Beidou laughed in disbelief, almost like a laugh of a pissed person. Cause how can she not? She stands up, glaring at her brother playing with rocks, he can't be serious — he's just in a goofy mood, right?
"Why don't you talk to him first, how about that?" She asks with concern in her voice before Xiao looks at her with nothing but an erratic face. "Ah right — He ignores you... Just try to talk to him okay?" Xiao just nodded silently before standing up and leaving Beidou.
Maybe canceling the wedding isn't the best choice. But hey, he did try to set Venti free though, how nice of him. He's a prince after all — he should know how to be considerate about others. He hears a sing-song voice in the hallway he was walking into, footsteps included. "P-prince Alatus!"
The light blue-haired maid bowed nervously as she tried to hide something from him, "what are you holding?"
"Nothing prince Alatus!" She shouted, panicking like always. Xiao tried looking at the maid's back to see what it was but the maid only turned around at him to hide whatever it is she's holding. Circling around one certain place until they're too dizzy to keep going. "What are you hiding from me?"
"It's just a recipe book prince Alatus!" She closed her eyes — hoping that Xiao would believe it. "If it's just a recipe book then why are you-"
"Ganyu! Do you have the recipe book now? I've been waiting since earlier" another maid showed up, "yes. Here" she shoved the front of the book in her chest just so Xiao wouldn't see the cover. That's quite odd to be a recipe book... Metal cover?.. Xiao thought.
He really is sharp. There's no way these girls can hide it from him. "Ganyu? What is that"
"A- a recipe book?"
"Let me see" both of the girls looked at each other and gulped at the same time. They can't do anything when a prince orders them, they have to give him what he wants, or else it will be a violation as a maid. They slowly start showing the book to Xiao — hoping to archons that they'll just disappear right now.
"Rule book? May I ask what you need this for?" She stares at Xiao nervously. Trying to think of a way out of this. "I told her to keep it away" Someone walks in on them, holding a glass of wine. "Ningguang? But why?"
"We needed a new copy. That one got extremely old"
"I don't see anything wrong with this rule book?" Xiao suspects that there's something skeptical about Ningguang but didn't bother to think about it. "And I don't see anything wrong with keeping it away. We can have a hundred more of this book, just throw that one out" she ordered and the two immediately bowed and left. "I still don't understand what's so wrong about that book..."
Xiao whispered before walking away. As he walks, a pain in the head hits him.
"I'll name you... Xiao, my lovely prince"
An image of his mom smiling at him glitches in his head as if he was a tv that's malfunctioning.
"How can I be proud of someone like you? Work harder, Alatus!"
He punched the side of his head to get rid of the pain in his head but no — nothing is working. It's as if the world was actually trying to show him these things.
"I- I don't know... I love my children. But- but every time I see their faces it makes me angry. It reminds me of how she died and how I got imprisoned inside of this hellish castle. They disgust me. Yet they're my children... I love them"
Xiao widened his eyes as he hears those phrases inside his mind. His mind can no longer imagine what was happening, he can only hear it. Who was that? Why is that voice so familiar?.. Why does it pain him to hear those words? The way the voice inside his mind sobs breaks his heart so much.
Tthe rRule.
It once again glitches in his mind. "The rule..." He whispers. He is so lost. What is this? It's like a technology stuck inside his brain trying to recall and warn him about the things that have happened, and will happen.
The sudden headache finally stopped but the pain in his chest stayed, just... What the hell happened to him?
He groaned and lean his forehead against the wall. "Prince Alatus. I witnessed the incident that has happened to you, are you alright?"
"I'm alright Albedo..."
"Let me bring you into your room" Albedo accompanied the prince on the way back to his room, seems like it also happened to him.
He placed Xiao carefully in his bed as he sighs, "where there voices?" Albedo asked, before staring directly at Xiao. "How do you know..."
"Four years ago, Aether's death — Same thing as yours occurred to me. The memories of me and him flashes in my eyes, I thought I was going to die. Not until I heard voices" Xiao flinched as he realizes this topic was Aether. He was also a part of Aether's plan to fake his death and talking about him with Albedo is a huge risk.
"I know myself that voice was the person I love, it says things about faking their death and... Something to save me from passing. It warned me, it says that a heartbreak is waving at me" he chuckled while crossing his arms.
Xiao's eyes widened. That voices he heard earlier... Are those real? "Don't worry though, those are the things my mind created. I was just surprised when it also happened to you..."
Xiao knows it's real. Albedo hallucination four years ago is all real. Aether faked his death, but the heartbreak..? What heartbreak? It doesn't concern him so he just ignored it. If Albedo's illusion was real... Then his could also be true.
"I was probably too chatty. I'll bring you water" the man left the room, leaving Xiao stunned inside the room. Rule? What rule?
Finally, he was aware of it. All the things Venti said before and he didn't even pay attention to it. Maybe this is something he should worry about instead of trying to discontinue their wedding.
Though he cannot tell Albedo about all of these, since if he does — Aether's plan will all go down. Now if we try to remember... four years ago...
"Alatus. Do not ever tell anyone that I am still alive. No one except for the royal family can know"
"But why?"
"The rule"
He was only thirteen at that time so he didn't think it was such a big deal, but thinking about it now — it's such a big fucking deal. He knows for a fact that Lumine dislikes living like a princess and she would like to live as a normal lady more than live a fancy life, but Aether leaving like that with Lumine before was too confusing and messy for him.
But now he gets it. Because of that rule. Nobody told him what the rule is, not even Beidou — or Ningguang. He should know about this, he is the future king after all.
Is Yanfei's avoidance connected to this too? Yanfei is their cousin, she's a beautiful lady who only wishes for a peaceful life. It's been a lot of years since they have last seen her... Maybe even longer than Aether's fake death. They do know where they live right now — but they choose not to pry.
It's all starting to make sense. They left this castle because of the rule. But what is that rule? "Here's your water, please take good care of yourself"
"Albedo"
"Mm?"
"Do you anything about a certain rule that might be connected to Aether's death, and Yanfei's departure?" The man freezes, almost as if shocked. There's a guilt in his blue eyes, Xiao swears there is. "Tell me" Albedo shakes his head, "I don't know anything," he said, trying to keep calm for whatever reason.
Albedo left the room just to avoid unnecessary talks about the rule — he would not want to do anything with that rule ever again. The only reason why his beloved died...
He placed his hand on his chest and pants. Was Aether's death actually connected to this rule? He thought.
-
"Ya, you came prince Aether!" Kazuha smiled with his arm rested on his own waist. "I really like the sea"
"Like the sea or like my presence?" He laughs before winking at the prince jokingly, I'm surprised he can act shamelessly in front of a prince. Though I know he's more than just an unoccupied man. He gets to make Aether and Beidou to trust him — his manner must be really comforting and trustworthy.
"Stop with you none sense" Aether scolded before walking towards the ship's wheel. "How do you live in a castle when you know the king Albedo usually stays there too?"
"We've already met, seems like he does not remember my face anymore so I'm all good"
"Man, that got to hurt
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