✎ . . . fluff
❛ royalty au
❛ gender fluid
❏ ╭─────────╯ .┊‣ ♡
❏ ╭─────────╯ .┊‣ ♡
.. ˓ ✿
' 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬
𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
.. ˓ ✿
❏ ╭─────────╯ .┊‣
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you got tired of the victorian dresses as well as the silk suits and ties that the visitors were wearing in the ballroom. the dances had gone on for long enough, and you had to politely decline ever invitation to dance. the robes that you had on were quite tight, making sure to slim you down to the bone, trying to make you look as presentable as can be. you really disliked the amount of alcohol and cakes and chiffon that went around the entire ballroom.
you had snuck out from the hustling and bustling of people and darted towards the gardens at first. ah hedges and bushes, what else was new? you knew the royal guards were already bound to be searching for you now, and you felt so excited crossing through and running around the biggest palace you could home.
while they chased you around for lord knows how long, you were hiding in between cracks in the wall and jumping out of the windows to land on the palace roofs. you knew your own home better than your parents did, and it gave you a sense of belonging. you climbed the roofs and ledges, not caring if you had torn your most expensive tunic of silk; or that you had scaled some of your bows and ribbons.
it didn't matter to you, you weren't planning on returning to the ball that night anyway. the moonlight provided you the light to climb, and you pushed opened one of the heavy windows that were boarded up on the topest floor of your home.
you slid yourself into the room, and sneezed at just how dusty it was. when you managed to look around, you realised where you had just landed yourself in.
your parents had strictly forbid you to enter the one room on the highest floor of the palace, as they said that there were evil spirits that lurked. it was the third library of the entire palace, and it looked more grand and bigger than all the other libraries throughout the palace.
you had to admit, you thought it would be dusty, and old, but no everything looked perfectly new. you could feel the soft breeze and... another presence nearby. you shivered as you felt something cold fly by you, but you chose to ignore it and chalked it up as it being a draft. you shut the windows and shut the blinds and started to make your way around the gigantic library.
books, books and more books as far as the eye could see. this was definitely so much better than dancing with strangers all night. you had to admit though, there was one prince from the kingdom of liyue which looked quite handsome, so it was a shame you couldn't dance with the young man with the black hair with green highlights in them.
another cold presence flew past, and you turned around. you were sure someone was in here with you, then again there wasn't any living soul to be seen.
oh, perhaps it wasn't a living soul.
"my liege," you heard the cold and ghostly whisper of a young boy right beside your ear. you spun around and almost screamed when you saw the pale ghostly glowing figure of a young man in beautiful blue and white robes. his blue glowing hair was slightly messy, and his beautiful white boots were clicking against the wooden tiles. you were worried, but he didn't seem all that evil. "aren't you... supposed to be downstairs?"
you couldn't speak. you were looking at a ghost, like an actual ghost, and how were you supposed to react to that. the young ghost boy smiled at you, and flew over towards you, making you feel cold and shivery all over.
"fret not, my liege, i wish nothing else but to have a chat, that is of course.. if you are not too busy."
the hairs on your skin stood up, but then again, there was nothing melancholic about this young spirit boy. since you were quite young, you wondered if maybe he hadn't had any friends at all since he was always locked up here with nobody to visit him. this area of the palace was after all, locked up with no direct entry from the door. you came in here through the window after all.
you slowly approached him, and extended your hand out, hoping to at least be able to touch him. of course, your hand went through his, and you quickly recoiled it. "y-you're... a real ghost?"
he nodded his head. "indeed i am, my liege."
you thought it was cool, yet it felt so scary. shouldn't meeting ghosts bring such a deadly fate? you tilted your head a little as the young boy examined you from head to toe. he didn't know what to make of you, only registering the fact that you may have been of royalty as seen by your... rather, messy robes.
you realised he was staring at your clothes, and you quickly tried to adjust it. there were some seams that were out of place, as well as a few slits from where you had cut them from earlier. you chuckled nervously. what a way to present yourself. "ah.. sorry, i.. was climbing up here and kinda got caught by many things..."
"oh its no problem my liege," he then flew over and started to mend your clothes. yes, actually mend them. he dragged his fingers over the parts where they needed sewing and mending, and they sewed and stitched themselves up. he even dusted your silk and adjusted your bows and ribbons. "there you are, my liege, as good as new~"
you gasped, looking at the state of your clothes now. he actually fixed everything for you, and you needn't have to explain to your seamstress and dressmakers about what had happened anymore. you felt so happy, but then again, his presence just made you shiver all over. you looked at him and nodded your head happily. "thank you! uh- your name, sir?"
"xingqiu, at your service, my liege."
his name was so pretty, well it fitted him, as he was pretty as well. you had many questions for him, but first you wanted to introduce yourself too. "ah, it is a pleasure to meet you, and please, call me y/n. you may skip the formality."
xingqiu nodded. "alright." he then followed behind you closely as you started to walk towards the endless shelves of books in front of you. "aren't you supposed to be downstairs where the beautiful music is being held?"
you shook your head, and realised that you could hear the ballroom music even from all the way up here. you grabbed a few books and blew away the dust as xingqiu flew around you, dusting some of the books as he came and went. "i dislike the people that visit, all they ever wish is to betroth me, or wish to gain money and power from my father."
xingqiu followed behind you as you went to sit on one of the golden desk. the chairs were dusty, but looked as good as new. he quietly stayed afloat beside you, looking over your shoulder at the book you were reading. "do they bother you, my liege?"
you nodded. "very much, oh apart from the young prince from liyue."
xingqiu laughed. his laughs were beautiful, and pretty, like dew on the flowers in the morning. "i believe you must be talking about prince xiao."
you turned to look at him. "yes, i most certainly am, how did you know?"
xingqiu then flew around, letting a few books from the shelves follow under him. the books spun around him as he slowly flew around the whole library, smiling to himself. "i was once a young boy from liyue once~"
you nodded as you watched him. "so, how might you have ended up here?"
" 'twas but a lonely night when his majesty took us all on an adventure as the swordsmen. i stumbled upon your palace and like you, my liege, climbed all the way to this beautiful library that used to be opened. i have been in here for the past decades or so, and have remained as the library ghost, so many people fear to return, as to why this library is locked forever." xingqiu explained casually, as if he didn't feel sad at all. if you has to be locked in here forever, you would have been sad.
"don't you wish to leave?"
xingqiu smiled as he flipped his body around in the air, looking down at you. he kicked his legs around behind him, his slender beautiful legs. ah, how pretty. "a ghost's soul can only be released when the ghost has been appeased."
you flipped the pages of your book and and read while he hummed above you, still with the books following him like a stray. "how might you be appeased?"
he then tapped his chin and flew around the grand library before he stopped just above your head, looking down at your book. "while i was still alive, i fell in love with a young maiden, and have always wished for my feelings to be returned by someone someday, as i could never remember the young maiden, but to have my feelings returned someday, that should be appeasing enough."
you then picked your head up to look into his soulless yellow orbs. "but if you have your feelings returned, does that not mean that you would leave this world and pass on?"
he nodded. "indeed my liege, but as nobody would return my feelings, i wouldn't worry too much."
you blinked. "do you not wish to pass on?"
"i enjoy staying in this library. there are over a hundred million books in here, and i have yet to read all of them, and by the time i finish, i am sure there will still be nobody to appease me, and so here i shall remain, forever waiting."
you felt your heart ache for this poor boy. he must have waited his whole life to be appeased, but he couldn't find anyone. you sighed and shut the book before sliding it to the centre. xingqiu guided the book towards him as he grabbed it. "how come you can touch books?"
"i can touch things, but you, my liege, are unable to touch me." he said quietly as he placed his cold icy palms on your shoulders as you cried out a little. he drummed his fingers a little as he brought his face closer to your ear. "can you feel me?"
you nodded your head. "yes."
"good..." xingqiu moved his hands down your shoulders slowly, dragging his cold dead fingers with him. you felt comfortable by his touch, and he wasn't planning on doing anything weird to you. it just felt nice to touch a living soul again. "it feels weird now, knowing that i used to feel this... human."
you turned your head to see his frown, and smiled at him. "you must have had a wonderful life."
"my memory is hazy, as i can recall nothing but a few bits and pieces, but if you are able, i would not mind you, my liege, giving me new memories." he said as he took his cold hands away from you. "i do get lonely sometimes, so if you are able, please, do come cist me. your verbosity is charming, darling."