𝔽𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 || 𝕂𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕪𝕒𝕥𝕠

13. Courtesy, Served With Tea And Biscuits

Time makes fools of us all, thought Kanari as she waited in front of the palace's grand doors. She tightened her grip around her wrist, her nails digging through her white gloves. She was standing at the top of the staircase that led to the palace, her arms behind her back. This spot had a nice view of the courtyard, the palace gates, and the city beyond that, but she was too anxious to appreciate it.

She and the king had agreed to have her take the Mondstadians to the guest room where he and Ayaka would be waiting in. Though they both knew she wasn't keen on doing so, they went along with it. Etiquette, especially that of the royal court's, showed no mercy.

Every second she waited was painfully slow, as if time itself was mocking her. She tapped a foot in apprehension, her shoe making no sound against the red carpet. Birds chirped as they perched by the fountain in the middle, without a single care in the world.

Kanari took a sharp breath as the gates started opening. An ornate carriage in Mondstadt's signature turquoise drove into the court, pulled by a pair of two white horses. Golden embellishments glistened in the sunlight, singing of the passengers' wealth. The Mondstadt crest carved into the carriage door came into view as it turned around the fountain and stopped by the front steps.

With bated breath, Kanari watched a footman in a rather strange teal outfit open the door, his head bowing low. As she watched a red-haired man step out of the carriage, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She couldn't escape this now.

The man walked up the steps, not bothering to look back at the lady walking out behind him. He wore a dark grey coat edged with tufts of fur at the bottom. A white vest covered his shirt, which was in the same shade of grey as his coat. Bronze lined his entire outfit, far duller than one would expect on such an intricate ensemble. This was no doubt King Diluc. His flaming red hair and crimson eyes were just as his portraits depicted.

The woman walking up behind him was evidently Princess Fischl. She crossed her arms as she strutted up the steps, her blonde hair shimmering behind her. Puffy purple sleeves covered her arms and left her shoulders bare. A violently purple dress adorned with white ruffles hugged her figure, patterns of thorns and roses sewed on the skirt. Her slim legs were wrapped in a pair of white and lavender stockings. Finally, a violet tiara decorated with trailing ribbons was perched on her head.

The father-daughter pair clashed rather hilariously with each other and their carriage. Alone, they looked splendid, but together, in front of Kanari, who was used to the cool shades of blue, white, and black, they were an amusing sight to behold.

A well-dressed man with raven-black hair and a monocle followed the princess out. He was tall and lean, with a no-nonsense look about him. Kanari supposed he was the princess's attendant seeing as his suit was a similar shade to her dress.

As the foreign king approached her, she bowed low, hoping he would not notice her shaking her hands behind her. She turned and curtsied to the princess, holding her breath as she did so.

"Your Majesty." She turned to the king, then back to the princess again. "Your Highness, I am Kagayaku Kanari, King Ayato's royal advisor. His Royal Majesty has ordered me to bring you to him once you have arrived."

King Diluc only responded with a curt nod, signaling for her to lead the way. Kanari lowered her head and turned around. The guards standing in front of the door swiftly opened the large mahogany doors, revealing the grandiose within. She led the trio through the elegantly decorated halls, with the princess's attendant trailing behind them. Her pace was slightly slower than usual, on account of the guests behind her. Behind her, she heard the princess whispering rapidly, with one of the men responding occasionally in an equally hushed voice. Kanari tried to catch what they were saying, but they seemed to speak with strange words she'd never heard before.