyguard? He looks more… intimidating than usual,” Barbara asked, feeling shivers down her spine with how Xiao seemed to be glaring in their direction.
Lumine knew what Barbara was talking about and she definitely sensed it since the moment stepped out of school. The glares she felt were obviously directed at her and she wondered if Xiao overheard her conversation with her brother.
But she didn’t care.
She’s wanted time alone with her friends after exam week and she’ll get it without interruption.
Grabbing Barbara’s hand, she pulled her friend into an alley, cutting across it and forcing her way into a crowd. “Lumine! What are you doing?” Barbara yelled.
“Kidnapping ourselves,” she laughed.
After cutting across a few streets, she and Barbara finally managed to be alone.
‘I finally lost him!’ Lumine thought but for some reasons, she could still feel someone staring at her. Sensing that something wasn’t right, she pulled Barbara’s hand again. “Come on, Barbara. Something isn’t right.”
“What?”
Before she even had a chance to leave the secluded alley, three burly men appeared in front of the two girls.
It was obvious that they were sent by someone to go after her.
“Morax’s daughter. Come with us quietly and we won’t hurt your friend,” one of them said.
Gnashing her teeth together, Lumine cursed herself. If she hadn’t been so stressed, she would have sensed the Hoarders and not leave Xiao’s line of sight. Whatever it is, she had made a mistake and now she had to find a way to protect Barbara while getting away from her current predicament.
A scream echoed behind her and Lumine whipped around to see Barbara held hostage by one of the Hoarder. “Follow us or your friend here might get hurt!” he snapped.
“Barbara!” Lumine wanted to lunge forward but she was grabbed from behind.
She saw the gag that was about to be put over her mouth. Panic filled her entire being as she wracked her head for a way out of this mess. Just before they managed to gag her, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “Xiao!”
The Hoarders barely managed to put the gag over her when another disgruntled scream filled the air. Swift as wind, the man holding Lumine was flung to one side and the other one holding Barbara was blown away. Lumine yelped as she was picked up suddenly.
Xiao had carried her away from the Hoarders, his expression as black as the night.
Lumine gaped at her bodyguard. “Xiao…”
Turning to her with his usual indifferent expression, he did a quick glance to make sure she wasn’t hurt. “Lumine. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.” Lumine felt beyond relief, the tension quickly easing off her strained muscles.
Xiao put her down only to see that her knee had been scrapped from when she was pushed down on them. Immediately, his cold look twisted into anger as he whirled at the Hoarders. They trembled at the sight of him. Despite his short stature, he was the most terrifying thing they had witnessed in such a long time.
“You dare lay your filthy hands on her. You will pay for it,” he growled.
Lumine knew that it wasn’t going to be pretty. She quickly grabbed Barbara and left the scene, making a quick call to the authorities. She could faintly hear the screaming of the Hoarders but the only thing she wished for was that Xiao would come back to her safe.
……
Zhongli heard from Xiao what had happened and Lumine was confined to her room the entire evening. It wasn’t that Zhongli was punishing her but that he wanted her to rest because he understood that it was still traumatic for someone of her age to go through such a thing. Aether cursed at the Hoarders and he had to be forcefully kept in his room with Dainsleif keeping watch on him so he doesn’t do anything reckless.
Barbara had been picked up by Jean, who thanked Xiao profusely for helping her sister and protecting her. She was only replied with a nod before he walked away, discarding the bloodied gloves into the burnable trash.
Lumine sat on her bed, ignoring the stinging pain of her scrapped knee. It was her first time experiencing such a thing. She knew her father had enemies but she didn’t think that she would ever have been targeted so openly. What scared her more was that Barbara was with her at that time and if Xiao hadn’t come in time, who knows what would have happened to her and Barbara.
Lumine shuddered at the mere thought of it.
Knock-knock
“Lumine.” It was Xiao.
Without a response, he would not enter her room.
Lumine took a deep breath in, composing herself before she answered him. “Come in, Xiao.”
The green-haired bodyguard entered, hesitating for a moment before making his way in front of her.
“Is something wrong? Do you need something?” Lumine asked, maintaining her smile. Xiao suddenly kneeled down, surprising the young lady. “Xiao?!”
“I apologise, my lady. I failed to be by your side. I will receive any punishment you deem fit,” Xiao spoke, his voice strained.
“Huh? No, you don’t have to. In fact, I’m grateful to you, Xiao,” Lumine quickly replied. The young man looked up, brows knitted tightly together. “If you didn’t come in time, I’m sure something even worse would have happened to me and Barbara.”
“But, you got hurt…” Like a dejected puppy, Lumine could almost picture his ears and tails drooping if he had any.
“Oh, you mean this?” Suddenly, her knee didn’t hurt as bad. “I’ll be fine! It’s just a scrape!”
Seeing as it didn’t improve his mood and neither had he stopped kneeling, Lumine tried another method to cheer him up. “Xiao.” The young bodyguard finally looked up, only to receive a kiss on his forehead and a bright, tender smile from Lumine.
“I remember you telling me to call your name whenever I’m in trouble and you’ll be there immediately. And you kept your word. Thank you, Xiao!”
Xiao’s breath hitched in his throat, unaware of how his heart was beating wildly in his chest. Where Lumine kissed him; it felt hot, almost as though the sensation of it was forever burnt into his skin. His cheeks turned pink and he quickly looked back to his feet.
“I am merely doing my duty as your protector,” he muttered.
Lumine laughed and pulled Xiao to his feet, squeezing his hands. “And I look forward to your protection, mister bodyguard.”
‘Maybe, having a bodyguard isn’t all too bad,’ Lumine finally thought.