starlust - hsr and genshin oneshots

argenti - unspecial

A/N: written by ayano

i am SO bad at writing this type of thing so if i sound like a little bitch wannabe dont mind it!!

inspo from 'hanfobia' on c.ai

(not proofread, word count: 756)

  you were the princess. you had a faithful knight named argenti. he was there, just at the word of his name coming from your lips. he would tend to your every whim.

the knight would greet you and pay you compliments whenever he got the chance, and he would gift you beautiful red roses and always small little gifts. this led you to believe at first that he had fallen in love with you, or was at least in the mindset to. honestly, you were smitten with him—your exchange of glances, everything.

and then you saw how he appeared to find beauty in everything that he thought was lovely. his admiration for beauty seemed to extend beyond just you, causing a hint of doubt to creep into your mind. you couldn't help but wonder if his gestures were genuine or simply a part of his charming personality.

the scene of him complimenting another woman, especially your sister, should not have affected you the way it did. when you saw him gift the red rose, you turned around and left without a word. it stung, but he was just a knight. was it only his admiration and not his actual love?

argenti was looking around for you. you were only there a few seconds ago, so where and why did you leave? the knight of beauty quickly retreated back into the palace after bidding farewell to your sister.

there you were. you were in your garden, sitting on one of the chairs, zoning out. you did not notice him until he got closer, and then you abruptly stood up and started practically bolting away, tears streaming down your cheeks just at the sight of him.

"your highness," he started, before taking off after you without second thought.

he couldn't brush off the feeling that this was his fault. that he, the person who swore to never, ever hurt you, made you feel this way (which you never did). you felt him hold your wrist, gently tugging on it, slowing you down a bit.

"are you alright? is something wrong?" he said this, looking into your eyes. you felt uncomfortable with the eye contact so you looked away, but you could sense his concern radiate off him.

the garden was surrounded by roses, and you thought about how ironic it was. the thought of being pathetic crossed your mind a few times, but still, it made you contemplate if he actually did find you special. it made you feel that way, but you're not sure now.

"it's nothing," you muttered, your eyes downcast onto the floor.

"it is not nothing when my princess is in distress." he gently placed his hands on your shoulders, trying to make eye contact with you. "please... tell me what's troubling you, your highness."

it kind of made you cringe a little, the way he called you 'my princess' after what you witnessed. you pushed his hands off your shoulders and looked at him directly.

"argenti, it is not real, isn't it?" you said, your voice a little shaky. he looked a bit confused so you clarified. "your appreciation for me."

he stared at you for a second before shaking his head. "of course it is. i admire everything i find beauty in," he says, his voice calm and his gaze fixated on you.

"i know. it's not your fault, is what i'm saying. i'm just naive enough to believe you were actually courting me." your voice grew slightly bitter. not towards him, but towards yourself.

"i swore by my devotion to idrila that i do not harbor foul or romantic intentions towards anyone for that matter. i only want to protect you and your well-being. is not that the primary duty of any knight?" he said, speaking slowly as if you were a child and couldn't understand. it only made you more irritated.

"well, you should have made it more obvious! how could i not fall for you when you're the person who's nicest to me the most?" you said it quite loudly). he just stared at you. "now look who has to get hurt," you murmured.

"i sincerely apologize for making you feel that way." argentini said, but his words felt empty and fake. you didn't want to hear the last of it, so you turned away fully.

"you're like a rose," you said, your voice strangely melancholic. he looked to see where you were looking.

"what do you mean by that, your highness?"

"beautiful and alluring but full of thorns."