Work Text:
It was the rich, young man’s special day. Diluc Ragnvindr was a man of fame and luxury, his name both feared and respected; widely-known for his winery business whereas his success was of no faulty or any less than perfect.
His exterior that was known for being the perfect gentleman, stocked with wealth and his attractive physical features — a completely three-sixty to him at night where there, he slayed enemies to protect his city; there, he was an agent hiding in the dark to ensure Mondstadt’s safety; a man who can carry a great big sword with one hand and swing it at full throttle without fail; a warrior with well-honed skills and talents in the battlefield as he performs with aggressive strikes.
Yet this particular man in question blocked all feelings that he felt might intrude and intervene on his business, keeping all information about his personal life private.
“Master Diluc, a happy birthday to you.”
The red-headed winery tycoon raises his head slightly, crimson orbs meeting his head maid’s. Adelinde stood over at the doorway with a gentle smile, dipping her head slightly in a bow out of respect as she addresses the young master.
Diluc hummed a brief thanks, looking back down on his stack of papers, picking up the quill once more to continue on with his work. “Thank you. However, my birthday is of no importance. You know how I feel about it. If there is something you wish to add that is of relevance to work, then do so. Anything that is not of the sort, please take it elsewhere.”
The brunette woman chuckles. “Stone-cold as always, Master Diluc,” she treads slowly, earning a slight glare from the male who quietly huffed in denial. Adelinde laughs lightly before showcasing a letter, stamped and neat; crisp and clean. “I, in fact, do have something to show you.”
Diluc finally gives the maid his full attention, letting go of the inky quill to intertwine his fingers together. “From whom?”
“The traveler. She and her floating companion wish you the best greetings for your birthday.” Adelinde shares a knowing smug expression towards her master, knowing he must’ve not seen your mail coming.
Diluc blinked slowly, his lips forming into an ‘o’ as he sighed. “I haven’t heard from (Y/n) in a while.”
“She must miss you.”
The red-head tilts his head to the left, exhaling softly through his nose as he releases a heavy breath. A soft gentle hue of red caresses his cheeks as he resists the urge to smile at the thought. He clears his throat, however, before his servant could see him in such a vulnerable state and willed the blush to go away.
“Right, of course. I crave for her visit as well. May you read me the contents of the letter?” Diluc looks toward Adelinde who shook off the knowing look before reading through the letter that she’d now just opened.
Adelinde clears her throat slightly, a warm smile on her face as she reads through the start to the end:
“Dear Diluc,
Happy birthday, from me and Paimon! You’re twenty-four now! Congratulations, you’re closer to death—haha, I’m kidding, but not really.”
Diluc’s brow twitched slightly at the side-comment made but didn’t interrupt.
“ I’m sending this letter to greet you because I know you’re really busy and knowing you, you probably don’t even spend a day of rest for yourself. It’s bad to neglect your health. Thank you for protecting Mondstadt, for caring for the people in your own way— and speaking of, you know, people make you out to be a jerk, but you’re just a tough geo slime who’s actually super soft inside!”
The young master stifled a laugh at the comparison, a gloved hand moving up to his face to cover up the small chuckles he nearly let out in the presence of his servant.
“Anyway, the point of this whole letter is… well—there’s really no reason. I just miss you—”
And in an instant, the amused smile on the master’s face was wiped off with an expression reflecting embarrassment and fluster. Fair white complexion tinting cerise as he chokes slightly at the drop of the bomb. Adelinde resists the urge to tease her boss right now and continued:
“I miss everyone in Mondstadt—"
Oh. Well, that quickly removed Diluc’s flustered blush, replaced by one of disappointment and pensiveness.
“I hope everyone is doing alright. Liyue is very different compared to Mondstadt. I think this letter is long enough. Take care Diluc, I hope you get out of your manor for once and start having fun!”
Adelinde folds the letter into half horizontally, looking up to see Diluc’s expression who hummed into his gloved hands. “Master Diluc?” The red-head was snapped out of his trance, his vermilion contacts fleeting up to meet Adelinde’s who curiously stared back at him.
“Right, I apologize.” He paused, eyes darting to his desk before once again connecting with the maid’s. “Say, Adelinde, our new stock of Apple Cider has just come in, right? The new blend that we’ve made recently?”
“Yes. They’re in the storage compartment waiting to be put on the menu.” The maid raises a brow, giving him an expectant look, knowing exactly what he had in mind.
Diluc smiles slightly at that before excusing himself. “I see, then please continue to do your work. I have matters myself to do.” And with that, he exits the room.
Adelinde lingered just a bit in his office, slipping the letter and a pouch you had delivered along with the note onto his desk. As much as she’d wanted to witness Diluc’s look of warmth and him being so vulnerable, she knew it was an intrusion of privacy, especially since the man didn’t want to share anything about him too much. The maid leaves the small velvet-colored pouch and the slip of paper clipped between the table and under a heavy pencase before leaving the office with a click of the door and a tap of her heel.
“Ugh, these hilichurls are so annoying!” Paimon huffs indignantly, glaring at the dissolving body of the said monster. “They get worse every day!”
You snorted, chuckling at her whiny antics. “Hey, endure it for a little more, alright? It’s our last commission for the day from the Guild. We can spend a fourth of our budget on food if you want. I heard they’re putting out Crystal Shrimps on sale today.”
In an instant, Paimon’s eyes sparkled brightly, her petite body bouncing in excitement as she enthusiastically cheers. “I can handle the commissions! Let’s go get something to munch on after we grab our goodies!”
You laugh, sheathing your sword and taking out the map to locate the nearest teleport waypoint. You’d recently run out of portable waypoints after a mission requested of you specifically by the guild so now you had to collect more materials to craft more of those. These commissions at the Liyue Adventurers Guild were far more draining than you’d expected.
Making your way to Liyue Harbor, you walk over to the office, waving at Katheryne of Liyue. “Hey, we finished our commissions for the day. Here’s proof,” you slid a clipboard with signatures of your tenants and clients who’d asked for your help.
Katheryne gave it a look-over before giving it a nod of acknowledgement, taking the clipboard and placing it with the rest and handing you a pouch of mora and other rewards. You gratefully take it, thanking her with a bow and making your way down the stairs.
“Oh, wait, Traveler!” You pause midway, looking over your shoulder to give Katheryne a curious look.
Paimon floats over to the stall, “What’s the hold up?”
The raven-haired female turns on her back to fish out a letter and a small gift wrapped neatly with a pretty scarlet ribbon of satin. You blinked at it, raising a brow. “Huh? F-For me?”
Katheryne smiles widely. “From someone named…” She reads over the perfect cursive. “Diluc Ragnvindr!”
“Oooh! Master Diluc of the Dawn Winery!” Paimon coos, shooting you a teasing grin as her mouth covers her mouth in a playful way, bumping onto your shoulder slightly to get a reaction out of you.
You snorted, shooing her away before nodding at Katheryne gratefully, mumbling a ‘thank you’, taking the gift box while your companion takes the letter.
You and Paimon head over to Wanmin Restaurant, sitting in an empty table after ordering your fill for the day. The fairy proceeds to scan over the contents, her eyes brightening as she sends you a teasing grin.
“Well, well, well! Looks like someone’s got a rich handsome young man wrapped around their finger~!” Paimon teases, giggling as you deadpan at her, snatching the letter from her tiny little hands and reading over it yourself. In an instant, you feel your stomach flutter with butterflies and shyness overtook your being.
“This year’s fruit harvest is superior to previous ones on every front. I wanted you to experience the fine flavor at the first opportunity, so I have mailed you the choicest of Apple Cider. You will find it enclosed.
I trust that your travels are going smoothly? You will undoubtedly encounter the unexpected from time to time, where the most important strength is knowing how to adapt, with having a capable assistant as the second. I have seen how you handle things—quite simply, it’s remarkable… Thus I need not worry how you are faring.
You have many admirable qualities. In particular, your ability to unite people is awe-inspiring. These days, I often find myself drawing lessons from you when reflecting on myself. This is a novel experience for me, but also an enjoyable one.
I am forced to conclude that I must proceed forward with determination.
Though we may not share the same end goals, our paths are intertwined nonetheless. Thus, I shall join you on your journey.
Yours Truly,
Diluc Ragnvindr of Mondstadt”
At this point, you were just about ready to implode from embarrassment and fluster. You look at the small present that was tied with a bow, Paimon sliding it over to you before seeing you open it with your two hands.
Inside was a beautiful serving of his specialty, ‘Once Upon a Time in Mondstadt’ and five glasses of Apple Cider — how he was able to retain the beverages and the meal in their fresh and appealing state, you will never know. But that wasn’t what was important, it was truly heartwarming to know that he had sent a letter back to you.
It hadn’t even been that long since you’d sent yours! Or maybe he hadn’t seen it yet and intended to mail this to you early on. Regardless, you picked up the chopsticks provided by the restaurant (sadly, only chopsticks were there) and forced yourself to have Diluc’s special dish, ignoring Paimon’s whines about wanting a taste of it too.
Of course, she keeps her lips shut immediately after being served Tiger Fish and the Wanmin Restaurant’s Boiled Fish.