Work Text:
to whom it may concern :
the honor of your presence is required at the royal ballroom of liyue palace in honor of
prince zhongli’s
19th birthday.
the grand fete will be held on the evening of december 31st.
i.
blue waves crashed against the wooden surface of the ship as the vessel rocked gently along the current. the moon sat high in the sky, shining brilliantly on the dark night sky where stars were present, scattering the sky like specs of glitter. the body of water below illuminated by the cool silver glow of the moon, and the piercing cold wind heartily sliced through the night. gently flurry of snow had started to descend from the sky that fine evening.
a young male stood on the front deck. his body tall and lean, half-leaning against the steel bars with both his forearms. the bars cold to the touch, and a glass of liquid in his right grip. ginger hair lightly blowing in the breeze as he occasionally took sips from his glass, swallowing the burning sensation that slid down his throat. eyes as blue as the clear sky and pale skin dusted in freckles.
hefty white fur coat sat on his shoulders, enveloping his figure and a silver earring hung below his left earlobe, a dainty ruby sat on the end of the silver chain. the red from the gem complimented his fair complexion greatly.
“your highness, you should go inside. the temperature is starting to drop further.” a voice behind the prince spoke.
“alright. let me first finish my drink, then i’ll be sure to head in afterward.”
“understood, your highness.” the servant before him gave him a slight bow before retreating to the warm confines of his assigned room.
in celebration of the prince of liyue’s nineteenth birthday, the kingdom of snezhnaya alongside many other kingdoms were invited to the grand fete. the nineteenth birthday in royalty was considered a vital occasion as it marks the day when the offspring of a ruler becomes eligible for marriage.
the prince of snezhnaya, prince tartaglia was particularly curious about what the prince of liyue looked like. after all, it was a decently well-known tale amongst the palace servants that the prince himself was extremely good-looking. tartaglia did not recall seeing the other male on his nineteenth birthday feast a little over a year ago, or maybe it could have been due to the grand amount of people present that he forgot if he had seen or met him before.
tartaglia shook his thoughts off, he would eventually be meeting the other anyway and finished the remaining drink in his glass in one swig before making his way to his room, away from the probing cold.
ii.
december 31st, four hours before the grand fete.
warm water filled the tub to the brim, slightly spilling onto the marble floors. petals of silk flowers and glazed lilies floated on the surface, giving the crystal-clear tub of water a splash of color. the male soaking in the tub momentarily closed his eyes as he soaked in further into the warm water. skin milky white and his brown hair waist long. its tips a white amber. when he opened his eyes, golden irises as brings as the sun stared into the void space of the vast bathroom.
subsequent to him finishing up his bath, the palace servants started to get him ready for his big day. the hanfu wrapped around his slender body was custom-made by one of the prime designers in liyue and was tailored to fit his figure perfectly. his hair half up on a top knot and a silver headpiece sat on the center of his head. the rest of his hair flowed down to his defined waist.
“you look remarkable, your highness.” one of the servants voiced out her thoughts, her face dusted pink.
“thank you.” the young prince smiled softly.
“we’re all done, your highness. the ball will be starting in half an hour.” another servant said.
“thank you. all of you. you may now have your leave.”
iii.
the huge ballroom was filled with people of royal status from all around the world. tartaglia scanned through the crowd, mentally noting a few family members of the other kingdoms he recognized. the second daughter of the inazuman family, princess raiden ei, for instance. her kimono faded from a midnight purple to lilac sat somewhat above the floor. the ginger vaguely remembered seeing her on his birthday that day.
the chattering in the room began to die down as a royal attendant appeared on the mezzanine balcony. sternly, he cleared his throat to get the remaining attention of the people below prior to making an announcement, loud and clear.
“ladies and gentlemen, i hereby announce the arrival of the prince of liyue, prince zhongli.”
the guests started clapping as the so-called prince zhongli came into their vision. the prince bowed to the guests as a form of greeting with a soft smile as soft as clouds plastered across his delicate features.
enthralled would be an understatement to describe how the prince of snezhnayan felt upon laying his eyes on the prince standing above him. to him, the liyuean prince was the most breathtaking in the entire room. only to find him even more beautiful closer as the latter made his way down to the ground floor to properly greet his guests.
zhongli was wrapped in a dark brown hanfu with golden embroidery carefully stitched onto the fabric. his amber tips looked as if they were glowing underneath the bright lights. milky white skin and those amber eyes peeking underneath long lashes which tartaglia found beautiful.
the ginger head prince saw zhongli talking to a younger girl whose height just reached his knees. she wore green and golden robes, and was enthusiastically talking to the older prince. by the way they were communicating, they seemed to be rather close. the little girl eventually waved zhongli goodbye before sprinting toward her family where they stood. and that was when both their eyes met as zhongli turned to his left. golden eyes met sky blue ones.
tartaglia made his way through the crowd toward zhongli and gave him a little bow with his hand outstretched, “may i have this dance, your highness.” he shifted his eyes upward to glance at the younger prince, a smile tugging at his lips.
“certainly, your highness.” zhongli took his hand in his, the other finding its way to the other’s shoulder whereas tartaglia’s other hand landed gently on zhongli’s waist. and they both began to sway to the soft music from the violins and cellos.
“you look stunning tonight, your highness.”
“why thank you. i can say the same goes for you too, prince tartaglia.”
“you know my name?” the ginger’s eyes widened at the mention of his name.
“definitely. i was present during your nineteenth birthday after all.”
“ah. i see.” the older smiled apologetically for not remembering seeing him that year.
“i apologize for not being able to recall. i have quite the memory you see.”
“it’s nothing to be apologizing about.” zhongli gave a light chuckle. “i am here now, and so are you.”
both smiled at each other as they glided across the marble floor, eyes latched onto each other’s throughout the entire dance. even after so, the two could not seem to leave each other’s side. that night, the pair was the most stunning amongst the crowd.
bonus :
the chilly wind tousled tartaglia’s hair and his red button up rippled along. the ginger could see the buildings entering his line of vision as the vessel he was on board sailed along a tad bit faster. in a few minutes, he would be reuniting with his beloved.
on the harbor of liyue, a certain someone was patiently waiting amidst the massive cargos and merchants, but one could see the excitement buried deep in his eyes. soon, a ship made its way docked beside the wooden platform sitting above the ocean and without wasting any more time, a figure appeared and made their way down the sail in big steps, right into the arms of his beloved.
“ajax!”
“i missed you so so much, xiansheng. i am never going abroad without you ever again.” tartaglia muffled into his hair, lightly kissing it in the process as his arms tightened around zhongli’s smaller frame.
“i missed you so much as well. i am so happy you are here right now.”
with how long both parties had not seen each other, both could not help but to feel ecstatic after seeing each other that tears started to slightly dampened both their eyes. the older prince leaned in to place a gentle yet lingering kiss on zhongli’s forehead before moving down to his cheek and lastly on his lips, soft and sweet. the pair gave each other another hug before making their way toward the liyue palace hand in hand, the cor lapis ring on tartaglia’s finger alongside zhongli’s noctilucous jade one shimmering underneath the sunlight.