Little Flower |Scaramouche| ✓

◤XXIII |Return to Zapolyarny Palace|

Oh boy...have you all seen the Interlude teaser with all the harbingers? They got some mad drip, but I'm surprised to see that Dottore isn't as unhinged as he is in the manga/webtoon. And I wasn't expecting Pierro to be wearing a half mask, but hey, like I said they've got some drip and look cool af. 

Obviously, how I've been writing Dottore and Pierro so far doesn't really match with what Hoyo showed in the teaser. I'll keep them as is because meh, I don't really want to go back and change it since it would kinda mess with future plans I have with the fanfic lol. 

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"My dear, precious little flower...what were you thinking when you ran away like that?" Sitting atop her throne with her head held high, the Tsaritsa looked down upon her heir whose face was covered by her hair as she looked down at the cold ground. Though the look on the cryo archon's face showed nothing but iciness on it, deep inside her worry was slowly dissipating from the panic she'd been feeling ever since her little flower had disappeared. Now that her precious heir was back safe and sound, the Tsaritsa could once again feel at ease and her plans of finding the remaining two heirs would be able to continue.

(Y/n) didn't really feel like answering at the moment. At present, she was still a bit angry at the fair lady who had ruined her journey to bring back world peace, but she pondered in her thoughts on where the hell Scaramouche could be. Ah, now that the girl was thinking, being that she was now back at Zapolyarny Palace, it would be easier to search for that room with containers. That is of course, unless her mother and creator decided to assign guards to be at her side.

"I will not repeat myself; what were you thinking when you ran away, my little flower?" Tsaritsa couldn't stay mad or angry at her heir for long. She had to keep protecting her from the truth of the outside world for as long as possible before the final act of her master plan was ready. Just a while longer before the world was at her mercy.

"I wanted to see the outside world, Mama," she said quietly. The queen of cryo still didn't know that all the years of protecting her was futile. (Y/n) already knew everything, but the Tsaritsa still thinks that she knows nothing. Maybe this could work in the heir's favour. Continuing to play the role of the clueless and innocent girl who's been sheltered inside palace walls all her life...yes, she could handle doing that.

Sighing, Tsaritsa stood from her throne and walked down the steps from her pedestal of a seat. She stopped right in front of her girl and placed a cold hand on (Y/n's) shoulder.

"My little flower...haven't I told you before? The outside world is dangerous. Staying within the walls of Zapolyarny Palace is the only way to keep you safe from all the monsters roaming Teyvat. I can't have you getting hurt out there, not when you'll soon be queen," she spoke in a soft tone that no one but her has ever heard. The Tsaritsa was never one to show tenderness or any sort of softness, but towards her own heir that was different.

Slowly, the sovereign of Snezhnaya embraced her successor and pet the top of the girl's head. She kept repeating the same message she's been telling (Y/n) for sixteen years: the world outside the walls of Zapolyarny Palace is dangerous.

There was once a time when the girl had believed the words coming from the Tsaritsa's mouth. Once when she was a young girl, (Y/n) had believed that staying within the castle would keep her safe. She's known now for a long time that her mother has been lying.

"I'm sorry, Mama," she whispered before wrapping her arms around the queen. "I didn't get hurt at all though! I had Scaramouche by my side protecting me." At the mention of the sixth harbinger, the Tsaritsa pulled away from her created heir and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Oh, did he really, now? The Balladeer was protecting you this entire time?"

"Yes, he really did! He's made sure that not a single scratch was put on me."