Interlude: Ab Initio
Dear Diluc,
I know we just parted, but for some reason I still want to talk to you. So, I started writing this letter. I hope you don't think of me as needy for doing this. I merely wanted to tell you some things I couldn't say in person.
I love you. I love you so much it almost scares me. When you kissed me tonight at the overlook, it felt like the weight of the whole world just disappeared. I almost convinced myself I could just step off the side of the mountain and fly away right then. Of course, that wouldn't have ended well (hehe).
I don't know if you've realized it yet, but I've had feelings for you for quite a while now. I think it all started the first time you called me by my name and told me "good night". That was when I first felt that funny feeling in my chest. I wanted to deny it, and I can't even explain it… We barely even knew each other then. I always thought that sort of clichéd love story was silly, but now, I can't hope to deny these feelings any longer. This is all really embarrassing, I know, but it's true. In a way, I can almost say that I loved you from the very start, even though our real first meeting was truly awful… Let's just pretend it didn't happen, okay?
I know someone like you can't stay here forever. You have responsibilities back home, and I have mine as well. The future stretches in front of both of us like an endless, bright road, with no end in sight. Yet, for some reason, tonight I find myself wishing you would stay here forever, standing strong by my side as we shape the future of Liyue… together. Maybe that's a hopeless dream, but am I allowed to indulge in it for just a little longer?
Sincerely Yours,
Keqing
In the hushed, candlelit room, the purple-haired woman blushed profusely. She snatched the letter up from her desk, stuffing it into the bottom of a drawer, hoping it would never see the light of day again. Then, she held her burning cheeks in sheer embarrassment.
"Mmmm!? Why did I write that?! Why am I like this?!" she lambasted herself, before lying down on her bed and blowing out the candle…
…and as she drifted off to sleep, her heart overflowed with innocent, pure love.
Next:
Episode 7: A Simple Wish
