To Be A Harbinger

To Be A Harbinger, pt. 15

When Lucille woke up, she was alone. Even Scaramouche's clothes were gone. She sighed and sank back into the mattress. It didn't matter. Nothing would change. Even if she did love him, he was never going to change. Her stomach turned when she realized she didn't want him to. She hated seeing him broken.

Maybe that's what he really meant when he said he wanted to break her. It had never been physical, it was always mental. He had actually driven her crazy enough to fall in love with a serial killer. She didn't want to know what he was doing now.

She took a shower slowly. This was Mondstadt after all, and the hot water never turned cold. When she finally felt like herself-she had stopped hoping to feel clean years ago-she got dressed. The electro crystal ring sat on top of her clothes. She had thought she lost it during the past week, but Scaramouche had apparently kept it. She didn't know how he managed that.

Then again, they were diplomats again. They were no longer considered criminals, their sentence was served. Lucille shivered and got dressed.

She ignored the ring, trying to avoid what it meant until the last possible second. Finally, it was just her and the ring. She turned it over in her fingers a couple times, and let the electro energy soak into her skin. It was odd, it wasn't her element. It was too sharp and hot to be hers.

Lucille slipped the ring on as she left her room to hunt down the harbinger who ruined her.

•••

"If you would ever so kindly sign here, agreeing that the punishment was satisfactory for Mondstadt to reconcile with Schnezznya for the gnosis crisis, and here...."

Lucille found Scaramouche going over the the treaty with Jean in her office. She didn't knock, she didn't have to. The knights at the door recognized her and stepped aside. She smiled to herself. She was feared. She was one of the strongest in Teyvat. Even Diluc and Kaeya couldn't take her in a fight. They had to rely on underhanded attacks to disable her.

"So this says that neither party will seek revenge for..." Scaramouche pushed his chair back a bit, and he paused as Lucille sat across his lap. "...For anything that transpired over the past week."

Jean glanced at Lucille before signing. Scaramouche rubbed circle on her side with his thumb. "You need to sign here as well."

Lucille let him put the quill in her hand and show her where to sign. She hesitated for a moment before signing beside his name. Harlequin. The letters were odd, more foreign than she had anticipated. It was the first time she had to sign it for another country. Oh well. It was necessary. Harlequin had an archon's protection, Lucille had an archon's wrath.

The days passed in a blur, about a week of formalities took place before Jean hosted a dinner party in the knights' headquarters. It felt fake. Not so long ago, they had been treated like common whores, but now Mondstadt was sending them off like friends. Like diplomats. Lucille hesitated to realize this was how they should have treated them the whole time. The events wouldn't reconcile in her brain.

"Ma Fleur, it's time to go." Scaramouche lightly touched her arm, and she jerked back to reality. They had to actually attend the party. She turned to Scaramouche, who now concealed his vision in a small pack slung over his shoulder. She doubted she'd ever see it on his person again.

She let him guide her into a quick kiss. It was wrong. She shouldn't kiss him like this, with feelings involved. It felt like losing.

...but hadn't she already admitted to loving him as he was? Why did she feel guilty?

Because he's a murderer.

So am I.

He threatened your family.