The clinking sounds of silverware chimed throughout the dining hall, disrupting an otherwise empty silence. The stars outside the window twinkled in the deep indigo sky, free to dance as they wished. They mocked Kanari, singing of their liberty from all duties. Or perhaps, their duty was to be free. To shine bright in their own way, for forever.
Meanwhile, Kanari was being held hostage in a torture mechanism people tend to call dinner parties. She sat tensely as she tried to eat the meal before her. Tonight's dinner was prepared even more finely than usual, due to the presence of their guests. A mixture of the usual Mondstadt-like food they had each day and Inazuma's traditional cuisine was set upon the table.
Plates of the freshest sashimi were placed beside beef stew, bits of carrot and potato floating in the crystal bowl. The delectable aroma of ratatouille swirled with the sweet scent of crab roe kourayaki. Various other foodstuffs were piled on the table, but the centerpiece was obviously the ginormous bowl of miso soup in the middle. Both the literal and figurative warmth that exuded from it was immense. The odd yet beautiful blend of cultures was displayed on the long table for all to dig into.
She sat Princess Ayaka, each of them exchanging the occasional glance. A few of the lords sitting a bit farther down the table were talking in hushed voices, but other than that, there was no conversation. It was evident that everyone was waiting for the kings to start. King Ayato sat at one end of the table, while King Diluc sat on the other. Kanari and General Kujou were on the Inazuman king's right and left, respectively. It was comforting to be surrounded by mainly people she was somewhat close with, at least.
"Did you know, Thoma was the one who oversaw the making of the entire banquet," Ayaka whispered suddenly.
"Interesting," Kanari murmured, nodding slightly.
"He's quite the expert on Mondstadian culture as well!" Ayaka exclaimed in a hushed voice. "He was originally from Mondstadt, actually."
Kanari raised her eyebrows with intrigue. It rather made sense, for his appearance wasn't very common for Inazumans. She wondered why she'd never thought about it before.
"So," Ayato said finally, making everyone's heads turn. That, Kanari realized, was the power of a king. The profound power to draw everyone's attention with a mere word. "In honor of our guests from Mondstadt, I shall be hosting a ball in five days time. I believe the details shall be sent to you all soon."
Everyone nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Everyone apart from Kanari. She merely sipped her water blankly, staring, but not seeing. She was rather nervous about the ball. It would undoubtedly be a much worse experience than the dining party she was currently occupied with. Perhaps she could just spend the night with Ayaka and Sara quietly. Though, she doubted that would be possible due to the number of suitors Ayaka received.
"I look forward to it immensely," King Diluc responded courteously.
"I too look forward to getting to know you better, Your Majesty," added Princess Fischl. She spoke sweetly, her voice swathed in honey.
Kanari glanced at Ayato, curious for his reaction. He was smiling politely, but his eyes showed no warmth. King Ayato at his finest. The King Ayato that said every word carefully, laying out baits and traps for his enemies. The King Ayato that had politicians in his grasp before they even knew it, always operating in the shadows as his sister spoke and cared for the people. The one that Kanari never found herself speaking to, only observing as he snared others.
"Do you play chess, Princess?" Ayato asked, no hint of malice in his voice, though Kanari knew better than to trust his simple words. They had gathered information about their guests just after they came back from their walk. He already knew that Princess Fischl knew the basics of chess but did not play often.
"What do you need this information for?" Kanari had asked, her sharp mind speculating rapidly.
"You'll see," was the only thing he had said in response.
Now, his plan was infinitely obvious to her. It would start with simple questions, innocent and unsuspecting. Ask the princess questions he knew the answer to, testing her. Would she respond honestly, or would she paint herself in a flattering light?
"I do occasionally," replied Princess Fischl, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It is very engaging, but I am usually occupied with other things."
That was a lie. Ayato's spies had said that the princess showed disdain toward chess.
Kanari watched Ayato's expression carefully. To her surprise, there was nothing out of place, his face was just as one would expect. His lavender eyes were slightly cold, but that wasn't something evident to the usual observer. There was nothing to indicate that he had been expecting the princess's response. She had to admit, his acting skills were on point.
"What are these other things you speak of?" He questioned, not missing a beat.
"Mostly my duties, or spending time with the ladies of the court," Princess Fischl answered. For the tiniest of moments, her eyes flitted to her father. It was barely detectable, but Kanari had been watching with rapt attention, and caught it. As she looked back at Ayato, she knew he caught it as well.
"My sister, Princess Ayaka, fences," Ayato started offhandedly, though on the inside Kanari knew he was anything but. "Do you fence also?"
"I do, actually," Princess Fischl said after a moment of hesitation.
"Interesting! I'd love to have a casual duel with you sometime," Ayaka piped up, smiling.
By saying Ayaka fences, he gave fencing a positive connotation, prompting the princess to admit she fences, Kanari analyzed. Fencing was not a hobby a princess of Mondstadt should have. Had Ayato not remark positively about fencing, Princess Fischl might not have said she fenced. Sadly, the problem with such mind games is that you can never know what would've happened had you chosen to approach the situation differently.
What a game they were playing.
The world of politics and diplomacy was a serene one from the initial glance. The people within spoke politely, with manners and courtesy. It could be compared to a tranquil flower field, peaceful and nonviolent. Yet, the soft grass was riddled with mines, threatening to blow you sky-high if you make a misstep.
If you quarrel with a warrior, you will die by their sword, but a true mastermind?
They will have you dead at their feet without a single drop of blood on their own hands.
Ayato picked up his goblet gracefully, maroon wine swirling inside. He took a slow sip, an indecipherable expression on his face. Within a few seconds, he'd drained a surprisingly large amount from the glass. The fact that this was his second glass painfully reminded Kanari of her own untouched goblet. She wished they had sake; she could stomach that at least. Unfortunately for her, instead of the usual three glasses, there was only water and Mondstadt's signature dandelion wine. She sighed internally, conflicted.
If she didn't drink any wine, it would be an insult to the Mondstadians, but she knew that she would get an enormous headache if she took even the slightest sip. She had a cup of sake at Kokomi's insistence during a new year's celebration once and got a migraine so bad she couldn't think straight for hours. Her nails dug deeper into her wrist as she continued staring at the glass before her.
She could not resist the will of etiquette.
Hesitantly, she lifted her goblet, holding it delicately between two fingers. She took a deep breath before bringing the rim to her lips. As she sipped the wine, the smell of the liquid filled her nose, suffocating her in its sickly-sweet scent. The dandelion wine's bittersweet taste filled her mouth, burning her throat as she swallowed. Oh, how she despised alcohol so.
She felt Ayato watching her as she set the glass back down gently. Her gaze flitted to meet his as her fingers closed around her wrist once more. He had a teasing shimmer in his eyes, a snarky remark itching to escape his lips. He looked back down the long table, scanning the heads carefully.
"Lightweight?" He whispered to her after a moment, having made sure that no one was watching.
Kanari shot him a look, but the sparkle in his eyes never wavered. A shadow of smirk appeared on his face as he took obvious amusement from her reaction. She let out a tiny huff of scorn.
This man was such a child.
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"How in Teyvat did you drink three glasses?" Kanari whimpered, her head in her hands. Just as she predicted, she was gripped with a hellish headache, just from a few sips alone. She and the king were in his office, analyzing and recording the information they had gained from the dinner.
"I knew you were lightweight," Ayato responded, smirking.
"I'm not drunk," Kanari retorted as she went through their notes on Princess Fischl. "I'm just— Migraine."
Suddenly, Ayato stood up from his desk and walked in front of it, hopping up onto the table. He gripped the edges tightly and looked up at the chandelier hanging on the ceiling, bathing in its warm light.
"Princess Fischl was very obviously trying to please you," Kanari said slowly, trying to continue the work. "She seems keen on—"
"Can we not talk about her for a second?"
"But— That is literally what you dragged me here to do," Kanari snapped, her patience running out. Today was all over the place. The walk, going into the manor again, the dinner. And now, of course, she had a throbbing headache to finish it off. She felt tired to her bones.
Silence hung in the air between them for a few minutes as Ayato stared at her, his face blank. Kanari avoided his eyes, opting instead to gaze at the wall opposite to her, the only thing registering in her mind being the pain in her head. She let out a deep sigh, craving the soft embrace of her bed.
"You're pretty."
The words shook Kanari out of her thoughts immediately, and her eyes widened in shock. She turned to meet Ayato's gaze, staring at him with pure bewilderment. He stared back at her innocently, as if nothing had been said.
"You're drunk," said Kanari weakly, grasping on to the only logical thing she could think of.
"So?"
"You don't know what you're saying."
Ayato hopped off his desk and walked up to hers, placing his hands on the wooden surface like he did earlier that morning.
"Just because I may or may not be drunk doesn't mean you're not pretty," he said, his words less crisp than they usually were.
"You should be saying that to Princess Fischl."
Ayato gave her a pained look. "Why are you so keen to bring her up?" He whined, hanging his head. "I— I don't like her."
"It would be much easier for your marriage if you liked her," Kanari said quietly, trying to ignore her accelerating heartbeat.
"I'm not marrying her."
"You have limited options. There aren't infinite princesses to choose from," she elaborated, trying to lay out the facts for him. "Mondstadt is a powerful ally to have."
Ayato didn't seem to hear her words as he lifted his hand, slowly tracing her jawline. His nimble fingers when they reached her chin before falling away. Kanari widened her eyes impossibly, holding her breath even though he was no longer touching her face. Her face grew warm as she looked into his clouded eyes, her headache somewhat forgotten.
"Has anyone ever told you, Kanari, how your eyes are the exact color of the ocean? They're such a precise shade of cerulean. I can almost hear the waves sizzling on the beach when I look into your eyes. Oh, and when they sparkle. Your eyes sparkle like the sunlight hitting the waves out at sea when you're caught in the heat of chess, or when you start strategizing. I can see it so clearly when you find a solution to a problem. I wish you could see them, Kanari, they're so exquisite."
Kanari was absolutely baffled at such a declaration. She could only listen to the clearly intoxicated king in front of her ramble on, her heart racing as if to beat the throbbing pain in her head. Everything seemed so surreal.
"Your Majesty," she whispered, unmoving. "You're delusional. You should go rest."
Ayato only chuckled, lowering his head and staring at his hands as he shook with mirth. He threw back his head, a wide grin on his face. Strands of light-blue hair flopped around lazily, framing his handsome face.
"Goodnight, Kanari."
"Goodnight."
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END OF CHAPTER 22