Xiaoven Royal Au

6 (rewritten)

"Does Alatus know?" princess Beidou asked as I began eating again. "Yes. He's the first to find out."



"He kept it hidden, huh? Don't you think he's aware about it already?" I was sure she was talking to the other princess. Know about what exactly? "Well either way, you have to keep this a secret. We'll inform your family and the people you know that your real identity must be hidden for now."



"Until?"



"Until... I can't really say."



She looked nervous, and I was quite suspicious. But I let it slip and kept eating. Now that me being a man is out, what's going to happen now? Would I really need to marry him now? When they still thought that I was a girl... I had the chance to escape because they didn't care about me. But now that I am truly the person that he's bound to love... does that mean that I'll actually have to marry him?



Ah, I didn't want to think about it. It already makes me tremble. Xiao could be a good friend, but I could never see myself falling in love for another man. Not even in my other lives.



After eating, I grabbed the flowers I picked and tied them together to turn it in a small bouquet. "Princess, the prince has returned, you can give it to him now."



"I see, alright!" it looks like he was walking around the garden. Who knew someone so cold had the time to admire flowers? "Xiao," I called with a smile on my face as I walked towards him. I saw how his whole body hardened from surprise after hearing my voice--and yet still pretend he didn't. "You know, that's not a good attitude to show~ after all, I'm still a princess." I winked, making him sigh.



"What do you want?"



"I just wanted to give you these, no need to be so grumpy. I picked them up! I thought maybe we could be... a team from now on. A peace offering!"



"Back then, a friend, and now--a team? Are you trying to fool me again? Know your place and give up. It's not working the second time."

I shoved the flowers on his chest forcefully, eyes closed. He's obligated to take it! We worked so hard to get these!



"How pitiful. You crushed your own hard work."



I slowly opened my eyes, only to see that the flowers had been crushed from what I did. He took it away from my hands, though. "I'm sorry, but a selfish prince like me has no need for such pathetic gifts." he says that, and yet he leaves with the flowers in his hands, and with a smile too! He's too hard to understand! Is he always like this? How do people put up with this?



"That prince finds it hard for himself to forgive easily."



"Ah! You startled me!" it was the butler. He's really creepy and unpredictable sometimes! "They made him that way--someone who can't forgive. That's how the prince grew up. He can't forgive the people who's already done something bad, that way, no one would even attempt. Yet he walked with the flowers you gave, that's very unlikely for that prince."

"So... you think I'm an exception to that mindset of his?"



"It's not my position to tell, princess. It's your relationship with him."



"Alright..."



"I see, I'm no help. I apologize." he gave an apologetic face and I immediately shaked my hands. "No, no! It's not like that at all! Sorry if I made you think that way. Still, thanks for telling me that."



b



"So... it's Venti, after all?" I say, "What do we do from now on?"



"I don't know... we'll have to hide it for as long as we can. She'll find out soon, especially when she comes back. But... there will be a way for this to stop, somehow. And that envolves Alatus's relationship with Venti."



"How are you so sure of this, Beidou?"



"It's in the prophecy."

"And how long are you going to rely on that? How are you so sure you're not putting any of their lives in danger? Beidou, we've already tried. Not once, but twice. You know what Aether had to do to live. Yet nothing happened, nothing changed. It's best that we just save them from what can happen and stop this..."

"That's not a reason to give up and move on. Liyue does not deserve that... the prophecy didn't happen for no reason."



"You sure love this country, huh?"