❝𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄❞

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙮

chapter fifty: “bingo.”

—

     “WAIT, YOU HAVE A KID WITH... HIM?”

THE ELEVENTH harbinger questioned, pointing at the window where Pierro was seen leaving his home. (Name) nodded in response and continued walking upstairs, whilst he was pointing at his superior and back to the woman he likes—he was trying to piece everything he knows...

     "Ajax, it's all in the past now. We're not together anymore," (Name) sighed when he looks like he lose hope. He was gonna say something else, "Do remember I haven't even answered Morax's proposal on marrying me again."

     "I just hope the kid didn't get his features," Tartaglia remarked but there was a bitter expression on (Name)'s face. "Wait, does that mean the child got Pierro's looks?" He asked, horrified.

     "No." That simple answer earned a relieved sigh from the ginger.

     "I hope the kid's like their mommy. Beautiful and tall!" He cheered, clinging his hand around the Queen's arm. He lowered his head to see her biting her bottom lip, preventing her to scream or cry, "... Uh, don't tell me the kid didn't also get your looks?"

Childe opened his mouth again, but when he saw the stern expression on (Name)'s face, he shut it again. He already knew the answer even though she didn't say it—her child is dead, not even born enough to show which of their parents got their looks. The whole way to the guest room was quiet and soft snores from his family. As he carefully closed the door behind him...

     "Are you gonna sleep here?" She asked, making him blush. "I'm not gonna sleep though, so it's fine if you take the bed," she assured and patted the cushion.

     "Wait, you're not gonna sleep?" Childe questioned, earning a simple nod from her. "No, you should sleep! I have another room just beside this one—"

     "It's alright. I tend to not sleep if not needed," she interrupted. "You can sleep here instead while I watch over you. You never know if someone wanted to assassinate the eleventh harbinger," she remarked and he slumped himself on the bed. "Good boy."

    "Yes, mo—Ms. (n/n)," he grinned.

With (Name) sitting beside the bed, Tartaglia didn't expect she was being serious about not falling asleep. She took a novel from the nearby bookcase, providing her with an object to amuse her. He slid through the edge of the bed, peeking at what she was reading...

     "What's the novel about?" Childe asked, his head already passing the edge to see the letters. "... Her husband didn't expect to see two versions of her, but the other is her relative—her grandmother that was cursed to be immortal. He was confused about why they shared the same facade, but there's one detail that differs between them. One has blue eyes and the other has green ones..."

     "It's a novel about a husband searching for his missing childhood friend... Well, his missing wife if that's what I understood. He didn't expect to see the grandmother and the daughter she has having the same details," (Name) started to explain. "The grandmother tricked the husband into marrying her, but when he met his real wife, he suddenly realized the mistake he made."

     "Oh, that's interesting!" Childe chortled. "Did they fix each other's situation?"

     "... Hmm, I haven't gotten to that part yet," (Name) replied. "And I told you to sleep already."

     He pouted, "Oh come on... I wanna know more!" He whined. "Tell me more please?"

     "No. Sleep now, Ajax," (Name) ordered. His dull blue eyes are staring back at her, feeling like getting pierced alone from the sight of it, "Dear me... Childe, you need to rest for tomorrow's busy day as the harbinger."

     "I'm not a child," the ginger complained.

     "Well, you're acting like one right now."

Childe and (Name) had a staring contest, trying to win against each other's order. Until the woman sighed, knowing this harbinger is persistent that he even bought her a ring despite her protests at that time. With one last glare sending on him, she sat on the bed to continue reading it for him...

— With Lumine (We will be reunited quest)

     "You know Tsunotaro?" Paimon repeated. They were currently in Liyue with the same guard who found (Name) sleeping in the forest, Dainself, "Are you two acquainted of some sort?"

     The blonde male nodded, "Indeed. (Name) was the former Queen of Khaenri'ah, wife of the ruler..." He replied, earning a surprised gasp from the two travelers. "She ran away after the King remarried without her knowledge, but turns out to be one of the goddesses she hates—her very own relative."

     "Oh yeah, a Harbinger told me about that... I'm so glad that old hag is dead though, I won't die from her hands..." Lumine muttered, earning a side eye from Dainself. "What? She's hot, what do you expect from me liking mommies?"

     "I'm not judging the way you like someone, but you sure you're not gonna change your standards?" Dainself questioned. "You do know that (Name) is a dragon, they're possessive of their partner. She won't let you go if she happens to choose you as her partner."

     "Exactly," the blonde woman smirked in triumph.

— With (Name)

     "Hm... This scene is familiar," Childe interrupted.

The said scene in the novel is where the grandmother's curse was removed, leaving her to her death now that her immortality is gone. However, she returns to the realm of the living to cause havoc and she needs help from someone—her granddaughter's friend...

     (Name) raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

     "There's this ghost living in the Palace," the ginger explained. "I thought that was the woman married to Pierro, your title—Thorn Archon or something like that. I got the conclusion because of the painting on the first harbinger, the horns, and hair are everything."

     The goddess before him didn't want to jump to conclusions because the same creeps from when she was young are returning. "Then...? Who was the ghost in that palace? Where have you seen her?"

     He shrugged, "I don't know her name, but she sometimes changes rooms between the Tsaritsa's room and Pierro's. Whenever I look at her face, she was wrinkly and a hole in her chest is visible... At first, I thought she was you," he confessed. "Then when Signora came around and told me you were you, then I kept asking myself... Who was that ghost?"

There's no mistake, that ghost is none other than her dead grandmother herself. Wrinkly and almost sharing the same features as her, except the eyes of course. Then the hole on her chest, the same position where she pierced her sword when she killed her...

     "One time, she and the Tsaritsa were arguing about something. I don't understand the language because—"

     "—It's the language of the gods," (Name) finished. "It's a language that originated from Celestia..."

     Ajax then sat, removing himself from her chest, "Wait! You know who's the ghost?"

     "If your details are correct, then yes I do know who's the ghost..." The (h/c)-haired nodded. "We need to return to the Palace right now."

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マレウス