The wrought iron gates of the L/N estate shut behind Ida as she strides across the broad, cobblestone terrace leading up to the L/Ns' principal manor. She giddily hums as she throws open the enormous front doors of the century-old manor. The sounds of the wooden doors swinging open echo throughout the dimly-lit building. The flames within the lanterns lining the foyer flicker in the wind produced by the doors' powerful movement.
Ida makes her way towards the double staircase on the other side of the foyer, the heels of her boots clacking against the filed floor.
Gods, it's been so long since I've visited the main manor. Ida notes as she glances around the familiar building. Sometime after Y/N left, she had moved into a smaller building on the east side of the estate, only ever coming back for occasional family dinners. She also didn't think it would be a good idea to visit her parents any time soon, after what Y/N did to her in Mondstadt.
Ida runs her hand up the handrail of the stairs, feeling the smooth copper linings on the wood against her skin as she reaches the top of the stairs. Slight sounds of music can be heard from her mother's room as she approaches.
Ida raps on the door, fixing her uniform and freshly-dyed, scarlet hair while awaiting her mother's response.
"Come in." Her voice responds.
Ida opens the door and steps into her mother's bedroom, where her mother, Noemie, sits in front of her vanity, fixing her makeup as instrumentals waft from the brass phonograph in the corner of the large room.
"Mother, you know what day it is, yes?" Ida says with a broad smile across her face.
Noemie glances down at the calendar on her white vanity. Today is empty. "What day is it, dear?" Noemie asks, her eyes barely turning to face her daughter.
"Y/N comes home today." Ida states.
Noemie lets out a scoff. "Do you really think that girl is still alive? She left with nothing more than a couple hundred mora, expecting to survive in another nation alone."
Ida's grin widens. Although her parents had heard of her mission in Mondstadt failing from other Fatui coworkers, Ida hadn't said a word about why she failed. "Mother, I went to Mondstadt recen-"
"Yes!" Her mother turns to glare at Ida. "We all know, unfortunately." She states in a firm tone.
"Well, do you know who undermined my investigation?" Ida asks, trembling a little under her mother's gaze.
"The Knights of Favonius, of course." She responds, curious at Ida's strange questions.
"Not just any Knight, though." Ida's lip turns upward into a smirk. "Captain Y/N of the Knights of Favonius. She isn't dead at all. She's got a great career and even a boyfriend."
Shock flashes across Noemie's face before quickly returning to normal. "She's doing great, is she?" She wonders out loud. "Well, I suppose it's good that she's coming back today. Knights of Favonius. What a joke!" She mutters under her breath, turning back to face her vanity mirror. "Who does she think she is? Running off to do whatever she pleases, abandoning her family and neglecting her duties. We ought to teach that child how to listen when she comes back."
Ida meets her mother's gaze in the reflection of the mirror.
"Ida, tell the rest of the family we will be having dinner tonight to celebrate the return of our Y/N," she orders. "And give Y/N a nice, warm welcome down at the docks."
Ida nods obediently before leaving the room, heading straight for the other residences scattered throughout the estate where other family members stay.
Noemie's chest heaves up and down with a flurry of complex emotions. "That girl has always been so predictable!" She swipes across the vanity, knocking over bottles and boxes of jewelry.
At least if she had died, I could have gotten rid of one more thing to think about. Fallen beads and accessories roll across the carpet. So disobedient, she was. Good thing I made that contract to bring her right back into my hands.
Taking in a deep breath, she praises her past self for her wise decisions. Calming down from her fit of anger, she cleans up her mess before quietly heading down to the kitchen to begin preparing for dinner.
-----
Nauseating.
Y/N's stomach swirls with a mixture of fear, uncertainty, and most of all, dread. Or perhaps it's the sickening rocking of the ship along the ocean waves that are causing her head to spin and stomach to lurch.
The cerulean blue waves shimmer under the early-morning sun. The air is not too cold for a midwinter's day, though the sea winds are harsh.
Gods, this weather doesn't match my mood at all. Y/N leans her head on the bag full of a few bare necessities, legal papers, and a ton of law books sitting on her lap. She glances at the ruby bracelet around her wrist. "It's only been a few hours, and I already miss you." She whispers under her breath as if the bracelet is Diluc himself.
Y/N glances around the large ship. The deck is quite crowded; nearly every table and chair is full, most likely due to families travelling for the winter holidays.
"Daddy, look! It's Knight Y/N!" The mention of Y/N's name draws her attention behind her.
Standing a few metres away, Y/N spots two familiar Liyuean faces. "Ji Tong, Changchang!"
The father and his daughter walk over to Y/N. "Hello, Y/N. It's been a while since we last saw you. How have you been?"
"I'm..." Y/N trails off, unsure. "Alive, I guess." She chuckles.
"Where's Princess Diluc?" Changchang interjects.
"Oh, he's in Mondstadt. I have some family stuff to take care of alone." Y/N briefly explains. "Why are you two heading to Fontaine?"
"A few investors from Fontaine took a liking to my Light Refractor. We're having a meeting about it today." Ji Tong responds, carrying an air of pride.
"Wow! Congrats!" Y/N remarks. "Getting your inventions recognized from Fontaine is incredible!"
He rubs his neck at Y/N's praise. "Thank you. This really is a dream come true."
More like a nightmare. Y/N notes the stark contrast between her and Ji Tong's reasons for boarding this ship ironically.
Changchang's eyes light up at Y/N's rapier sheathed by her side. "Is this the sword you used to fight the bad guy that tried to hurt my dad?" She excitedly asks. Her recollection of the events that had transpired at her home all those months ago is much more childish than what actually took place. "Can I see it?"
Y/N smiles at Changchang's child-like wonder but shakes her head. "Sorry, I'm not allowed to take out any weapons on the ship. They only let me have it since I'm a Knight."
"Wow, you get special treatment because you're a Knight! That's so cool!" Changchang gushes. "I wanted to bring my sword, too, but the Millelith took it away."
"Your sword?" Y/N quirks her brow.
"It's a wooden stick." Her father whispers to Y/N, who lets out a small "ah" of understanding.
"It's not just a stick!" The little girl exclaims. "It's Changchang's Super-Awesome-Protector-of-Peace-And-Justice 2.0!" She says all in one breath.
"2.0? What happened to the first one?" Y/N questions.
"Some evil villains snapped it in half! But it's okay because I found an even better one on the ground!" She states.
"Her friends broke it while playing around." Ji Tong explains.
"W-Well, they were pretending to be bad guys." Changchang stammers, trying to impress Y/N with her tale.
Y/N lets out a chuckle at Changchang's musings. I'll have to write to Diluc about this later. She notes. Maybe this trip will be somewhat bearable.
-----
A/N:
The last arc of SLS is upon us, friends! We have like 15% of the book left.
Btw have you guys seen the Ayato leaks?! He's so fine 😩
-Bora 🌌
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Second Lead Syndrome || Diluc R. x Reader
Fanfiction"I'm tired of being second best. Tired of not being enough." Living a life full of almosts and second places, Y/N is no stranger to the feeling of being a supporting character in her own life. After coming to Mondstadt and finally acheiving a title...
