At last after seven months, the long awaited sequel is finally done! Well... Half-done to be more accurate.
Lumine slowly stirred awake. Her eyes opened to saw the white marble ceiling above her. A truly odd sight because as far as she could remember, the ceiling of her room was made out of wood. When her senses slowly returns to her, another odd sensation entered her mind: She was sleeping on a large queen sized bed instead of her normal sized one. The matress colour has also changed from it's usual white to deep dark blue.
However, perhaps the strangest feeling of them all is the familiar feeling of a blanket that covers her completely naked body. Something that she never done before in Snezhnaya, and the only time she did this was during that one infiltration mission that requires her to walk through the burning deserts of Sumeru.
With all of this facts, Lumine wasted no time to get up and look around her surroundings. Sure enough, it was indeed not her bedroom. This room belongs to someone, someone that Lumine knows so well. Someone that is none other than..
"Oh, have you finally awake?"
There was a voice suddenly appearing from her left, using her quick reflexes, Lumine quickly moved away from her current position while simultaneously materialized sword and points it towards the mysterious assailant.
"That wasn't very nice of you to point your sword against your own queen like that, Lumine." The said assailant said, clearly unamused as she moved away the blade from her face.
Lumine's eyes widened as she finally recognized the appearance of the woman in front of her: The slightly unkept grey hair that tied into braids behind her back, the midnight blue royal gown decorated with the Fatui insignias, and those soulless deep blue eyes seething with intense anger and hatred towards the divine up above in the sky.
This is her, the dreaded Cryo Archon, the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, the queen of the Fatui, Lumine's new employer, and the one who holds her soul right now, forever binding Lumine to do her biddings against the divine.
"Your majesty..." Lumine muttered in shock, her sword quickly disappeared as she realized her mistake, and the blonde girl quickly prostrate in front of the queen. "F-Forgive me for my insolence, your highness! I-I didn't know you were here! In fact, I don't even know why I'm here. Please forgive me!"
Lumine shuts her eyes closed as she kept her position. The Tsaritsa didn't say anything for a while, and the blonde girl dreaded that the queen might actually thinking about a way to punish her for her earlier action.
Not that Lumine minded about it.
"It's fine, nothing to worry about it. I shouldn't have startled like that either." The goddess finally said, crossing her arms around her chest.
Lumine noticed the strange tone of when the queen speaks. It lacks the usual cold and emotionless vibes to it. Something that awfully unsuitable for someone like the Tsaritsa to have. The girl wonders of what happened to the queen while she was asleep.
"In fact, I should've said thank you." The Tsaritsa continued, causing Lumine to opens her eyes.
"Eh?" Raising her head slightly, the blonde girl looked at the queen above her. "For what?"
"For showing me such wonderful view." With an unexpected move, Tsaritsa's lips quirk up into a tiny smirk gesturing her head to something behind Lumine.
Following her gaze, Lumine looked behind her to see the smooth milky white skin of her own backside. Her talk with Tsaritsa has left her completely forgotten about the fact that she was still fully naked, and now that she was still in this prostrating position, she has completely exposed her naked back to the queen, with her butt high in the air, unintentionally letting the Archon to freely oogle on it.
A beautiful shade of red appeared on Lumine's cheeks and it slowly spreads to her neck and ears as she realized the how indecent she looked like for exposing her private parts like that, and to the Tsaritsa none the less.
"Kyah! Please don't look, your highness!" Quickly grabbing the warm blankets, Lumine use it to cover as much as she can of her naked body. Trembling in a mix of embarrassment and the cold air of the bedroom.
The Cryo Archon in return chuckled, a very rare gesture that queen had done before. But in the face of Lumine, the sweet sweet girl she had let her heart (Or rather, what is left of it) fallen to, the Archon is having a hard time acting like she usually does in front of her army.
"Relax, my dear Lumine. No need to be shy. For I have gotten used to seeing the hidden beauty that you have concealed underneath your clothes." The Tsaritsa said as she walked closer to Lumine, taking a seat at the edge of the queen sized bed.
"Huh? What do you mean, your highness?" The blonde girl asked, tilting her head. Not understand what the Tsaritsa is saying.
"Don't tell me that you forgot." The Tsaritsa frowned a little. "Surely you remembered about what happened this morning?"
"This... Morning?"
So it's already noon now? Lumine glanced towards the windows of the Tsaritsa's room. This bedroom was located at the highest floor in the Zapolyarny palace. At the edge where there's a balcony where one could relaxed their minds as they took on the the view of Tevyat's ocean in front of them. And sure enough, the sun is already high in the sky, meaning that only a few hours has passed ever since Lumine came here and fell asleep on this bed. But what made her slept here in the first place?
The further the girl think about it, the more she remembered what happened.
"There is something important I want to tell you, Lumine."
"I kept thinking about it over and over for the last couple of months, but I never have the courage to confess it to you until yesterday."
"Lumine, I want to confess to you that... I love you."
That's right. She was here because her highness had invited her for a private discussion inside this bedroom. But what the the blonde haired girl had thought going to be a normal discussion between the Harbinger and the Tsaritsa had suddenly turn into a love confession made by the Cryo Archon.
Apparently, the Tsaritsa has developed some feelings for past few months, something that Lumine is completely unaware of due to the fact that she did not have a mutual feelings for the goddess aside from her devotion and loyalty. Who knew that the Tsaritsa has chosen her of all people to confess her love upon. Just what made her think that Lumine deserve the kind of privilege like that?
But nevertheless, there is no way for Lumine to reject the queen's confession. Not when she was so gentle and honest when she did it. Not to mention that Lumine feared of what will happen to her if she did reject her love. With getting getting thrown out of the Fatui being the worst scenario as it means that she will lose her only chance in finding the location of Aether, putting her two years of hardwork and discardment of her humanity into a complete waste.
And then afterwards. The two of them did... That... And that is how Lumine ended up completely naked right now. She must have drained from all of her energy from experiencing her first time.
And to think that she gave it to a woman too...
But... It doesn't feel so bad though... Maybe she could-
No! Lumine quickly shook her head. She is the Harbinger of the Fatui, the left hand of her royal highness the Tsaritsa. She can't let herself get immersed in this complicated matter known as love. There are things that needed to be done. Informations to be gathered, plans to be made, Gnoses to be collected, and Celestia to be taken down. If she couldn't finish them all, then this world and all of it's people are going to be doomed, and Aether will never be found again.
She could think about this current problem later. Right now, she need to get out of here. Both because she's starting to feel uncomfortable being in close proximity with the Tsaritsa after what happened this morning, and because she needs to go somewhere, and right now she is really late.
"Forgive me, your highness. But I must go now." Lumine said with a little bow, closing her eyes because she didn't have the courage to look at the queen's eyes right now.
"Huh? Leaving already? You do remember that everyone has a day off right now, right?" Tsaritsa raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. "Why don't you stay here for a while. We have so much to talk about, after all." Tsaritsa said, chuckling when she saw another faint red blush appeared on Lumine's face.
"I'm aware of today being another day off for everyone. But I have to go somewhere, and right now, I'm really late." Lumine replied with a small sigh, closing her eyes. "Please forgive me for my insolence your highness, but maybe next time-"
"Name."
"What?" Lumine opened her eyes, a bit shocked at the sudden interruptions by the Tsaritsa.
"I already told you to start call me by my name, didn't I?" Tsaritsa said as she started directly into Lumine's eyes, with her own indigo eyes dangerously narrowed. "Or did you perhaps, forgot about that bit too?"
"N-No no no, of course not! I remember everything that happened this morning, your highness- I-I mean... Tsaritsa..." Lumine stuttered, with the last bit of her words having a lower tone than the rest. "It's just that... I don't think it sounds right for me to call you so casually like that..." Lumine said whilst looking downwards. "I am nothing but a humble servant for you... And even if you make made me to be your... Ahem... Partner, it doesn't change the fact that you are way above me in both status and strength."
Tsaritsa didn't say anything for a while, and Lumine had thought that maybe her words have offended the queen somehow, but it doesn't matter because Lumine doesn't really care about it, the Tsaritsa could get mad at her for all she wants, for the blonde girl's life is at the hands of the Archon, after all.
"You really are a tough egg to crack, huh?" But instead, the Tsaritsa said something that Lumine didn't expect with a sigh.
"Eh?" Lumine started at the woman in front of her with a slightly widened eyes.
"Listen to me, Lumine." Tsaritsa reached out her hand and takes Lumine's palm into hers, the ice cold fingers of the queen met with the faint warmness of the blonde haired girl. "You may continue to think that you are below me, that you're nothing but a servant for the Fatui, or a puppet controlled by me for the sake of the cause. But I want to let you that I love you, and I mean it."
Tsaritsa's eyes are filled with seriousness, and some degree of well hidden determination that usually never appeared inside her eyes. Such a rare sight is only presented to Lumine and Lumine only, the maiden of stars that the ice queen had fallen in love with.
"Therefore, I want you to understand my feelings for you, and to return it back with your own." Tsaritsa said as she give Lumine's palm a gentle squeeze.
"Tsaritsa..."
"However." Tsaritsa began, closing her eyes. "If you still insist about being my humble servant or whatnot. Then as your queen, I order you accept my love and to return it, no question asked, do you understand?" The taller woman said as release her grip on Lumine's hand before standing up, walking away from the bed and came into a stop in front of the windows, looking outside to the sea of Tevyat. "You said that you need to go somewhere, right? I won't stop you, you may leave."
Lumine stared at Tsaritsa who didn't even bother to look at her again as she said those words. The queen has allowed her to leave, and Lumine shouldn't waste any more time sitting here on the Tsaritsa's bed with her naked butt. There's people who are waiting for her after all.
"Thank you very much for your understanding... Tsaritsa." Lumine said with a little bow, careful not to let go the blanket she used to cover herself with. "I shall excuse myself then." Lumine was about to get up and leave the room. But that was when she realized something fatal.
She was still naked, and her clothes are nowhere near where she was right now.
"Umm... Where are my clothes?" She remembers that Tsaritsa had taken them off while Lumine was too weak to resist, it should've been puddled on the floor after they're done. But since a few hours have passed, with the Tsaritsa is awake while Lumine was asleep, the queen must've gathered and put them somewhere else.
"I have picked and fold them sometime after we're done with our intercourse. They should be on the table right now." Tsaritsa answered her Harbinger's question, making sure to hide the tiny smirk on her face.
The queen was right, Lumine could see that her clothes have been neatly folded and placed on top of the table, it seems like the queen greatly dislike it when her personal bedroom was messy. However, as much as relieving it was to see her garments is still in one piece, there was another problem Lumine have faced.
The said table was located on the other end of the room, a distant away from the queen sized bed she was still sitting on.
"Oh..." Realization quickly hits Lumine, and the girl could feel her face starts to heating up a little.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Didn't you say that you've got to hurry?" Tsaritsa asked with a slightly playful tone. Her eyes glanced towards Lumine who is frozen in place.
"Uh... I, uh... I'm..." Stuttering, Lumine tried to avoid eye contact with Tsaritsa, her golden eyes shyly looks away from the goodness'form.
"Don't tell me..." Tsaritsa began with a small giggle escaping from her lips despite of her attempts to hold it back. "Are you embarrassed to show me your body?" She asked with a teasing tone, not bothering to hide her smirk anymore.
Lumine mentally grumbled at this. The queen had obviously planned for this from the start. In order to take her clothes back, Lumine need to walk to the table at the other end of the room, completely naked. And as much as she wants to use her Anemo powers to easily bring the clothes to her with the use of the winds, Lumine is aware of the unspoken rules about how it was forbidden for one to display their powers in front of the Tsaritsa, even if they are the Harbingers of the Fatui.
"Uhh..." With crimson red colour adorned her face. Lumine closed her eyes in shame, and slowly climb out of of the bed, releasing the blanket she's been using to cover herself, fully revealing her body to the eyes of the Tsaritsa without a single thread covering it. And then slowly, she approached the table, using her elemental sight so she could know where she's going even when her eyes are closed.
The Tsaritsa's room is oddly warmer than usual today, and Lumine was surprised that there's not a single breath of coldness that clawed against her exposed skin like the one she felt when she first arrived here this morning. Is the Tsaritsa perhaps has used her powers to control the room temperature so Lumine could slept in comfort without the risk of catching a cold? That sounds a bit too nice coming from the dreaded Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya, but Lumine have no other guesses aside from that.
Once she arrived at her destination. Lumine waste no time to get herself dressed. Quickly but carefully putting each pieces of her clothing on her body. And even with her golden eyes are away from the form of the ice queen nearby, Lumine could feel the stares of Tsaritsa's eyes have never left her from the moment she let her body exposed, allowing Tsaritsa to freely enjoy the magnificent view of her (lover?) As she walks naked and then getting dressed.
Once she got all of her garments on, Lumine sighed a bit heavily, puffing her chest. She's really annoyed by the Tsaritsa's antics, but she couldn't possibly get mad at her own goddess, After all, it was her own vow to never refused any orders that Tsaritsa gave her, no matter how absurd, strange, or embarrassing it was.
As she was too indulged with the thoughts inside her mind, Lumine failed to notice that Tsaritsa had moved from her previous position to behind Lumine, surprising the blonde girl when she slips her arms around Lumine's neck, making the smaller girl flinched a little.
"You shouldn't feel so ashamed of showing off your beauty like that, my dear." The Tsaritsa whispered with a low and kinda seductive tone. "After all I have seen so much more than just the curves of your body."
"T-Tsaritsa..." Lumine stuttered, Tsaritsa's lips are so close to her ear, and her breath is tickling her neck which sends shivers down Lumine's spine. "You're so close."
"We are lovers now, and we should be honest with each other." Leaning down even more, Tsaritsa pressed her lips against Lumine's ears as she whispered. "So let me enjoy your body, just as you will enjoy mine when the time comes once you are ready." She said before blowing a warm breath into her ear.
"Hmmph..." This is too much. It has been years, maybe one or two centuries ever since Lumine had let someone that is not Aether to be so intimately close to her like this. And to think that that person in question had done more than just a simple hug, but actually kissing and... Seduce her, things that the blonde girl never done before. She will never get used to this.
"Be sure to keep that in mind." Using her dainty fingers, the queen tugged at Lumine's scarf a little, before leaning to drop a kiss to the smaller girl's neck, mentally smirking when she felt Lumine began squirming a little as she gently suck at her skin until a mark blooms under her lips.
"T-Tsaritsa... Don't..." Lumine whimpered, closing her eyes at the strange sensation.
"Don't worry, your scarf will cover it up." The taller woman whispered as she finally let go, her lips turned into a smile at the sight of a hickey she had left behind, and kindly covers it up as she adjust the blonde girl's scarf to it's original position.
And then, finally, at last, the queen released her, and Lumine wasted no time to quickly create a distance between her and Tsaritsa as much as possible. Rubbing the spot where Tsaritsa had kissed her, Lumine look up to see the sight of Tsaritsa gently smiling down at her, yet another motion that surprised the blonde girl for seeing the queen being so expressive for the first time in the last two years of her employment. And as much as captivating as it was weird to see such an expression appeared on the Tsaritsa's face, Lumine couldn't waste more time hanging around here and doing nothing.
And so, the blonde girl wordlessly turned around and headed towards the exit, remembering to open the lock first before opening the wooden door, muttering a small "Excuse me" before heading out and closed the door behind her.
~o~0~o~
Once she was finally out of the room. Lumine release a heavy sigh that she had hold inside her chest ever since the moment she remembered exactly what happened this morning.
The blonde girl put her palm on her face as she gently shook her head. Pondering about the third sudden twist in her life that she could never imagined. Being separated from her older brother and getting stranded in a strange world just to join some organisation wants to take over the world is one thing, but to have a god to fell in love with her? And it's a woman too at that? No, absolutely not.
Lumine hoped with every fiber of her being that she was currently dreaming right now, to wake up to reality that she was nothing but a mere pawn for the Cryo Archon to succeed her cause in overthrowing the divine. A cause that she must fulfill in order to be reunited with Aether, for that is the agreement of the contract she had forged with the Tsaritsa two years ago.
"No!" Lumine mentally shook her head to clear the thoughts away.
Somehow, simply thinking about the woman made Lumine's mind drifting back to the events inside that bedroom a few hours prior.
She remembers the uncomfortable feeling that crept into her chest the moment she followed the Tsaritsa into the bedroom. She remembers the gentleness and calmness of her voice as she speaks with Lumine, the way her voice is so low, yet so full of life and well hidden pent up emotions that Lumine would find out at the next moment. She remembers when the queen approached her and embrace her, embrace her into a surprisingly warm hug as Lumine's much more smaller body pressed against the queen's more bigger one. The way those smooth dainty fingers gently lifts her chin, as her azure eyes looked down at Lumine's golden ones. Her lips parted as she spills every last bit of emotions she had bottled up for the last few months. She was so honest, so patient, and so gentle too. She hears all that Lumine have to say about the matter, and even though she didn't accept her refusal, the Tsaritsa didn't get mad at her, she smiles, she chuckles, something that the queen had never done before whenever she was in front of her other underlings. And whenever Lumine tried to think about it, she couldn't help herself but feeling somewhat special, special that she was the only one allowed to witness such an astonishing sight of the usually cold hearted woman turned into such an expressive maiden falling in love.
And then there's the part where they did... that. And although Lumine had to admit that she didn't enjoy it at all, the feelings aren't as bad as she ever imagined or remembered now that she had done it.
"To think that I would do such thing with a woman..." Lumine muttered to herself with a sigh. Maybe it's best if she avoids the Tsaritsa as much as she could, unless if it was the queen herself who made the request for the Harbinger to meet her again in person.
The thought of it sends another chill down her spine. If even in the first day of being the Tsaritsa's little lover turns out to be like this, who knew what would the queen did to her the next time they are alone again. Possibly something very lewd no doubt, one that would shatter what remains of Lumine's innocence forever.
"Where have you been?"
There was a voice coming from behind her, a voice that Lumine knew so well. She released her palm that is still covering her face, suddenly realizing that she had aimlessly walked throughout the hallways of the Zapolyarny palace as she ponders about her relationship with the Tsaritsa. Thankfully however, she is glad to know that she was at least away from that room that she desperately wants to avoid now. And although Lumine is currently in need of some time alone, she can't bring herself to ignore this guy. It's very rude to disrespect your senior after all.
"Lord Pierro." Lumine greeted. Quickly shedding away any traces of emotions visible on her face. Returning it to it's usual stoic and emotionless mask that she always wears whenever she was in front of her peers.
Turning around, the blonde girl came face to face with the bearded gray haired man well known for his title, The Jester, or his alias, Pierro. The very first Fatuus in existence, and also the first Harbinger and formerly the only one of the Tsaritsa. Until the queen deciced to make Lumine the second one that is (much to Lumine's confusion.)
As usual, the old man has yet again purposely standing in the way she's taking, making it seems like they coincidentally met when in truth, Lumine is very aware of what he's doing. The blonde girl have no idea why would him of all people would do such stupid thing (and it's not like Lumine care about it either) but the blonde girl guessed that he must be trying to keep an eye on her to make sure she wasn't up to something, in spite of her having proven to him that it's not the case countless of times before. Or maybe he was simply jealous now that his position has been shared with her as per the orders of the Tsaritsa. But the blonde girl doubt that, knowing that the man is not the type of person who feel envious with such thing.
"Judging from your question, I presume that you are looking for me?" The blonde haired girl asked the senior Fatuus, his back is resting against one of the pillars in the hallway, arms crossed over his chest, and his azure eye is narrowed as the man is staring at the Lumine. Based from his position like this, it seems he has waited for her for quite some time. "How strange, never thought I would see a day when you deciced to hang around inside the palace during a day off."
Lumine is well aware of the Harbinger's personal schemes and projects, and how the old man always use the day offs provided by the Tsaritsa to do those in secrets, or at least that's what he told her during their past few conversation whenever they had the opportunity to do missions together, or when they accidentally bump into eachother like what they are doing now. That explains why he tends to leave the palace by morning and return some few hours later, which admittedly still pale in comparison to what Lumine always do during day offs.
For Pierro to came looking for her meant that he have something important to tell her, and Lumine suppose that she still have some time to listen to his ramblings.
"Indeed I am." The gray haired man answered, closing his eye as he sighed. "I have just returned from that place. But you aren't there when I arrived." He said, causing Lumine to narrow her eyes a little.
"You... Went there?" Lumine knew what exactly her senior is talking about, it was a secret shared between the two Harbingers and some high ranking members of the Fatui below them.
"Yes, I do." Pierro replied with a solemn nod. "After I return here from my trip outside, I was informed that you went missing after our last meeting in front of her majesty this morning. I looked all over the palace just to find you, and when I can't, I went to that place to see if you are there, but you're not." The man explained, still with his eyes closed, giving Lumine the impression that he was not impressed in the slightest of having to walk around the place just for the sake of searching for her, when in truth, she was far closer than he expected.
"I see..." Lumine muttered a simple reply, her lips turned into a frown at his explanation. "Forgive me for causing you so much trouble for looking for me, my lord. I assume that everyone is waiting for me there?" The blonde girl asked, looking straight at Pierro's eye as he finally opens them again.
"How many times do I need to tell you to drop the honorifics, Lumine." The Jester said with a serious tone, causing the corner of Lumine's eyes to twitch upon hearing her own name, a sign of the bearded man being serious with her, a contrast to when he used her Harbinger title during normal conversation, despite of Lumine's insistent that she disliked of being called by her Harbinger name because she's still feeling that she doesn't deserve it. "We are the Harbingers of the Fatui, the hands of her royal higness the Tsaritsa. You may joined us only in recent years, a big contrast to me or anyone else here. But that was all in the past, you are now one of the most important assets for the Fatui. We are in equal grounds, and you should be proud of that, don't look down upon yourself and think that you don't deserve it."
"Tch, talkative are we?" Giving the taller man an unimpressed glare, Lumine puts her hands on her sides. She have heard the same speech before, but not a single one of them she listened. "I disagree, my lord. In case if you have forgotten, I am nothing more but an outlander looking for my missing brother, I joined the Fatui because I have no other choices to whom I should asked for help other than her royal higness, the Tsaritsa. And when she proposed to forge a contract with me, I agreed because I have no choice."
Sighing, Lumine puts her hand on her chest, looking down with a half lidded eyes as she continues.
"Her majesty only accepts me because I am an outlander. The laws of Tevyat does not work on me, and even the throne of the gods have no control over me aside from having this accursed seal to hold my power back, but even that doesn't stop me from gaining power without the need of their so-called blessings. For all I care, I am nothing but a simple pawn for her majesty, a pawn needed to realize her dreams of overthrowing the divine. And after that dreams come true... Goodness knows what will happen to me... But whatever it is that's going to happen, as long as my brother was found, then I'm ready to face anything."
Listening to Lumine's words, Pierro stayed silent, his eye is unmoving from Lumine's gold ones, there was no sound coming from him except for his silent breathing. And just as Lumine thought that the man is going to stay in that state for the next five minutes, he finally spoke up.
"You keep saying that, but isn't it rude for you to keep lying on the behalf of her majesty like that?" The man suddenly said out of blue, catching Lumine off guard.
"W-What?"
"Don't even pretend that you didn't know, Lumine." Pierro said after releasing another sigh. "It's none of my business if it's related to her majesty's privacy. But even I would know that there is some things in this world that she treasured, nevermind the fact that she wasn't what she used to be in the past."
"What are you trying to say?" Lumine asked, showing a tiny bit of curiosity in her tone.
"What I'm trying to say is, the Tsaritsa values you more than you could ever imagine." Pierro answered, dropping the riddles in his words. "I can clearly see it in her majesty's eyes, how they softened when she looked at you, how her voice got gentler when she speaks about you, or how she acts a little bit differently whenever you were around." The old man said as he finally moved from his pose. "Her majesty may have hide her great admiration for you, but there's no denying it that she have bottled up the feelings for the past two years."
"Not you too..." Lumine mentally groaned, just when she thought that she could at least avoid this kind of topic by simply staying away from the Tsaritsa, it turns out her right hand man is also on the boat.
"Is that that why you are in her majesty's room? She's confessing her feelings for you, isn't it?" Pierro asked with a raised eyebrow, once again catching Lumine off guard.
"H-How could you end up with that conclusion?! W-We were just having an important discussion, that's all!" Lumine answered her senior's accusations, trying hard to came up with a believable lie, but she failed to prevent the crimson blush to appear on her face.
The senior Fatuus continue to stare at her with his raised eyebrow, and after a moment, the unexpected happened. The old man smiled, even just for a little, which makes it more akin to a smirk than a full blown smile.
"I see. So her majesty finally come clean with her feelings." The bearded man muttered, pushing himself from the wall he approached the smaller Harbinger, coming to a stop beside her. "I know it has been hard for you for being a part of this organisation, Lumine. But please remember that it wasn't really necessary for you to threw away what makes you a person. Nobody in the Fatui wants you to do that, not even her royal higness." He said, with every words that came out of his mouth entered her ears.
What is he trying to say this time? He doesn't want Lumine to discard her humanity? How could he say such thing when he himself have done it too? Isn't that why he joined the Fatui in the first place? To tear away what makes him a person as he don a mask while laughing in the face of fate? Ever since that day she joined the Fatui, Pierro have become her role model of sort, the old man were once her mentor and partner who helps her conditioning herself to her new life as the enemy of Tevyat, she had heard stories and rumors from her peers about him. About how he was once a man born from Khaenri'ah, the same nation that was destroyed by the gods, an event that leads to the creation of this organisation. About how Pierro also played a role on it's destruction, and the overwhelming regrets for being unable to prevent such tragedy drove the man to become what he is today, the Jester.
Come to think of it, is that why he did this stupid antics of standing in her way as she walks? Greeting her, talking to her, inviting her to do missions together, and ask her to a month of weekly spar? Is he perhaps trying to make her be more expressive so that she would stop walking around the palace with a tired, blank, emotionless face? Those are indeed such a nice gestures coming from him. But...
"I'm sorry my lord. But I already come to terms with the fact that I am no longer the same person I was in the past." Lumine said with a sigh, shaking her head. "It is just like you said, it wasn't necessary for me to threw away my humanity like this. Even the most ruthless and battle hungry men among our peers still have a family they cared and deeply treasured. But I'm afraid this is the only way for me, the only way I can bring myself to keep going and serve her majesty untill we realized her dreams of world piece." Lumine explained with her eyes closed.
Pierro in return slowly turned his head, his eye looking at Lumine. "But surely you don't forget why you did it in the first place, are you? How do you think your brother will react once he saw you like this, hmm?"
Now that he mention him, Lumine could feel her eyes twitching even more. Slowly turning her head to the side, she came face to face with the Jester. Glaring daggers at him, the darkness in her eyes amplified, and her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at her senior with a hidden anger.
"Are you trying to provoke me?" Lumine asked, her voice is dangerously low, particles of lights already surrounds her palm as she is ready to materialize her sword, the god slayer. "May I suggest that we settle this argument with a duel? I could break a bone or two in your body, and I'm sure that her majesty wouldn't mind it because I can simply heal them so can then break them again and again."
The blonde girl's words sounds threatening, challenging, and as if to accept her challenge, dark aura slowly seeps out of Pierro's body too. The faint golden glow is clashing against the freezing cold darkness.
But as if he decided against it, Pierro's dark aura immediately dissipated.
"As much as intriguing your offer is, I'm afraid I must decline." Pierro answered, receiving a raised eyebrow from Lumine as the faint golden glow around her body also disappeared. "It seems like my presence are required. How about we do it tomorrow, hmm? I've gotten a lot stronger than before, you know."
Lumine sighed at his words, cancelling her transmogrification magic with a simple wave of her hand. "Very well. It's been a while since I received the taste of defeat. I hope you can keep up with me, my lord." Lumine said, closing her eyes.
Chuckling, Pierro gently shook his head. "Oh I definitely will. Oh and by the way, about your questions before..." The old man clears his throat. "Yes, they are waiting for you. There's about fourty of them, some are in pretty bad shape."
"I understand. I shall make haste then." Looking away, Lumine release another sigh before materializing an urn which she puts on top of an empty shelf nearby.
"Don't overdo yourself. The Tsaritsa will be very displeased if she finds out." Not far from her, Pierro who returned to his earlier position warns her, with Lumine replying to his words with a silent huff.
Placing her palms on the ceramic decoration, Lumine gently trace her fingers along its surface in a certain pattern while concentrating her mind. And not long after that, a vortex of wind gathered around her, and she was sucked into it, leaving the Zapolyarny palace without a trace.
~o~0~o~
Seconds later, Lumine found herself landing on a wooden floor of a hallway, a big contrast to Zapolyarny palace's clean and shiny marble floor. The walls is also made of concrete instead of stone, and ceiling is also a lot closer now, not requiring the pillars for support like one in Snezhnaya.
This changes are made because Lumine is no longer inside the palace. Instead, she is now inside the ceramic urn that she just brought out. Although such things sounds impossible to any normal person, with the use of the sub-space creation, anything is possible.
It was an ancient ability that Lumine had the opportunity to learn in the past. During a certain trip that took her to the land of the Geo Archon known as Liyue, Lumine met with the powerful group of illuminated beasts who are natives of Liyue known as the Adepti. It was thanks to her clever disguise that she managed to conceal her identity as a member of the Fatui to trick a certain talkative and boastful bird to teach her the secret. Although she's still feeling a little bad for tricking the illuminated beast who did her no wrong (Aside from giving her an earful of boasts and embarrassing stories about it's past apprentices.) Lumine justified it as a means to an end.
The adeptal technique has proven to be very useful for Lumine's work as a Harbinger. Especially when it comes to hiding something like this.
The blonde haired girl walk down the small corridor with the clacking sounds of her heels echoed behind her. Her eyes stayed focused on the simple wooden door at the end of the hallway, her destination, the place that Pierro had mentioned during their earlier conversation.
As mentioned before, the sub-space creation allows someone to create an entire realm inside an object, and they have complete control over it, even the laws of physics can be disabled if the user wished to. But surely for Lumine to go such lengths to learn this technique is all for the sake of her work as a Fatui Harbinger, right? Well, not exactly.
As much as she hoped that this powerful technique can be easily learned and inherited so that the Fatui could use it for their own benefits. Lumine's reason to seek out this ability is not related to her work at all. In fact, her training with the Adeptus that taught her in mastering this Adeptal-art is entirely a secret that she hides from the ears of the Tsaritsa, disguising her trip to the nation of contracts as a reconnaissance mission to gather some info about the Lord of Geo that will take her for three days. And that is how she came to create this realm, a realm where she could operate in secret.
But what kinds of operations the blonde haired girl had conducted here? All the answers lies behind the door in front of her.
As she stood before the wooden door, Lumine took the moment to ready herself. She looked down and saw the ominous faint but still visible dark miasma coming out from the crack of the door, and her sensitive nose smelled the awful scent it brought, urging her the scrunch her nose in disgust. If it was already this awful from the start, Lumine can't imagine the thought of having this going on for several hours because she didn't came here this morning as promised, she better make this quick before things went awry.
Releasing a small sigh, she pushed the door open and the dark miasma quickly surrounding her, as if they just found a new person to prey upon after their previous hosts are no longer strong enough to control them. But unfortunately for them, Lumine is definitely someone that they never hope to prey upon. By simply snapping her fingers, Lumine sends a shockwave of light energy out of her body, the wave wash over the miasma like sand getting dragged by the water back to the sea, clearing out the room from the dark mist and at the very least nullified that awful stench of corruption. But it wasn't enough to completely obliterate the source of the malice energy however.
Lumine looked at the view in front of her: rows upon rows of beds are placed on the sides of the long room that is no different than the corridors before. On each bed, a high ranking member of Fatui officers is laying on top of it, with needless punctured their wrist that was connected to an IV bag placed besides every occupied beds in the area. Some of these people are in a comatose like state where they're having a not peaceful sleep, some of them are conscious enough to groan and grunt, and there's also a little of them who are awake but lying on their respective beds as same as the others with each breaths they take are a heavy one.
This is the secret that Lumine had stored, an act that she does behind the Tsaritsa's back.
These Fatui officers, they are all came from the military divisions of the organisation, specifically, they are a high ranking soldiers that oftens deployed first into the battlefield, such as squad leaders, skirmishers' captain, special agents, and also veterans, from Mirror Maidens to Cicin Mages. These people have gathered here under the same reason, to cure themselves.
Cure themselves from the curse they had endured for some time in their lives, a curse they have put themselves into ever since the day they received the blessings from their queen.
Blessings known as Delusions.
The world of Tevyat works very differently from all the worlds Lumine had visited before. In here, every humans born with chances in their lives, a chance to gain power, a power appearing in the form of a strange gem that some selected few people of Tevyat have carried them around in their persons, an object known as Visions.
For humans to receive such power is already surprising enough, but to learn that this is a pretty common occurrence in Tevyat is another level of surprise for Lumine.
After some time of joining the Fatui, Lumine have learn much about how exactly this strange world works. Most important information she received either from Pierro who was her charge at the time, or directly from the Tsaritsa once she climbed into the rank of a Harbinger.
On the contrary of common believes from the people that Visions are a sign of acknowledgement from the gods, a physical manifestation of someone's aspirations, or that Visions are a gifts given from a ruling Archons themselves. It was in fact a tool, a bait of some sort, given by the menace known as Celestia for their long term plan of sustaining an absolute control over mankind and the entirety of this world.
Every Vision wielders, allogenes as the Tsaritsa called them, each have the small opportunity to attain godhood once they were deemed worthy by the Throne of the Gods, after their deaths, they shall then ascend to the Celestia above, before getting through a set of trials that would guarantee their transformation once they finished it. And that's how an Archon was born.
Lumine thought that it was weird how the Tsaritsa and the unknown God that took her brother felt... Different somehow, despite the fact that both have divine energy coursing through their systems. And that is when she realized that the Archons, although held the title of God in their name, was in fact a being with lesser status than the one who resides in Celestia, making them ultimately a tool for the ones above as well, no different than the humans.
The will of Celestia is to retain absolute control over everything, and once a threat were detected, then they will waste no time to burn them to ashes, like the one they did to Khaenri'ah years ago. With the Archons being their enforcer, with no strength to resist those who are above them. And that was how the Delusions were manufactured.
As one of her attempt on severing her connections with Celestia, the Tsaritsa decided that she couldn't risk of unintentionally breeding a new Archon candidate for Celestia to take. The with the help of the advanced knowledge of Khaenri'ah she got from the Jester, she create a new type of weapon, a weapon capable of granting it's user great power that even made a Vision looks like a child's play in comparison.
At first, when she learned about this information, Lumine didn't care about it very much, or at the very least, she is glad that the Fatui have their own source of power that don't have any connection to their enemy, and one that more powerful at that. Or at least that's what she first thought. But it was changed after she holds the thing for the very first time.
Every great power came with a great cause, that's what she realized.
It all happened two years ago. Back then, when Lumine was still considered to be a newbie in the Fatui, Pierro had instructed her to temporarily joined a squad of a reconnaissance team headed towards Fontaine, a nation ruled by the Hydro Archon. Their mission that day is to gather information regarding of the Hydro Archon's status within her nation after the Cataclysm, and to conduct a plan on how use the gathered information for future use when they ever needed to go there again.
However, tragedy happened. During the mission, their squad was ambushed, and the surprise attack had successfully catching the squad off guard, there are many casualties for both sides, especially when their squad leader suddenly fell into his knees in pain, as if he suddenly got hit by a heart attack, and it was all chaos after that. And before Lumine knew, she was the last to survive in that ordeal. And without the squad for help, Lumine was all alone, lost inside the nation she had never set her foot on before.
Thankfully however, after three days of wandering aimlessly around, a miracle happened when she came a across a familiar statue in the wilderness, it has the same structure with the one back in Snezhnaya, but this time, it has the statue of the Hydro Archon instead of the Tsaritsa's on top of it. And just as Lumine is about to take a rest under it, the statue resonated with her, exactly like what happened when she came across the Tsaritsa's statue a few months prior. And that is how she got her Hydro powers, using it to her her wounds and freely walk on water to cross rivers and sea, allowing her to find a nearby Fatui camp, with a half impressed half surprised Pierro waiting for her. It was thanks to her survival that the mission was a success, despite of the casualties they suffered.
Before they return to Snezhnaya, the Fatui was then instructed by Pierro to go check the battlefield of where Lumine's entire squad has been slaughtered. They collect their comrades dead bodies to give them proper burial, and also take their possessions to be send to their families back in their nation. Lumine herself was among the men who went there to retrieve her fallen comrades items, and that's when she first found it. The captain of the squad is actually using a Delusion during that fight, and it seems to be the cause of his sudden heart attack.
The answer was about to get revealed soon the moment Lumine picked up the Delusion from the ground.
The instant it made contact with her skin, Lumine immediately felt how the darkness, the malice energy, and the cold feeling crawling all over skin, like an army of millions of ants biting every inch of her skin. Is this really what the Fatui have manufactured throughout its years of operations? A weapon of incredible power at the cost of its user's own health? Sadly, it was. The Delusions are a product made from the remnants of the deceased gods in Tevyat. In all of the previous world she has visited, Lumine learned that they're always consequences in a death of a god. Be it a massive flood that engulfed the entire world in water, or causing the sun to literally disappeared out of existence before a never ending rain and storm followed after. Meanwhile in Tevyat, although a god's death doesn't have a massive Impact to the world as massive as the one she previously visits, their deaths are still brought incoming consequences in some other form. Be it an explosion of salt that petrified the humans around them, or an appearance of a strong wind current enough to make once a large city to turn into wrecked ruins.
Although an Archons' deaths may brought different kinds of disaster, there is one thing in common that they shared, which is how the grudges and emotions of a deceased gods that die during the Archon war would manifest in the future, appearing in many different forms such as demonic beings, curses, plagues, and some other more. And unlike how the other nations have worked hard on purifying these maliceness out of their nations for the sake of the people. The Tsaritsa had instead decided to utilize it. She did this by capturing the many forms of a deceased gods remnants before experimenting on them, which would eventually led to the creation of the Delusion. A weapon empowered by the remnants of a dead Archon, and can be wielded by just about anyone, with every use of the weapon would resulted in their bodies getting corrupted by the negative energy to the point that their life force would slowly getting drained. A big explanation to reveal why so many Fatuus have white or gray hair.
And it was because of this discovery, that drove Lumine to do this.
"Lady Lumine! You're back!"
Lumine turned her head to where the voice is coming from. A girl with brown hair and mask on her face is approaching her. She was a Fatuus that Lumine had the opportunity to make acquaintance with, and Lumine had entrusted her and some other members as well to watch over this place should she haven't returned yet during any day offs.
"Let's skip the pleasantries for later and get straight to the point." Lumine flatly replied, causing the other woman to stiffen up a little. "How many are they?" The blonde girl asked while crossing her arms.
"Not much, fortunately." The girl answered, timid and serious, one could see that she was sweating buckets on her backside, no doubt because she was nervous for being so close to a Harbinger like this. "Your hard work for yesterday have reduced the numbers quite many."
"I see." Lumine muttered with a solemn nod. Her eyes glanced towards the woman in front of her, staring directly into the holes of her mask. "Forgive me for being so late for today, her majesty have called me for an important discussion this morning." The blonde girl said, still with her usual emotionless and blank voice, but it's enough to make the other woman startled, never before she imagine of getting asked for forgiveness by a Harbinger.
"N-No no no! T-There's nothing to apologize for, lady Lumine!" The brown haired Fatuus said as she frantically waving her hands. "I-In fact, should I have known that you are so busy, I wouldn't have asked for Lord Pierro's help to search for you."
Ah, right, Pierro was here, she almost forgot.
"What did he do here anyway?" Lumine asked again with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Oh, about that... Lord Pierro came here simply because he was looking for you, my lady." The woman answered, putting a hand on her chest. "I have no idea why he's looking for you but... I presume that you have already met him?"
"I did. It wasn't really that important, he's simply have some words to spill." Lumine slowly nods her head. "Anyway, we're getting out of track, let's get to work now."
"Yes, my lady."
Sighing, Lumine approached one of the bed that are the closest to her. On top of it, a woman with a common Cicin Mages outfit is having an unrestful sleep, each breaths that she take is heavy, her limbs are stiff and her hair is fully grey despite of her appearing to be in her twenties. To a normal eye, it may seems that there is nothing wrong with the woman aside from her physical distress. But to the eyes of Lumine, she sees all. The blonde girl see how the many claws of darkness tightly wrapped around the poor woman's body, like rope or a very long snake entangling her to the point that it crushed her bones and organs like a piece of butter. And not only that, but the darkness have also entered her systems as well, like a venom that courses through her veins and blood vessels. Anymore than this then this woman will surely die in the most painful way as possible.
Coming to a stop besides the bed, Lumind closed her eyes and slowly, gently, placed her palm atop the woman's abdomen, causing her to grunt in pain as even the slightest physical touch can give her pain. Focusing her energy, a soft golden glow appeared around Lumine, with most of it was centered around her palm. And after taking a long breath, Lumine pushed her palm and harshly pressed it against the woman's bely, eliciting quite a loud scream out of her. The golden glow from Lumine's body was transferred into the sick woman, and like a fire burning who burns everything, the light energy that Lumine have sent quickly obliterate the malicious dark energy. Cutting away all the claws wrapped around her body, forcibly breathing out all the dark fog accumulated inside her lungs, and just like how white blood cells wiping out dangerous bacteria, the light energy entered the womans blood systems and terminate every single particles that was left of the dark energy. Successfully purifying it out of existence.
Once it was done, Lumine released a sigh before gently take her hand off of the woman's abdomen, with the Fatuus in question groaned as she slowly opens her eyes and greeted with the sight of the second Harbinger staring down at her, her golden eyes are dark and lifeless, and her face is blank, a pretty common sight on the girl's face.
"Lady Lumine..." The mage is about to say something but was immediately shushed by her senior.
"Don't talk, just rest." Lumine whispered, straightening her body as she was prepared to approach another bed.
The mage obligingly nods her head before resting her exhausted body against the comfy bed below her again. Her once grey hair slowly returns to it's natural green, her once very pale skin that almost looks like a corpse is now regaining its former healthy tone again, and even her voice is not as hoarse as before. "Thank you, my lady."
Lumine didn't reply, instead choosing to approach another bed with a Fatui agent on top, suffering from the pain like the mage before, but it won't be long before he was saved from the suffering once Lumine worked on him, using her magic to erase the corruption that the Delusions have brought into his body. And once he was cured, Lumine would approach another bed, and repeated the process over and over again until every single person in the room was cured.
This is what Lumine do during any day offs aside from venturing Tevyat in search for brother's location. Ever since that day when she discovered the true nature of the Delusions, Lumine have worked hard on finding a way to somehow stopped this thing to corrupt the body and soul of a person. With all of her research came to a dead end of one conclusion, nothing can't stop it. A godly power is not something that an average human can easily utilize, much less if it comes from a dead god, after all, it won't be called "godly" without a reason. From her experience of adventuring to the other worlds, Lumine have seen firsthand about what happens should a mortal ever tried to get their hands on this kind of power. In one world, she saw how a person combust into a pile of flesh and blood the moment they came into contact with it. In another world, she saw how when a godly power bestowed upon an unworthy mortal made them transform in a grotesque way into a horrifying being of a complete monstrosity that she and Aether themselves must slay. And there's also this one time when they encounter someone who have godly powers twisting their minds to turn them into a complete megalomaniac of a psychopath who tried to destroy an entire world.
It seems like Tevyat is no different than the others. Only this time, instead of an instant death or a corruption that twisted both bodies and minds. The Delusions gave it's user a slow painful death, like a curse that slowly eating away their body, letting them to experience the pain for every seconds that passed by. Definitely a afte worse than death for Lumine's standards, and it's certainly painful to watch or simply knowing that every men that are working under her must experience this kind of pain, while she herself are saved from it due to her nature as outlander, meaning that she was completely immune to it.
Lumine didn't know wether she did this out of pity or survivors guilt, after years of throwing away her humanity, it certainly difficults for her to recognize the way her own heart is feeling. But nevertheless, she still desired to lift this kind of burden from her comrades, or at the very least, trying to. She's aware that there's no way that the Tsaritsa would stop the production of Delusions, even if the blonde girl attempted to formaly talk to her. And there's certainly no way that she could persuade everyone to stop using it for the sake of their own safety, all members of the Fatui are all loyal and obedient to their queen, nevermind the fact that only half of them are genuinely loyal, while the other half are only joined to save themselves from the incoming war against the Celestial Thrones.
All that Lumine could do was to cure them from this suffering once it hits a certain critical level. An act that she did in secret, fearing that the Tsaritsa might disapproved of this activity, for the queen has no longer have any love for her people, she would not hesitate to indirectly kill her own men like this, with her own army have no reason to refuse as they already forfeited their lives at the moment they signed the contract of joining the Fatui. But for the blonde haired Fatuus known as Lumine however, she have a different views on this kind of matter. To Lumine, every member of the Fatui have their values, and for the Fatui to realise her majesty's dreams of world peace, they need every tool they have to have a good and proper condition for use, and killing someone who is their allies be it directly or indirectly is certainly a big waste of resources that Lumine can't allow, therefore, since the there's no one who cares about the matter other than her, she decided to do this, successfully decreasing the rate of death caused by overusage of Delusions, preventing the organisation for ever getting understaffed due to many of its members deaths without the Tsaritsa ever knowing it.
However, despite of how all of her patients has promised to keep this operation a secret from the upper ranks within the Fatui, secrets cannot be hidden forever.
During its early days, there was a time where Lumine did this operation in the outside world, long before she learned the usage of sub-space creation from the Adepti. During that time, Lumine would always leave the palace at early morning whenever it was during a scheduled day offs for the Fatui, she would went into the woods near the border of Snezhnaya, where she would then entered a cave where this operation originally took place. Curing all of the patients in need before traveling out of the country to continue her search for her brother on her own, and once the moon rises into the sky, she would return to the palace to prepare for the next day.
But what Lumine never expected however, is the thought that someone would actually follow her during one of those times.
She remembers as clear as day of when her secret activity has been discovered by her senior. During the early morning, just when she was about to leave for the cave, she met with Pierro who is standing beside the entrance of the Zapolyarny palace, asking her about where she is heading. Lumine who was still not yet a Harbinger at the time are forced to tell her senior a lie, that she was going for a walk around Snezhnaya, to get a better understanding of the nation despite the fact that she had done it several times before. Pierro is obviously saw through her lie that day, but maybe it was because of her hurried mind that day that she was unable to see this. And once he allowed her to pass the gate, the Jester had followed her into the secret area, witnessing the miraculous ability the blonde haired girl possessed, to think that there's a person who can actually cure someone from something supposedly inevitable.
"So... This is what you've been doing behind our backs all this time." The cold voice of the Jester echoed throughout the cave.
All of the Fatui inside quickly turns their heads to see the familiar figure of the Harbinger of the Tsaritsa slowly yet menacingly descended the stone stairs as he entered further into the cave systems. His azure eye scanned every inch of the scene laid out in front of him. Dozens of beds orderly placed around the rooms in the most fitting way as possible for the cave systems. With most of the beds are occupied by a Fatui officers based on the lieutenants insignias he spotted on their chest, there are even some people that Pierro knew.
But as weird as that sounds however, it doesn't compare to what he realized next.
These Fatuus... they all have one thing in common. They are all users of Delusions. He realized this once he saw the blessings of the Tsaritsa is dangling on their clothes. What did she do with all of these people?
"Lord Pierro." Speak of the devil, the familiar blonde haired girl, the one that the queen had instructed him keep an eye on, slowly approaching him, her face is still in the same blank and emotionless state, and her eyes did not move from his form, blatantly ignoring all the stares that everyone present gave her. Once she got close to him, but not close enough, she doesn't even hesitate to let herself fall into her knees as she bowed before him, her senior and also mentor in regards of her activity within the organisation. "I'm surprised that you managed found this place. May I presume that you have been following me this morning?"
The girl's words sounded like she was talking to an enemy, not to her senior and fellow Fatui. And yet, she kept her humble and mannerly tone. If he was another person, Pierro might think that the girl before him is actually mocking him, making it sounds like she was in the middle of a normal discussion with the Harbinger instead of the strange and a little unsettling situation they currently at.
"Lumine..." The old man muttered out her name, there are almost no emotions in his voice, something that rivaled Lumine's own way of talking during everyday situation. "What have you done in this place?" The Jester asked, focusing his eye solely on the form of the kneeling girl before him. "What have you done to this people? Are you secretly plotting something against her royal highness?"
There are actually some emotions on his words this time. It was a well hidden anger that Lumine had felt, but it felt small, it seems like the bearded man is not the type of person who jumps into conclusion and actually prefer to analyse the situations first before he got a clear confirmation.
"Yes..." Lumine answered. And immediately after that, she felt how Pierro is clenching his fist as anger slowly surfaced into his mind. "...And no." Lumine completed her sentence, successfully calming him down and turned his anger into confusion.
"What are you saying?" The Jester asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well you see, my lord." Lumine began. "It all started with-"
"Lady Lumine did nothing wrong!" Out of nowhere, an officer who was Cicin Mage that Lumine just recently cured from her illness suddenly spoke up. Gaining the attention from both the Harbinger and the lady in question.
"It's true." Another officer, a leader of a skirmisher squad this time, also spoke up. "Lady Lumine just saved our lives. She wasn't plotting anything against her higness, in fact, she did this all for the sake of the Fatui."
What are these guys doing? What are they trying say to Pierro?
"T-That's true! I-In fact..." A mirror maiden nervously gulped down the lump in her throat. "T-This wasn't Lady Lumine's idea at all. I-It was ours! We forced into doing this for us! So please, d-don't punish her."
The officer's words caused Lumine to widen her eyes. Why is she lying? This is obviously what she did out of her free will, and she roped all of these people into this simply because she wants to help them, to cure them, for the sake of the Fatui.
And before she could further comprehend what the woman just said. Every single person in the room stood up, completely ignoring the exhaustion of their bodies in favour of agreeing with what the Mirror Maiden just said. Just what are they doing? Are they actually backing her up? Trying to take the blame on themselves instead of her? The one who just saved all of them from the brink of death, despite of knowing the fact that she did this not for their sake, or that they even barely know anything about her.
Eventually, the caves was filled with shouts and yells, until it was all that Lumine heard that moment. The blonde girl gathers the courage to look up, only to see that Pierro is staring blankly at the sight in front of him, the sight of many people trying to protect Lumine. And once Lumine felt enough is enough, she turned around and yells at them.
"Everyone that's enough!" Her scream instantly silence them. Making Lumine grateful of how obedient they are. Sighing in relief, she stood up and turns around to face the taller man before her. "Lord Pierro, please ignore everything that they just said." The blonde girl muttered, making Pierro to look down and stared back at her. "May I suggest that we talk about this matter outside? I don't want to let them get involved in this problem."
The old man was unresponsive at first. But he closed his eye and released a sigh moments later.
"Sure." He simply replied.
With him following behind her, the two made their way to the surface, before walking away and stopped in a remote location near the cave entrance.
"This place is fine. So, where do you want to begin?" Lumine asked as she turned around to face her senior. Looking directly into his azure eye as his expression remains unchanged.
"Anywhere is good as long as you get straight to the point instead of speaking riddles." The taller man replied, clearly unimpressed.
"As you wish then."
And so, Lumine explained everything to him. What happened during the reconnaissance mission to Fontaine, what she felt after holding a Delusion for the first time, her thoughts about it, her true feelings about the Tsaritsa's act of giving these to her own men, and the reason why she ultimately decided to do this. All of them came spilling out from her mouth without a single lie in them, she speaks in all but honesty, expecting nothing but whatever decision the Harbinger will take after hearing all of these stories.
"Please bear it in mind that I did all of this for the Fatui, for the sake of her majesty, even if I did it completely behind her back. Well... I guess it's no longer a secret now that you have seen it, huh?" Lumine said after she finished telling him the full story. Throughout the time, the face of Pierro is still not changing, and he also didn't say anything, listening to her in silence.
"It seems so..." The Jester finally said something after what it's like to be half an hour.
Sighing after hearing his response, Lumine turned around to look up into the sky. Halfway through her story, the snow began to rain from the sky, and the sky is getting dark. In contrast to her senior who dons a winter coat perfect for the current weather, Lumine is still wearing the same light outfit she wears every day, and yet the girl barely even shivering from the feeling of snowflakes landing on her exposed skin.
"Are you... Going to report this to her majesty, my lord?" Lumine asked after a moment, slightly tilting her head back to look at the old man behind her. "If so, then save it. Let tell her royal higness myself, I am prepared to face any punishment that she would bestow upon me. Be it death or a defection from the Fatui."
The two held their current positions. Lumine with her eyes closed and back facing the Jester. And Pierro who did nothing but continue to stare at the girl in front of him. With Pierro continuing the silence, perhaps having accepted it, Lumine raise her hand, ready teleport herself and Pierro straight into the throne room where she knows where the Tsaritsa probably is.
"I won't." In a surprising turn, Pierro finally spoke up. Causing Lumine's eyes to widened in shock.
"What?" She said in disbelief, canceling her teleportation magic, turned her body around to face the man again.
"To tell you the truth, Lumine. I do feel the same way about this." Pierro said crossing his arms over his chest. "We Khaenri'ahns are exist without the help from the gods. We built our nations solely by our own hands, up from the first to the last brick placed on the ground was all thanks to our hardwork. We did this to prove ourselves, to prove that humans did not necessarily need the god's for protection and guidance. Khaenri'ah is the proud of mankind, a symbol of some sort to prove our worth in this world." The old man then sighed, closing his eyes as he continued. "But, perhaps it was because of this fact that made us consumed by arrogance. As time passed, we become more and more invested with our knowledge and technologies, deciding that building a nation wasn't enough, that we need to be more to actually prove that we are greater than anything, even to the point that we tempered with life itself, to go against the laws of nature and beyond. It was this arrogance that made us cursed by the heaven itself. The reason why the nation were burned to ashes."
"But the truth is, the fate that have befallen my former nation can be easily prevented if it wasn't for those arrogant higher ups to refuse listening to me." He opens his eye again to look directly at Lumine. "Their arrogance have blinded them to the point that they refused to listen to an ordinary folk like me, because I was an ordinary man, because I'm not in the same class as those sages, I failed to warn them of the impending doom they're headed straight in. And as I watch how the once great nation fall, I realize that perhaps we do need gods in our sides this time, to aid us in our war against the divine. That's how I became her majesty's servant. I pledged my loyalty to the God who desired to break the chains of destiny in this world. And I had vowed myself to never went against her orders."
"However, after spending much time of my life, surrounded by friends and families back home. It certainly is difficult for me to not feel a thing as I watch the many deaths of our comrades, be it at the hands of enemy or from the inside. I am aware that us Fatui are all fueled by suicidal devotion that drove us to do anything for the cause. But to see that that our own devotion is the cause of our deaths is just far too cruel." Pierro explained with a shook of her head. "I do want to help these people too, but seeing how this is coming directly from her higness, the Tsaritsa, or the simple fact that I do not possess the ability to do something against something this innevitable. I eventually gave up. But after seeing you working hard like this even during day offs, then maybe I was wrong to give up that easily after all."
"My lord... Do you mean that..."
"If you wish to continue this secret operation of yours, then I won't stop you. And I shall keep the secret just for myself."
The blonde girl stared at the man in front of her for the next half a minute in silence, before she nods her head and give him a little bow.
"Thank you." She muttered out softly.
"But, I must warn you however." Pierro continues, closing his eye. "Secrets cannot be hidden forever, one day, there will come a time when her royal highness will find out about this. And when that happens, what will you do?"
Lumine couldn't answer that question, choosing to remain silence as the two of them just standing there in the midst of a snowfall.
And it was not long after that day when Pierro finds out about Lumine's secret, that the blonde girl decided to bring her operation into the most secretive place as possible, finding out that an Adepti abode to be the answer and thus promting her to seek them out and become their temporary apprentice while in disguise, and needles to say, she was more than satisfied with the results of her hardwork.
Lumine had never thought that Pierro would would allow her to continue doing this, even after she kept it a secret from him for a long time, even if what she does is something that was against the Tsaritsa's wishes. She was glad nevertheless.
Come to think of it, she now remembers about her patients reaction that day when they first got found. Lumine saw their faces, even for just a tiny bit, how their expressions are filled with worry and... Some degree of determination as well. She remembers all that they were saying, how they tried to took the blame on themselves and protected her from Pierro and the Tsaritsa's wrath. She felt no malice in their words, only pure honesty, they were genuinely trying to protect her, maybe it was because they want to repay the debt for having Lumine to cure them from their turmoil. Or maybe... They just simply like her? Are they actually respect and care about her? To the point that they are willing to receive punishments from their charges in favour of letting her go free? This is all too confusing.
But... As she remembers this memory, Lumine's thoughts drifted back to the Tsaritsa and what happened between the two this morning.
"You're just so loyal, so obidient, and so devoted to me. Your selfless act of sacrificing your own humanity for your brother and a promise even I wasn't sure able to fulfill makes something sparked inside me. I always thought that I was changed, I kept convincing myself that I'm no longer the old me, and yet, now here I am, once again feeling something that should've been long gone, I feel... love."
Tsaritsa... Does she... Does she really mean that? Is it really because of how loyal and obedient Lumine had become to the queen that she had starting to develop a crush on her? In the same way how her patients comes to care for here after what she had done for them?
The thoughts made something warm blooms inside her chest, but Lumine couldn't understanding what it was. It felt almost familiar with the sensation that she have whenever she was around Aether, but this time, it was stronger and hotter, if that's even the right word for it.
The Tsaritsa really loves her... But can Lumine possibly loved her back? For her who had already discarded her humanity.
Lumine's mind was too occupied with all of these train of thoughts that she forgets everything that happens in the real world. And before she knew it, she was already curing the last patient in there, while the rest of them is already lifted from their curses.
Lumine lifted her hand once she was done with the last patient. Sighing in relief as the man in front of him who is an agent is now starting to breathe normally instead of heavily. "Is everyone here already cured? Is there someone that I unintentionally missed?" The blonde girl asked as she turns around to face everyone who is now mostly awake and well.
"Report. Everyone here is already been cured, lady Lumine." The Fatuus woman from before approached her before giving her the information. "Lady Lumine is still as efficient and powerful as before, thanks to you, everyone here is now okay."
"Glad to hear that." Lumine said with a sigh. Materializing a pocket watch in her hand, she saw that it was already six o'clock in the afternoon. Thanks to her late arrival here, what usually done at twelve o'clock is done late for six hours, meaning that she won't have the time to travel outside of Snezhnaya to look for her brother as usual, and the only thing she could do now is to get to that place. "It seems like it's getting pretty late, I better go now, please reminds everyone to took better care of themselves." Lumine ordered before starts walking.
"Yes, my lady." The woman replied as Lumine walked passed her.
Lumine approached the door at the end of the room. Her hand is already reaching out to rotate the handle. But before her hand could even touch it, the door already opened by themselves, and a familiar figure emerge from behind the door. And their appearance made Lumine's eyes almost buldge out of their sockets.
"Hello again, Lumine." The Tsaritsa is smiling down at her, despite the obvious fact that she had witnessed what the Harbinger has been doing for the past few hours. "I see you have some interesting activity in here."
"T-Tsaritsa... H-How?"
~o~0~o~
Several hours ago.
The Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya known as the Tsaritsa could be seen pacing back and forth inside her bedroom. The queen's brows are furrowed, conflicting emotions could be seen all over her face, and the fact that she is biting her fingernails gives one the impression that she was also confused.
The queen finally had the star to submit under her now, she is now able to reach and grab it with her own hands. But what now?
All of these pent up emotions that she had endured for the last couple of months: her desire to be more than just a master to Lumine, more than just the slaver who holds her leash, more than just simply talk to her when they have the opportunity to meet each other, and more than simply looking at her grace and beauty. She already confessed and spill them all to the girl who have captured her heart. But after hours have passed since that oh so delightful morning, the Tsaritsa couldn't help herself but to let her desire taken over her again, successfully conquering any parts of her being that wasn't affected before.
She felt like she was even craving for even more now. She wants to the things she had done to Lumine this morning all over again, maybe she could do even more this time.
The Tsaritsa is craving them, hungry for them.
She want to overlap her body with her little lover, she want to feel the warmth of Lumine's body on her skin. She want to hear more of her voice, to hear that lewd but god awfully cute panting as she came on her fingers once she scratch all over her fluffy sensitive area. She want to pour all of this bottled up lust into Lumine while devouring her soft and small lips, just so she could show her just how much Tsaritsa has fallen into the abyss of love.
She wanted to see her all messed up from the pleasure. She want to see her that beautiful shades of red on her face again, to see as she blushed as if she had a high fever, and Tsaritsa wanted to feel Lumine's hot sigh against her skin. She wanted to hear the lovely screams of ecstasy leaking from her mouth as she reached her climax. She wanted to catch her quivering body with her own, to hug her and comfort her as lovely tears coming out from her eyes. All these kinds of desires dominates the Tsaritsa.
"I want to hug you. I want to love you. I want to comfort you. I want to break you. Break you until you find yourself unable to live without me." The Tsaritsa muttered to herself as she came to a stop before her bed.
She noticed now that the stains of Lumine's sacred water is still visible on the mattress, and a proper washing are required to make it gone. As she stared at the mark her intercourse with Lumine had left behind, another dam just broke inside the Tsaritsa's mind, destroying any restrictions and negative thoughts regarding the matter. Allowing the queen to do what she pleased.
"Lumine wouldn't get too far, I should be able to catch up with her." With that in mind, Tsaritsa leaved her bedroom and began her search for the blonde haired Harbinger. She didn't know what she should do or say once she found her, but the Tsaritsa doesn't care that much. All she wanted is to see her little lover, nothing more.
As she walked down the hallway of her beloved palace. The Tsaritsa's ears caught the sounds of two people talking, and what's more, she recognized these voice belongs to the two of her loyal servant, Pierro the Jester, and Lumine, the starlight that had illuminated her heart.
As far as she could tell, the two Harbingers are in the middle of an argument, and the Tsaritsa couldn't help but to let curiosity gets the better of her. Hiding behind a corner as she listen to what they're saying.
"Tch, talkative are we? I disagree, my lord. In case if you have forgotten, I am nothing more but an outlander looking for my missing brother, I joined the Fatui because I have no other choices to whom I should asked for help other than her royal higness, the Tsaritsa. And when she proposed to forge a contract with me, I agreed because I have no choice." Lumine said while putting her hands on her sides.
Tsaritsa narrowed her eyes at that. It is true what Lumine just said. Based from the story Tsaritsa heard from the blonde girl herself, after witnessing such tragedy and got trapped in this cruel world against her wishes, with no brother in sight and no power to back her up, it's not a wonder why Lumine would easily swayed into joining the Fatui, the Tsaritsa is the only one seemingly capable of helping her with her issues, and also because she had no other choice in the first place.
Sighing, Lumine puts her hand on her chest, looking down with a half lidded eyes as she continues.
"Her majesty only accepts me because I am an outlander. The laws of Tevyat does not work on me, and even the throne of the gods have no control over me aside from having this accursed seal to hold my power back, but even that doesn't stop me from gaining power without the need of their so-called blessings. For all I care, I am nothing but a simple pawn for her majesty, a pawn needed to realize her dreams of overthrowing the divine. And after that dreams come true... Goodness knows what will happen to me... But whatever it is that's going to happen, as long as my brother was found, then I'm ready to face anything."
Listening to Lumine's words, Tsaritsa's eyes widened slightly. What she just said... Is also true. During that day of their first meeting, the Tsaritsa have no other desire but to use Lumine. Back then, she only saw a the girl as a tool, a valuable pawn, one that surely brings about victory to the cause. And as she witnessed the growth of the smaller girl's strength, she couldn't help help herself but to came to value her even more, more to the point that she even made her the second Harbinger of the organisation, something that she hadn't planned before the girl's arrival.
Pierro stayed silent for a while, and after several seconds have passed he finally spoke up. "You keep saying that, but isn't it rude for you to keep lying on the behalf of her majesty like that?"
Lying on her behalf? What does the Jester meant by that?"
"W-What?"
"Don't even pretend that you didn't know, Lumine." Pierro said after releasing a sigh. "It's none of my business if it's related to her majesty's privacy. But even I would know that there is some things in this world that she treasured, nevermind the fact that she wasn't what she used to be in the past."
Wait... Is he actually knew?
"What are you trying to say?" Lumine asked, showing a tiny bit of curiosity in her tone.
"What I'm trying to say is, the Tsaritsa values you more than you could ever imagine. I can clearly see it in her majesty's eyes, how they softened when she looked at you, how her voice got gentler when she speaks about you, or how she acts a little bit differently whenever you were around. Her majesty may have hide her great admiration for you, but there's no denying it that she have bottled up the feelings for the past two years."
True enough, her intuition is correct. Turns out, her most loyal servant is actually aware about this conflict that have happened inside the Tsaritsa's mind. It's a little bit shocking really. The queen has been careful enough to hide her secret crush on her own servant, she always watched the way her own body acts and to make sure she didn't show any of the hidden emotions that she had in mind. But it seems like in the eyes of the first Harbinger, he can see through her mask. The Tsaritsa didn't know if she should it consider it to be a good or a bad thing for Pierro to have, but she can think about it later.
"Is that that why you are in her majesty's room? She's confessing her feelings for you, isn't it?" Pierro asked, catching Lumine off guard as the girl flinched for a bit.
"H-How could you end up with that conclusion?! W-We were just having an important discussion, that's all!" Lumine lied, trying to sound as convincing as possible but she failed to prevent that cute and lovely crimson blush to appear on her face.
"I see. So her majesty finally come clean with her feelings." The bearded man muttered, pushing himself from the wall he approached the smaller Harbinger, coming to a stop beside her. "I know it has been hard for you for being a part of this organisation, Lumine. But please remember that it wasn't really necessary for you to threw away what makes you a person. Nobody in the Fatui wants you to do that, not even her royal higness."
What Pierro said is once again true. Although she did not spend most of the time interacting or watching members of her own organisation, since that job belongs to Pierro, Tsaritsa was aware of the reputation Lumine had made within the army, with words from her men speaks about how there was a soulless angel amongst the Fatui, a girl with the appearance of an anger, but an empty personality as empty as the night sky during a snowstorm.
Also, his deductive skill is certainly not one to be underestimated at. So not only did Pierro now knew that Tsaritsa is harbouring a crush for Lumine, but he also now aware of their current relationship as (lovers?)
"I'm sorry my lord. But I already come to terms with the fact that I am no longer the same person I was in the past." Lumine replied with a sigh, after a moment of silence between the two. "It is just like you said, it wasn't necessary for me to threw away my humanity like this. Even the most ruthless and battle hungry men among our peers still have a family they cared and deeply treasured. But I'm afraid this is the only way for me, the only way I can bring myself to keep going and serve her majesty untill we realized her dreams of world piece."
But does it really have to be that way? The Tsaritsa didn't want it. She didn't want to see Lumine being the emotionless, cold, and distant person as she is right now. She longed for the Lumine that she saw this morning. A meek and easily embarrassed girl who will always tried her best in pleasing her master. A Lumine that the Tsaritsa preferred.
Pierro in return slowly turned his head, his eye looking at Lumine. "But surely you don't forget why you did it in the first place, are you? How do you think your brother will react once he saw you like this, hmm?"
After being provoked with the usage of her brother like that, Lumine could be seen starting to get irritated by her senior's antics. Slowly turning her head to the side, and came face to face with the Jester. Glaring daggers at him.
"Are you trying to provoke me?" Lumine asked with a dangerously low voice, particles of lights surrounding her palm, getting ready for a battle. "May I suggest that we settle this argument with a duel? I could break a bone or two in your body, and I'm sure that her majesty wouldn't mind it because I can simply heal them so can then break them again and again."
Well, that was mostly true. The Tsaritsa didn't mind it if the two of them having a spar that didn't result on their deaths. But she would more like it if her Harbingers are more focused on their goal of war against Celestia instead playing around a dangerous game.
"As much as intriguing your offer is, I'm afraid I must decline It seems like my presence are required. How about we do it tomorrow, hmm? I've gotten a lot stronger than before, you know."
Lumine sighed at his words, cancelling her magic. "Very well. It's been a while since I received the taste of defeat. I hope you can keep up with me, my lord."
Chuckling, Pierro gently shook his head. "Oh I definitely will. Oh and by the way, about your questions before... Yes, they are waiting for you. There's about fourty of them, some are in pretty bad shape."
Someone is waiting for Lumine? What is she going to do? Surely she didn't plan to lead a squad of people for some unknown operations, everyone in the Fatui is currently having a day off after all, and Lumine should've having it too.
"I understand. I shall make haste then." Lumine said as she sighed. Something just materialized in her palms. Something that was like an... urn? What is she going to do with it?
"Don't overdo yourself. The Tsaritsa will be very displeased if she finds out." Not far from her, Pierro warns her, just what are these two talking about?
Lumine placed her palms on the ceramic decoration after putting it down on a nearby shelf, and after tracing her fingers along its surface in a certain pattern, a vortex of wind gathered around her, and she suddenly disappeared without a trace, leaving only the urn behind. Where did she go? Did she just teleported away with her strange yet powerful magic? But it felt different this time than usual.
Deciding that she had enough, the Tsaritsa bring herself out of hiding. Approaching her right-hand man who is leaning against the pillar as he waits.
"Ah, greetings, your highness. I hope that you find our conversation entertaining to you." Pierro said with a little bow, receiving a nod from the Tsaritsa in return.
"Indeed it was." Tsaritsa replied, looking at her most loyal servant with the same usual emotionless and cold gaze she was known for. "I'm genuinely surprised. Never thought that you of all people would know about my... Secret affair with Harbinger Lumine, especially knowing what you are as a person."
Pierro smirked in return at her words, gently shaking his head. "Please do not misunderstood me, my queen. I wish to not using this information for any kinds of schemes or agenda. I knew it simply because I noticed these changes in your behaviour, at first, I was worried, but over time, I came into terms with it." The old man said while closing his eye.
"I don't." Tsaritsa answered, shaking her head. "You speaks nothing but truth, I do have these feelings for Lumine, and I have finally managed to gain the courage to confess it to her. But it seems like the girl is completely new to a romance life, hence that's why she's in denial about what just happened this morning." The queen explained, crossing her arms on her chest.
"Ah, then allow me to congratulate you for your success, my queen." Pierro nodded, with her hand stroking his chin.
"Save it for later, Pierro." Tsaritsa sighed, her midnight blue eyes drifted into the form of the ceramic urn thG Lumine had placed nearby. "But right now, I need to see Lumine. There is something that I would like to talk to her again." Tsaritsa's eyes then glanced back to the man in front of her, staring directly into his azure eye. "Pierro, based on the conversation I heard earlier, it seems to me that you actually knew where Lumine is heading, can you tell where did she go?"
Pierro's eyes dropped immediately after she asked him that. There was uncertainty in his eyes, and some degree of conflicting emotions. Is there something that he is hiding? Hiding from her? His own queen.
"Ah, about that. It's... Complicated to say the least, my queen." He answered with a lower tone than usual.
"What's complicated?" Tsaritsa asked again, her eyes narrowed in a dangerous level.
"Well... You see... There was this activity that Lumine always do during day offs. And activity that she tried to hide from everyone including us. Until I managed to learn of it that is." Pierro explained, releasing a sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Secret activity?" Tsaritsa muttered, her eyes narrows even more, staring intently at Pierro's eye with deep suspicion. "What kind of activities? She didn't try to plot something against me behind my back, does she?"
"No, my queen, she did not." Pierro said, quickly shaking his head in denial. "She may have done it behind our backs, but I can assure you, all she did is for the sake of the Fatui. And the only reason why she didn't tell you or I about it because she merely feared of your refusal for the proposal."
The more he talks the more interested the Tsaritsa have become. Just what in Tevyat Lumine have done behind her back all this time? A sinister plot to overthrow her is an expected one. But to do it for the sake of continuing the cause, even without her official approval? Now that is very unexpected.
"Pierro." Tsaritsa called out, gaining the attention of the bearded man. "I demand that you take me to her. I want to see what she's doing immediately." She demanded, her voice is cold and stern.
There was a moment of silence between the two, and just when the queen about to retort to threats, the Harbinger finally spoke up.
"Very well, I'll do anything you wanted me to, my queen." He answered, releasing his crossed hand before reaching one of them towards her. "Now, please allow to hold your hand, your higness, for I am the only one currently present that can take you to where our Lumine is located."
Although she was a little skeptical at first, Tsaritsa eventually agreed. Taking Pierro's palm into hers as she trusted his words.
After that, Pierro closed his eyes and concentrate, a familiar soft golden glow surrounded his body. And before long, the same vortex of wind that had sucked Lumine appeared again and this time, it sucked the two, shrinking their body sizes and teleports them into another place.
~o~0~o~
Immediately after that, the two found themselves landing on top of a wooden floor inside a long hallway with walls made of concrete, and the ceiling being closer to their heads. A big contrast to the massive and luxurious hallways of the Zapolyarny palace. The Tsaritsa looks around the room she found herself in, but finds nothing but a single wooden door at the end of the hallway.
"This is... An Adeptal abode?" Tsaritsa muttered out loud with a narrowed eyes. Recognizing the familiar sensation of being inside a realm created by magic, where the laws of nature didn't work here. She knew this from an experienced she had in the past when she visited Morax abode in Liyue.
"Indeed it was. We are now inside of that urn Lumine had placed outside. She creates an entire realm inside it with the sub-space creation. The most secretive place that one would never thought to exist." Pierro explained, dusting himself off as he stood up.
"But... how?" Such powerful magic like this shouldn't be possible for normal humans to use. In fact, this ability are used to be only belonged to the Geo Archon and the Prime of the Adepti, Morax, before he found a way to bestow it upon his Adepti brethren, allowing them to create realms and domains for their own.
"I afraid I didn't know anything better than you, my queen." Pierro said with a shrug of his shoulders. "All I know is that Lumine went to Liyue to learn this secret arts from the Adepti themselves, she mastered over the way it worked, and that's how this place was made." The bearded man explained.
She went to Liyue? Could it be... Those reconnaissance missions. Could it be that it was simply a ruse so she could learn this from the Adepti? But Lumine would always came back with useful informations during those days. Does that mean she also stayed true to her words while simultaneously studying hard to learn this magic. Just the thought of Lumine to overworked herself to the bone just for the sake of not lying to the queen made Tsaritsa wants to puke. But she still have more important things right now.
"Enough about that. So, where's Lumine right now? I presume that whatever the thing she's doing lies behind that door?" Tsaritsa asked her loyal servant, while gesturing at the door in the distance.
"Yeah. Let us approached it carefully. I think it's best that we see it first in secret before revealing ourselves to her." Pierro replied, slowly approaching the said door, with Tsaritsa soon followed after him.
The closer they get to the door, the more the Tsaritsa starts to feel an oddly familiar sensation prickling against her exposed skin. A sensation that she eerily knows so well. And the at the moment she stands before the door, and saw how a thin black mist that reeks of corruption is leaking out from the cracks under the door, she finally able to put her fingers into it.
"This sensation... Is it... A Delusion?" The Tsaritsa silently muttered to herself receiving a feeble nod from Pierro.
"Delusions to be exact, there's about at least fourty of them cramped up in there. A terrible place for someone who isn't experienced enough like me or Lumine." Pierro explained, he came to rest his back against the wall, and crossed his hands over his chest. "There's supposed to be a peep hole on that door, your highness, take a look at what's going on inside."
Listening to Pierro's words, the queen search for the peep hole, and find it, wasting no time to press her forehead against the wooden door as she take a look at what's going on inside, about what her second Harbinger has been doing for the last two years behind her back. And once she witness just what it was, it made the queen's jaw to drop and her eyes to widened.
"What the..." Tsaritsa muttered in slight disbelief.
"What did you see, my queen? Have you found your answer?" Pierro besides her asked.
"There are... Beds, beds everywhere... And those people lying on top of it... Aren't they the lieutenants within the army? What have Lumine done to them?" Tsaritsa asked in slight disbelief and also curiousity.
She watched through the peep hole as Lumine approached all the lieutenants in there, one by one, she placed her palms on their body, sending some weird glowing golden light that she transferred from her palms into their bodies. And the once suffering people who groans and hiss in pain is suddenly lifted out of their turmoil, allowing them to rest in peace.
"It is... Exactly as what you've currently guessed, my queen." Pierro said, his voice suddenly become somber all of the sudden. "Lumine is currently curing all of this men from the effects of the Delusions, she purges the corruption that had entered their systems and slowly eating away their body and soul. She is saving them."
Saving them? So this is what Lumine have done in the last two years. Even working for the Fatui during normal days wasn't enough for Lumine, even during day offs, the girl had continuously worked herself to the bone. The Tsaritsa's surprise of discovering Lumine's abnormal abilities to purge something that shouldn't have been able to easily be cleansed has been completely taken over by her surprise to find that this girl really really really is devoted to her. Sacrificing all of her personal life just for the sake of the Tsaritsa.
If the Tsaritsa is a different woman right now, she might actually starts crkying right now. This girl have actually managed to moved her, not just in a romantic way, but entirely in the way the queen actually saw her as a person.
Tsaritsa would remain in that position for the next few hours. Watching as Lumine continue her working, observing then curing all of her patients one by one. All the while the queen listened to Pierro's stories about why Lumine did all of this, about how it started ever since the mission to Fontaine, her first time coming to contact with a delusion, discovering it's corruptive nature and her goal to prevent anymore deaths by it, her hidden desire to tell the queen about the matter but was too afraid to tell her. Her first base of operations inside the nearby forest. And how Pierro came to discover the secret, but choose to never reveal it to the Tsaritsa at that point because he supported her actions as it decreases the rate of deaths caused by Delusions usage.
Eventually, the noon have passed, and now it was six o'clock in the afternoon. Lumine finally done with all the curing, not a single trace of malice energy is left in that room. Everyone looks all healthy and ready now, even their hair that previously grey and white due to the corruption they suffered has returned to their original colours, and the colour of their skin has also reverted from being pale to its natural healthy tone.
Tsaritsa sighed heavily once the show was over. She couldn't say that she was okay with what Lumine is doing, but she doesn't hate it either.
"I think... It's time for you to meet her, your highness." Pierro said after an hour of complete silence, causing the queen to look at him. "She may have gone somewhere else again after this, if you want to talk to her, it's best to do it now."
"You're... Right." The Tsaritsa said with a sigh, standing up. On the other side of the door, Lumine is preparing to leave, listening as the Fatui soldiers she just cured raining her with praises and thanks.
Pierro soon disappeared from her sight, already leaving the realm. She saw Lumine is heading this way, and just before the blonde girl could reach out and open the door, the Tsaritsa already opens it up for her, entering the room without warning. Startling the living daylights out of her that she immediately stumbled backwards, all the crowds behind her also completely fell silence as they stared at the form of their queen.
"Hello again, Lumine." The Tsaritsa greeted while smiling down at her.
~o~0~o~
"I see you have some interesting activity in here." The taller woman in front of her muttered out loud.
"T-Tsaritsa... H-How?"
How? How could she know about this place? Is the Cryo Archon had actually followed here to this place? Has she been stalking her ever since she leaved her bedroom? If that's the case, then how did she even managed to enter this realm? The only way for someone to enter this realm is either by Lumine who transfer them here, or with if they have a Realm Dispatch that would allow them to come and go as they please. If the Tsaritsa is here then could it be that someone else had transferred her here. Could it be Pierro? Maybe he couldn't bear to lie in the face of the goddess and therefore have no choice but to comply.
"I-Is that the Tsaritsa?!" The woman from before exclaimed in shock.
"It really is her! It's her majesty!" Anothe person whispered out loud.
"Oh no, Lady Lumine is in trouble!"
"W-We... We gotta protect her!"
And soon, everyone in the room are whispering to each other.
This is bad. Lumine couldn't risk to let these guys faced the punishment from the Tsaritsa. It was Lumine who's solely responsible for these. Her patients have nothing to do with her.
"Everyone! Leave!" Turning around to face her patients, Lumine screamed at them to immediately leave the place at let them be alone together.
"But- Lady Lumine, we-"
"NOW!" Reaching out her hand, Lumine used her teleportation magic in a large scale to forcibly kicking out everyone out of the realm, save for the Tsaritsa and herself. And so, in less than one second, the room turns quiet once more, with everyone else gone, leaving behind only dozens of empty beds and empty IVs hanging besides them. Lumine had also completely sealed the realm out of the outside world, preventing anyone from trying to enter, and also temporarily locked the two of them inside.
Breathing heavily from from overusing such powerful magics at once. Lumine wiped the sweat that was raining down on her forehead. Sensing how the Tsaritsa's gaze is burried on her back the entire time. After managing to calm her breathing down, the blonde haired girl turns her body around to face the queen.
"Impressive. I never thought you possessed such an amazing ability like that, Lumine." The Tsaritsa spoke up, there was an odd small smile on her face that Lumine could not understand the meaning of.
"It was normally not that powerful." Lumine answered, her voice sounds dry, exhausted, if the Tsaritsa have to say. "Being the owner of this realm gave me the advantages of better control of my magic, and also some boost in strength. Normally, in the outside world, I can only transport three people at best."
"I see. What a pretty useful ability I must say."
She couldn't continue on like this. Lumine is aware that the Tsaritsa is holding back, holding back a bottled up emotions in her mind. She's clearly wants to spill it all out, but decided to humour Lumine first before they start talking about the serious stuff. But Lumine wasn't the type of person who likes to play around, she wants the queen in front of her to get straight to the point.
"Your highness- I-I mean... Tsaritsa." The blonde haired girl started, looking up and stared directly into Tsaritsa's indigo eyes. "You... Saw everything, didn't you?" She asked, there is not a single emotions filled her voice, almost like she was in the middle of a work instead of speaking with her goddess.
"I do." Tsaritsa nodded, simple and frigid. "I never thought that you would go as far as doing something like this behind my back, Lumine. Even after all that I have done for you..." Tsaritsa's voice is equally as blank and emotionless like Lumine's, making it hard for the smaller girl to make out what the queen is feeling right now.
"Please forgive me for my insolence." Lumine wasted no time to kneel on the ground and lowers her head. "It wasn't my intention to keep this a secret from you. But it seems like my fear have preventing me from telling you anything about this." She said, tightly closing her eyes as she waits for what's about to come next.
"I have no words to say about this. But I guess, I do have one in particular..."
Lumine could hear the Tsaritsa is shifting her position, she didn't dare to look up, she kept her head down and both eyes closed. Waiting for what Tsaritsa is going to do to her. There was a rustling sound, and the sounds of robes touching the floor, and just as Lumine waited for something, maybe an immediate execution or somekind of torture, the unexpected feeling happened. There was a hand placed on top of her head, slowly and gently caressing her hair, and gave her head a nice pat, unexpectedly claiming down her racing heart.
"... I'm sorry." The sounds of the whisper came form the Tsaritsa in front of her, and Lumine widened her eyes in shock.
"What?!"
Gently, Lumine felt soft and dainty fingers wrapped around her chin, and slowly raising her head to look at Tsaritsa who is crouching in front of her. Tsaritsa's eyes are filled with gentleness, with kindness, the kind of gentleness that Lumine had never seen before. She is also smiling at the blonde haired girl, a genuine smile.
"Tsaritsa... Why are you apologizing?" Lumine's brain is unable to process what's going on anymore. Why is the Tsaritsa acting like this? Even after she discovered her secret.
"I'm sorry to put you into doing all of this." Tsaritsa answered, her hands have moved to now caressing Lumine's cheek. "Yes, I've seen it all. I have seen all your hard work for the last couple of hours. You are curing these men from the effects of the Delusions, something that was supposedly impossible."
Listen to Tsaritsa, Lumine couldn't bring herself to speak a word, opting to continue listening while secretly enjoys the sensation of Tsaritsa's dainty fingers caressing her cheeks.
"I have heard everything about this from Pierro. He said that you were doing this for the sake of the Fatui, and yet the truth is, you secretly cared about them, do you? You don't want them to die and leave their families behind to be alone." Tsaritsa's indigo eyes are staring into Lumine's golden ones, as if looking directly into the girl's soul. "You want to save them, you want to prevent them from using the Delusions, but you can't because you feared that I am too heartless to care about human lives to stop the production of these weapons. So all you can do is to cure them once they are in the worst of their condition. Your fear have led you to burden yourself with all of these hard work, despite the fact that you should've been somewhere taking a break instead of continue working yourself to the bone for me. And I am sorry for that."
"Tsaritsa..." Raising her hand, Lumine gently cupped Tsaritsa's arm with her palm, feeling the coldness of her skin which contrast to Lumine's warm one. "Tsaritsa didn't need to apologize to me. I am completely fine in doing all of these."
"Well I'm not." Tsaritsa quickly shook her head with a small frown forming on her face. "I don't want you to keep burdening yourself like this, you may keep lying to herself that you were fine with it, but I know how you truly felt. You were desperate, depressed that after all you have done you still yet can't find your brother's location. You felt like you have no choice, no choice but to work harder and harder, more and more everyday, in the hopes that your hard work will someday paid off with you getting what you desired. But doesn't have to be like that Lumine." The Tsaritsa explained, recalling that memory when she saw Lumine breaks down on the river banks.
Standing up, the queen put her right hand on her chest, while reaching out her left hand to Lumine, gesturing the blonde girl to take it.
"I already promised you that I will help you find your brother, right? In in return, you will be lending me your strength in our fights against destiny. That is the contents of the contract that was forged between us. And there's not a single word that said about you having to overwork yourself to the bone." Smirking a little, Tsaritsa stared down at the girl before her, once again gesturing her to take her hand.
Although a bit hesitant at first, Lumine eventually obliged, taking her majesty's hand into hers. And for a moment, a strong sense of deja vu filled her mind. She remembers doing almost exactly the same thing during that time when she first officially met with the Tsaritsa inside her bedroom. Only this time, the queen didn't suddenly use a surprise attack to encase her wrist in a block of ice.
Sighing, Lumine pushed herself up, using Tsaritsa's hand for support. "Seriously..." She muttered to herself as she closed her eyes. "But even if say that, that doesn't stop these people from suffering from the side effects Delusions will give them." Lumine said, somewhat sounded a little sad.
"In that case, I'll just have to simply stop them from using it." Tsaritsa replied out of blue, catching Lumine off guard.
"Wait what?"
"If stopping these soldiers from getting themselves almost killed means that it will also stop you from having to cure them. Then I'll do it." Clearing her throat, Tsaritsa spoke up. "I hereby now declared that the distribution of Delusions to all Fatui lieutenants will be stopped. All Delusions shall be confiscated from all of their users and to be brought to the throne room for later inspections."
"W-Wait wait wait! Tsaritsa, isn't this a little too much? It takes time to manufacture a single Delusion, and now you want to gather them all back?" Lumine asked in slight disbelief and also shock.
"For the sake of not letting you overwork yourself, I'm willing to do anything for you, my dear Lumine." Tsaritsa said with a small smile as she eyed Lumine. "We shall collect all of these Delusions, and conduct more research on them, possibly to somehow reduce or maybe terminate it's horrible side effects, and might need your help during the research Lumine."
Gulping down the lump in her throat. Lumine only replied with a silent gentle nod.
"And as compensation for the lost of power... We might need improve our technological advancements to make weapons that can be equal in strength with the current Delusions. Thankfully, we have Pierro for this, his knowledge about Khaenri'ahn's pretty advanced technology shall help us too in this one." Tsaritsa said with a solemn nod, her arms crossed on her chest.
As she stared at Tsaritsa in front of her, listening to everything she said. Lumine couldn't help herself but to release a sigh. Her lips slowly turned into a small smile, something that she rarely ever done before, as it was a genuine one instead of a forced one.
"I'm genuinely at loss for words at this point." Lumine muttered with a small shook of her head. "I don't know what to say. But I guess all I could say is... Thank you." Still smiling, the blonde girl puts her hand on her chest. "Thank you very much, Tsaritsa. For understanding me, for fulfilling my wish.
"You're welcome." The queen replied in return, feeling her smile getting bigger.
Bringing down her hands, Lumine clears her throat. "So anyway, what are you-" Lumine was about to say something, but it was suddenly interrupted when she felt something rushing up to her throat, causing her to starts coughing violently, clutching her throat with one hand while the other is covering her mouth.
"Lumine? What's wrong? Are you okay?" The Tsaritsa sounds worried, her eyebrows are furrowed in concern.
Lumine didn't answer her, instead, she turned around away from the Tsaritsa. Slowly taking her hand off her mouth. She looks down upon her palm and her eyes widened once she saw the thing on her hands.
"I-I'm very sorry, Tsaritsa. But it seem like I need to go somewhere. O-Once again, thank you very much for your decision!"
As she said that, Lumine released the seal that blocked anyone from entering and exiting her realm. And by using her authority over the realm, she creates an alternate exit appeared in the form of another wooden door but located at the other end of the entrance corridor. Once the exit is finally revealed, the girl wasted no time to ran towards it, leaving behind the clueless Tsaritsa as the queen could only watch as the Harbinger suddenly running away from her like that. What is it this time?
Not wanting to spend another minute inside the realm, Tsaritsa quickly followed after Lumine's trail and opens the door, blinded by a sudden bight light that lies beyond and felling the sensation of how her body quickly grows bigger and bigger until she returns beck to her original size. In the next moment, the blinding white light disappeared all of a sudden, and the Tsaritsa found herself standing inside the same corridor in Zapolyarny palace, with the urn still placed on top of the table. It seems like Lumine won't be taking the urn anytime soon.
"Ah, I see you have returned." Turning around, Tsaritsa found Pierro standing behind here, and from the looks of it, he just arrived here. "So, how is it? Have you finished talking with her, my queen?"
Tsaritsa shook her head as s response. "No, I did not. We were having a greay conversation just now, but Lumine suddenly starts coughing and then abruptly leave." She said with a concerned tone, biting her fingernails. "Have you seen Lumine as exits the urn, by any chance? Did you met her and asked her where she was going?"
"Yes, and no." Pierro sighed, crossing her arms. "I was just walking by, and that's when I saw her exiting the urn. I was about to ask her something, but she quickly ran off without answering my question. I thought that maybe something just happened between the two of you. Something like you getting out of line with your teasing and she was left all frustrated." Pierro's eye narrow, and there was a serious look on his face. "But that you mentioned her having a coughing fit, I think the backlash is starting."
Backlash? What is he talking about? Yet another secret shared between the two Harbingers without her knowing anything about it?
"What do you mean by backlash?" Tsaritsa asked with a narrowed gaze, causing Pierro to sighed heavily.
"It's another little secret shared between the two of us, my queen." Pierro answered, just as Tsaritsa expected. "As powerful as Lumine are to possess such an incredible technique that doesn't belong to their world, every power came with a price." Tsaritsa didn't like the sound of that, but she kept her cool and keep listening. "Although she may looks fine and well, using such powerful magic to neutralise a high level of corruption rate is borderline impossible. And thus, after she finished curing a person from the effects of the Delusions, a backlash will appear that slowly strained Lumine's body, giving her a ton of pain. I learned this fact during the same day I found her secret activity. We were just in the middle of discussion when she suddenly having a seizure attack and starts vomiting lot of blood, all the while while I was standing there and having not a single idea what just happen to her until she explained herself."
"But... She was looking fine throughout the time she's curing the patients... Why now? All of a sudden?" Tsaritsa's voice is in absolute disbelief, so not only the blonde girl have exhausted herself in trying to cure the patients, but she actually hurting herself too in the process?
"She must've endured it." Pierro said with a small sigh. "The poor girl didn't want to make her own patients worried about her, so she kept holding it back. But once you came and talk to her, she couldn't bear the pain no more, and thus she let's it out, right in front of you."
The Tsaritsa could feel her fingernails digging deep into her palm to the point that it almost bleeds. She is absolutely furious with Lumine to hide something this tragic from her. But at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to get mad at her for too long. Find her, find Lumine. That is what she needs to do now.
"Pierro." The Tsaritsa called out her loyal servant with a dangerously low voice. "Are you certain that you didn't know where Lumine is going?"
"Unfortunately, no. She never told me anything about it, nor that she ever led me there whenever I tried to tail her from behind." Pierro answered with a sad shook of her head.
"Damn it!" Tsaritsa yelled, punching her fist against the nearby wall in frustration.
After a moment of silence between the two, Pierro sighed heavily before leaning himself against the wall. "However, I might have an advice if you really wants to meet her."
"Really what is it?"
"I've seen this happened several times before." Pierro answered with a closed eyes. "Whenever Lumine is done curing her patients, she would ran out of the palace and into the wilderness in order to prevent anyone from seeing her in such a terrible state. I do not know where exactly she's hiding, but whenever night time approached, Lumine would return backbto the palace late at night, completely clean from her cuts and bruises." He explained while crossing his arms over his chest. "There was also this one time when I meet her after she returned, her hair was wet with water, as if she had taken a bath. Anyway, that's aside, if her highness wants to meet her. I suggest that we waits until it was late in the night where she would return."
As the Tsaritsa listened to Pierro's stories, the queen's eyes widened in realization once she gather all the info Pierro was pointing out: body filled with cuts and bruises, always returned late at night, and her hair is wet as if she just had taken a bath. Tsaritsa's mind screamed the answers, and the queen couldn't help herself but to let her lips formed into a big, almost sinister smile.
"Pierro, I think I know where Lumine is hiding right now." Tsaritsa said as she turned around, back facing the Jester behind her.
"You do? As expected of you, your higness." Even with a raised eyebrow, Pierro still compliments her queen.
"Hmm, tell everyone that I'm taking a stroll outside should they need me. I won't be returning anytime soon." The queen commanded before walking away.
"As you wish, my queen." Pushing himself off the wall, Pierro continues his interrupted walk around the Zapolyarny palace. And as he walks, he ponders about the possibility that he was hallucinating when he saw the hidden mischievous smirk on the Tsaritsa's face as she walks away.
~o~0~o~
She hate this.
She really really hate this.
Lumine hated it when she become this weak, even if it's just for a while. After she gets out of her realm, Lumine had to run outside of the Zapolyarny palace, all the while trying her best to avoid getting seen by people after she was spotted by Pierro moments after her exit.
To travel a great distance like this, Lumine would usually just use her teleportation magic to save her the trouble of avoiding people inside the palace, or to walk the frozen plains of Snezhnaya like this while she bleeds heavily. It was due to the backlash she received for curing forty people from the brink of death that Lumine is heavily injured like this, cuts and bruises slowly appears on the surface of her exposed skin as if she was being attacked by an invisible warrior with a sword, and teleportation magic is definitely out of the options because she couldn't focus enough to cast the spell with the constant feeling of pain stabs her like a hundred of needles is being thrown at her.
That place. She have to go to that place.
A place where she could be all alone without anyone finding her or interrupting her personal times she rarely have.
Eventually, after hours of walking and running without looking back, Lumine spotted the frozen forest in the distance, and she couldn't help but to release a tiny smile as she was glad that made it, never mind the fact that she was late than usual.
And so, after walking past through the snow covered tress and rock formations. She finally arrived at the place. A clearing in the midst of the frozen forest, with beautiful shallow rivers flowing in the middle, and a giant rock formations nearby that is perfect to be used as a makeshift resting place. This is the secret place Lumine had visited numerous times a before. Here she would always teleport herself after she was done curing all the patients, a desolate empty place where she can vomits blood all she wants, where she could letting out her screams of pain when the pain she's suffering is too much to bear, to rest for a long period of time once the backlash have stopped. And finally, to clean herself from all of her injuries by bathing in the river in front of her.
Normally, during previous day offs, Lumine would teleport herself here during noon, and waited until the backlash have stopped which usually happens when it was near the afternoon. After that, she would then travel out of Snezhnaya to continue her search for Aether on her own. Doing that until it was evening and she would come back here again to bathe her damaged body, doing so until it was late in the night where she would return to the Zapolyarny palace.
However, today is different. Due to the unexpected situation she finds herself in at the morning. Lumine was late to cure the patients, doing it during the noon instead of early morning. And thus she was now doesn't have the time to travel out of Snezhnaya as usual, and instead, she decided to come here to the usual end of the day routine she does during day offs.
Approaching the aforementioned rock formations. Lumine rested herself against the stone wall. Coughing and wheezing as the backlash is not finished yet.
As she rested herself like this, Lumine materialize her pocket watch to see that it was alre seven o'clock in the evening. Sighing in relief at the thought that at least she wasn't late again like with her previous activity. Closing her eyes as she tried to relax, Lumine's mind drifted into the memories of her talk with the Tsaritsa inside the urn. She ponders about everything the queen just said, and how genuine she was with her proclamation that she cared about Lumine's well being, despite the fact that she is nothing but her servant.
"At the very least, everyone won't have to suffer from the side effects of the Delusions again." Lumine mentally muttered to herself.
She guessed that all of her hardwork for the last two years has been paid off. She had successfully moved the Tsaritsa's heart into listening to her wishes and granted it. The Tsaritsa really have changed. The once cold, uncaring, and ruthless woman have began to show her soft side even more. And to think that it was Lumine herself who caused the changes. The blonde haired girl didn't know wether she should be glad or to worry about it. She guessed that love really is capable of changing a person, even if that person in question is someone as cold and ruthless like the Tsaritsa. But if that's really the case, can love capable of changing someone like her too? Someone who had discarded her humanity in favour of a promise that doesn't get fulfilled even after two years of searching?
Lumine couldn't imagine herself getting changed because of the love that the Tsaritsa have gave her. She have long been coming into terms with the fact that she was incapable of reading someone's emotions as easily as before. Love and lust is a completely new concepts to her, due to her being never been in a relationship before, much less getting seduced by someone (and it was a woman no less.) She have heard about love during her travels to the previous world's before, but no matter how many times she heard the name of the concept, or when Aether tried to teach her about it, she still doesn't understand, because learning about it and experiencing it first hand always taste different. And now that she had experienced being loved by someone that is not related to her by blood, it sends Lumine into a spirals of confusion about what she should do. Can she really loved the Tsaritsa back as the queen had demanded? She doesn't know.
Time always flows really fast whenever she was stuck in her own thoughts like this. Lumine slowly opens her eyes, she doesn't feel the pain of the backlash anymore, it seems like it have finally come to an end, now all that is left is her bruised and dirty body. She needs to heal these wounds first before returning to the palace, or else she might scared her comrades to death with it. Looking at her pocket watch, she saw that it was nine o'clock in the afternoon now, the perfect time for her to bathe herself before returning to the palace later at ten.
Approaching the river in the middle of the clearing, Lumine looked around first, a precaution if there is someone nearby, she doesn't want anyone to see her bathing in the wild like this after all. Once she was sure that she was alone out here, Lumine bent her body down and began undressing herself. Reaching down to take off both of her boots and white stockings that are stained with her blood, undid the clasp of her scarf and then sliding it over her shoulders and off her neck, untying the strings of her dress behind her to let the formerly pristine looking dress fell into the ground around her feet, taking off her black undershirt over her head and let it join the puddle of clothes below, and then lastly, sliding down both the white bloomers and the panties out of her legs.
She also take the Intevyat flower off of her hair as she didn't want to risk damaging it. Once every single parts of her clothes have been taken off, Lumine stand in the midst of the clearing without a single thread covering her body, the air around her are freezing cold, and it would've caused her to shiver if it wasn't for her using her Pyro elements to surround herself with heat energy. Looking down at the messy puddle of clothes under her, Lumine took a few step back from them and used the Anemo powers to orderly fold her clothes and placed then on the nearby rock.
Sighing in relief, Lumine look down upon the state of her own bady. She couldn't see them all when she was still wearing her clothes, but now that she was fully naked like this, she could see every cuts and every bruises on her milky white skin, the results of her enduring the backlashes of having to cure forty people from something that aren't supposed to easily disappeared. Although the side effects of her magic has stopped now, the damage it had done to her body cannot be easily gone, and she has to do something with it in order to hide this weakness of her from everyone, not because she doesn't want to appear weak in the eyes of her comrades, but because she didn't want to get everyone to worry about her.
Without wasting any more time, Lumine approached the river nearby and took a step into it. The river was a shallow one, with it being only ankles deep. The river is freezing cold, as as expected from bodies of water in Snezhnaya, but by using a combination of Pyro and Cryo elements, Lumine make it so that the temperature of the water around her ankles to be more or less than a normal room temperature, giving her a relaxing and restful bath that wash away all the tiredness, soreness, and pain that had accumulated in both of her body and mind.
Leaning down, she started with her face. Taking a handful of water from the river below, she throw it into her face, feeling the freshness of it relieving her the tired muscles of her cheeks and the soreness in her eyes. Some it even splashed into her hair and wetting it, the coolness of her wet hair helps her in relaxing her tired mind and overheated brain, deciding to do it a few times more until her hair is completely drenched.
Next, it will her torso, the place where the larger cuts and bruises are located. Sighing, she use her control over Hydro elements for this one. Waving her hand around as she controled the water below her to form a giant sphere of water that she proceed to throw at her own body, wetting herself from neck to toe. Looking down, Lumine saw that the injuries she had sustained has become a little bit less visible than before, and the remnants of pain she felt is also becoming less painful. What Lumine doing now is to heal her injuries. Thanks to her Hydro powers, Lumine is capable of healing injuries as long as it was not a major one, she use this power to heal the cuts and bruises, slowly but effectively healing the damaged muscle tissues, stitching them all together without leaving a single trace, repairing all the broken blood vessels under her skin, and the once dark mark is now replaced by the color of a healthy skin, as if there was no injuries in the first place. Although Lumine can simply do this in some places other than here, she once read a book that says usage of a natural water gives better effects to an applied Hydro technique, and thus she had chosen to always did it in this place. Not to mention that she has some personal connections to it too.
Now that the upper body is done, it's time to wash her lower body... Something that Lumine felt a little uncomfortable when she think about it.
Lumine looked down at her own lower body, her slender white thighs that are pressing against each other, the smooth curves of Ying's her waist, the tight muscles in the lower abdomen that are gained from many years of adventuring, and lastly, the highly attractive area around her privacy. Somehow, she couldn't look at them the same way she was before.
Throughout her times traveling between world to world, Lumine have never delve herself into the matter known as relationships between two people. For her, being in a relationship with someone is just a waste of time, knowing that she couldn't stay in one world for long, and being in love with someone will only bring about pain of separation once she decided to leave a world behind. Being with her older brother, Aether is all she needs for her to felt love and be loved. Her older brother is everything for her, the only everlasting eternal bond she have with a person. And so, because of her never having to love someone other than her brother, she didn't know this kind of intimate activity that are done between two lovers, she may have heard about it once or twice, but she never put her focus into it.
"Tsaritsa..." Lumine silently muttered out, her hands ghost over the area where she remembers the Tsaritsa have touched before.
Does the Tsaritsa really loves this part of her? Lumine can't think why the queen was so... Joyful, happy, and exited over this kind of thing, is it supposed to be another sign that she really does love her? Not just love her as a person, but also love her appearance and body, like how one loved an item that they greatly treasured? With the events of this morning flashes through her mind, Lumine couldn't think of anything aside from the Cryo Archon. Remembering her touch as the taller woman pulled her close until their bodies are pressed against each other, remembering the taste of Tsaritsa's lips as they kissed, remembering the feeling of being unwrapped by the queen until she was as bare as a baby, and... The feeling of Tsaritsa's fingers inside her.
Out of curiosity, Lumine reached down and placed her hand on her nether regions. Hesitating a little, she brushed a single finger against her folds, which resulted in a feeling of electricity running through her body.
"Hnngh!" As the sensation spread throughout her body, Lumine immediately covers her mouth to hold back the strange sounds she just unintentionally produced.
She gotta admit, although it does felt shocking and kinda unpleasant too, if Lumine choose to not focused her mind into the strange feeling, the act of touching her privacy does brings a sensation that was hard for Lumine to understand, but all she knows about it is that it felt good, really really good. And before long she found herself being taken over by curiosity and decided to go on.
"Hmmph... Ahhn!" Once she tried to do it again, she finds herself unable to stop. Her left hand felt like it moves on her own as she continues to caress herself. And as she looks down, Lumine's eyes came into the few of her own breasts, these two lovely mounds that Tsaritsa claimed to have fallen in love with, they are rising up and down as Lumine breathe heavily, the twins rosy red nipples have become pointy and hard, surely a very attractive sight for someone to ogle, and without waiting for another moment, she use her free hand to caress them as well.
The sensation felt really different from the one when Tsaritsa did it. It doesn't felt as good as it was, but nevertheless she finds this very enjoyable too. Lumine could feel the faint odd sensation of having something building up in her tummy again, and when she starts feeling it, her hands moves faster and faster until...
"I see that you're in the midst of playing with yourself, how cute."
A voice suddenly appeared from in front of her, and Lumine yelped in surprise as she jumped back to create some distance between her and the newcomer. However, as brain functions slowly returned to her, Lumine realized that the voice sounded eerily familiar. And true enough, once she opens her eyes to take a look at the person in front of her, she saw that it was the Tsaritsa herself who is standing there. Looking down at the smaller girl with a smile on her face, smile that spelled amusement and mischief, but also some degree of playfulness that looks completely out of place to be on her face.
"T-Tsa-Tsaritsa?! Wh-What a-are you doing here?!" Lumine asked with her words stuttering. Not only because of the complete shock she was in to find the Cryo Archon here, but also the fact that she is completely butt naked right now, only able using her hands to cover her dignity.
"What do you think?" Tsaritsa asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm here to retrieve a bad girl who ran away while in midst of conversation. Something that rude cannot be forgiven so easily you know." The grey haired woman said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"P-Please forgive me for my insolence, your higness." Lumine immediately said while giving the queen a bow, careful not to expose too much of her backside. "I-I was... Something urgent just come up, and I required to go here! I-its definitely not because I intended to be rude or anything, I just... Don't want anyone to see me like this." The blonde haired girl explained, her confusion as to why the Tsaritsa could know about this place have been overtaken by the sense of guilt she felt for suddenly running away from the queen.
The Tsaritsa was silent at first, and Lumine thought that the queen is probably thinking about how to punish the girl. But unbeknown to the blonde haired girl however, Tsaritsa is actually in the midst of carefully inspecting her body. The queen saw that there's not a single injuries left on Lumine's body. She recalled the previous times when she watched the girl bathed here. How Lumine can easily heal her injuries by applying Hydro powers to the water she bathed in. At that time, Tsaritsa have no idea how someone like Lumine who are the strongest person amongst the Fatui ranks can get badly injured when the girl is more than capable of taking down Pierro with ease. But now, she finally understand. Those injuries that always present on Lumine's body whenever she came her to bathe comes from the side effects of the overusage of her purification magic. Thank goodness that Lumine have finished with healing her injuries, because the Tsaritsa couldn't bear the thought of seeing those nasty scars again, not after she have seen just how beautiful and what a masterpiece Lumine's body are.
"I understand." Tsaritsa finally said after a few seconds of silence.
"Eh?" With her eyes slightly widened, Lumine was slightly dumfounded by what Tsaritsa just said.
"Pierro have told me everything, Lumine. And I mean, everything." Tsaritsa said with a gentle shook of her head, placing her palm on her chest. "You think that by hiding your pain and keep them all to yourself will make things better, but it was the exact opposite of that."
Tsaritsa's voice sounds serious, almost furious, but instead of lashing out in anger, the queen displayed a calm and controllable anger. She doesn't necessarily angry with Lumine, but it was more like she was disappointed with her, disappointed that Lumine kept hiding all of these secrets from her.
"Everyone in the Fatui respect and care about you. Ever since the day you have joined, you have become a an inspiring figure that both the new recruits and veterans have looked up to. They do not respect you out of obligation because you are a Harbinger. They respected you because of who you are. You may think that you did all of these hard work because you think it was your obligations as a Fatui, but deep inside, that was just a lie isn't it? You did it because you do care about these people."
"Tsaritsa... I..." Lumine was at a loss of words for this one.
Sighing, Tsaritsa puts her hand on her sides. "You think that by keeping all of these secrets you will bring only pain to yourself, but that's not true, if you hurt yourself then you will also hurt me, because I care about you, I don't want to see you getting hurt." Tsaritsa said, her voice are filled with genuine feelings, the queen is pouring out all of her heart's content right now.
Lumine was silent, feeling a strange sensation blooming in her chest. The Tsaritsa's in front of her sounds like a completely different person right now. She looks really beautiful as she bathe under the moonlight like this, her words are filled with kindness, it was as if Lumine was inside a fairy tale right now, the scene before her looks too good to be true.
"Lumine." The gray haired woman called out the smaller girl's name. "You don't want to hurt me, didn't you?"
"O-Of course not." Lumine said while quickly shaking her head. "I don't want to hurt Tsaritsa, and I would hate myself if I were to brought pain to you."
"In that case, please keep no secret from me ever again." Tsaritsa said with a gentle smile. "We're lovers now, and we should be honest with each other. Whatever activity you're going to do, please just come to me and ask for my approval. And don't hurt yourself under the pretence for my sake. Because I don't want to see getting hurt."
The Tsaritsa's words sends an unexplainable comfortable warmness into Lumine's chest. Her head felt light, and something is blooming inside her chest. She felt a little hot despite the fact that she is standing on a river with a very low temperature, and while still naked at that.
And now that she thought about it, Lumine remembers that she really is butt naked right now, her arms did nothing but to cover her private parts from the Tsaritsa, while still leaving most of her body exposed for the queen to enjoy. To think of showing her body like this to the goddess she have served, how embarrassing!
"A-Anyway, can we... um... continue the talk later in the palace? L-Let me put on my clothes real quick." Turning around, Lumine was about to run towards the stone she puts her clothes on top of. Nevermind the fact that in doing so she will show her rear to the Tsaritsa who is still watching. But before she could even move her legs, the water around her ankles suddenly frozen into a solid hard ice, making her gasped in surprise as it prevented her from moving, trapping her in place without the chance to even grab her folded clothes. "W-Wha-"
"Why would you try cover yourself, my dear, when you already fully presented yourself to me." The Tsaritsa's voice sounded menacing, sly, and cold, but also soft and gentle at the same time, making it sounds like she was actually teasing Lumine. Ignoring how her royal gown get drenched by the cold water of the river, Tsaritsa stepped her foot into the water, approaching the immobilized Lumine from behind before circling her snow white arms around the smaller girl's slender and tight belly, and puts her mouth in front of her ear. "Surely you wouldn't dare to snatch away my dinner for tonight?" Tsaritsa asked, teasingly blowing a hot breath into Lumine's ear, making the smaller girl moaned embarrassingly.
"D-Dinner?" Lumine asked with a slight confusion in her voice, couldn't believe what she just heard, her eyes are filled with worry.
"Yes." Tsaritsa licked her lips with a small chuckle. Her indigo eyes are filled hunger, hunger and an uncontrollable lust that she had pent up ever since this morning. "I always wondered how you taste like, I can't do it this morning because that was your first time, but now, I'm sure you are prepared for anything I'm about to do. I can't wait to find out." the queen gave Lumine a mischievous smirk before slowly moving her hand downwards, down towards Lumine's already wet privacy.
"Hnngh~" the block of ice may have already gone from around Lumine's ankles, but the blonde girl soon finds out that escaping from Tsaritsa as she hugged her while having one of her hands pleasuring her like this to be a far greater challenge. "W-Wait Tsaritsa... Not... Ngh! Not here~"
"It will be quite a hassle to bring you back to the palace just to do this." Tsaritsa whispered, her free hand snaked it's way up into Lumine's chest before taking a handful of her breast and starts squeezing, causing the blonde girl to shiver intensely while her mouth produce a more louder moan. "And besides, a change of scenery would be nice. Aren't you just love it to be exposed like this to the nature around you, hmm? Isn't that why you always came here?"
In the midst of her foggy mind, Lumine was completely shocked about what she just heard, is the Tsaritsa actually?
"H-How did you- hyaan!" The blonde girl asked before getting cut off mid sentence again.
"Fufu, do you really think you can escape from my sight that easily?" The Tsaritsa asked back, giving the Lumine a mischievous smirk. "You are so beautiful Lumine, seeing you bathing and singing is probably one of the main reason why I like you so much. Your singing voice are so soothing and calming that it melts my heart every time I heard it. And then doubled with the astonishing sight of this body? Hehe, I might consider this place as my personal opera." Tsaritsa explained, her lips turned into a big smile and her eyes are closed in a cheerful manner.
Hearing all of this information, Lumine's face turned as red as a tomato. To think that she was oblivious of being watched by the Tsaritsa as she bathe and sing here, that means she just unintentionally made herself an object of observation for the queen to enjoy. If only there was a hole nearby, then Lumine would've jump straight in and never return to the surface ever again.
"Um...ha..." Having her breast foddling like this, and her pussy getting caressed by Tsaritsa's smooth and dainty finger, it's the same sensation she had felt before, but somehow, it feels a little bit different. The first time Tsaritsa did this, her mind was too shocked to process the new sensation she had never felt before. But now, Lumine find herself actually enjoy this feeling... Even just for a little. Her hands might be clutching at Tsaritsa's arm right now, in a futile attempt to make the taller woman stop. But there's no denying it that her mind disagrees with her own body movements. It felt so good, really good.
"You are so cute when you moan, Lumine. We're just getting started, and yet it turns out, you already so wet like this." Tsaritsa whispered softly into Lumine's ears, purposely making it so that every word she said blows a hot breath into the girl's ear hole. "You really enjoyed yourself this much huh?" The taller woman asked, receiving the sight of a lovely blush appearing on Lumine's cheeks.
"I-I didn't... Yah!" Lumine tried to say something but was cut off when Tsaritsa changed the pace of her fingers movements. "I... Would never... Hnngh! Do s-something lewd like this... Hyann!" She tried to lie, to hide the embarrassment of getting caught in the middle of an act, but the Tsaritsa easily saw right through it.
"Eehh, but this little cunt of yours begs to differ though." Tsaritsa muttered, making Lumine flinched slightly at the sudden crass word. Her long dainty fingers came to a stop above a small ball located on the top of Lumine's pink flower, and proceeds to touch it, causing a jolt of reaction that made Lumine jumped a little while her little mouth released a cute lovely gasp. "Look at how hard your clit have become. It's so rigid and pointy, how cute." She said before proceeding to use two of her fingers to gently massage the red bean.
"Guuah! Tsaritsa~ n-not there~" everytime the taller woman's finger massaged her sensitive bud, jolts of electricity would course throughout her body. The sensations are so unpleasant as it was pleasurable.
"This here is called a clitoris. The most sensitive part of a girl's body, it seems that the you never touched such a place before, right?" The Tsaritsa whispered while continuing her finger movements, Lumine didn't answer her question, but Tsaritsa was fine with it. "That's probably why you felt a little uncomfortable. But don't worry, given enough time in stimuli, you'll get used to the pleasure soon enough." She said as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on Lumine's cheek.
"I-I never done a-anything... like this." Lumine muttered out in between moans and pants.
"Hmm, then it's best if you learn about it now." Seeing there was some tears coming out from Lumine's eyes, Tsaritsa leaned in and kiss the tears away, licking the side of Lumine's face much to the blonde girl's dismay. "A girl's private parts is not just simply a place where they pee, but it's also the place where they can please themselves." Tsaritsa's fingers finally released its hold from Lumine's sensitive bud. But before Lumine could breath a sigh of relief, the woman's fingers suddenly penetrates through Lumine's labia, before stretching it out and open wide the small honey hole, causing Lumine to bit her lip. "You see this hole? This is the main place where a woman's pleasure came from. Although it's not as pleasure as having a man's genital inside. Finger movements can be as equally as pleasurable as long as you are skilled enough. Like this."
"Uha~!" Something just entering her, and Lumine recognise the feeling as Tsaritsa's two fingers thrusting through her flower. The long slim object reached into the depths of her core, wiggling and rotating, hitting the sensitives pleasure-spots inside, driving Lumine mad with the overwhelming sensation. "T-Tsaritsa~ T-Too much... I can't..."
"Feels pretty good isn't it?" Tsaritsa smiled, the hand that she used to fondle Lumine's breast come to cup the girl's chin and turned her head to look at her. The expression she made was so cute. Mouth open with her tiny tongue visible, hot breaths constantly leaking out of it alongside her cute little moans, her eyes are dull from the overwhelming pleasure, the gold orbs are filled with a well hidden lust, and there's also the crystal clear tears she sheds. The very sight made Tsaritsa smiled with happiness, she leaned in and kissed Lumine on her lips, with the blonde girl giving her no resistance at all. It seems like she does learn from their previous intercourse, even if it's just a little. "Are you close to cumming right now?" The Tsaritsa asked with a tilt of her head, after parting their lips form a long and passionate kiss.
"Hmm..." Lumine hummed in response, giving the queen a little nod of her head. "Y-Yes... It's... It's coming... It feels like I'm going to pee again..." She stuttered out between moans, Tsaritsa's fingers have never stopped it's movements inside her.
"Fufu, it's called cumming, my dear, not peeing. It's a whole different process." Chuckling a little, Tsaritsa stopped her movement for a second as she looked down directly towards Lumine's eyes. "Would you like to know how it's like?" The woman asked with a smile, and Lumine couldn't interpret the meaning behind her words, but she goes on with anyway.
"Yes~" Lumine moaned, looking at Tsaritsa with a begging look. "Please let me cum, Tsaritsa..."
Having received the request in such a cute manner, Tsaritsa couldn't help herself but to lets out a chuckle, her left hand came to circle around Lumine's abdomen, pulling the smaller girl close to her, while her right hand pulled out the two fingers from Lumine's hole momentarily. Her indigo eyes narrowed, and her lips turned into a smirk.
"Alright then. Let me show you how it's done."
Without warning, Tsaritsa harshly thrust her fingers into Lumine's bottom mouth again, eliciting a yelp out of the blonde haired girl. Tsaritsa's lips have once again been connected with Lumine's, swallowing all the moans that are coming out from the blonde's mouth as Tsaritsa make a quick work on Lumine. Her fingers thrusting back and forth inside of Lumine, with each time she pulled back her fingers it brought some crystal clear liquid along with it, before long, Tsaritsa's hand are completely drenched in Lumine's juices. She gradually increase the pace of her thrusting, curling up her fingers to make Lumine moan even louder, and even try to churning up her insides much to Lumine's protest.
"Puhaa~ haa~ Tsaritsa... It's... It's coming... Haah! It's coming! Tsaritsa!" Once the two separated their lips from each other, Lumine's moans have become even more louder an uncontrollable than before. And as per what she said, Tsaritsa could feel that her climax really is so close.
"It's okay Lumine, just come." Not wanting to make her lover suffering from the long delay. Tsaritsa's free hand joined in the act, once again using her fingers to tease her little clit. And thanks to this act of pleasuring her two sensitive area at once, Lumine finally combust.
"Ahh... Ahhh... YAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Releasing a high pitched scream of ecstasy, the blonde girl came for the second time that day. Her sacred water sprayed out of her honey hole and straight into Tsaritsa's hand. Making the goddess smirked at the good sensation. "Haa... Haa..." After finally reaching the climax of the sweet moment of ecstasy, Lumine is breathing heavily, sweats are raining down on her forehead, and her eyes are half lidded and unfocused.
"You did so well, my dear. So well." Behind her, Tsaritsa complimented her little lover, she leaned in again to engage her in another kiss, and once again, Lumine didn't give any resistance to the act.
After receiving so much teasing from the Tsaritsa, Lumine's body have become so weak, her legs are shaking and she barely even able to stand if it wasn't for Tsaritsa to support her. Seeing the poor condition she was in, Tsaritsa dragged Lumine into the river bank, pulling the smaller girl close to her body, and the two reached their destination, Tsaritsa laid Lumine down on the ground, the girl is still breathing heavily from the exhaustion, her face are flushed red and her eyes are closed with her brows furrowed. Although this is a pretty normal reaction, Tsaritsa was glad that Lumine are strong enough now to not immediately falling asleep after an intercourse.
And as her thoughts are starting to drift there, Tsaritsa's eyes looked down at the form of Lumine who are being laid in front of her like this. Although she had seen her naked body several times before, now that Lumine is being laid out in front of her, Tsaritsa can now see just how much beautiful and girlish it was in full details. The plump breasts with the perfect size of her hand that is slowly rising up and down as Lumine breathe, the flat and slender belly with tight muscles gained from adventuring, the sweaty collar bone that she never realized to be actually so attractive to the sight, and then the hairless privacy between her legs that gives the impression of a young and innocent girl who have never experienced this kind of thing before.
Just by seeing these things made Tsaritsa to crave even more now. She kneeled on the ground, ignoring the fact that she is wetting her dress by submerging half of her body inside the river like this, and without any hesitation, she leaned in and give the pink flower in front of her a brush of her tongue.
"Hyaan!" Lumine who was never expecting the Tsaritsa to made another move on her like this, especially after only moments after she reached her climax is completely taken aback. Her eyes gone wide and she use her remaining strength to push herself up just to see what the queen is up to. "T-Tsaritsa! What are you doing?! Hyaah!"
"The night is still young, my dear. And I'm still hungry." Tsaritsa answered, smirking as she continues her licking on Lumine's folds, causing the blonde girl to mewl out.
"Hnngh~ Don't... It's dirty in there..." Tsaritsa's tongue brought an even greater pleasure than her fingers. But mostly however, it was because she just came few moments ago, and she could feel her body is getting even more sensitive than before.
"There is not a single part of your body that I considered to be dirty, Lumine." Tsaritsa said with a gentle voice, and chuckled at Lumine's reaction. "In fact, I think you taste delicious."
Using her two hands, Tsaritsa grabbed both of Lumine's thighs and the separate her legs, opening it far and wide to give the queen a wider opening, and once she saw the opened and quivering form of Lumine's little flower, the queen wasted no time stick out her tongue once more and thrust it deep into the honey hole.
"H-Hey wait! ah ah ah! No, you can't lick it there... It's very sensitive there... Guhaa!...ahh..." Couldn't bear the overwhelming pleasure again, Lumine tried to crawl away to escape, but she couldn't do it because the Tsaritsa's grip on her is too strong.
Not even hearing the other girl's protest, Tsaritsa still keeps going. Hot tongue licked Lumine's muddy, tender and soft cunt meat, the slightly rough tongue surface constantly slid between the gaps of her labia, and pierced into the slightly tight pussy.
Even this simple act almost made Lumine to climb to the peak of another orgasm. And by now, Lumine have been reduced to nothing but a mumbling mess. Unable to say anything but to moan out loud from the pleasure crashing her.
Perhaps a little concerned about her lover's condition, Tsaritsa stopped at what she was doing for a moment, pulling her face from between Lumine's thighs and looks up to see her lover. And what she saw was the form of Lumine who is covering her face in embarrassment, from between her fingers, Tsaritsa could see the shade of red on Lumine's face, the blonde girl is having a hard time in her life, and the Tsaritsa knows exactly what to do.
"Lumine." Tsaritsa gently calls out her name. "Lumine, open your eyes."
Feeling how the intrusion on her lower body have stopped, and hearing the gentle voice of the Tsaritsa above her. Lumine slowly uncovered her hands from her face, her teary eyes slowly opened to see the sight of the Tsaritsa above her, smiling down at the girl in a kindly matter.
But before Lumine could say anything about it, Tsaritsa's hand have circled around her mid section, and then dragged the girl even further into the river bank and away from the cold water. Placing her head on a conveniently placed rock nearby.
"T-Tsaritsa?! What are you-" Now with the added height of her makeshift pillow, Lumine could see her entire body by simply looking down, her two round breasts, her flat belly, and even her drenched privacy, it's all came into view.
"Lumine... Keep your eyes on me." The Tsaritsa said, demanded, her. As the queen settled herself back in between the blonde girl's legs.
"No... Tsaritsa, please...don't play like this..." Lumine shook her head, the girl's eyes sheds even mofe tears both because of the physical arousal and the emotions she was feeling, and her softly pleading expression was pitiful.
Tsaritsa's expression didn't waver in the slightest, she knelt forward and continue her activity of eating out Lumine. But this time however, the queen kept her eyes open. Indigo eyes stared deeply into Lumine's half lidded golden ones whom the blonde haired girl tried so hard to keep it open as per the queen's orders. But thanks to the Tsaritsa's current position right now, staring at the queen's eyes is equal to staring as the queen eating her out. And with the order of not to take her eyes off of the Tsaritsa, the woman is basically forcing the girl to watch herself being fucked.
With this kind of view being played right in front of her, Lumine didn't know whether she should felt ashamed or happy. But after having so much thoughts happening inside her mind, Lumine start to feel that perhaps what she felt right now is the latter.
Being the goddess of love. There must be many people, gods and mortals alike that would've fallen for the Cryo Archon. Be it because of her beauty, or because of her pure hearted and gentle soul she possessed prior to reforming herself after the events of the Cataclysm. And yet, no one has ever been in that position, no one have ever managed to catch the Tsaritsa's heart like Lumine does. It's a little bit ironic really. For the Tsaritsa to turn down everyone who had claimed to have fallen in love with her, and then for the queen to later fallen in love with someone that doesn't even love her.
Just the thought of it made Lumine felt special. For the queen to do all of this just for her, to show her hidden sides that is not the ruthless Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya, but actually a simple maiden in love. For the queen to go against her own rules just for the sake of not burdening Lumine anymore. And then for the queen who have showed this lewd and kinda perverted side of her. These thoughts made that feeling of warmth inside Lumine's chest to bloom even more.
She wants to see more of this side of the Tsaritsa, she wants to see more of the gentleness she showed only when she was around her, she wants to feel more of this warm feeling she felt whenever she was around the queen. Lumine wants more, she wants to be loved, she wants to be touched, and she wants to be near the Tsaritsa for all time.
Putting too much focus on her thoughts made Lumine doesn't realize that she had just reached her second climax. The blonde girl's mouth opened as she release another scream of ecstasy, her eyes rolled up as bright light have enveloped her visions. And after a after a few moments of aftermath, she had been reduced back into breathing heavily again, but this time she have a satisfied smile on her face, something that wasn't present before.
"You came a lot. What a heavenly taste you got there, hehe." Chuckling as she licked her lips to savour the taste of Lumine inside her mouth, Tsaritsa was just about to pull herself out of between Lumine's legs when she felt a weight was placed on top of her head. She looks up to see that Lumine had placed her palm on top of Tsaritsa's head. "Hmm? What's this? Are you perhaps asking me for something?"
Once she regained her focus, Lumine looked down at Tsaritsa who gave her a smirk, probably already know what the blonde girl is about to ask.
"Tsaritsa..." Lumine softly called out her goddess name, and after gulping the lump in her throat, she finished her sentence. "...More."
In return, the goddess' smile grew bigger, and her eyes are visibly lighten up in satisfaction.
"I thought you'd never ask."
And so, the two would continue their intercourse until Lumine was satisfied.
~o~0~o~
After about an hour later, Tsaritsa is now sitting on the river bank, away from the water that had drenched her clothes. And after using a quick technique of her Cryo powers, the goddess dried her royal gown until it was good as new.
Meanwhile, lying beside the woman was Lumine, who is now completely exhausted after so many orgasms that she even lost count. But the girl is still conscious and not falling asleep, not yet anyway. She covered her face with her arm as she tried to steady her breaths, her still naked body is completely drenched in sweat, and her skin is also become a little bit red due to the exhaustion.
"So, how about it, my dear?" Are satisfied with tonight performance? Or would you like to continue?" The Tsaritsa asked as she looked at the girl beside her, receiving a shook from Lumine's head.
"No... I think... I-I think it's enough. It's all I wanted." Lumine said in between pants, gulping down hard, she uncover her face to look up towards the Tsaritsa who is staring down at her with a gentle smile. "Thank you." Lumine muttered out, sighing in relief.
"You're very welcome." In return, Tsaritsa nods her head while keeping the smile on her face from crumbling.
The just stayed there in silence for the next few moment. Seeing how the lights shifted around them, Tsaritsa looks up into the sky to see the full moon, realizing just how much time have passed ever since she made it here.
"It's getting pretty late. We should return to the palace right now." Tsaritsa said with a sigh, standing up while dusting her clothes off. "Think you have enough energy to put your clothes back on? Don't tell me that I have to carry back while being naked." The queen asked with a teasing smile, satisfied with the crimson blush that appeared on Lumine's face moments later.
Too tired to use her teleportation magic to simply bring herself and the Tsaritsa back into the palace in an instant, Lumine have no choice but to oblige. Taking her folded clothes on top of the stone she put them on, and with the Tsaritsa's help that she reluctantly allowed, slowly putting back her clothes onto her body one by on.
"Alright then, let's go." With the Tsaritsa in front of her, Lumine nods her head and followed her queen back to the royal palace. Or at least that's what should've happened if it wasn't for her legs suddenly give in, causing Lumine to trip and fall. But thankfully, Tsaritsa managed to catch her before she hits the ground. "Hey, you're okay?" Tsaritsa asked, sounding a little bit concerned.
"Y-Yeah, it's just that... My legs felt really weak." Lumine answered as she used Tsaritsa's hand to stabilize herself again.
The queen stared at the blonde girl in front of her in silence, before suddenly lunge forward and slipped her hand under Lumine's knees and back, lifting her up into the air and eliciting a small yelp out of her.
"Up you go!"
"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Lumine yelled, her face was red with another blush, Tsaritsa thinks that she's getting addicted in seeing those now.
"You said that you are completely exhausted, right? Then let me carry you. Think of it as a way to apologize for causing you to be in this state in the first place." The queen said with a smile adorned her face, her eyes are bright and filled with emotions, something that she didn't have before.
"B-But being carried like this... It's so embarrassing!" The blonde girl muttered, covering her face with her hands.
"Shh, just relax Lumine." The Tsaritsa tried to reassure the smaller girl. "I promise that I won't let anyone seeing you like this. You'll just have to sit tight and rest yourself, got it?"
Although she was still a bit unsure about this, Lumine eventually sighed and nods her head. Doing exactly what the Tsaritsa told her, to relax herself and enjoy the ride as Tsaritsa carried her back into the Zapolyarny palace. Halfway through the journey, sleepiness finally overtook her, and Lumine nuzzled her face into Tsaritsa's chest as fall asleep. Receiving a happy smile from the queen as the Cryo Archon continues her walk back to her royal palace while carrying her beautiful little bride.
To be Continued...
Since the previous one are focused on Tsaritsa's point of view, this time, it will be more focused on Lumine's point of view.
Also, this is the third time I wrote some smut. I hope that the smut scene is enjoyable. And you can always tell me if it's not and will simply edit it later :)
