Chapter Text
The annual Fatui ball hosted by Snezhnaya was one of the most anticipated events in Teyvat.
Aristocrats from all over joined in on the festivities, mingling freely and strengthened relationships with neighboring nations.
It was a week-long party where all the guests would stay in the Zapolyarny Palace. Various events would happen from the afternoon, ending each night with a themed ball. The gathering was not only for pleasure, but for business purposes as well. Many merchants came to display their newest products, fashion, and goods to the rich in hopes of establishing the latest trend for the rest of the year.
No expense was spared. Extravagant decor covered the building from head to toe; buffet tables lined with trays and tiers of food made by renowned chefs were displayed, giving off a captivating aroma in the air.
Although the exterior was encased in ice, the interior was not. Marble and stone made up most of it.
Hundreds of servants stood attentively by the walls, ready to serve any guest that needed assistance.
Most of the guests had arrived, but the crowd buzzed with excitement more than any other year.
This year was special.
Rumour had it that the elusive Abyss Kingdom was participating this time.
The Abyss were highly feared, mostly because there was little information about them, but also because of the powers they wield.
Each nation has a designated element that the King or Queen can bestow upon those who they deem worthy. But those from the Abyss can use any element, making them a formidable force.
The Abyss was also known for its large ore deposits that housed magical crystal chunks. Although the other regions had their own deposits, they were small and needed to wait every two days for them to replenish. The deposits in the Abyss were plentiful enough that there was no worry for limited supplies.
But the kingdoms from other nations were greedy, and they began to over-mine without permission despite multiple warnings.
Eventually, they had enough. They placed a magicked barrier that barred entry from their territory without permission.
Nobody dares to enter the Abyss anymore. In fact, they stay far away from it.
It's not like nobody tried.
Curious adventurers that wanted to see the barrier for themselves and spies would end up walking around in circles, never finding it. Those who were able to slip through and attempt to infiltrate the barrier did not come back. The few who returned became insane, refusing to talk about what happened.
After this, whispers of dark magic and Abyssal curses began to surround the mysterious kingdom. Not that they had the best reputation in the first place.
The last time anyone saw someone from the Abyss was 500 years ago, so everyone was dying to take a peek at who these people were.
They were the only ones left to arrive, and some of the guests began to wonder if they were even going to show up.
Tartaglia swept his gaze around the hall, bored out of his mind. Entertaining aristocrats wasn't really his thing, but as the 11th Prince of Snezhnaya, he didn't have a choice. He much preferred the battlefield, or participating in performances instead of dancing.
The Fatui household was the monarchy of Snezhnaya. Sitting at the top was the Tsaritsa and her eleven children. She was unable to sire any children of her own, so she adopted promising children from other families into her own.
Tartaglia was one of them.
He had been crowned at the tender age of 14, the youngest ever to join the ranks of the Fatui.
He had quickly become a favourite of the Tsaritsa, and her doting nature had turned him spoiled. He was known as sadistic and bloodthirsty, enjoying the thrill of battles with opponents at his mercy. He also lived for attention, often causing chaos wherever he went just to rouse reactions from people and laugh in their face.
Though he was disliked by the other children of the Queen for his brashness, the feeling was mutual. You could say he was a bit of an outcast since he didn't prefer the manipulative ways the others indulged in.
He eyed the champagne flutes that the servants carried on their trays, debating whether or not he should tip some over to cause a scene. His fingers twitched at his side, itching for a fight, something, anything.
He pushed a chair slightly with his foot in the direction of the servant, watching as they tripped and poured champagne all over this poor group of ladies. He cackled at their screech of horror, turning towards him ready to yell.
The doors were abruptly opened, causing heads to turn towards the entrance with a gasp.
An audible hush swept through the crowd.
"Announcing His Royal Highness, the Prince of Abyss, Aether Viator and Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Abyss, Lumine Viator." The spokespersons voice echoed loudly through the hall.
The Tsaritsa stood up from her throne with a pleased smile.
Today's theme was a masquerade. Two blonde twins appeared at the entryway, donning matching masks. The Prince wore a white shirt with a navy coat, adorned with tassels and gold trimmings. His dark blue mask hid the top half of his face, glittering like a night sky.
Beside him, the Princess stole everyone's breath away with how her dress trailed down her body, layers and layers of jewels adorned the fabric. Although the dress colour almost looked black, he could see that it was actually a deep blue. The shine of the jewels made it seem like looking at a galaxy of stars.
The crowd parted for them when they descended the steps slowly, assessing the crowd below them and taking in their reactions.
Murmurs circulated the room. A mixture of fear, awe, curiosity, and disdain.
Tartaglia straightened up from where he stood, eyes gleaming with anger. They had just interrupted the best part and stole all the attention. He regarded them curiously, a mischievous plan suddenly popping into his head.
He pushed his way through the crowd and ignored the cries of the angered ladies behind him.
Music began to fill the room, signaling the start of the dance and people began to make their way to the dance floor with their partners.
He didn't care about that though. His target was on the blonde girl who had been separated from her brother. Loads of people had come up to them, hoping to strike conversation and get on their good side. The girl easily slipped out from the gathering crowd, heading to the buffet table while her brother decided to stay and mingle.
Perfect.
He smoothly sidles up close, sticking a foot out to trip her. She falls forward, but what he didn't expect was for her to grab his waist and proceed to dip him down.
"Hello." She greets with an amused expression, golden eyes boring down his blue ones. It is sweet and airy, unlike the rumors that surround her kind.
People glance their way and he hears them snicker at the sight of the Snezhnayan Prince being dipped instead of the Abyss Princess.
Feeling his face grow hot, he recovers quickly, pushing himself up and adjusting their position into a proper dance formation. He guides them towards the dance floor like it was intentional.
"What is the meaning of this, printsessa? " He ground out under his smile.
"Whatever do you mean? You are the one who led me to the dance floor." She responds in kind, following his lead.
"You dipped me, so I simply took it as an invitation to dance. I thought it was how those from the Abyss did it, but I apologize if I misinterpreted it." He retorted back, watching how her eyes narrowed before she put on a dazzling smile.
"That's alright, I didn't know the customs here required tripping a lady to ask them for a dance."
"Oh, they don't." He twirled her around, watching as the ends of her dress puffed up. "But I suppose for you, it can be one."
She rolled her eyes. "Amazing. How generous of you."
"You should be honoured, most people would kill to be in your position right now. Not many people get to dance with me, you know?" He grinned, shuffling closer to her.
She makes a face and steps back from him, almost colliding with the couple behind. He tugs her back, narrowly avoiding her heels that almost stepped on him.
The music changes, and they adjust their position to suit the song. She huffs. "What, are you some big shot or something?"
"Hmm. I suppose I haven't introduced myself. I'm the 11th Prince of Snezhnaya, Tartaglia. How much do you know about everyone here?"
"Enough. I just need to put faces with names." She glances at him with a bit of surprise once she hears his name. "I'll admit, I didn't think you would be...like this." She blushes faintly and he smirks.
"Like what? More attractive than you expected? I hear that a lot."
She gives him a weird look. "Um, I was thinking more along the lines of normal. I heard you're pretty destructive."
He laughs then. "What? You thought I would act like some caveman or something? I like fighting, but not when it hurts innocents."
She hums thoughtfully. "That's a good outlook to have. Not many would agree with that, they are quick to use whoever they want and dispose of them later."
He could tell he made a positive impression on her and he feels a swell of pride at being able to work his charms on even the Abyss Princess. It was typical, he supposed.
But then she says,
"But Tartaglia? That's kind of a mouthful, I think I'll call you Taru instead." She smirks at his bewildered expression.
"Taru? Wha- No way!"
"You can't make me not do it! Taru~" She laughs, genuinely this time and he can see her loosen up a bit.
"Fine, if you insist on calling me Taru then I'll call you Lulu!" He argues, a little peeved at the new nickname.
"Excuse me?! Lumine isn't even hard to pronounce. And don't call me that, only my brother calls me by that!" She bristles at his audacity.
"Fine, Lu then." Tartaglia grins. "It's only fair! If you stop calling me Taru, then I won't call you Lu. Simple."
"Ugh, I shouldn't have spoken with you at all. You're insufferable." She glared at him. Though it didn't really work because of her short stature, she had to crane her neck up to look at him.
"So I've been told." He toys with the strings of her mask, enjoying the panic that was evident in her eyes. She clutches her mask, slapping his hand away.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"I was just curious to see who was behind the mask." He shrugs. "There are lots of rumours that surround your kin after all."
People around them glance their way curiously, hoping to take a closer peek at the Abyss Princess. Sending an annoyed glance at the nosy spectators, he twirls them strategically away to a more open space on the floor.
"...Rumours are just rumours. I'm sure you have a lot about you as well. Whether or not they are true is up for you to decide." She responds after a moment, as if debating whether or not to address it.
"What made the Abyss decide to show themselves after 500 years?" Tartaglia asks. He was curious why a secluded kingdom that was able to sustain themselves without outside help suddenly wanted to re-emerge. "Trouble back at home?"
"I suppose you'll have to wait and see."
The lighthearted banter between was gone and he realizes he might've hit a touchy subject. She dons a guarded expression, wary of his true intentions. She breaks away from his hold.
"Also, it's rude to unmask a lady at a masquerade. If you wanted to see my face then you could've waited till tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of the night then." She twirls around and slips past the crowd before he could say anything.
"What a weird girl." He mused, staring at her retreating figure. He catches the sight of the Tsaritsa at the top balcony staring directly at him. He gives a nod of acknowledgement at her and she smiles with an indecipherable glint in her eyes.
He had a feeling he would be seeing Lumine Viator more often. It was high time something interesting happened, and he fully intended to see it all pan out.
-
"Lulu! Why did you leave me alone with all those people?" Aether whined as he took a seat across Lumine, who was busy eating macarons.
"Didn't want to deal with them." She replied, stuffing another into her mouth. "God, these are so good. Try some!" She slid her plate across their table.
"Besides, you were always better with the social scene. We need to establish some relationships with other nations so I thought you would be a better fit for this job. Don't worry, I met someone pretty high up!"
Aether blinked. "Who?" He reaches for the cookie.
"The 11th Prince."
He chokes, covering it up with a cough. "Him?! Of all people, why him?"
Lumine shrugs. "Well he came up to me first. We already kinda dislike each other. Oops."
"Please Lulu, we're here to make diplomatic friendships. Don't make an enemy out of Snezhnaya, we need them." Aether groaned, watching his sister happily sip on some champagne.
"Relax! I'll make it right. He's kinda dumb, it's cute." She giggled before she realized what she said out loud. "Er-"
"Really Lulu?"
Aether simply stared at her with a deadpan face, exasperation evident in his voice.
"It's not like that, geez!" Lumine fans her face and watches the other guests. People had no problem coming up to Aether earlier, but they seemed to avoid her like the plague. Judging from the empty tables around her and the wide berth people gave when they passed by. They seemed keen on talking to her when she first arrived, what changed?
Maybe she was too intimidating. Or too beautiful! She thought haughtily.
"So, made any friends?" She decided to ask instead.
"Well...I wouldn't call them friends just yet. Perhaps acquaintances might be better. I talked with some people from Mondstadt and Liyue, they seem like nice people. Hopefully we'll be able to establish some trade with them…"
"Hmm, seems promising. Hope they have good connections to their monarchy. We've got plenty of time, make sure to enjoy yourself too Aether!" She reminds him, holding a flute of champagne towards him.
"Thanks Lulu." He smiles, taking a sip. "I'll grab some food too. Be back soon!"
Lumine turns back towards her plate. "Man, I should ask Taru if he can give me the recipes for this stuff." She eyed the bowl of soup she got that was labeled Adeptus' Temptation.
She felt a little guilty leaving him on the dance floor like that. Poor guy, she supposed it was pretty embarrassing to have their dancing partner leave in the middle of the song.
What if he can't find another partner because of that? She snickers at the thought.
Just then, she spots a tuft of orange hair in the distance and she sees him wink at her before giving a thumbs up. Then he walks away.
She furrowed her brows in confusion.
Aether returns with a pale face. "Lulu, you…"
"What?"
"Um, there's something in your hair."
She reaches behind her and feels something soft entangled behind the string of her mask.
She rips it off and glances down. In her hands was toilet paper.
Toilet paper.
"What the fuck?!"
When did this happen? She never even felt- She paused, glaring at the spot the ginger was standing at before. She should've known better than to accept the dance and let him play with her mask longer than necessary.
"This fucker thinks he's funny huh? I'm gonna strangle him!" She stands up only for Aether to pull her back down.
"You can't! That's exactly what he wants, plus you'll get us kicked out." He pleads.
She huffs, plopping back down on her seat. This was why everyone steered clear of her? She knew he had a reputation for being a prankster and she was probably his new target.
Well, two can play at that game. She was good at that.