𝔽𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 || 𝕂𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕪𝕒𝕥𝕠

12. But Where Is The Key To Freedom's Cage?

Nearly a month had passed since Kanari was appointed royal advisor. She sat at the dining table, finishing up her dinner. The first stars were appearing in the violet sky outside. It was a lovely cloudless night, perfect for an evening stroll if you had the time.

Just as she was pondering the peaceful silence, the dining room door burst open. Thoma, in his usual dapper red outfit, strode in. Kanari noticed that he was holding two letters in his hand. As he approached the king and his advisor, he gave them a wide grin.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you two," he said placing a letter in front of each of them. "An urgent letter came in."

Ayato raised his eyebrows as Kanari broke the purple wax on her letter.

"Thank you, Thoma," he said, not taking his eyes off Kanari. His voice was much quieter than usual.

The blond-hair retainer gave a short nod, looking rather hurt at Ayato's lack of enthusiasm. He turned back swiftly and stalked out of the room. Once the door shut, Ayato's gaze flicked up to Kanari's eyes.

"Who's that from?" He quipped, completely ignoring his own letter.

"I didn't realize it was part of my duty as your advisor to report every single letter I get to you, Your Majesty," Kanari remarked, glancing up from the contents of her letter. "It's from the princess."

The envelope was pristine and smelled faintly of sakura blossoms. The broken wax had the unmistakable purple hue of the royal seal. If that didn't confirm it, the neat handwriting and Ayaka's signature at the bottom certainly did.

"Why is Ayaka writing to you?" continued Ayato, ignoring Kanari's remark.

"We're friends," was all Kanari said in reply. She took a sip of water as she continued reading the letter. It wasn't much, to be honest, but it was nice knowing that someone cared enough to write.

Finishing the last sentence, she nimbly folded the letter and slid it back into the envelope. With a quick glance in the king's direction, she spotted the shining turquoise seal of Mondstadt stamped on the king's unopened letter. Ayato followed her gaze and picked up the intricate letter, his deft fingers running along the wax emblem. In one swift movement, he broke the seal, bits of teal crumbling beneath his fingers. He unfolded the letter, his eyes immediately flying to the bottom.

He shut his eyes briefly and sighed. After a long moment, his eyes fluttered open, and he began reading the letter out loud.

"Dear King Kamisato Ayato of Inazuma, I wish you and your nation peace and prosperity. Mondstadt is thriving and I hope Inazuma sees the same fate.

"I am writing to you to inform you of my plans to visit Inazuma. If all goes to plan, I shall arrive at the palace of Narukami on the tenth of March around midday. On this visit, my daughter, Princess Fischl of Mondstadt, will be coming with me. I believe it is long past the time for her to wed. It would be splendid if we could come to an arrangement of sorts during my stay.

"Regards, King Diluc of Ragnvindr, Ruler of Mondstadt."

The king and his advisor sat in silence as they processed all the unspoken words left within the letter. Kanari stared out the windows at the sky, which was now a deep shade of indigo. Stars blended in with the city lights flickering in the distance, giving the night an illusion of serenity.

Ayato stared at the paper in his shaking hands, his lips pressed in a thin line. He set the letter down and took a sip of water, still very much deep in thought. His violet eyes were clouded, his expression unreadable.

"The princess of Mondstadt wants your hand in marriage," said Kanari, breaking the silence.

"Straight to the point as always, Kanari," the king responded wearily.