Chapter Twenty-Nine: Truth

"She will either join us or die. Whether it be by your hand or another's, it matters not to me."

Kroshka. The Eleventh Harbinger inhales sharply, leaning back in his seat as he listens to the rumbling of the idling car engine. Can I do it? If it came to it…, could I really kill you?

Although several weeks had passed since their conversation in Mondstadt, he could still remember the deep scowl marring the Deaconess' fair features as she had addressed him, not daring to meet his gaze.

"I said no, Ajax. I won't become a harbinger. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You belong in the forest, Kroshka. I'm glad you won't melt away after all."

He had promised her. No. He had promised himself that he would not make things harder for her than they already were. How could he ask this of her? How could he ask her to become a harbinger?

"You frighten her," the Dandelion Knight had informed him bluntly.

"I would never hurt her."

"Do you really think she's worried about you hurting her? Seeing others in pain destroys her…. She thinks she's in love with you! If you care about her…you'd leave. Right now. Before she sees you. She's already decided to stay. Don't make this harder for her. Don't make her choose. Don't take her away."

He remembers the pain and desperation reflected in the Gunnhildr heiress' noble eyes as she had pleaded with him by the steps of the Favonius Cathedral.

If I asked Barbara again, she would say yes. There was no doubt in his mind.

But how could he ask that of her? How could he ask her to live with the person she would become as a harbinger? How could ask her to endure the endless suffering her words and deeds would cause others for the Tsaritsa's sake?

"BIG BROTHER!" The muffled sound of Teucer's voice rouses Childe from his musings causing him to jump slightly in his seat. "YOU'RE BACK!"

Forcing a wide smile, he moves to open the door but freezes when he notices Teucer's bouncing form. It was not the first time he had mistaken Teucer's features for his own, something their parents had assured him was perfectly normal given the uncanny similarities in their appearances.

"Welcome back, big brother!" Anton greets excitedly as he hurries forward to restrain Teucer.

Chuckling fondly, Ajax opens the car door, careful to avoid hitting his younger siblings who were now jostling and glaring at each other.

"Hey, hey, now what's all this?!" Ajax scolds playfully, easily sliding between them.

"Mother told me to fetch Teucer, so he doesn't catch a cold…again," Anton replies, sneering slightly at their younger brother.

"Woah, what do you mean 'catch a cold again?'" Ajax queries arching an eyebrow before turning to examine his youngest brother. "Don't tell me this little rascal's been sick and no one told me."

"Well, mother didn't want you to feel bad since it happened after he returned from Liyue," Anton informs him with a casual shrug. "Apparently the change in weather really got to poor little Teucer."

"Hey! That happened months ago!" Teucer snaps hotly, crossing his arms.

"And?" Anton taunts. "We wouldn't want you falling sick again."

"Alright, alright. That's enough you two. Why don't we all go inside and—"

"You!" Ajax starts at the sound of his sister-in-law's voice as he turns to find Katya glaring at him from the top of the grand staircase that led into his parents' manor.

Eager to remain on her good side, he flashes a sheepish smile as he turns to greet her with a nervous chuckle. The frown on her face reminds him of the ones she often shot his older brother Misha whenever she was particularly peeved at him.

"Oh, dear is something—"

"You've got a lot of nerve scaring us all like that!" She growls standing at akimbo. "Do you have any idea how worried we've all been?!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here—"

"Poor Tonia was completely hysterical because of your little stunt!"

"I'm so sorry I wouldn't have sent her to fetch you if it wasn't important."

"Calm down Katya," Ajax stiffens at the sound of his mother's voice as she emerges to place a hand atop his sister-in-law's shoulder.

"But mother," Katya begins to complain as she turns to face her. "You always take it easy on him just because he's never here."

"I'm really sorry, Katya but I can explain everything inside," Ajax offers as he leans down to take his younger brothers' hands in his.

"Don't bother," his sister-in-law grumbles, rolling her eyes as she moves to return indoors. "The stupid surprise beat you here."

Huh?

Blinking foolishly after her, Ajax tilts his head to the side as he tries to make sense of her words.

"W-what surprise? Is Yanfei here already?"

"Yanfei?" His mother repeats as she turns to watch him. "Who's Yanfei?"

"She's a lawyer from Liyue Harbor who's been helping me out."

"Why do you need a lawyer, Ajax?" His mother presses, narrowing her blue eyes suspiciously. "You're not in trouble, are you?"

"Mama, can't we do this inside?!" Teucer whines, bouncing where he stands, rocking his older brother back and forth. "I wanna open all my presents with Ajax!"

"You haven't opened the presents I sent you from Liyue?" Ajax asks arching an eyebrow as he turns to face his younger brothers.

"Presents from Liyue Harbor? I thought these came from Mondstadt?" Anton mumbles.

"F-from Mondstadt? What makes you say that?"

"Don't tell me you let your poor fiancée pick our gifts by herself," his mother scolds.

A chill runs down Ajax's spine as he is suddenly reminded of his engagement to the Eighth Harbinger. Biting his lower lip, he scoops Anton and Teucer underneath his armpits, pressing them to his side before bounding up the stairs and rushing towards indoors. He mutters a hasty apology at a passing maid as he rushes through and trips gracelessly when he finds a pile of elegantly wrapped presents stacked neatly in the grand foyer.

His mother and sister-in-law follow after him, huffing at him for running so recklessly with his cackling younger siblings. He manages to ground out a few words in response before leaning down to release his brothers. Anton collects himself and releases his older brother's hand once he catches their mother's eye, but Teucer defiantly fends off Katya's valiant attempts to peel him off Ajax. Screaming his protests for all of Teyvat to hear, Teucer clings to Ajax's neck for dear life and wraps his small legs possessively around his brother's torso, intent on hanging on for as long as humanly possible.

"What's going on?" Tonia's voice rings out as she emerges from the downstairs study with their father.

At the sight of her big brother, her eyes tear up and she rushes to embrace him with a sharp cry of relief.

"You scared me so much, you dummy!" She scolds him half-heartedly as she reaches back to slap his chest before catching herself.

"When did these get here?" Ajax asks distractedly as he reaches out to examine the card attached to one of the many parcels.

"Last night," His older sister Irina responds as she emerges from the kitchen. "Welcome home, Ajax."

"Yes, son. Welcome home," his father greets. "It's been too long."

"Teucer, you get off your brother this instant!" Their mother scolds as she nudges Katya away. "He's exhausted. You shouldn't be climbing on him like that."

"It's alright, mother," Ajax assures her distractedly as he reaches down to lift Teucer before perching him at his hip. Conscious of his family's watchful eyes, he feigns amusement as he studies the familiar cursive of Signora's handwriting.

Ajax and I cannot wait to celebrate our love and engagement with you all. Please accept these gifts as a token of our affection. Until we meet.

Ajax and Rosalyne-Kruzchka.

His gaze lingers on the unfamiliar characters beside his as his thoughts begin to wander. He was quite familiar with his colleague's handwriting but had never cared to learn the Eighth Harbinger's real name. While it was only natural to assume that she had been assigned an alias for his engagement, something about this name seemed far too random to have been made up. An unsettling sensation begins to form in the pit of his stomach as the realization of his impending nuptials finally begins to sink in.

The Tsaritsa's refusal to call off the wedding had killed any hope of him escaping his punishment. While he had been far too distracted to inquire about the specifics of their marriage, he knew that the Tsaritsa would not forgive him any affairs.

"Give Teucer here, Ajax. You must be exhausted from your trip," his mother sighs. "Why don't you go upstairs and take a nice warm bath then come down for dinner so we can discuss…all this."

Ajax nods distractedly as he leans down to release Teucer. But his younger brother simply flashes him an incorrigible pout before burying his head into his neck and defiantly shaking his head in refusal.

"You're never home anymore and y-you barely write and…and you never got to play with me in Liyue Harbor," Teucer whines before adding. "Don't you love me anymore?"

"Teucer!" their parents scold in unison.

"Honestly, Teucer, what's come over you?" Irina chides, crossing her arms. "Let Ajax go so he can get freshened up for dinner."

"No! It's not fair! The last time I let him go he stuck me with Lumine and Paimon and they were nice, but they weren't…they weren't Ajax!"

"Ajax!"

"I'm so sorry, Teucer," Ajax sighs as he turns to give his youngest brother a warm smile. "I've had a lot on my mind. Would you like to come help me unpack?"

"Ajax, you shouldn't—"

"It's alright, mother," he assures her as he leans down to press a kiss atop her forehead. "Teucer will help me get ready for dinner, won't you Teucer?"

"Alright," their mother sighs, shaking her head as she stroke's her fourth born's cheek affectionately. "But hurry up, will you? We need to talk about this Ms. Lohefalter from Mondstadt."

So, she's from Mondstadt, huh? How interesting. He notes as he nods his head.

After greeting his father and sisters, Ajax carries Teucer upstairs to his room. As soon as the door swings shut behind them, Teucer leaps from his arms and runs around bouncing and chuckling at getting his older brother all to himself. Leaning against the door, Ajax feels a heavy weight on his chest as he watches his younger brother flying about the room.

"Are you really getting married to this Rosalyne person?" Teucer wonders as he leans down to open his older brother's trunk. "I thought you really liked Lumine."

"Yes, Teucer," Ajax replies with a fond smile. "Lumine and I are good friends but that doesn't mean that we're going to get married. Besides, I think she actually has a boyfriend."

"She does? Who is it?"

"I'm not sure about his name but I've heard he's an alchemist or something. Anyways they're always together in Dragonspine—remember that cold mountain in Mondstadt that's a lot like here."

"Yeah," Teucer notes as his shoulders droop dejectedly. "I just…nothing."

"What's wrong, Teucer?" Ajax asks as he crosses the room to kneel before his younger sibling.

Although the child's head was bowed, it was clear from the tension in his small shoulders and the tiny fists trembling at his side that he was desperately fighting back tears. Allowing an indulgent sigh, Ajax leans forward to ruffle Teucer's head as he envelopes his tiny frame in a loving embrace.

A low, throaty cry escapes the child's lips as his small arms fly to wrap around his older brother's broad frame, intent on deepening their embrace.

"Teucer?! What's wrong?" Ajax gasps as he tries to pull away long enough to study his brother's features. But the sobbing child refuses to release his grip around Ajax's neck, forcing him to rub soothing circles along his back as he rocks and shushes him.

"Anton…Anton…said…you…will leave us…when…when…you…marry!"

"Oh, Teucer, please don't cry," Ajax pleads as he coaxes his younger brother's gaze to meet his.

But the child shakes his head and buries his damp face further into his older brother's shoulder, tightening his grip around him as if to assure himself that his big brother was truly there. Wracked with guilt and concern, Ajax rocks Teucer until he finally tires himself out.

"I'm so sorry, Teucer. For everything. I should have written back sooner but I got carried away. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Are you still going to marry her?"

"I have to Teucer."

"Why?! She's just some stupid girl! I'm your little brother. You're supposed to play with me and protect me! Forever and ever! But you're never here and even when I came to see you in Liyue you were always too busy selling toys to play with me."

"Selling toys?" Stanislav's voice repeats with an acerbic chuckle. "Honestly Ajax. Can't you think up better lies?"

Ajax turns to greet his older who ignores him as he simply moves lean against the doorframe with a sarcastic smirk. His eyes were sharp but bloodshot and judging by the pervasive cloud of odors cloaking his frame, he had been drinking for a while.

"Lies? What lies?" Teucer asks quietly as he pulls away to watch Ajax now. "Ajax, what's going on?"

"Yes, Poekhavshiy, why don't you tell Teucer all about your silly little lies?"

"Stanis, you need to sit down—"

"Or else what? You're going to kill me?!"

"You're being an idiot, Stanis. I'm not gonna kill you," Ajax snaps, releasing Teucer as he rises to his feet.

"Why not? Because I'm your brother?" Stanis scoffs, shaking his head incredulously as he uncorks the flask of wine dangling from his hand. "Huh?! Because I'm not worth the effort?"

"What? No—not that I think you're worth killing—is this about Marja again?"

"IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT MARJA!" Stanis roars sending spittle flying from his lips as he storms forward to seize the front of Ajax's shirt.

Ajax calmly pushes Teucer to safety before deflecting their brother's flurry of flailing attacks.

"Look, I'm sorry about that, alright? I said I'd help you get back with her—"

"Are you going to leave the Fatui?!"

The weight of Stanis' words crashes into Ajax with enough force to knock him into the wall behind him.

"What did you say?"

"I asked if you are going to leave the Fatui?" Stanis repeats calmer now, defiance flashing within his blue eyes as he meets his younger brother's gaze. "It's the only way Marja will take me back."

"What does me working for the Fatui have to do with Marja taking you back?" Ajax huffs in frustration, crossing his arms angrily now.

"She's from Fontaine and has seen the atrocities they're capable of and says she wants nothing to do with this family as long as you work there."

"You work for the Fatui?" Teucer asks quietly.

"I got transferred to their Toy Selling Department," Ajax lies.

"There is no Toy Sell—"

"Stanis, Tsaritsa help me!" Ajax seethes through clenched teeth. When he feels Teucer's small frame valiantly squeezing between theirs to force them apart, Ajax lets out a small huff of annoyance before pulling away. "Teucer why don't you go wait outside while Stanis and I—"

"No, I don't want you to fight again, Ajax," Teucer moans.

Ajax kneels to embrace Teucer, stroking the back of his younger brother's head as he offers him a litany of assurances to placate him. A sneer twists lips as he watches them before letting out a biting cackle that startles Teucer.

"Don't tell me you only came back to squeeze in as much practice before the big day. With the way you both are flying to the altar she is either already showing or will be soon."

"What are you talking about, Stanis?"

"Your Mondstadtian squeeze—what was her name?"

"Barbara?" Ajax blurts before catching himself and offering a mumbled apology.

"You dog! You've knocked up two of them?!" Stanis howls gleefully.

"What? No! I—"

"What does 'knocked up' mean?" Teucer asks innocently.

"It's when—ack!"

Ajax manages to sling an arm around his older brother's neck in time to avert disaster and wrestles him into a fierce headlock before dragging him away. As they emerge from Ajax's room, he notices the butler passing by and quickly flags him down to help him restrain his flailing brother.

The commotion quickly draws Irina and their father to the scene prompting them to fly to their assistance. Together, they wrestle Stanis back into his room.

"LET ME GO!" Stanis screeches, thoroughly beside himself.

"What in Celestia happened?!" Their father asks turning to face Ajax as Irina races to check on Teucer. "He was calm a while ago. Why is he like this?"

"Be quiet, asshole!" Ajax curses beneath his breath as Stanis' flailing foot strikes his shin with enough force to make him see stars.

"Stanis calm down we're trying to—"

"He attacked me!" Stanis shoots back as he shifts to give his younger brother an accusatory glare. "I was talking to Teucer, and he attacked—"

"He was going to tell Teucer what 'knocked up' means," Ajax sighs as he leans down to inspect his injured shin.

"Is that true?" Their father asks, his scowl hardening.

"Yeah," Stanis shrugs. "I mean why shouldn't I? He keeps acting like a baby because everyone pampers and babies him. He deserves to know the truth."

"Look just because you're mad at me doesn't mean you have to take it out on Teucer," Ajax shoots back hotly. "He's just a kid."

"Whatever," Stanis scoffs as he moves to cross his recently released arms. "I wasn't taking anything out on him. I was just telling him the truth."

"Your fiancée is pregnant, Ajax?" Their father asks, his tone dipping noticeably as the butler takes his leave.

"What? No! I—" His voice cuts off as the image of a pregnant Signora glowering up at him fills him with dread.

The thought of an innocent little child being even partly reliant on his colleague for sustenance and affection sends a shudder down his spine. Unbidden, memories of Pulcinella's starving child wandering the halls of the decrepit mansion come rushing to the fore, filling his stomach with enough butterflies to make him nauseous.

"Mama's home!" The child had cried as she sprinted to greet her mother.

"Emma, I've told you no hugging mama when she's in her party dress." The woman had complained, brushing her daughter's affection aside.

He cringes as he imagines Signora's face in place of the mother's and shuts his eyes to banish the thought from his mind. The image is quickly replaced by the memory of his discovery of the pyro vision dangling from the child's lifeless neck. A sharp breath escapes him as he recalls his conversation with Pulcinella shortly after the Tsaritsa had announced his engagement to Signora.

"I need you in Fontaine before the end of the week. We can't risk the subject fleeing or going underground."

"Got it. What do you want me to do about her kid?"

"The kid is the entire reason we're in this mess. Destroy them both but remember, make sure it looks like an accident. We can't have any of this coming back to us."

A chill runs down his spine as he remembers that awful moment when he had first noticed the fading light of the dying child's dimming pyro vision.

"That actress wasn't just some actress blackmailing some powerful politician, was she? She was your lover, and her child was yours."

Could it be?

"Then I shall give you this final warning," the First Harbinger had cautioned bluntly. "Do not resist. Trust me. The price is far too great to bear."

"What's happened? What are you talking about?"

"Your vision, where do you think it went?"

"I told you I lost it—"

"You didn't lose it. It is back in Mondstadt with the woman you love."

Ajax's hand falls to the place along his waist where he had hung his hydro vision for as long as he could remember.

Could it be? Could Barbara be pregnant?!

"Just as I suspected," Yanfei declares as he shuts the door to private study behind them. Two days had passed since his reunion with his family, and he had only just managed to steal away to his apartment in time for his meeting with Yanfei.

She hands him a large stack of paperwork which he absentmindedly accepts as he turns to follow her towards the handsome writing desk.

"The warrant for your arrest in Signora's possession was a fake."

"How can you tell it was a fake?" He asks listlessly shrugging his shoulders as his thoughts begin to cloud with worry and confusion.

"It is the only one that does not bear any trace of the Tsaritsa's elemental seal," Yanfei clarifies. "Whenever the Tsaritsa issues a divine warrant, it is sent to three separate agencies for processing. The first agency is the Snezhnayan Royal Archives which is tasked with logging such documents for posterity. The second is the Fatui's Bureau of Investigations which then assigns and dispatches the appropriate personnel to execute the warrant. The final agency is the Ministry of Justice which assigns a magistrate to oversee any challenges to the warrant. Every time the warrant passes hands between agencies, each agent creates a copy of the original for their records before passing it along. The Tsaritsa's elemental seal is always detectable even in the copies which is why Signora's copy was a fake."

"But why would Signora fake the warrant?" He asks arching an eyebrow.

"I don't think Signora faked the warrant," Yanfei states bluntly. "I think the Tsaritsa did."

"Wait? What? How can the Tsaritsa fake her own warrant?"

"It was a decoy," Yanfei explains. "A carefully laid trap designed to bait the revolutionists. Think about it, Pulcinella's co-conspirators have infiltrated every level of the Snezhnayan government. If the Tsaritsa wants them to goad them into recruiting one of her trusted harbingers, she issues a warrant for said harbinger's arrest, citing valid and reasonable crimes."

"But why give Signora the fake warrant? And why are you so convinced that the Tsaritsa was the one who faked it."

"Because I examined the copies of the warrant in the Ministry of Justice and the Royal Archives and their elemental seals are authentic," the consultant replies with a knowing smile. "Think about it. By now the Tsaritsa knows exactly how her elemental seal reacts every time a document bearing it is duplicated. It is why she infuses each document with enough elemental energy to allow each agency to preserve the integrity of the elemental energy in their respective copy. Any document bearing an intact elemental seal is authentic and will be executed accordingly. However, Signora never tried to arrest you back in Liyue Harbor. In fact, she even offered you a chance to redeem yourself."

"But if she didn't want Signora to arrest me then why issue the warrant at all?" Tartaglia asks shaking his head slowly, intent on dissipating the growing fog clouding his thoughts.

"Like I said it was the bait to spring the Tsaritsa's trap," Yanfei explains. "She knew whatever harbinger received the warrant to arrest you would recognize that her seal was compromised and not honor it. What she wanted was for the conspirators high up in the chain of command to notice your arrest warrant and snoop to find out why you had lost the Tsaritsa's favor. Your recklessness and unpredictability made it easy for the Tsaritsa to sell the lie that you had fallen out of favor and your friendship with Lumine was the finishing touch. When the conspirators saw that she had finally had enough of the wayward Eleventh Harbinger, they salivated at the thought of turning the youngest harbinger against her and recruiting you to their cause. Not knowing that their greed would be their downfall. When they sent word to each other and finally plucked up the courage to approach you, the Tsaritsa would be watching carefully, noting each conspirator in turn and deciding how best to deal with them."

As expected of her Majesty.

As much as it irks him to discover that he had once again been used as a decoy, he was far less bitter since the puppet master was none other than the Tsaritsa herself. While he was impressed by the Archon's meticulous scheme, his thoughts kept returning to his former lover back in Mondstadt.

The last time they had spoken, she had confirmed that she had agreed to perform at his wedding. But with the ceremony now being exactly one week away, there was no word of her impending arrival or even her involvement. Given her explosion in popularity after her performance aboard the Alcor, he had expected news of her involvement in his nuptials to be sweeping the land. While it was possible that she had finally decided against performing, Tartaglia could not shake the niggling feeling that something very wrong had happened.

Perhaps I should approach Signora about postponing the wedding. He considers, stroking his chin as he paces back and forth. Teucer's been pretty clingy and moody lately and my parents and siblings all suspect that something's up.

"So, if her Majesty went through all that trouble there must be a list of all the conspirators somewhere," he mumbles.

"Yes, but given how closely she's been playing things to the chest I can't imagine her sharing that list with just anyone," Yanfei replies as she tears her eyes away from the thick treatise on Snezhnayan penal codes she had been perusing for the better part of an hour

"Between the three ministries you mentioned, who would have had access to my warrant firsthand?" Childe wonders as a thought suddenly occurs to him. "My wedding. Every single harbinger will be attending and Pulcinella mentioned something about the revolutionists scheming to strike then. While it's possible that he was trying to mislead me, there's also a chance that they just might go through with it. After all, I doubt Pulcinella is the only harbinger who's involved."

"You suspect other harbingers are involved?" Yanfei repeats arching an eyebrow. Tartaglia nods simply in response. "How many?"

"I'm not sure. Pulcinella seems to be calling the shots, but I wouldn't be surprised if at least two others were also involved. If I had to guess, I'd say Scaramouche, Capitano…and possibly Signora."

"Signora, didn't you say she was the Tsaritsa's favorite harbinger?"

"She is but something about her behavior seems…off. I can't quite put my finger on it, but she seems to be particularly spiteful of me recently. Going out of her way to goad and harass me…almost as if she's daring me to finally snap and fight back."

"Why would she want to provoke you?" Yanfei wonders.

"To frame me by giving me enough motive to rebel against the Tsaritsa in case if their plot fails and they need a scapegoat," Tartaglia replies with a slight grimace as he recalls the Eighth Harbinger's constant sexual advances. "Pulcinella says that the revolutionists are rebelling against her Majesty to save Snezhnaya from falling as Khaenri'ah did five hundred years ago. Scaramouche is from Inazuma and has never shown any true loyalty to her Majesty or her cause. I haven't really dealt with him much but he always seems like someone who's bidding his time, waiting for something better to come along. I have worked with Capitano here and there and know him to be nothing more than a cowardly and opportunistic braggart. He defected from Fontaine and seems intent on currying favor with her Majesty. He is often frustrated whenever she rebuffs or ignores his efforts and could see a revolution as his chance to curry favor with her Majesty's would-be successor."

"I see," Yanfei notes with a thoughtful scowl. "Should we keep an eye on them?"

"That's going to be easier said than done," Childe informs her with a mirthless chuckle. "Scaramouche lives as a vagrant and Capitano's decoys are virtually indistinguishable from him. No. We'll have to wait a few days when all the harbingers will be in one place."

Normally, the thought of battling and besting his prideful colleagues would have excited him beyond measure, however, his thoughts kept returning to the petite Deaconess back in Mondstadt. If Piero was right and his vision was now with her back in Mondstadt, then that would confirm his suspicions of her being pregnant.

She's safe. Childe assures himself as a long finger taps the edge of the table where he had momentarily paused to lean on. Her family's practically royalty and her big sister commands the Knights of Favonius.

His eyebrows crease with worry as he recalls Dottore's gleeful assessments of the corruption and incompetence that plagued the once-vaunted order. It did not inspire confidence how easily Signora, Dottore, and Pulcinella had infiltrated and influenced the Knights of Favonius' conduct in Grand Master Varka's absence. While he had every confidence in Jean and Lisa's combat abilities, he feared that even they stood no chance against Pulcinella.

"Is something wrong?" Yanfei asks.

"Nothing. Just thinking," he lies, not looking up.

"You sure?" The scholar asks somewhat intrigued as she closes her book now. "I mean it's just that…whenever you're thinking you often pace back and forth. But when you're worried…you seem to pace in circles."

He blinks down at her for a long moment unsure of how exactly to respond to her assessment. Before he can speak, a sharp knock at his apartment front door interrupts him. He moves to open the door without thinking and inhales sharply when he comes face-to-face with the First Harbinger's mask.

"Good morning, comrade," Piero greets cheerily as he lowers himself into a deep bow.

"What are you doing here?" Tartaglia asks.

"I've come to fetch you," the First Harbinger replies calmly as he returns to his full height. "Your fiancée has finally returned from Mondstadt."