"mistress" • diluc

vi

• third person •

The wooden door swung open, shimmers of sunlight flooding into the hallway of the mansion.

Aila clutched a few small sacks of violetgrass, tempted to drag her feet from exhaustion but her desperation not to bump into her parents was definitely the greater of the two.

Her head felt light, almost as if she were tipsy, but she knew she hadn't drank anything. Perhaps it was because she hadn't slept the last night they'd spent travelling from Liyue back to Mondstadt: she'd spent it worrying about having to come back home.

Diluc had offered for her to rest at his until she was ready to go back, but, admittedly stupidly, she refused. Even now, she had no idea why she did so. If word got out that she resided with Diluc the moment she came home, her parents would surely kill her. Perhaps that's why.

Aila fumbled to unlock her bedroom door. She shoved it open, shutting it with her back, before dumping the bags of violetgrass on the wooden floor, yanking off her boots and plonking her figure onto the bed.

Her body curled, her hands clutching each other, her limbs tensing as her brain increasingly began to feel full. As if it were a fragile glass of water, and someone kept filling it with poison, over and over, the glass was overflowing–

Aila sniffled, tears dribbling down her nose and her cheek as she lay on her side.

She didn't want to be back here. She wished she enjoyed her time in Liyue more, but she knew she was only there for Klee. She needed to get back as soon as possible.

But now that she knew there was a prominent sex offender possibly residing in Mondstadt...

The glass had been smashed, the poison splashing everywhere mercilessly.

Aila clutched her head, her throat closing in anguish, her thoughts shrouding her mind like storm clouds on a sunny day, memories and memories flooding and flooding back through her brain, muddling, clumping–

"I wasn't bleeding," she whispered. "Stop..!"

"M-Miss Lawrence? You've returned?"

No... leave me alone..!

A knock echoed on the door. Rapidly, Aila scurried to wipe her tears, before turning away from the door, clamping her eyes shut.

"Let me go and inform your parents!"

Fuck's sake...

Aila glanced at her hands. They were trembling.

Mind your own fucking business... You always have to tell them every-fucking-thing, don't you?

Her fists clenched.

She shook her head at her thoughts.

I'm sorry. That wasn't your fault. Though, even now, I can't help but feel angry at you.

"M-Miss Lawrence. Your mother has requested for you to come to the training room at once."

Her heart sank. "I just returned. I don't have the energy to train." I'm going to fucking collapse again.

"I apologise, Miss Lawrence... She wants you to come at this instant."

Aila fell silent.

Her butler stood awkwardly outside the door, well aware that it was unlocked.

"I'll be there. Leave."

"O-okay. I'll go and inform her right away."

Aila listened until her butler's footsteps had quickly disappeared.