This isn't real

Snezhnaya

"Take care brother." -N

The journey continued for four long and stressful days, each one more intense than the last. The entire time, Zhongli was pacing back and forth over the ship, throwing up or sleeping in order to rest his mind and body. On the last day of his tortuous journey, the land of Snezhnaya appeared before him. Its icy cold breeze grazed his skin, freezing any tear threatening to drop.

"We're here!" The captain of the ship called out to him as it seemed Zhongli had been frozen.

"Ah." Zhongli acknowledged the captain's words and gripped his teapot till his knuckles turned white. When the boat docked, he was faced with Snezhnaya's queen, Tsaritsa. She was beautiful indeed, with blonde hair almost white as the snow that covered her nation and delicate skin. She had cold blue eyes that seemed to be carved out of ice. Here, she was standing in a thick royal blue fur coat with a white dress beneath. His body suddenly tensed at this sight and his throat closed up, preventing him from making any noise. He started to sweat and his pale skin turned even paler. Realizing the boat had stopped moving, he carefully stepped off. A servant had come to take his things and he could sense the surprise when all he handed was a teapot. He could sense all of their surprise when there was no fanfare or elaborate entourage. His mother had requested not to make a big deal out of his arrival. Yet, there were no further questions asked. Gripping the skirt of his Han Fu tightly, Zhongli tried his best to keep his composure.

"Welcome to Snezhnaya, Prince Rex Lapis. It is my greatest honor to have you here." Tsaritsa bowed and the other four followed. Zhongli simply nodded as his body was too tense to move much.

"These are my children, obviously not real. Prince Tartaglia, Lady Signora, Il Dottore and Scaramouche." She indicated to the people behind her. Zhongli nodded again. He noticed their disgust but chose to ignore it and followed the five of them to a grand castle at the end of a long cobblestone road. Zapolyarny Palace. He read about it somewhere. It was every bit magnificent as described in person as it was in books. The spiraling turrets built to sparkle against the icy glow of the morning sun, the glass dome of the ballroom; it truly was a sight to behold. However, when they entered the interior of the castle, things went in...a different direction.

"You can drop the act now mom." Scaramouche had looked at Tsaritsa, disgust painted on his face.

"Fine. I just didn't want to scare the poor boy." Tsaritsa turned around and stared at him. Zhongli was severely uncomfortable. He already had to get used to having a fiance and now he had to get used to meeting five new people who would be his in-laws. Tsaritsa took a step closer and his reflexes kicked in. Zhongli flinched and stepped back, arms raised in front of his face to protect it. They were surprised at this behavior. But unfortunately, the rumors about him being a brat were the strongest here and everyone believed it firmly. Not to mention that they most likely originated from Snezhnaya. So instead of asking him what's wrong, they stared at him with loathing.

"Geez. Can't even handle touching? We're royals too, ya know? Or are you that much of a brat?" The ginger had leaned against a table and glared at Zhongli. The brunette shifted under his piercing blue eyed gaze. The red cape he wore draped over his broad shoulders, tight white suit revealing the faint outline of his toned body.

"Be nice Childe. This is obviously new for him." Tsaritsa lightly hit him on the shoulder and then turned back to Zhongli. "I'm not going to hurt you dear. I just want you to follow us."

Zhongli nodded again. His body was hurting from all the intense breathing. They took him on a tour of the castle and much to his surprise, it was beautiful. Tall arches made of silver, tall glass windows and a stained glass window of the Tsaritsa. At last, they stopped at a red door. It gave a sense of familiarity that Zhongli has felt before. Tsaritsa opened it and Zhongli stepped inside. His eyes widened at the sight. This was an exact replica of his room back at the Jade Chamber. Everything was accurate, from the proportions to the placement of the furniture he couldn't bring. Still in shock, Zhongli could do nothing but close the door in a bit of a panic, eager to feel at home for once in four days.

"Rude." Signora scoffed and rolled his eyes at the door before they left. But she heard something. Something that sounded like...crying? Did he bring something along? Or was he? No, it is impossible. The geo prince is a selfish being! He wouldn't cry, right? Signora brushed it off and kept her mouth sealed.

The next few days, the Tsaritsa was trying her best (and forcing the others) to make their new guest more comfortable but despite their efforts, they were met with either a stare or the back of the brunette. It had been a week since he came and things between them were still as they were. On Zhongli's side, however, he was scared out of his mind. He tried to sneak away to his room in order to calm himself but he almost always got caught. Not to mention that the ginger, Childe was it?, had an extreme dislike for him. He would always glare at him or make snarky remarks. It didn't bother Zhongli but it was still stressful. One day, they were having dinner. Zhongli had eaten the bare minimum of his food and was ready to go back to his room. He quickly and quietly excused himself and fled from the room. Childe couldn't help but stare as he left, noting how he only ate a morsel of food. He decided to let bygones be bygones and went back to his meal.

This was not good. Zhongli stumbled into his room, coughing violently the moment he had entered and shut the door. Quickly changing into something thinner, Zhongli ran to the bathroom to grab a cup of water. Instead he collapsed to the ground, heaving. He grabbed the sink and hoisted himself up, body shaking like a leaf in the wind. He attempted to drink but instead, crimson red blood trickled down the side of his mouth. He gasped as he collapsed to the floor again, body weak. Zhongli began to inch towards his bed, hoping he could at least pass out somewhere comfier. But, however, halfway there, he felt his head spin. His vision blurred out and in a flurry of colors, he collapsed onto the floor with a thud and everything went black.

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