For a full week following the masquerade ball Childe's mind was constantly occupied. And not in a good way. Every waking moment the spectre of the woman he met at the ball hung over him, mocking him to no end. It was the most pathetic thing he had ever witnessed in his life, the prince and general of Snezhnaya fawning over a nameless woman. At every turn he tried to rationalise the effect she had had on him, constantly thinking things such as, 'I was drunk; it was very dark in there, I'm imagining her beauty.' Yet as much as he tried to deny it, she had caught ahold of him, and she was not letting go.
To make matters worse, the Tsaritsa had dramatically escalated the search for his bride, insisting that he be wed soon lest all hell break loose. Hordes of women were brought from all across Teyvat to meet with either him or his mother, and every single one of them Childe found himself passionately hating. The idea of anyone of them being crowned Tsaritsa of his country was absolutely abhorrent, and this wasn't helped by the fact that he already believed he had found his perfect queen at the masquerade ball.
But of course, he couldn't tell his mother that. She would certainly scorn him for being so foolish as to not find her name, and truth be told he was too embarrassed by the fact to even try. So instead he spent his days honing his swordsmanship or aimlessly sitting at his desk, awaiting his mothers decision.
One of the times he passed by the Tsaritsa's office he noticed she was having an audience with the crown prince of Sumeru of all people. A small spark of hope lit within him, before being swiftly doused. Yes, the woman was from Sumeru, but the eldest princess of Sumeru? Not a chance. They would have been introduced at some point, there was no way his mother would have left an encounter like that to chance. No, she was certainly the daughter of an irrelevant Duke that just so happened to be lucky enough to attend the ball.
So he walked straight past the door, not bothering to introduce himself to his possible future brother in law and instead going back to his mundane tasks.
Childe never was a fan or waiting, and by the 3rd week since the ball he was about at his wits end. How long did it take to make a decision about this? There was no doubt that all of his suitors were the same (air-headed and average-looking) so why did the Tsaritsa take so long debating which of them he was to be shackled to for the rest of his life?
One of those days Childe decided to change his routine, instead choosing to tend to the garden for a while, and in the meantime he had no idea that his fate was being sailed onto a radically different course.
"Princess Y/N of Sumeru, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine, your highness. And please, just call me Y/N." You smiled politely at the Tsaritsa, smoothing down your dress as you sat on the chair opposite her.
"And of course, Prince Alhaitham, it's wonderful to see you again."
"Likewise," Your brother replied, as warmly as was possible for him.
"I'm sure you both know why I asked you to meet here with me today?" Alhaitham nodded assuredly, but you merely looked between the two inquisitively, utterly at a loss.
"I haven't yet informed my sister, I thought you may want to tell her yourself, your majesty."
The Tsaritsa seemed slightly surprised by this information, but masked it well with a warm smile. It was difficult to believe that she was the woman stealing so viciously from the other nations.
"Well Y/N, I'm delighted to tell you that you've been betrothed to my son, the crown prince of Snezhnaya. I have spoken to your brother and witnessed your conduct at many international meetings and feel that you are the perfect fit to succeed me as Tsaritsa."
You stopped still. Tsaritsa? You? No, it was not possible. Yet here she was before you, telling you in no uncertain terms that you were to be the next ruler of Snezhnaya. How could your brother put you forward for this? Did he not understand the delicacy and importance of your position in the Akademiya, in the alliance as a whole?
Despite the rush of thoughts in your head, your exterior remained calm.
"My, that is an honour. Thank you, your highness, I intend to make you proud."
"And I'm sure you will, my child. I've organised a chance for you and the prince to meet face to face within the next week, I trust you will be there?"
"Of course your majesty. I would not miss it for the world." You bowed again before leaving her office and striding quickly down the corridor, ignoring Alhaitham's pleas as he followed.
You kept walking until you reached the door that led out to the garden, bursting through it and making your way back to the carriage. On the way you couldn't help but notice a tuft of ginger hair peeking up from above the foliage. Fuck. You kept walking, trying to be as quiet as possible so you didn't ambush your new fiancee. What was the crown prince doing in the garden anyhow? Wasn't that rather unbecoming of royalty?
You were even more shocked when he stood to his full height revealing unruly red hair that was even more tousled than usual. Then there was the white dress shirt that was littered with mud stains and untucked from his pressed black trousers. He looked like he was on his way back from his coronation and decided to visit the pigs sty.
Luckily he didn't seem to have noticed you staring, much too engrossed in weeding his flower beds. Alhaitham wasn't so lucky. You ducked behind a bush and watched the exchange with baited breath.
"Prince Alhaitham! What a surprise! What brings you here?" The crown prince's tone was pleasant, but still held an undercurrent of irritation. It was no secret that the two disliked each other.
"Prince Childe, a pleasure as always. I was attending a meeting. On the request of her majesty of course."
"Of course. I'm sorry if I'm being intrusive, but what business might you have with my mother?" There it was. The thinly veiled threat that was every army generals favourite intimidation tactic. Luckily Alhaitham didn't crack so easily.
"I'm afraid it was a private matter, although you are free to take your enquiries to the queen herself. If there is nothing else, I will be headed back to my carriage sir."
You winced slightly at his cold tone. Yes, you were frustrated by this engagement, but your brother was hardly being helpful by trying to start a war with Snezhnaya. Wasn't he the one who put you forward for this marriage?
Alhaitham continued striding down the path towards the carriage, and you managed to disentangle yourself from the bush just in time to have him watch you clamber inside before him.
He sits down opposite you, and as soon as the door closes begins trying to reason with you.
"Listen, Y/N, I'm sorry ok, but I had no choice-"
"No choice? No choice? Have you no idea how precarious our position is? How precarious my position is!" You cried, entirely fed up with your brother's behaviour. He may be the heir to the throne of Sumeru, but it was widely known that you were the elder and wiser sibling.
"I am entirely aware of our situation, and that is precisely why I chose not to compromise it by ignoring the express wishes of the Tsaritsa."
"That is all well and good, brother, but what am I to do about my work? There is no one that can replace me, you know that!"
Alhaitham gritted his teeth. He made no secret about his distaste for your secret life.
"Your work will be done as soon as you are crowned and your position terminated. Until then, you will continue to follow the orders from the Akademiya."
"I suppose I have no choice in the matter?" You said primly.
"None at all."
You slumped back in the carriage, folding your arms and sulking bitterly. It felt as though your world had been immediately shattered by this knowledge. Of course, it was always expected that you would have to marry some foreign prince or duke; it was every noblewoman's fate. But to be saddled with the Snezhnayan prince was the worst possible scenario, despite his apparent favour for you.
Yes, he was indeed charming, and you could not lie and say you didn't enjoy the dance you had shared that night, but the politics surrounding this engagement could not be ignored. It was less like you were marrying the man, and more like marrying the nation. Worse, you would soon be ruling the nation. And as if matters could not get any worse, that nation was one that you had been plotting against for the past few months.
You continued to sulk all the way back to the castle the Tsaritsa had so kindly lent you. You were so fucked.
"ENGAGED?! To whom?"
The Tsaritsa wasn't exactly surprised by her sons reaction to the news. After all, he didn't even want to be crown prince, let alone engaged to some woman he had never met. Well, never officially met. She just hoped that he could compose himself enough to listen to what she had to say.
"The eldest princess of Sumeru. Princess Y/N."
"And, pray tell, why do you think that she is fit to be my bride?"
She chose to ignore her son's tone, by now used to dealing with arrogant army generals.
"It is not a matter of whether she is fit to be your bride, instead it is based upon what I think of her, and I find her to be the perfect fit for the future ruler of Snezhnaya."
That halted Childe slightly. His mother was not one to speak in such glowing terms about someone outside the family. Not even Eshana had been granted such a privilege. Clearly this girl must be something special. Although that didn't make this forced relationship any less frustrating.
"When am I going to meet her?" He asked.
"A week's time. She is already in Snezhnaya and staying at the Summer palace."
That was even more shocking. His mother was most certainly not one to lend her palaces to visitors, let alone her favourite of the many stately homes.
"What do you see in this girl, mother? It appears you have already taken a great liking to her."
"I am merely invested in the next generation of this family. You cannot carry on our bloodline all on your own," She paused for a minute, as if debating what to say to him next, a mysterious expression passing over her face. "You are now dismissed."
Childe bowed on his way out, before storming down the corridors of Zapolyarny palace. He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed it down his face, the very picture of frustration. Archons, sometimes he wished he had been born normal.
You shared a similar sentiment as you stormed through the courtyard and up the steps to the Summer palace. The servants waiting at the doors tried to stop you from stomping down the hall to your room, but you were like a tornado rushing through the corridor.
The whole place was full of the typical Snezhnayan furnishings, from the obscene number of portraits to the chandeliers to the carpets to the wallpaper, it all reminded you of that night in Zapolyarny palace. It also reminded you of your newfound engagement to the crown prince, thrusting you even further into a deep fit of rage.
You slammed the door behind you, and immediately kicked your dresser with your hard toed shoe whilst shouting various expletives in Sumeran. Soon you tired of the assault and flopped down onto the soft mattress with a sigh. Your hands still itched with frustration, and you even began to take it out on your extravagant skirt, picking loose threads from the stitching with sharp fingernails.
You continued your next onslaught until you caught sight of a small letter on your nightstand, the unmistakable red seal of the Knight's of Favonius adorning the paper.
Grabbing the letter opener from the draw, you tore open the letter hurriedly, eager for any distraction from this awful news.
The letter read as follows:
Dear Miss Y/N, Princess of Sumeru,
I hope this letter finds you well, and I'm glad to say that I received that book you sent me. I am looking forward to reading it.
I am also pleased to hear that you are in Snezhnaya, although the weather here has been increasingly stormy. I fear more and more with every passing moment that I may be struck by lightning.
Perhaps you have noticed the large flock of ducklings under the bridge in town. I believe there are about 8 of them, or maybe 10. Regardless, there are always people visiting on the weekends, although not as much on Sundays because of the Church.
I must say that I have missed your presence in Mondstadt, although I understand that you have obligations.
Your faithful servant,
Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain.
You smiled to yourself. Kaeya did always have a way with words, and although this wasn't the most subtle of coded notes, it got his point across. She would certainly be looking forward to seeing him again.
As you thought about his message, you couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with a sense of sadness. Maybe this would be your final mission in the field, the rest of your life spent conducting worthless reconnaissance and doting on an uncaring husband.
It made you sick. This room. This life. Even your clothes, your body, your face.
You couldn't help but come back to the dress. Unfortunately, it offended you more the more you looked at it. Its sickly lavender colour and embroidery of the Sumeru rose stood testament to the way these Snezhnayans saw you; an exotic flower to be plucked from the yard, then left in a tiny vase to wilt. They only wanted you as Tsaritsa to try and appease the Akademiya. God they were foolish. It was far too late for appeasement, the Akademiya was ready for war.
And you would be their most dangerous weapon, whether they liked it or not.