Ch. 2 - The Day I've Been Betrothed

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✦❘༻𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙼𝚢 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝༺❘✦

Ch. 2 - The Day I've Been Betrothed

✩̣̣̣̣̣ͯ┄•͙✧⃝•͙┄✩ͯ•͙͙✧⃝•͙͙✩ͯ✩̣̣̣̣̣ͯ┄•͙✧⃝•͙┄✩ͯ•͙͙✧⃝•͙͙✩ͯ┄•͙✩̣̣̣̣̣ͯ┄•͙✧⃝•͙┄✩ͯ•͙͙

Malleus Draconia x fem!reader

Chapter list + Summary

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Do not steal/copy + paste my works and upload it anywhere else.

⊰♤⊱⊰◇⊱⊰♡⊱⊰☆⊱⊰♧⊱⊰♤⊱⊰◇⊱⊰♡⊱⊰☆⊱⊰♧⊱

You remembered that day..

“Mn..” Soft.. The bed, it was soft and warm, making you not want to get up despite the sun having risen hours ago and blaring its light on your face. You buried your face further into the pillow. Ever since the war had come to a halt just shy of six months ago, it had been peaceful and you could sleep easily without a constant nagging thought of enemies breaking down your door in the middle of your sleep. Your home is still situated within the kingdom’s territories, but it was so far out– far from the castle and the main city– that enemies would have no trouble infiltrating it and not alerting the castle of their presence within the land.

Sure, you had guards situated outside and inside the manor and even had your father who was a commander of one of the Queen’s troupes but still, it did not completely quell your nervous anxiety. You’ve heard what creatures faes were during on one of the tea parties you’ve been invited to and honestly, you didn’t think the kingdom would last against them should the war go on for much longer. Unlike faes who are all natural-born magic users, not many humans possess them, yourself included, so it was not like the citizens could defend themselves while troupes were stretched far and thin across the land. Speaking of, since the war killed many soldiers, your father had to gather some of his from the manor, leaving not many to protect you which only did nothing but raise your alertness especially during nighttime where you’re aware that you could not see anyone past what the light of the lamp posts outside could reach. Those faes.. If they have sharp hearing, surely they have keen eyes, especially at night. You feel a chill crawl up your arms every time you think about it.

You planned to sleep just until a bit before lunchtime, enjoying the peaceful time. “My lady?” A soft knock was at your door, following an equally soft voice of a girl. When you ignored it to continue dreaming, another knock sounded and this time, it was a bit more firm and loud. “My lady, it’s half past eight now.”

Sighing, you slowly sat up on your bed, the ruffling sound of your silk sheets could just barely be heard on the other side of the door. “Mm.. Come in..” Groggily, you finally answered. You rubbed your eyes tiredly when the servant girl came. “Thank you, my lady,” she said and smiled warmly.

“What do you need?” You yawned and stretched your arms to shake away what the feeling of sleep remained. “Yes, of course, my lady. I shall not dawdle longer,” she gets to the point and explained her reason.

“What?” You blinked owlishly after she had finished telling you. “The palace had asked to see me? Today?” You were surprised in all honesty since anything related to the palace is usually your father’s business. Besides that, you were still not of age to be handling matters of the court.

“Yes, my lady. And the Queen had asked that you arrive on time– exactly 1 in the afternoon sharp,” she answers with immeasurable patience. You turn your head to the window adjacent to your bed and look at the rustling of leaves just past it with two black birds perched on a branch nearest to you. You were silent for a while. It was not as if you planned to decline order’s from Her Majesty, but you were wondering what today was for her to wish an audience with a baron’s daughter who has not made an effort to look worthwhile in banquets. One would assume that there is no chain of hierarchy within nobility, but they were quite wrong. It was a fight of popularity within the circle and you found yourself at the bottom of it.

—

“Huh, it seems that I’m not the only one who the Queen asked for..” You mumbled, looking at the long line of carriages outside, yours included. You peek your head out of the carriage window and find that those who have been invited were young ladies around the same age as you. If I remember correctly, they’re mostly unbetrothed daughters. You say mostly as opposed to all since you were unsure. You grew curious, especially after knowing that if you were told to come alone, it must mean that all these important daughters are without a guard either.

Finally, your carriage rolls to the front of the castle and someone from the palace opens the door and helps you out. You had informed your father about the situation just before you left in your best dress. Seeing as you were going to meet the queen, you chose a red dress adorned in white pearls and lace. White pearls were also added to your updo to complete the look.

But I guess the others also thought the same.. You sweatdropped at the number of girls wearing a red dress crowding the front steps of the castle, some flashier than others while some more modest. The questioning look they had on their face and the soft murmurs made you believe that they were in the same boat as you were; not having a single clue why you had been called so abruptly on the most random of days.

“Alright ladies, if I could have your attention.” The man who had been standing at the top of the stairs finally spoke loudly to draw attention after looking satisfied that all were accounted for. “Her Majesty, the Queen, is waiting for you all in the throne room, but I will first escort you to our great hall.”

The ladies looked at each other with questioning eyes before shyly following after the man. You followed of course since you were one of the invited guests. With all these people, you had expected your audience with Her Majesty to be brief; maybe she just needed to ask you a favour. However, that proved to be wrong when you saw the carefully decorated hall with long tables on each side draped in a white tablecloth. On them were vases of carefully assorted white and red roses and a few food and drinks.

Even though you shouldn’t based on your assessment, you were surprised. It was almost like a banquet, if it weren’t for the lack of people. But you were pleased to know that there was something to eat since you had spent the last hour getting to the palace and did not have the time to enjoy lunch. That was one of the many disadvantages to live so far out of the kingdom’s walls. Although, you believed that you weren’t the only one that was famished; the look on the others suggest that they had fretted over what to wear to have eaten. It might have been due to different reasons, but it was certain that the majority had not eaten.

“I apologize for the short notice,” the man spoke and then gestured to the tables and chairs in the centre of the hall. “I had assumed that you all must have not eaten so we had prepared you all sorts of food to fit your preferences.

“Please enjoy yourselves while I wait for further orders from Her Majesty,” he ends his little speech and exits from a side door tucked further into the room’s corner. There were slight murmurs before you dispersed. Some chose to sit while others stood idly by at the long table, but one thing remained the same: they all looked tense. Surely, seeing all these people must have caught them off guard.

You wandered off to one of the long tables to see if there was something small you could eat so you wouldn’t be seen as a glutton. Although, despite all of the food laid out that was meant to be eaten, it had been barely touched. No doubt it is because they were too nervous. Understandable since you had this nagging feeling that you were being observed the moment you entered the hall and no, it wasn’t from the servants that came and went. Was this a test of some sort?

With a small plate in one hand, your eyes scanned the hall for any abnormality, but you were disappointed to see that nothing seemed off. Actually, you should feel relieved if it truly is just you being overly sensitive.

Still..

One thing that your father taught you that he learned while he was still a knight in training was to always trust your gut when you feel a predator’s gaze. Even if you don’t see it, this feeling of being watched that settles in you is not something you should brush aside.

This time, you subconsciously craned your neck up. To the left side of the room, there was a door leading out to a small balcony that watched over the hall. There, you see it opened and although there were no lights, you squint your eyes at a particular part just past the frame of the door. You swear you can see.. Eyes? But they seemed to contrast the darkness behind it; it was glowing and unlike the shine of normal eyes when light is reflected on them. An abnormality.

You stare at it long and soon, you see its eyes trailing. Trailing until it lands on you. ‘Oh!’ They really are real and just aren't a glass orb with a similar look of eyes. You should be scared, that much you understand, but when you finally look at it, you feel oddly calm. You didn’t feel relaxed, but you did feel like it meant no harm.

After having what felt like prolonged minutes of a staring contest, the eyes vanish and you can faintly hear the sound of shoes walking away. Huh.. How odd.

—

You were all now ushered to the throne room just a few minutes after. “Greetings, your Majesty.” You all spoke in unison and curtsied. When you look back up, your attention was drawn to an oddity in the room which just stood beside the queen. There was a man standing there silently. He looks frightening. He was dressed in black head to toe adorned in silver here and there like his shoulder pads and the chain that held his cloak together. Other than that, the only striking features were the red crystal brooch on his cravat and his.. Eyes.

You blinked owlishly as you stared at him— well, specifically his eyes. They were the same striking deep colour like the one you saw earlier. Was it him? As if to answer your question, when his wandering eyes stop on you, you swear you can see his eyes smiling musingly. Before you could dwell on it, your thoughts were interrupted when the guide spoke. At this point, you believed him to be the Queen’s advisor.

“If you could please form rows..” He directs, gesturing with his right hand. There were looks of uneasiness passed around but did as told. When you got into formation, you couldn’t help but look towards the throne once more. This time, you see Her Majesty talking with the strange– huh? You blinked a couple times thinking that you might be seeing this but you’re sure you really were looking at pointy ears; not human ears.

“Wonderful,” the advisor said and then offered the stage to the queen. When your eyes land on her strikingly beautiful figure, you feel your face warm in awe. She’s like a cold beauty.. Her eyebrows were naturally shaped into a high arch so whatever she does— or in most cases, whatever one does, she seems to always look down on people.

“As you may have heard, today marks the start of proceeding through peaceful treaties with the Valley of Thorns,” she begins and you all couldn’t help but be all captivated by her stunning beauty when she spoke. “To keep the peace going during my reign as monarch, we had agreed to make arrangements so that no matter what, that peace will be unshakable.

“If you will.” She looks to her side—at her advisor— all the while having her nose still pointed high and to the front to show her superiority. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He does a quick bow and does the talking again. "Ahem. For the treaty to happen, the Valley of Thorns' Queen has chosen a representative to come in her stead."

So he’s a fae, you thought. You’re well learned about the creatures that are at war with your homeland and something notable to know are their ears. You’ve been overly cautious of everyone after learning it and for a while, looked at the side of their head’s first. Silly, I know.

You know how important this was and that you should listen carefully, but you couldn’t help but be drawn by the strange man who was talking to the queen with words you couldn’t hear from where you were and how low they were speaking. Normally, one would slightly shiver in the presence of the queen, but all he had on was an unreadable expression.

“Very well..” The advisor looks side-eyeing at the fae just on the other side of the queen. When he looks at him directly, you notice his confidence slightly deterred, now speaking with a slight nervousness in his tone. “Uh– Ahem. These are all the noble ladies that you requested for.. Sir.”

The fae’s eyes wanders over the heads of many until it lands on you, but you felt like its wandering eyes were just for show. That its true purpose was to spot you. You didn’t realize that you gulped a nervous feeling down. What does he plan to do? You see him now taking slow and elegant steps down the little steps that lead to the throne.

“And what is your name, my dear?” Before you knew it, he was in front of you and looking with kind eyes. You stiffened up and stuttered out, “I’I’m [Name], sir.. From house–” “I don’t need your family name. To tell me your family name is to give up your life,” he interjects with a serious look on his face that tells you that he was indeed telling you the truth. You stood stone cold. You swear you felt your heart drop.

He sees the look on your face but continues to talk, this time holding a hand out. “Your hand,” he said, hinting with his eyes. It took a second for you to snap back from your daze, blinking a couple times, and another to understand what he was asking for. While all the ladies look on apprehensively, you hesitantly place a hand on his palm. You had no idea what he planned to do and the cold sweat on your forehead was totally understandable, but it was soon answered rather blindingly. The moment your hand brushes with his, a soft light that seemed to come out of nowhere engulfed the both of you.

Air gets caught in your lungs as a million images— a million scenes go through your mind. You also felt lighter as if you were floating— or to better describe your situation, drowning. Drowning in a pool of memories. It felt like you were looking back at memories, but you don’t recall having these as yours. Suddenly, you felt afraid. Just what are these..?

Before you could piece what they really were, you were brought back to the present with everyone looking at you worriedly and.. With sympathy? You were confused. Why were they looking at you like that? It was then you noticed that a single tear has cascaded down your cheek.

There were so many ‘memories’ but one thing stood out to you. ‘They were all..’ You recall one particular memory and it alone gave you massive heartache.

You look at the fae who now stood in front of you with eyes just like the rest of them. And although it’s small, he is finally smiling, but also sympathetically. You wanted to croak out what you’ve been wanting to ask since seeing whatever those things were, but you couldn’t. You felt that the tears that were trying so hard to fight back down will suddenly have a chokehold on you and you didn’t want to cry in front of so many people. You bite your bottom lip as you stare in disbelief at him and that was all you could do.

—

“My lady.” There is a soft knock on the other side of the door with an equal soft voice. Normally, you would grumble incoherently and ignore it until they went away, but here you were, wide awake before the sun could have even greeted you with a proper soft, warm light gently caressing your face.

“Come in.” Your voice is hoarse but is clear nonetheless. The same servant girl walked inside with a smile that shows how much she doesn’t know from yesterday’s event. Yesterday.. You hadn’t slept a wink when you recalled what you witnessed yesterday and it shows from the dark circles under your eyes.

“Oh, my lady, you’re awake early,” she points out with a look of cluelessness. “Do you want to have breakfast right now? Your father is about to leave for his duties after breakfast.”

“…” You stared aimlessly at the blanket that draped over your lap. It was only when she had to repeat herself that you answered with a quiet ‘yes’.

You went downstairs with your nightgown and tried to have a normal breakfast and by which it meant trying to smile through the entire meal and ask your father about his plans for the day. He had known about the letter that the queen sent yesterday since he was still at the manor to receive the messenger so you had to lie through your teeth that everything was fine. You had told him briefly about what occurred, leaving out the small details such as the fae approaching you and.. ‘Whatever that was.’

‘I have no idea what that was all about yesterday, but I’m sure he meant no harm..’ Now sitting in the great chamber, you were now in a fresh change of clothes. You had no plans to go out today so you wore a simple dress and indulged in reading a book you had randomly picked up from the library’s shelf in your home.

It was still midday with the sun still way above your head so you shouldn’t have gotten so startled when there was a knock on the front door. You were curious so you placed your book beside you on the sofa and got up to peek around the hall’s corner. One of the maids stationed at the entrance opened the door to reveal a man who dressed in a tabard embroidered with the card suits and a hat to match. Another of the queen’s messengers?

When he had made eye contact with you, you knew it was time to get out of your hiding spot and receive him. “My lady, are you the lady of this house?” The messenger takes his hat off and places it over his chest in respect. “I am.. Is something the matter? If so, my father isn’t here right now..” You said as you walked closer to the door. The servant steps aside for you to fully face the man. “Ah, you’re mistaken, my lady. It is you that I come for,” he explains. “If you will, Her Majesty, the Queen, has asked for your attendance relating to your marriage.”

Now this is where you became visibly confused. You don’t recall being betrothed to someone and your father had made sure to tell you time and time again that he won’t force you into any proposals and that marriage was free reign for you to decide. You trust him so you earnestly believe that there must be a misunderstanding somewhere. “My lady, the Queen said this to be of urgence so..” “Alright. Just give me a minute to change.”

—

You didn’t believe that you’d be invited to the palace again and in just a matter of hours. ‘Since the Queen sent the invitation..’ You looked out the window to see if there were carriages from other noble daughters but to your surprise, you pulled right up at the castle’s steps without any delay and got safely escorted down the carriage.

“Ah, Lady [Name], we have been expecting you here today.” The advisor from yesterday was also in front of the carriage with a kind smile. You weren’t sure if you were growing two heads or something because while people do approach you kindly, it was rare and only happens during parties where you’d be forced to interact and the same goes for the others. It’s hard to believe that you’d be talking to the queen’s advisor.

“Come, let us go. Her Majesty has been waiting for you for quite some time now,” he said smilingly and began to lead the way up the same very steps and down the familiar halls as yesterday. When you entered the throne room, the queen was sitting on her throne with a perfect posture.

“Your Majesty, Lady [Name] has arrived.” He does a bow before turning his attention to you and gestures with his hand to go to the throne. You did so, walking across the long room all the while looking at the queen to see her expressions. “Greetings, Your Majesty..” You do a curtsy and stay like that until given the word.

“You may stand.” You did as told and stared at her, your hands in front of you and fidgeting nervously. “Well then, I congratulate you on your marriage,” she said plainly. You were stone cold like a statue. ‘Marriage? So, it’s really true..?’ Your brows knit together and look at her with dubiety as if you had misheard it. “I.. Uhm.. You’re Majesty, could you have mistaken me for a daughter from another family?” You ask. You could feel your fingers growing cold and your heart slightly quickening.

“You are the daughter of that baron from the far east of the kingdom, yes?” She asks, although she was mainly just pointing it out. “Ah.. Yes, Your Majesty..” You tried to find some confidence in your tone, but it was already nerve-wracking to be in the presence of such a cold beauty. “Then make no mistake that I have called upon you today,” she said rather coldly. How could this have happened? You were sure that your father hadn’t mentioned anything about you getting married.. And if that were to be the case, why would the crown need to come and congratulate you? Marriages between aristocrats happen all the time and not once had you heard about being congratulated by the queen.

You chose your words carefully.“T-then.. Who am I being wedded off to, Your Majesty?” Every millisecond she doesn’t answer, the more your head starts to spiral until you feel dizzy. “Why, to the prince of the Valley of Thorns,” she answers with a raised brow and adds, “You were there to hear it, yes?”

Your eyes widened and felt a large, gaping hole in your stomach as if someone had ripped through it. You were frozen on the spot, not believing your ears. It was your fault that you weren’t really paying attention to the advisor yesterday, really. Otherwise, you would have made sure to not let guests come to the house, not even that messenger. You could have prolonged this news or even better, prevented it from not attending yesterday at all. You felt tricked, realizing how brief the explanations were from yesterday.

The queen could see the conflict in your eyes and decided to say something, “Lady [Name], I assure that you will be in good hands. The crown prince is amongst the strongest magic users out of all the rest in the world, which is why we have no choice but to go into a period of peace..” She grumbles lowly at the last part, but you heard it nonetheless. “No matter what happens, it is a sure fact he’ll protect you as written in the agreement.”

You could only nod in a silent agreement. Before you could leave, she said one more thing, “Do remember that the Rose Kingdom is your home and so it will forever be open to you. I entrust that should anything happen, you will return home, Lady [Name].”

You had only a week to prepare your belongings after telling your father that night on the same very day before someone from the Valley of Thorns had come to pick you up at your door in a black carriage pulled by equally scary horses. Where did it bring you? Well, to your new forever home of course.

That was the day when your chapter had suddenly taken a turn..

⊰♤⊱⊰◇⊱⊰♡⊱⊰☆⊱⊰♧⊱⊰♤⊱⊰◇⊱⊰♡⊱⊰☆⊱⊰♧⊱

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║Childe║Changed

Requested from Wattpad.

Female reader as requested.

Word count: 4.1k

---

Liyue is a prosperous city that attracts many and all sorts of people from business-related work to thieves who wish to earn extra cash. Everyone goes to Liyue with something on their mind that they hope to find in the city. There's even you- a normal person and a vision user- who came to Liyue all the way from Qingce village to look for a job. Everyone in Liyue all came with different reasons, but was all tied to Liyue.

Originally, your goal was to make enough money for a lifetime and then return to the mountains and help the elderly care for the fields and other needed work. That's just how your character was, but then an unforeseen event occurred and now you were in Liyue for a person.

"(Y/N), can you go pick up a batch of qingxin flower near Qingyun Peak? I'd ask Qiqi, but I sent her already to look for another herb." Baizhu enters the back room where you were sorting out the herbs in alphabetical order. "Sure, Dr. Baizhu. I'll do it right after I'm done these," you said.

"Thank you, (Y/N). Sorry for troubling you. I would go if I was fit for such exhausting travels, but you know how weak my body is," he said and you nod in understanding. He was the great doctor, but can't even heal his own illness. You didn't care about that as it wasn't your business and depart for the pharmacy when you were done at the back.

Looking at the sky above you and the position of the sun, you could tell that you will return late at night even when you run. You left from the sight of the city with only a satchel for the flowers. It was dangerous, yes, but you can fully protect yourself just as Qiqi can with her petite stature.

You were exhausted even before seeing a qingxin flower, but you did not stop. If you did, you'd have to camp the night out in the wilderness and that was something you were never fond of. Right now, you could tell that it was somewhere 3-4 in the afternoon- soon to be evening- and you departed from Liyue around 10 in the morning. "Please, Geo Lord, let me find these flowers soon," you say a quick prayer before stepping foot in the mountain area.

As if Rex Lapis had heard your little prayer, you found enough to satisfy Baizhu for two weeks at least, but the time it took was too long and by the time you decided it was enough, it was seven at night. You cried when you thought about how long it took just to reach the outer edge of Jeuyun Karst. "No! I am not camping out here!" you say out loud and determinedly made your way down the mountains- a bit slower when descending- and use what little energy you had with your determination to push dismiss your aching feet.

However, it seems that Rex Lapis didn't allow your travel back to be safe as you were soon facing a Lawachurl. "For the love of..!" Your sword appeared on your right hand and made sure that the satchel was sealed shut before engaging to fight the beast.

The beast, although bigger and most likely stronger than you, had a slower reaction time and decided to use that as an advantage so you dodge its fists and jump when he smashes the ground, but then, a sudden jolt of pain shot through your whole body when a stone came at you. You dodged it by a hair's length but collapsed soon afterwards. "My damn feet..!" Your body- especially your legs- was exhausted from the nonstop walk which made your reflexes a bit slower.

The lawachurl made it's slow approach towards you with its towering stature. You thought of a quick escape, but you just needed your body to co-operate with you. "Come on. Move!" You were pushing your exhausted legs past its limits, but knew it was your end when it raised its two arms that was to crush your smaller frame.

Your body suddenly jolts with energy and you found yourself suspended in air. You took this chance and use your vision to enhance your sword and bash the lawachurl's head open. It cried out as you jump away from it and watch as it disintegrated like any other wretched beast. You were left panting and scratched up, but you were happy that none of the flowers had fallen out.

"Ho~ What's a beauty doing out here so late at night?" A voice suddenly made its way to your ears and turned to your right, your sword blocking your body. The owner of the voice suddenly appeared before you and clashed his make-shift weapon with yours in an instant. "Oh? You've got quick reflexes even when you're exhausted. I should praise you for that."

"What are you doing?" you say through gritted teeth and push your sword. Then to your relief, the person jumps back a couple metres away, their weapon disappearing, and you sighed as you collapsed on the ground, your sword disappearing. "Haha, sorry to scare you. I was passing by and saw that a beauty was in a pickle," they said. "I was deciding whether or not if I should help you out, but you already took care of it." They shrug and puts their hands on their waist and grins at you.

You look at the person before you with a cautious gaze. They were male with ginger hair, blue eyes, and foreign clothing, and by the looks of it, he was somewhere near your age. "So, you're saying that you saw me, but didn't bother on helping me right away?"

The male looks at you and shrugs again. "I was going to help you since you're cute, but like I said- you already took care of it."

"And if I wasn't cute, you'd just leave me here to die!?" You were exhausted, but still manage to pull the look of disbelief. You waited for a reply, but instead, got a change of topic. "Anyway, what are you doing here so far from safety?" he asks and made his way towards you, his weapon out of sight as to not make you alert.

"None of your business," was all you could say in your exhausted state. "Ouch, no need to be so cold," the male says, though not even trying to mask hurt. You were tired of talking to the irritatingly brunette and wanted to return to the pharmacy. Slowly, you pushed yourself off the ground and took a step slowly. But, your body failed in fulfilling that and you fell forward and into the arms of the man, his hands holding your arms out of reflex. "Oh, don't tell me you've fallen for me now--" He stopped his teasing when he noticed that you were out cold. "Ah, what am I going to do?"

When you awoke, you found yourself facing a ceiling and feel the the comfort of a soft pillow and mattress and a warm blanket covering your body. You slowly sat up, hissing at the soreness and pain that washed over your body with a now conscious mind. The first thing you notice when looking at your hands and arms was that they were bandaged up and even feel a bandage on your left cheek.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty. It's about time you woke up," an irritating voice comes and greet you and chuckles. You recalled the fight with the lawachurl and the brunette who suddenly jumped out of nowhere and pick a fight with you. You turn your head to the right and see the same brunette at a small table, sipping his drink. The sun shone from behind him which made him look as if he was glowing. Now that it was daytime, you can properly see his face and was almost taken aback by how charming he looked.

He could see how your irises expanded at the sight of him which made him smirk. "Oh? You suddenly interested in me now?" he teasingly say and you suddenly broke out from the trance you were in just now. "Don't joke around with me," you said, remembering to what you has awoke to. "Anyway, where did you bring me?"

"Straight to the question with such a demanding tone. That's quite new to me," the brunette says. "Anyway, you can call me Childe, but I rather you call me babe." He chuckles which really upset you and you didn't mask to hide your frown. "I don't care who you are. I want to know where I am."

He looks at you and sighs. "Man, you're going to be a difficult one, aren't you? We are at Wangshu Inn," he finally answers. "I don't know where you live so I brought you here and bandaged you up. On that note, you should thank me."

You looked at your hands and then at the brunette who rested his cheek on the back of his hands and a leg crossing over the other, grinning cheekily at you. "Thank you." You got up, your body still aching from the fight. You see that you were still fully clothed and you mentally sighed out of relief before snatching your satchel on the nightstand beside the bed and leaving the room and soon the inn.

"(Y/N), I was worried when you didn't return last night and was about to send Qiqi to help you," Baizhu greets you at the pharmacy. "Qiqi was worried," Qiqi greets as well, wrapping her arms around your legs as a mean for a hug.

"Sorry, Doctor Baizhu. I had ran into some trouble and was tired to walk back last night," you said. "Oh, and I gathered a lot of qingxin flower for you." You took off the satchel off your shoulders and handed it to the doctor. "Hope these are enough."

"I'm sure it is. Thank you, (Y/N)," he said and puts the satchel full of qingxin flowers on the counter. "Alright, why don't you go ahead and rest for two days to heal your wounds? He looks over at your bandaged arms and face. You were grateful and thanked him before leaving the pharmacy.

The second day, your body wasn't hurting as much, but your wounds were still wrapped up in bandages which you changed when you got home. You found yourself lacking of food so you were out early in the morning on grocery shopping. "Ham.. Eggs.. Milk.." you read your list loud enough just for you to hear. But, since your eyes were glued onto the thin sheet of paper, you didn't notice a person suddenly appear before you and block your way before bumping into their chest.

"Ah, my apologies. I wasn't looking ahead," you say and rub your nose. "Hoh~ Well, what do you know? I thought you looked familiar and I was correct. Seems like we meet again." The all too familiar voice spoke above you, making you freeze up on the spot.

Slowly, you raise your head and see none other than the male from two days ago. "Is it just me or are we possibly fated to be together? Do you remember my name?" he asks, a grin forms on his charming face. "I'm afraid I don't," you said half-heartedly and excused yourself before brushing shoulders with him as you walk away. But, he grabs your elbow and stops you from walking any further. You look over your shoulders and give him the 'what gives' kind of look. "Well, since you forgot, I'll remind you again; my name is Childe," he says and leans close to your face. His eyes were a deep blue even under the light and felt as if you were drowning under water, where the water was an alluring colour of a pretty, deep blue. You were mesmerized, but notice that there was more to what the little pond you had found in his ocean eyes which made you much alert. Childe notice the fiery flames in your eyes suddenly on guard and he chuckles before straightening up.

"So, what's your name?" he asks. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe we're on the comfortable terms to know each other's names, sir," you stated. Your words are constructed to be polite, but your tone says otherwise. "Aw, you're going to play it the hard way with your saviour?" He forces a pout that was definitely not going to make you feel guilty so you stood there just staring at the brunette. He laughs and puts a hand on his hip. "Very well, I will do whatever I can to make you tell me your name."

You were about to turn your head and walk away, when a voice rang out across the streets. "Master Childe~" A high-pitched, flirtatious voice calls his name, drawing you both behind him. By the way they dressed, you could immediately tell that the female before you two was one of the many scums that could be found in large cities and that being said, you know exactly what kind of person the man whom called himself Childe is like.

"Master Childe, I've found you~ Did you know how sad I was when you didn't show up for two days?" The female clung onto the male's arm, completely dismissing your presence. Now that he was distracted, you took this chance to slip away from him and do your grocery shopping.

However, just because you slipped away today, didn't mean you slipped away forever or that you can do it the next time, and with that in mind, Childe was seen hanging around you- well, more like pestering you. But, with time, you soon came to accept the fact that the man wouldn't stop any time soon and told him your name and exchange words with him.

Of course, you had your doubts and had your guard up around him, seeing as he had a scum following him around almost daily, but you soon realize that you could see past the one part of him that didn't make up even one percent of him.

In months, you felt something in your chest that you know was wrong, but you couldn't help it as it dealt with him.

"Hey, (Y/N), wanna go on a little date for dinner?" Childe asks, approaching you out on the streets. When he said 'date' you know that it wasn't an actual date; it was a thing he said meaning to buy you lunch or dinner as a friend.

"You'll have to wait for an hour for me to get off work," you said, making your way up the steps of the pharmacy. "That's not long at all, apropos to getting your name, that is. I can wait," he said and gives you one of his dorky grin. You shooed him away and he did just that, off to reserve a seat for the two of you.

The hour felt long and made you impatient that it even shows. Baizhu looks over at you and smirks, knowing the reason had to be related to the young man he had been seeing occupying most of your time and mind. "(Y/N), since your shift is close to an end, why don't I let you go now? It makes no difference and Qiqi is here to help out if needed," Baizhu said, seeing as you face light up. "Really? Thank you so much Doctor!" you cheer, not even hiding the fact that you were indeed impatient to see Childe. You made haste around the counter and leave the pharmacy.

"Where is (Y/N)?" Qiqi asks, coming out from the back of the building, holding some sort of plant. "She just left, Qiqi," Baizhu answers and see that Qiqi became sad and pouted. "Qiqi was going to ask her if she'd search for the cocogoat with Qiqi.." Baizhu chuckles and put a hand on top of the little girl's head. "Sorry, Qiqi, but she's on a date."

"A date? What do you mean?" With that, Baizhu was now occupied trying to explain to the best he could as to what a date meant in the said case.

Just a few metres in front of you, you see Childe's back towards you as he chatted with a Liyue local. You were about to call out his name when a girl suddenly steps into view, blocking you from getting close to Childe. "So, you're the one hanging around Master Childe, huh?" was the first thing she said and looks at you up and down in disgust. "I don't get it. I mean, you don't even got the parts to be Master Childe's best."

Oh dear.. You know the girl all too well as she was the one you saw running to Childe and throwing herself at him. Childe has many more of the scums around him, but this one was around him the most. You bet that she brawled with the other scums because she wants Childe all to herself- well, his money.

"Hey, look, I'm going to be really nice here and tell you politely to leave Master Childe alone. He doesn't have time to loiter around someone who's body is of no use," she says and gives you a wicked grin, putting a hand on her hip to show dominance. You were unfazed and gave her a blank expression. "I'm sorry, but who are you to decide who I can and can not hang out with?" you ask.

"Hah, don't get on my bad list, girlie. Just so you know Master Childe slept with me the most," she states proudly. The words did hurt you, but it didn't make you cave into a cowardice. You kind of guessed he has slept with many women, considering how he had scums all over him. "Okay, I get that you're a scum, but you haven't answered my question."

You could see that the girl was already breaking and you couldn't help but snicker at how easy she was. "Listen here, I bet you haven't even gotten a taste of what Master Childe can do, considering how small your breast is," she laughs, looking at your average ones. "And I bet once he's gotten a taste of you, he'd be done and leave you."

You honestly didn't know where this conversation was going, but you stayed calm and hear her. "Oh? Then, tell me how I should please him to make him stay with me for- let's say.. Forever?" You cross your arms, still not letting her get to you.

"Psh, you think he'd stay with you even if I tell you?" She was hysterical, her face twisting to make her look like a witch. "Look, I'm sorry, but I really don't have time to talk to you. Have a good day," you said. You were about to brush shoulders with her when she grabbed hold of your arm and weakily throws you back. "Hey, you're not going anywhere until I know you're not going to hang around him."

"Sorry, but I can't comply to your wishes as it was your 'Master Childe' that came onto me," you state, grinning with your own wicked grin.

The girl snaps and lunges herself at you, but before she could even lay her long nails at you, you pulled out your sword and point it at her throat, just mere millimetres to lunging it in. Your face was still cool as ice, but the girl's mocking face turned to horror. "Listen, scum, I don't have time for idle chit chat as I have a date with your Master Childe," you said and lean to her ears so that only she could hear what you had to say next. "I don't care who you are, what you are to him, and I know that you can't even touch me so you best behave before my patience runs out and I plunge this sword at your pretty face. I'm being nice here and have pretty high patience so you best run along now."

The girl nodded frantically and runs past you. You turn around and watch as the girl disappears from sight. "Maybe you should call me Master," a voice whispers, feeling their breath tickling your ears. You turn around and was faced with the grinning ginger. "That is not going to happen."

"Maybe some day." He shrugs, which you immediately said no to. "Haha, but you said this was a date so that's a step close, no?" Your face flushed, forgetting that he was close by and had heard what you said to the girl. "Gah, I was just trying to let that girl feel mad," you said.

"Oh? You sure you don't want to call this a date?" he asks, giving you that glimmering eye look. "You can call it whatever as long as I get a free meal," you say and brush past him.

"Well, I know another way for you to get a free meal, but I wouldn't call it a date," he snickers and your lightly dusted face heated up quickly, knowing what he meant. "Shut up!"

"What? I was saying that we can always hunt," he lies, acting innocent to frame your impurity. "If you're not going to take me on that 'date', then I'm going back to the pharmacy," you said. He chuckles and fall in step with you, leading you the an expensive restaurant.

After the meal, you two were walking along the docks in silence, the ocean in the background was shimmering and wondered if it was a million noctilicious jade instead of pure water.

"So, what did you talk about with that girl from earlier?" Childe suddenly asks in a light tone. Your mind suddenly thought back to the event that had occurred with the girl and what she said about Childe sleeping with her. You wanted to ask, but you felt as if it wasn't right since it was his life and you didn't even know how to approach such question. "I'm sure you already know," you said.

"No, I don't so do enlighten me, since it was about me," he says. Then, you thought that it was the perfect time to add what you wanted to ask and took the chance. "Eh, nothing much. She kept on bragging how you slept with her multiple times though," you managed to slip in and shrug, playing it cool.

"Woah, woah, woah! She said that!?" Childe stops on his tracks and you turn to look at him. "That girl.. I swear that I haven't slept with her, or anyone for that matter!" Childe says, seeing his eyes look almost quite desperate to reassure you.

Your heart felt lighter, but decided to go on with the teasing. "Oh, really?" He nods almost instantly and you had to conceal your laughter. "Well, she said how you good you tasted and how well you did in bed to the point that I believed in it," you said, covering your mouth with a hand to hide your devilish smirk.

"You don't believe me?" he asks. "Nope," you said, not giving in to his saddened eyes. Then, almost in an instant, Childe walks closer to you and grabs your shoulders harshly. "Hey, what are you--" Your lips were sealed with his own. His lips was soft which caused a spark to jolt within you and making your legs almost became like jelly, giving in to the kiss.

Your hands were on his chest as he wraps an arm around your waist and the other on the back of your head. His tongue easily slipped past your lips and was now in a battle with yours, but that battle had ended sooner than you wished for when he pulls back and found the both of you panting. "I swear to you, (Y/N), that I didn't sleep with her," he says in a low voice.

To his surprise, you laughed. "I was just teasing around with you. Of course, I believe you," you said and smiled. The brunette stare at you in disbelief and when your laughter died down, you were kind of worried if you made a mistake in doing that. Then, he brings his lips back to yours with much more tenderness and you wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing him closer to you.

He pulls away again to your disappointment. "You are the only one I'd ever sleep with," he says, his wrap around your waist becoming tighter. "Then you better ditch those other girls or you're sleeping with no one," you joked before bringing him for another kiss, this time being longer.

---

Ch. 2 - The Day I've Been Betrothed

Ch. 2 - The Day I've Been Betrothed

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