Small droplets of rain taint the windows, creating the soft pitter-patter of the rain as they echo in the room, creating a calming ambiance as you work on the uniforms. Swiftly and efficiently, you pull on the needle and secure the string by tying a knot before cutting off the excess. Folding the uniform and putting it on the neat pile inside the basket, you smile to yourself. You could see the progress in your handiwork and with that, you recently started putting little flower imprints on them.
"I'm done—" As you turn your head around, you see Ganyu dozing off, her eyes trying their best to stay open. You giggle softly as she caves into sleep, her head tilted to one side. Well, who could blame the weather?
You head to your room and grab a blanket before returning to Ganyu. Slowly but gently, you adjusted her position so when she wakes up, she wouldn't strain her neck. After that, you place the blanket on her shoulders, covering the upper half of her body.
"Ah!" A sudden realization came into mind— you were supposed to feed Seelie! Though you had your doubts as it was possible that Seelie wouldn't be there waiting for you in the rain but you were still going to do so, after all, it didn't hurt to try.
With a handful of seeds in one hand and an umbrella on the other, you made your way down the hallways and out to the garden. There you see a silhouette under the Cuihua tree. Under the tree's shade, Xiao was petting the bird that was resting on his finger. "She'll come soon, Seelie. Patience is a virtue."
"H-Hi, sorry I'm late..." The bird whips its head to the source of the voice and when it registers that it belonged to you, it flies to your hand to peck on its food. "I've missed you, Seelie!"
"He's grown accustomed to you," Xiao spoke.
"Really? Maybe he just wants the seeds." You laugh, "Don't you, Seelie?" You turn to the bird, gently nudging its round belly. The bird, disturbed from your nudging, nips at your finger before flying away. Your eyes follow the bird as it lands on Xiao's shoulder. Soon, your met Xiao's gaze and you notice his hair was slightly damp and had small droplets of water. "Have you been waiting long?"
"I've arrived a minute before you did." A lie slips past his lips but you were keen on noticing. You frown, eyebrows furrowed. You take Xiao's hand and dump all of the seeds before telling him to wait for your return. You ran towards the camp, not caring whether the mud was staining the edges of your hanfu. You only had one goal in mind and that was to get Xiao a towel.
You remove your dirty shoes before entering through the sliding door, and you manage to get a towel from one of the cabinets. Hurrying back, you take long strides. With a sharp turn at the corner of the hallway, you met with a hard surface, throwing you on the ground.
"Ouch." You hiss in pain, one hand on the aching spot while the other held onto the towel. "Woah there, Princess." A familiar voice says. You look up to the owner of the voice and your eyes met with ocean blue ones. "General Tartaglia..."
His hands travel to your waist as he hoists you up and brings you back to your feet. "You seem to be in a hurry."
"A-Ah, I am!" You try to walk past him but he follows you, blocking your path. "Hold on, Princess."
"B-But I'm in a hurry—"
"This." One of his hands digs into his back pocket, retrieving a rolled-up paper that was held by a red ribbon and the emperor's seal as a stamp in the middle. "A letter from your father." He says as he places it in your hand.
"Please give this to Xiao!" You quickly hand him the towel. "Xiao?" Childe wonders. Before he could question you further, you were unable to contain your excitement and had already ran back to your room.
Tartaglia glances out the window and he sees a silhouette from the distance. Assuming it was Xiao, he strides towards him without the need for an umbrella. As soon as he reaches the male, he taps him on the shoulder and hands him the towel. "Stay away from the princess."
"I could say the same to you, Childe."
"You're the field marshall."
"And you're the general."
"You cannot fall in love with the princess. Your life is on line. If you die, how do you think she'll feel?"
"Falling in love is at the bottom of my priorities. Her safety is on the top."
"Glad you know what's best. Oh, don't take this to the heart. Just a little warning. Well, I have to return now. I have other matters to attend to." Tartaglia waves his hand, walking towards the direction where he came from. Xiao was glaring at his back the moment he turned around, his hand clenching onto the towel tightly. "Tsk."
While walking back, Childe notices a pair of muddied shoes on the front porch. Knowing that you had visited Xiao earlier, he takes your shoes for a clean-up.
Meanwhile, in your room, you were currently reading the letter from your father.
Dearest daughter,
I hope you are doing well because I am too. It's been half a year since I last saw you and I miss you so much. There is not a day I don't think about you. Though I must say this feud is getting difficult to resolve. I have thought of many ways yet I always end up at a dead end. I do wish you'd return and stay at the kingdom but I cannot guarantee your safety. Speaking of safety, I trust that Tartaglia has been protecting you well? No scratches nor bruises, I presume? You have to stay strong, my dear. I will find a way to resolve this matter as soon as possible. We will be reunited again. Take care.
You hold the letter close, a smile forming on your lips. "Take care too, father." You neatly return the letter back into its original shape and place it inside one of the drawers of your table. Not too long after, a soft knock on the door drew your attention and you open the door to reveal Tartaglia. "Your foot."
You blink at him twice, confused why he would say that. He crouches down and takes out a new pair of shoes, one that had a beautiful design of a flower but this didn't make you excited, rather, it brought you into a state of panic. "W-Where did my shoes go?"
"They were coated in mud—"
"D-Did you throw it?!" Your voice raised to a higher volume and it shook Tartaglia. "P-Please tell me you didn't..."
"Do not fret, princess. It's being cleaned as we speak."
You breathe out a sigh of relief. Tartaglia looks at you and asks why you reacted that way. "It belonged to my mother... it's the only memory I have of her."
"Come on. I'll show you, but first, wear this for the meantime." Tartaglia extends his hand out, indicating that you extend your foot out for him to put the new pair of shoes on you and you blush. "I-I can do it myself!"
"Please allow me." He stays in the same position, waiting for you. You bit your lip, nervously extending your left foot first. He equips the shoe on you then on the other before getting up from his kneeling position. "Let's go."
He closes the door behind you then walks beside you, escorting you to where your shoes were being cleaned.
"Your mother..." He began, "What was she like?" Tartaglia glances at your figure and your shoulders were stiff. "You don't have to answer me if you don't want to."
"W-Well... where do I start?"
"Whatever you're comfortable sharing."
You told him everything you could remember about your mom, the laughs you both shared, the times you've spent with her whether they were in the garden, the study room, or just in your bedroom, and most importantly, the time you spent together with both your mother and father as a family. "She sounds amazing."
"She is... it's a shame you couldn't meet her now."
"I believe that she's in a better place."
"Thank you, Gen—"
"Childe. You can call me Childe."
"But that would be informal... then, you'll have to call me by my name!"
"Alright, (First Name)."
You blush at the mention of your name. The way it rolls off his tongue sound so good. You could hear him say your name all day.
"T-Thank you, Childe."
"For what?"
"For listening to me talk."
"It's no problem... your father entrusted me to take care of you. Might as well get to know your savior, you know?" He winks.
"Hmph! I can save myself! Have you seen me with the bow?"
"Oh yes. I do remember the arrow landing out of bound."
"D-Don't remind me of that!"
After an exchange of playful banter, Childe's face turns serious. "Though I must say, there's something I should advise you. You shouldn't be close with Xiao."
"Why? He doesn't seem like a bad person. He's nice—"
"You'll only get hurt in the process."