Veiled Emotions - A Scaramouche fanfic

Chapter 3 - Back in trouble

I squinted to take a closer look at the man's henchmen. My eyes widened when I realized that those henchmen were actually fatui soldiers. I knew I wanted to stay and try to figure out what was going on, but getting into trouble with the Fatui was the last thing on my list. I watched as the Fatui soldiers dispersed with a wave of his hand. I was just about to leave when I let my eyes linger on the man for a second longer.

The man adjusted his hat and then turned back to face my hiding spot. I gasped and quickly ducked behind the bush more, praying he did not notice the rustling of the leaves. I was hiding behind a bush that was well far away from where he was standing. I could hear my heart pounding against my chest in panic. I watched from the gap between the leaves to see if he was coming closer. To my relief, he just turned around and walked away. I slowly arose from my hiding spot after making sure he was out of sight.

"That was close. I have to be more careful next time. "

I walked back towards Wangshu inn, my mind full of questions. Who was that man and what were the Fatui doing. Perhaps the man was a Harbinger, judging by how his subordinates were kneeling in front of him. Nonetheless, it didn't matter. I was going to stay away from the Fatui as much as possible.

My family had always told me stories about all the horrible things the Fatui had done. Needless to say, I was terrified of the Fatui, especially the Harbingers. I had met one Harbinger in Liyue before, he was suspiciously too nice. He was a tall ginger haired guy who claimed he was the 11th Harbinger, Childe. He was being a little too friendly, he even offered to buy me a meal. I didn't know what his motives were but I got a bad feeling while talking to him, so I kept my distance.

The rest of the day went by without anything of note happening. I was writing a letter for my sister in my room. The candle flickered casting a yellow glow to the parchments on my desk. I hadn't decided where to go yet, especially with the Fatui out and about, it was probably best for me to lay low for a bit. I looked out the window to take in the night breeze and beautiful view. There was something strange happening near the entrance path to Wangshu Inn. My eyes widened. I knew I was in trouble the moment I saw the Millelith.

I hurriedly packed my bag and slung it around my shoulder. I was just about to leave the room when I saw the half written letter on my desk and sighed. I  decided to just leave it there. Perhaps it will reach my sister sooner than I had intended. I also left an envelope I had written for my maid asking her to look after my sister for me.

I fled from Wangshu Inn before the Millelith could ask around for me. I am sure the lady at the front desk had told the Millelith which way I went because I soon found myself being chased through Dihua Marsh. I needed to hide but Dihua Marsh was rather barren, giving me no cover. The Millelith were hot on my heels as I ran as fast as I could. I saw a canopy of trees a near the path to Stone Gate. This was my chance.

It was dark and I took the opportunity to disappear into the woods. I was about to go further in when what I saw made me come to a halt. It was the Fatui, and the same Harbinger from that morning. They were at a distance from where I was standing so I strayed from the path and hid behind a tree. Behind me was the stony wall of a cliff providing me more cover. Their synchronized footsteps of the Millelith getting louder and the silhouettes of the Fatui becoming larger by the second was anxiety inducing.

I took a deep breath and remained hidden, trying to not make a sound. One of the Millelith stopped the man with the big hat.

"State your business here."

"Relax, we are simply heading back to our camp." The man replied with a small chuckle.

I didn't need to see him to know that that fake smile was probably on his face. The Millelith looked at the 4 Fatui agents closely and then at the man. They were suspicious of the Fatui but they knew they couldn't really do much about it right then as they had a bigger mission at hand. They had to find the young lady from the Shrirogane clan.