𝔽𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 || 𝕂𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕪𝕒𝕥𝕠

45. The Graveyard Where The Past Is Buried

The sakura were always in full bloom at this time of year.

When spring came, countless tourists flocked to Inazuma for just a glimpse of the renowned petal-covered streets. Sweet scents filled the air as foreigners admired the city that was carpeted in pale pink blossoms, all while being coerced by merchants to buy their wares. To them, the sight of exotic flowers must've been a novelty, but to Inazumans, they were nothing more than another part of life. Still, as Kanari watched the city pass her by from the carriage, she couldn't help but understand why tourists loved them so. They were beautiful, yes, but perhaps they also held a deeper meaning within. Memories, to be exact.

It had been a year.

A year since her life took a very strange turn, landing her in a place she could've never even imagined in her wildest dreams. A year since she'd found new friends and cut off bad ones. A year since she fell in love.

Time is strange. It can make the past feel so short, and the present feel so long. The five minutes we live in can stretch as if an eternity, while the past year becomes nothing but a fleeting memory. It lets us remember certain moments with vivid detail and leave all the others as a mere blur.

The past year had been nothing but change after change. Following the fiasco that was the wedding was a complete diplomatic mess. Once news got out about the Fatui's involvement in the plot to potentially overtake Inazuma, the public's views of Snezhnaya became largely hostile. Ambassador after ambassador came to the palace, pleading for forgiveness, for Ayato had promptly cut off all trade with them after what happened. No matter how much they insisted that Childe was acting of his accord, the evidence in the letters were enough for Inazuma to, ironically, give Snezhnaya the cold shoulder.

Speaking of Childe, Kanari had heard months prior that he had survived, and was now thriving within Liyue. She didn't quite know what to think of that, considering everything that went down between them. What she did know, however, was that she was more than happy to avoid seeing him for the rest of her life.

"The cherry blossoms are quite lovely today, aren't they?"

Ayato's breath was warm on her ear as he leaned close to her, peering out the window the same way she did. Kanari, used to his sudden presence by now, merely let out a soft hum in reply. In a content silence, they watched passersby crane their heads upon noticing the royal carriage drive by. That was, until Ayato spoke up again.

"Too bad the coronation is in the summer; I would've loved to see Mondstadt in the spring," he said, his smile evident in his tone.

Kanari nodded. "How unfortunate."

Princess Fischl had handled the situation after the wedding quite gracefully. There were apologies on behalf of Mondstadt, not to mention she was able to take action against her father. They lived in the land of the free, after all. After the citizens' protests, there would've been no way to let King Diluc rule, even if Fischl and Jean were on his side. The past year, Kanari and Ayaka were the princess's regular correspondents, with them being the first to receive news of her crowning, which was set to happen sometime within the summer.

"You seem tense," commented Ayato, his gaze shifting to Kanari. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm ready," she replied, gripping the bouquet of cecilias in her lap a little tighter.

"Well, that's good, because we're here."

At his words, she whipped her head around to look out the other window, but instead, her nose brushed against Ayato's. He grinned a little at the slight contact, but ultimately, his eyes still displayed hints of concern. After a moment, he moved away, allowing her to glimpse their destination.