Chapter Text
"It can't go on like this!"
That was something Zhongli heard more often. Let's say, at least daily. Sometimes during meals, sometimes in between, sometimes, like right now, even at her birthday party.
This time it was voiced by her self-proclaimed best friend, who raised her fork threateningly at Zhongli, on which was still a piece of cake. Zhongli herself baked this cake with her younger sister Guizhong earlier that day, but not with the intention of being threatened with it. If it had been anyone else who dared to do this so shamelessly, that person would have been publicly executed.
Manners were as important to Zhongli's father as they were to Zhongli herself. But the Princess of Mondstadt not only had special privileges; No, it was also known everywhere that her manners were excessively subterranean. She was a lost cause and a disgrace to all arts and nothing could make Zhongli believe otherwise.
"Zhongli, you can't seriously be reading your dusty old books on your own birthday! You're turning 18, my Archons! It's time to celebrate, go to the taverns, commit some misdeeds and other shenanigans. Instead of cake and tea," Venti paused to take another bite of the cake, then continued with her mouth full, "we could do drugs and alcohol. I mean," she swallowed, "I mean, you're the older one. You could finally provide us with all the goodies.”
Princess Venti of the house Barbatos von Mondstadt, a year younger than Zhongli, was really something else. Zhongli often wondered why she even bothered to talk to her flighty friend or even invite Venti to her birthday parties.
Venti was right with one thing: It was Zhongli's 18th birthday. She and her guests were just sitting in her own little garden area at tea time. Just the perfect time to witness the skies taking on a gradient from yellow to pink as the sun prepared itself to set.
There were lots of delicious cakes and biscuits, a brand new batch of osmanthus tea and water too. Really, everything a princess could wish for, at least that was the case with Zhongli.
As ‘Morax’, the firstborn child of the Emperor of Liyue and the next contender for the title of Empress, she was obliged to celebrate her birthday officially. And as she did every year for her birthday, she had invited the same people to avoid her father sending out invitations or even holding a public celebration.
She tried everything to prevent just that. While she was very smart and had acquired a lot of knowledge in her spare time, never skipped any of her classes, and had even been awarded various honors, she did not want to rule over Liyue. She would if she had to, but she would prefer not to be in the public eye at all, but such was the fate of those who were to become the ruler of a nation.
All her life she had been shielded from the outside world, she could dress how she wanted, she could wear her hair how she wanted, she could do what she wanted. Even now at her own birthday party, she was able to wear her usual wide-legged black trousers and white throw-over with hood, without wearing any accessories. She had tied her long, wild, dark hair into a messy, loose braid, which she thought showed off her pretty amber tips very prettily. And lastly, thick glasses perched atop her nose, which made reading much more comfortable. And that was exactly what she wanted to do. Reading; And listening to the conversations of her friends.
Her circle of friends was very limited, as only a few people her age had visited her from time to time. Namely, the very people who were here now. Zhongli wanted it to stay that way, but the reality was different.
Soon she would enter the academy for young nobles that her friends had been attending for years. Zhongli and her little sister Guizhong had been self-taught in the palace, but now that Zhongli was old enough and her parents deemed her ready, she was to study at this school for a few years to take the throne after she graduated. (After a lot of discussion with their father, Guizhong was able to also enroll.)
But this wasn’t even the worst part about it. She had to find a partner to become Empress.
Zhongli knew that she was already late in finding a partner and that she was lucky that her father was against an arranged marriage, but she also knew that she had that duty... only she had hoped that this duty could wait a few years longer.
All Zhongli wanted was to study history and read 'dusty old books' or visit historical sites, as well as tending to her little garden, eating cake, and drinking tea. She had long decided that this was the life she yearned for, but everyone else didn't see it that way.
"You are truly a disgrace to the arts, Venti," Zhongli stated for the over one hundred thousandth time, and after straightening her glasses, went back to reading her precious book on the history of Inazuma, gifted to Zhongli by the third noble in the round.
"Wow. Can you believe it, Ei-chan? Not only did Zhongli make me wear that stupid dress, even though she doesn't wear one herself, no, now I'm being insulted!" outraged, Venti turned to the son of Inazuma's current shogun, who was sitting to her left, enjoying his tea.
Ei, the youngest of the guests, just sighed. "Jiĕjie is not wrong. You are a disgrace to the arts."
A feigned shocked intake of breath and a dramatic pose, in which Venti placed a hand on her chest, after which she turned to the last two in the round. "Azhdaha, Havria. Unbelievable, these people, right? And they are to rule over two of the most influential countries in our continent! Outrageous!"
Havria, shy as ever, clung to her younger brother's sleeve and tried to look small in comparison to his rather bulky figure, which truly wasn’t hard to do. Although he was younger than all the others except Ei, he was a giant compared to them all. The siblings came from one of the most influential houses in Liyue, their father was the highest-ranking general who was, as it were, the captain of the palace guard under the emperor, and their mother was a highly respected trader in the salt industry.
Azhdaha and Havria were not siblings by blood, but they were almost inseparable, and they made up for each other's weaknesses. Where Azhdaha was forgetful, Havria remembered, and where Havria could not represent herself, he did it for her.
As he was doing it now. "But you are also one of them, Princess Venti," Azhdaha said simply, not allowing the Mondstadt princess to engage in any more of her obviously played drama.
She resented that. "You're just like Zhongli, Azh. Much too stiff and no fun at all. One could think that you are both old people on the verge of retirement."
The general's son took another piece of cake before replying, "Leave Zhongli-xiǎojiě alone. If she wants to read the book, she can. It's not like you can change her mind anyway," he said, throwing a smile in Zhongli's direction.
Azhdaha had always been nice to Zhongli, ever since they had first met when she had given him her spare glasses after noticing the other's severe short-sightedness. Zhongli had never seen Azhdaha without his glasses again.
"Thank you very much, Azhdaha," Zhongli thanked him politely and returned the smile.
Venti made a choking sound. "You should kiss each other already," she murmured loud enough for everyone to hear.
The corners of Ei's mouth twitched upwards for just a split second, a rare display of emotion on his face framed by dark purple hair. On the other side of the table, Havria sighed dreamily and snuggled closer to her brother, while Azhdaha blushed deeply and took off his glasses to clean them with a handkerchief pretending they were dirty.
And Zhongli rolled her eyes, “Please Venti. We have been over this already. We are nothing more than friends. And friends do not kiss each other,” she explained and missed the forlorn look on the general’s son’s face.
Venti sighed very audibly as if she was truly convinced they were more, “I am so sorry for you, Azh.”
But there wasn't even a thing to be sorry about. Everyone in their funny little friend group knew that their jiĕjie was only interested in her books, antiques, flowers, and birds.
Except that in a few days she was about to be ripped from her perfect peace
"You need a makeover, Zhongli", Venti suddenly changed the subject.
Azhdaha breathed a sigh of relief and gratitude, while at the same time Zhongli sighed in frustration.
Zhongli knew that her best friend had been waiting for this moment all her life (which was probably an exaggeration, but Venti's thought processes remained unfathomable to Zhongli).
"We can't have you wear that… white hood thing.. and those black weirdo baggy pants," Venti announced while pointing her index finger at Zhongli, "We gonna buy you some pretty dresses and maybe even see the hairdresser."
It was somehow strange that Venti suggested such a thing. After all, Zhongli knew that Venti also wore strange clothes in her free time. She had never condemned the princess's decision to wear skin-tight shorts and a crop top as casual wear. To each his own, as a pugnacious poet said in one of the poetry books in the palace library.
But apart from the cheekiness of the black and turquoise-haired girl, there was one big problem with her big plan: Zhongli was prohibited to leave the palace's walls. Moreover, Zhongli knew that her father had already arranged for her to have a school uniform and a change of clothes befitting her status.
"You know I can’t leave, Venti. Even if I wanted to go, the guards wouldn't let me through," Zhongli said without bitterness in her tone.
There was no reason to be bitter because she would like to stay and look after her garden while she still could, instead of following Venti's little plan. But she should have known better. The fat smug on her face and the glint in the blue-green eyes indicated that Venti had already taken this fact into account in her plan.
Her voice was as smug as her face. "That's why we have dear Azhdaha here," Venti said, waving her hand in the direction of the massive young man.
In response, he visibly swallowed while nervously fixing the fit of his glasses. Zhongli understood his concern. He was often the scapegoat for Venti and Guizhong's little strategies .
"As the commander's eldest son, I'm sure he can have a few man-talks with the guard at the exit of the east wing. That's your friend Kun Jun, isn't it, Azh?"
Azhdaha nodded slowly, not quite sure what Venti was getting at.
"You two, just like our dear jiĕjie here, also love stones don’t you? You can keep Kun Jun busy and we'll sneak Zhongli through the gate into the embrace of freedom."
"More like into the embrace of mischief and anger," Zhongli said angrily, folding her book shut with a thud .
Venti shook her head, "And you call me a disgrace to the arts. How can it be that Guizhong is much more fun than you—Ah, forget the question. I already know the answer.” Zhongli was about to say something, but Venti cut her friend short, "Anyway, there are no excuses. We can't have you walking around campus in knee-length skirts and pleated blouses like some old widow. I also can't accept you wearing those Hanfus all the time. No boy will ever look at you—No Azh, you do not count."
Azhdaha, who had been leaning forward, now leaned back. They were simply no match for Venti when she set her mind to something. Zhongli knew that too. So she had no choice but to follow the princess of Mondstadt.
“Hanfu’s are very comfy. However, I agree with you, Venti! We cannot allow my jiĕjie to debut at the academy while dressed like an ancient Liyuen god.”
And there it was. Zhongli's other terror. Her little sister.
"Guizhong! Finally, someone who shares my opinion!" Venti rejoiced.
Venti and Guizhong had always gotten along perfectly. Countless times they had already concocted and executed pranks. Sometimes even at Zhongli's expense. So far, however, they had all been rather harmless, but this seemed to change at that very moment.
“Your plan doesn’t seem too bad, Venti,” said Guizhong while she put her index finger on her chin and looked up at the beautiful orange sky.
Zhongli was sure, however, that she was not doing this to enjoy the late afternoon sky. No, that was her pose when she was considering and assessing the next steps of her strategy. She did the same when they played a game of mahjongg or even shogi. They had been given the latter by Ei's parents a few years ago.
After only a few seconds, Guizhong snapped her fingers, "We will do it as Venti planned. But Havria will help Azhdaha and additionally, Ei-chan will stay and feign illness in case our parents or the servants try to look for us."
Havria nodded eagerly. The merchant's daughter was always willing to participate when Guizhong dictated her plans.
To her credit, these plans worked out more often than when Venti did all these things alone. But they were still not foolproof.
"What if something happens to you out there," Azhdaha announced his concerns, "It would be better if I came with—”
Guizhong interrupted him and shook his head, "—No Azh, unlike us, you stand out too much. After all, you are as known as a huge dragon, while no one out there would recognize jiĕjie, Venti, and I."
“But what if you get lost? All three of you have never even set foot in the harbor!”
Venti was about to interject that she had been to the harbor before, but Guizhong beat her to it.
“Why do you have to be so difficult, Azh? The palace is visible from all over the city, there is no way that we can get lost. We slip out, buy some nice clothes and accessories and come back. This all shouldn’t take longer than two hours!”
“Guizhong is right, dìdi,” agreed Havria, "It's their last chance before we all go back to school. The Millelith are making sure nothing happens to the citizens, right? So I'm sure nothing will happen to them!"
Azhdaha could do nothing against his sister's smile and reasoning. He just sighed in defeat and nodded to signal that he would fulfill his part of the plan as requested.
So Zhongli's fate was now sealed. There was no way out. But there was still a small glimmer of hope: Zhongli had heard of a very nice antique shop at the harbor that sold the finest quills and ink from the Kingdom of Fontaine. If she could get hold of one of them, the journey would certainly be worthwhile.
"Oh, Havria! Sometimes I wish I could kiss you!" cried Guizhong excitedly, throwing herself on poor Havria, who only squealed in surprise.
Ei had saved his tea just in time and continued to enjoy it as he had throughout the commotion. He also knew that he had no chance of avoiding participation, but he seemed content to stay and play his part.
Venti folded her arms in front of her chest and nodded, "Now that the plan is set, everyone should powder their noses and get their hooded capes—,” Zhongli opened her mouth to ask a question, but Venti interrupted her immediately. “—No Zhongli, just because your tent of an outfit has a hood, you are also obliged to wear a hooded cape additionally. And no, not the one with the gold pattern."
Zhongli sighed and took one last bite of her piece of birthday cake.
~*⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧*~
Standing on the edge of the stairs leading down to the harbor was truly a feeling of freedom. The harbor was quite different in person than their usual view from the palace.
The beautiful brickwork was better than any book could have described, it felt cool and had a rough pattern. Zhongli wished she could spend more time looking at it, but—
“Jiĕjie, don't even think about bringing home stones," Guizhong hissed as she pulled her hood even further over her face.
Both of them had amber-colored eyes and dark hair with golden ends which were unique features to the royal family. If someone were to see them they would immediately know who was standing in front of them. She beckoned her older sister to come along to catch up with Venti, who was already halfway swallowed up by the crowd.
Zhongli sighed. Her little sister knew her best. But Zhongli suspected that she was right: it would be exhausting to carry a stone around for the next two hours or so. Maybe she would be able to take a sample with her when they made her way back.
After also making sure that the hood was on correctly, Zhongli followed. She had chosen the black one made of a warmer fabric, which would certainly help against the cold in the approaching evening hours. Another advantage was that it covered most of her outfit beneath. Judging by the people who crossed her, she really was the odd one out. But so was Venti with her colorful green coat, before anyone would look at Zhongli, they would surely look at the not very subtle Princess of Mondstadt first.
"Zhongli, come on, otherwise we'll leave you behind," Venti chimed and took the lead towards the market at the docks.
Zhongli sighed once again and took one last look back at her home. She hoped this was worth the trouble that might be waiting for her when she returned.
At least she left her reading glasses at home. They could have been damaged in the commotion.
~*⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧*~
Soon the three reached the edge of the market. Zhongli had never smelled so many different smells at once. She never had to cover her ears either: It was noisy. Not even the squealing sister and the friend in front of her could drown out the busy street. This was ... not Zhongli's world. She knew that from the start.
"Venti!" Guizhong shouted over the noises, "I love it here! Is Mondstadt like this too?"
It was almost comical how Venti turned her head to the younger of Liyue's princesses, signaling that she did not understand anything Guizhong was saying. Even funnier was that Guizhong kept trying to shout. Finally, she gave up, pulled Venti closer, and shouted her question in her ear.
Mondstadt’s princess shook her head. "It's way different, but quite lively and lovely too!" Venti retorted, while looking at Zhongli who was covering her ears, “You should visit Mondstadt soon too.”
Zhongli was very good at lip reading, her companions knew that. Ever since they were little, Zhongli was the one responsible for the communication between Venti and Guizhong whenever they wanted to talk over long distances. Venti made voiceless, exaggerated movements with her mouth and Zhongli translated them for her sister. It was a fun little game and Zhongli was surprised that this little gimmick skill had finally found use in real life.
But there was not much opportunity to reminisce. The sounds of the market displaced even her thoughts. It was so loud that even covering her ears did not help Zhongli in the slightest. Not that she could have done that anymore, because Guizhong and Venti each took one of her hands to pull Zhongli into the crowd.
They truly were excited. So was Zhongli, but all she wanted to do was go back to her idyllic little garden and have some more tea.
~*⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧*~
The first clothing shop didn't convince her at all. It was far too crowded. So crowded that she couldn't even make out the fabrics or clothes on display or on the walls. By no means was Zhongli a small woman, she never had been.
But here she felt small and lost. She didn't like that feeling at all.
Venti and Guizhong, meanwhile, were having a great time and dragged Zhongli along to ‘try this on’, ‘hold this for a little’, ‘what do you think of this?’. It was incomprehensible to Liyue's future empress how these two youths could find their way around a place with so many people. So many smells, so many colors, so many impressions.
Zhongli got a cute black dress with golden flowers. Not by her own choice. She never wore dresses. They were impractical. Although she really liked the pattern, she was sure she would never have an opportunity or mood to wear it. Never.
In the second shop, their stay was very short. Venti had made a particularly beautiful find and tried to fight her way to the two princesses of Liyue... Literally. They were kicked out because Venti had accidentally fallen into a shelf. They fled from the screaming shopkeepers, the loud insults still ringing in Zhongli's ears all the way to the next shop.
She was tired. It had been less than an hour and although she saw how much fun her companions were having, she just wanted to go home. But she couldn't bring herself to tell these energetic youngsters.
So she followed them. It was fine. Slowly her senses dulled, she barely heard all the noise. In the third and fourth shops, she simply existed.
Then, in the fifth shop, Zhongli felt sick from all the perfumed silks. She liked the scent of silk flowers best, but here she could find no joy in them. Additionally, it was too warm under the extra hooded cloak that she couldn't just take off, after all, it wouldn't end well for her if someone saw the heiress to the throne almost throwing up in a random clothes shop.
It was just too much of everything.
Too warm.
Too many smells.
Too much noise.
Too many people.
Zhongli could not breathe.
"Are you all right, Jiĕjie?" her little sister asked, visibly concerned, as she made her way to Zhongli.
No, Zhongli was not all right. She felt feverish and dizzy and was not even able to say a word to her sister. All she could do was frown and look out from under her hood, as miserable as she felt. The frown on her face must have been clear enough for Guizhong to understand.
Again she vanished into the masses, only to appear again with Venti in tow.
"Zhongli are you alright? Should we head back?" Venti asked, just as concerned as Guizhong was.
Zhongli shook her head. She couldn't ruin her sister's and best friend's day out. They looked forward to it so much, it would make her feel even worse.
"No," she pressed out, "I just need some air. I will wait for you at the stairs," she took a shuddering breath, "the one with the pretty stone ornament."
Guizhong and Venti shared a glance but then nodded toward each other.
"Zhongli, as soon as you feel any worse, reveal the millelith of your identity. We rather take punishment upon us than let you be miserable, okay?" Venti stated with a serious face.
Guizhong agreed with a nod while letting another customer of the shop pass her.
Zhongli loved them so much. While they both were her personal terrors, they would never try to harm her on purpose.
"Just enjoy your shopping," Zhongli said and gave them a smile.
Both returned it.
Ever since they were little, they always did most things together whenever Venti visited. And even while Zhongli didn’t participate actively in their schemes, she was always there to consult them on laws or help them to cover up, so they won’t get in trouble. Zhongli was righteous and just. But she also loved her friends and little sister, who were anything but.
"But don't do anything silly," Zhongli added, earning an annoyed sigh, and she even saw Venti roll her eyes.
Her smile widened a little before fading. It really was too much here.
~*⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧*~
She felt bad leaving the two troublemakers behind. After all, Zhongli just today became an adult, shouldn't she be the one that looked out for them? Not only was she the oldest of them, but she was also the wisest—though Guizhong didn’t agree with that at all. Well, at least Zhongli was the one who got the least into trouble.
But instead of watching over them, she found herself... here .
At first, Zhongli wasn’t exactly sure where here was. But here was sure better than there.
Through all the crowds, she couldn't see where she was going, and although it might not have been the best idea for her, she didn't let it faze her. She slipped through the crowds and tried not to attract attention. The direction was the right one, so technically she could get closer to her goal. Right?
~*⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧♕⬧*~
The air tasted saltier and fishier than up at the market.
She had gone lost, hadn't she?
Well, not really lost, because a few minutes ago the crowd had spat her out and Zhongli found herself in an area of Liyue she had often seen from the window of her room in the palace.
In front of her, she saw one of the two towers of Liyue Harbor, the one on the right side of the city to be exact, one of the most famous sights of the city. She had never seen them up close, but she understood why they were so popular. They were huge and stood on a massive square marble base with the royal insignia engraved in an ornament in the center.
Zhongli stepped closer from the end of the platform to the railing. From there, she could see the cranes each holding a piece of red fabric in their beaks, which were connected to the top of the tower. A truly beautiful sight. Just as the water below her, glistening in the last rays of sunlight.
Instead of getting closer to her goal, she had ended up on the other side of the path she had actually wanted to take. The ocean was not foreign to Zhongli, but she had only been to the sea once herself. When she was little and Guizhong was still a toddler, her mother had taken them to Guyun Stone Forest. It was also the last memory she had of her mother, who died in an accident that day.
Sighing, Zhongli looked down at the water. It was a sad thing to think about, but she was over it. Grieving was good, but it wouldn't bring her mother back either. Just as that day back then had changed her life drastically, this too was a day of change. And she didn’t like either.
What happened that day on the beach was the reason why she and Guizhong weren’t allowed to leave the palace walls. Now that Zhongli was older, she knew why her father had done what he did and she understood the fear. No one in their right mind would want to lose their daughters after they had just lost their wife.
Zhongli sighed. Life was complicated. And this day already showed her that life would only get more complicated than before. She parted her gaze from the water to look at the buzzing city above.
The moon had already risen and Guizhong and Venti were surely already looking for her. Zhongli fervently hoped that their father had not noticed their absence yet. She did not want to break his heart.
Slowly, she released herself from the anchorage, but before she could plunge back into the crowd, something sparkling caught her attention. Without giving it a second thought, she hurried down the ramp to a small shop in the lowest part of the harbor.
Now that she was close enough, she could see the object she saw from a distance. It was a beautifully forged piece of jewelry. A hairpin of the finest gold and cor lapis. Certainly not something you would expect to find in this rather mysterious and ramshackle shop.
The piece was authentic, her trained eye could see that immediately. She had spent days and days looking at different types of stones and gems to learn their true nature. A fascinating hobby that gave her the experience of realizing that the craftsmanship was truly astonishing.
“It would be a shame not to buy this,” she murmured to herself as she slowly slid her finger over the details that connected the gold frame to the cor lapis piece.
To evaluate its worth further, she picked it up to take a closer look. If she only had taken her reading glasses with her. It would have been way easier to focus on the little details within the stone.
She knew who the blacksmith was. She had met him once within the palace walls when her father had invited him to fit her mother's jewelry for her and her sister. The hairpin even had the blacksmith's trademark insignia on it, something not many people knew of.
Her interest seemed to have caught the shopkeeper's attention. "You have very refined taste, young lady," he said as he stepped closer to Zhongli. "This piece has a long history and I'm sure it would be a fantastic piece for a young lady like you to wear to events. I heard they are popular these days?”
The sudden conversation startled the princess. She was not used to being addressed so casually by strangers.
"Where are you from, miss? Do you not speak this language?" the man asked, stepping closer to take a look at who's under the hood.
Zhongli staggered back, fixing her hood in one hand, while still holding the hairpin in the other. This was no good. She couldn't have anyone see her eyes!
"No, sir. I was just enraptured by the beautiful hairpin. It is truly a fine work of art," she finally answered.
The shopkeeper did not seem pleased. "I prefer to do business with people who do not try to hide their identities," he approached and grabbed Zhongli by the wrist when she tried to pull back even further. "I'm sure if you're so interested, you can pay for it. If not, put it back immediately, young lady," the man said in a stern voice, "the display is not free of charge and I've had enough of thieves like you!"
Zhongli felt frightened. She knew the man was just trying to protect his business and that it was just a misunderstanding, but she was paralyzed. It was not her strength to communicate with strangers, and the worst thing was: Guizhong had all their money, so even if she wanted to pay, she couldn’t. The pressure on her wrist intensified and made her heart hammer with fear.
Father was right. The world is not all sunshine, she thought, but also remembered that her father had hired a martial arts master to teach his daughters self-defense for that very reason.
A twist into the attacker's arm and then knock him down to either break his bones or startle him—but before she could apply her strategy, a large shadow stepped towards her. The figure released Zhongli's wrist from the shopkeeper's hand and slipped between them in a flash.
"Master Bolai, good to see you again," Zhongli’s mysterious rescuer greeted the shopkeeper.
It was a man, she noticed, slightly taller than her, and his features were also hidden by a cloak. Nevertheless, Zhongli could tell from the tone of his voice that he was smiling. It seemed like the two men knew each other but a glance at Mr. Bolai showed that he was not as enthusiastic about this meeting as the newcomer.
He had turned pale and slowly took a few steps back. “I—I apologize, Your Highness! I knew nothing of your arrival. How can I serve you?"
Zhongli took a sharp breath. Had the man known all along? This was bad. This was very bad. Not only had she been caught in public, no, it even looked like she was stealing one of the man's goods. She—
“Ah, no need for titles. I'm off duty, so to speak, I was just curious why a married man would approach another woman this way,” the stranger said.
Bolai seemed confused for a while, but Zhongli could tell exactly at what moment he understood the meaning of the insinuation.
The shopkeeper shook his head vehemently. “It isn’t like it seemed, your highness, this woman tried to steal the very hairpin that she is still holding. I only tried to—”
With a loud thud, the hooded man slammed a heavy bag down on the nearest counter and interrupted the other man. “This should be enough to make the accessory hers.”
Without waiting for an answer from the vendor, the mysterious man took Zhongli by the hand and dragged her away from the shop. His hand was warm through the glove he was wearing.
She looked back and saw the stunned but delighted Mr. Bolai opening the bag. Even from this distance, Zhongli knew it must be filled to the brim with mora.
"So," her certainly rich and noble savior began, "can you explain to me why a young girl like you feels the need to steal an accessory? Didn't your father teach you that stealing is bad?"
Zhongli was aghast, "I wasn't trying to steal it!" she exclaimed, trying to free her hand out of his grip.
But he was strong. Zhongli was by no means weak, but this man's grip strength and posture made any self-defense technique impossible. At least all the ones that didn't involve hurting herself.
“Ah, and why were you picking it up and holding it close? Is it yours? Did Bolai steal it from you first?” the man asked mockingly, a sarcastic laugh on his lips.
Did this man just make fun of her?
“No, I just thought it was pretty!” she said, and finally with a heavy tug, she escaped his hold.
Unfortunately, she had to use all her body weight, so she stumbled backward and fell on her bottom. It didn't hurt or ruin her clothes, but she was embarrassed. The emperor's eldest daughter. Fell on her bum. In the middle of Liyue Harbor.
When she opened her mouth to complain, she looked up and ... fell silent. From this new perspective, she could see the face of this uncouth nobleman who had no manners towards a lady. He looked young and was certainly a foreigner. Or perhaps he had foreign parents. His short hair was a pretty shade of orange-brown. And his eyes—
“You—! Pretty? Nothing can be so pretty that you forget all manners and try to—” The words seemed to stick in his throat as he blinked and looked directly into her face.
She blinked back. Both of them seemed to have lost their words. He was staring at her as she was staring at him. It was like the world stopped turning for a short while. Everything was so much more intense. He had blue lightless eyes. The color was similar to the outer petals of a blooming glaze lily. Zhongli had never seen blue eyes before.
Were all blue eyes that pretty?
Slowly, he reached out his hand to her and she took it without hesitation. Zhongli didn't know what a strange situation this was, but suddenly she didn't feel so bad or mad about falling to the ground. Rather, it was a beautiful sight that she was able to experience as a result.
Even when he reached out to touch her face, she didn't feel the need to flinch. But before he could touch her skin, they were both snapped out of their trance.
"Your Highness!" someone called from above, whereupon they turned their heads to where the voice had come from.
A masked man in a black and red coat stood on the platform above them, waving his hands. Zhongli did not know this man, but she knew that he was one of the Fatui, the not-so-secret secret service of the Tsardom of Snezhnaya, a country far to the north.
"Ah, Vlad!" said the blue-eyed handsome man, waving back, "I'm coming. Give me a moment," he turned back to Zhongli, "Now, Miss Mysterious Beauty. I'm afraid I have to go, but I hope you'll think of me,” he winked and walked away.
Zhongli could do nothing but stare after him. This had to be one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments Guizhong spoke of so often. To meet someone special under weird circumstances. The way he disappeared so quickly into the mass of market visitors was like a dream from which he was forcibly awakened.
Or maybe it was the shouts of her sister which did just that.
"Jiĕjie?!" she heard his little sister shout out from above.
“Zhongli! Where are you?”, Zhongli could also hear Venti.
It was just a few seconds later when Zhongli saw the bright green cape near the spot the Fatui agent stood a few minutes ago.
“Guizhong! She’s here!” the princess of Mondstadt screamed into the crowd behind her while pointing to Zhongli.
It seemed to be time to finally go home.
Who was this nobleman? She wished they could have maybe talked a little. Zhongli did not even have the chance to thank him for the hairpin.