Death is cold, The Knave quickly realized this as her body lost its warmth. Three of her children surrounded her as the rain fell, coating their tear stained faces along with her injuries. Her blood dyed the floor crimson, each drop that landed on her waist, was tainted with crimson blood.
Lyney held the back of her head, her white hair completely disheveled and laying on the dirty concrete. His face was scrunched together, as his shaky breaths failed in helping him calm down.
Lynette held her limp hand, her own trembling along with her body. Her gaze down as drops of water fell from her hidden face. Freminet was the farthest away, just blinking as tears fell with ease, his body limb after falling to his knees.
The Knave watched the grey clouds above them, and decided to do her last, and greatest deed as a father. She raised the hand Lynette held, and managed to find her head. Gently moving it in hopes of soothing her. Her small whisper broke with a cry.
“No…”
Her other hand rose, trying to catch Lyney’s face, but it was caught by a hand instead. Lyney pressed her cursed fingers against his face, the cold cheek couldn’t warm up with her hand anymore. She felt his tears slide between her fingers as her lips parted to whisper.
“Lyney…”
Hearing his name somehow made his eyes squint further together while his lips pulled down, tears falling even faster.
“Please don’t speak, ‘father,’ stay with us… Please…”
She slowly blinked and realized the missing child.
“… Freminet…”
Hearing his name being called, Freminet hurried to her side. Her gaze turned to him the moment he got closer, as always, his blue eyes saw through her.
This young child, always looked at her with hope, but a different kind compared to his siblings. It wasn’t recognition, not even love… It was something she couldn’t imitate, no matter how badly she wanted to do it.
How can you imitate something you don’t understand?
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t give you the family you wanted…”
Freminet hurriedly shook his head.
“No, no, that’s not it…”
He lowered his gaze, lips trembling as his voice broke with each pause.
“That’s not it, ‘father’… I’m sorry… Please don’t leave us, I’m sorry…”
Her hand found his head, her fingers slipping into his blond hair. These children, were so lovely. Was she really going to leave them?
Yes. Her body is getting colder with each second, she wasn’t going to make it. But even so…
“You three, don’t follow my footsteps…”
She looked up at the sky, knowing they were hearing her.
“Make the House of Hearth, the type of home you wanted. The home I couldn’t make, that is all I ask of you.”
Her lungs moved slower, and caught less air by the second, she felt a drop of rain land on her eye, and slid down her cheek.
“I’m very proud of you three, never forget it.”
With a final exhale, the hand on Freminet’s head fell to the ground, Lyney gasped and clenched the one on his face. His head slowly moved side to side.
“No…”
Lynette froze, staring at ‘father’ before gently laying her head on ‘father’s’ stomach. She clung onto her stained clothes, her vision turned into a blurry mess as she struggled to breathe.
“No, no, no!”
Freminet stared at her limb hand, feeling himself leaving, he couldn’t even blink, cry or scream. All he knew, was that ‘father’ was fine. She had to be… She’s everything…
Lyney ignored the growing numbness inside him, and the tears rolling down his cheeks as he placed ‘father’s’ head down. With a gentle touch, he lowered her eyelids, closing her eyes forever.
Lynette’s cries, and howls made him turn to her. Right, Lynette…
He grabbed her shoulders, raising her upper body and moving her towards him. She immediately turned, and latched onto him, hugging him so tightly it hurt. Her cries grew more desperate as Lyney rubbed her back with no expression.
“Lynette, it’ll be fine…”
Her words came with a sharp inhale of breath that made her weep even harder.
“No, no… ‘Father’, we’re sorry so please… Please…”
With a loud sob, Lynette said a sentence that broke Lyney’s composure.
“Please, don’t leave us…!”
Lyney hugged her, so tightly it should’ve hurt. His shoulder’s shook as he struggled to speak normally, even as his tears, and everything crunbled around him.
“It’ll be fine, It’ll be fine…”
Freminet stared at his ‘father.’ Only the ringing in his ears, and the increasingly short breaths his lung took in, made him feel anything at all.
–
The Knave felt nothing, for the first time in her life. No growing embers that lit her blood on fire, there’s no burning pain underneath her skin… It was simply cold, and for once, it was peaceful. The darkness was shielding her, everything became meaningless.
“Please, don’t leave us…!”
That voice… Arlecchino opened her eyes, the darkness was pulled back, and a far away light started growing.
Lynette…?
“It’ll be fine…”
Lyney…?
Arlecchino squinted her eyes as the light grew even brighter. A warm touch landed on her forehead, and two voices rang out. Once she knew, and one she didn’t recognize.
“I’m sorry, ‘father’…”
“I’m sorry, my child…”
Fremi-? A jolt of pain ran through her as the light enveloped her, she inhaled sharply as several voices, smells, and sounds hit her all at once.
“Th-the princess is-!?”
Arlecchino frowned, something thin was covering her vision and stopped her from seeing the person holding her. A female voice sounded, as another silhouette appeared beside the one holding her. The high pitched, and disgust filled tone belonged to a woman.
“Why is she like that!?”
The first voice whispered to himself.
“How, how can a royal princess be cursed…?”
“She needs to be killed… I knew that wench planned this… She’s planning to overthrow the emperor!”
Emperor, princess? What is all of this? Teyvat doesn’t have any empires…
“She’s not even crying! Is she dead?”
Something rough, like cloth swiped across her eyes and face, immediately improving her eyesight. Arlecchino saw a man with round glasses, and a large, white beard that covered the lower side of his face.
His eyes opened wider than his glasses once their eyes met. His hands trembled as pure dread could be seen in his eyes.
“This, this…”
Arlecchino slowly blinked at the unfamiliar face. She tried to move, and saw small hands and arms before her. She blinked with wide eyes at the sight. This… Why am I small?
“Call the emperor…”
The man holding her seemed to be wearing a doctor’s uniform. He looked back and screamed at the maid.
“Call him!”
While they waited for the emperor, Arlecchino took a look around the room. It was quite luxurious even with the simple, black color of the wallpaper. It had gold designs everywhere, the ceiling clean with a large chandelier.
Everything in this room would be worth enough mora to adopt at least ten more children, and even buy them a feast for a week straight.
She couldn’t see much with how the doctor stayed still before the door, but Arlecchino had a faint idea of what happened to her ‘mother.’
The strong, metallic smell in the room said it all. She died during childbirth.
Still, where in Teyvat would an empire be hiding? Where is she…? What happened to those three?
‘Bang!’ Arlecchino turned to the door, seeing a tall man enter with his sword dragging behind him. His steps heavy, fur coat, and white clothes stained with splatters of blood.
Even his blond hair seemed a darker shade with all the red tainting it. His eyes narrowed at her, he stopped right in front of her and tilted his head as he observed her.
The doctor carrying her was shaking badly under the cold gaze of those eyes that resembled an aquamarine gem.
Arlecchino was sure this was the emperor, in other words, her ‘father.’ His gaze alone would make a child cry their lungs out. But, was he like her, and easily misunderstood? Or, was he here to kill her?
His gaze moved to the side, and his cold gaze seemed to melt.
“Name.”
The doctor struggled to speak.
“S-she, we haven’t named her… The lady died before she could name her…”
He scoffed and turned back to Arlecchino, the previous display gone. They stared at each other for a solid minute, before the emperor spoke again.
“Why is she like that?”
“W-well, well… Your majesty, she seems to take after her mother…”
“Eyes.”
“That, that’s… Outside of my specialties, but, if I may… I think the princess is cursed…”
At his words, a heavy silence fell. The knights stood waiting, a particular red head gazed at the princess with pity. Until the emperor scoffed, then he chuckled.
“Cursed… That’s right, that’s what she said too…”
She? Arlecchino’s thought process was forced to end when a sword’s end was directed at the doctor holding her.
“Put her down.”
The doctor did as ordered, walking back, and placing her on a red crib. The moment Arlecchino’s back landed on the soft blanket, the doctor’s head came down along with her. Landing beside her, before a ‘thud’ sounded when his body fell.
The head slowly blinked, before its eyes grew empty. Arlecchino didn’t glance at it, she just stared at the emperor that leaned down on the crib to see her. Their gazes met head-on, and he couldn’t find any sign of fear or worry in her gaze.
A smirk played on his lips as he looked at her, then he spoke to the knights behind him.
“Kill them all.”
The remaining servants were slaughtered, their screams ringing through the room while the emperor kept his gaze on her.
He suddenly reached a bloodied hand towars her. Arlecchino didn’t react at all as he pinched her cheek, his gaze far away as he did so. When he had enough, he leaned back and looked at her for the last time.
“Interesting, let’s see how long you last.”
He turned, his coat the last thing Arlecchino saw before everything went quiet.
She could smell the blood on her cheek. What a grand, father, she received. With a huff, she stared at the ceiling, and was left with no choice but to wait. How wonderful…
–
How long can a baby be left alone? Two hours had passed, and no one had ever come to get her. Hunger, was something she learned to suppress. But this body wasn’t used such training. Her stomach was ready to eat itself.
Now, it seems that after dying by the hands of her children, she has reincarnated in an empire. Her appearance seems to be the same, and so is her curse.
She’s no longer an orphan, but a princess. The emperor is cold, and everyone deems her a disgrace before she’s even a day old.
History loves repeating itself in that regard, hmm?
Life should be a bit easier. Cursed or not, she’s a princess. She’ll have access to food, clothes, jewels, and knowledge she would’ve never been able to imagine before. She couldn’t even hope to give these kinds of opportunities to the children…
Speaking of, those voices, and their faces before she died… She’s taught them to be strong, and gave them a clear path to follow. Her children are strong, they’ll move on and do their duties properly. She taught them that much.
Hopefully, the House of Hearth will flourish.
Arlecchino snapped out of her thoughts when multiple pairs of footsteps started approaching her crib. Before long, three maids stood before her and leaned to see her. All of their faces twisted in disgust at the same time.
Now, Arlecchino isn’t The Knave. She’s not even able to protect herself yet. If these maids wanted to hurt her, Arlecchino would only be able to close her eyes and wait.
The maid in the middle grabbed a blanket, and threw it at Arlecchino. She wasn’t able to see them anymore, and for the first time in decades, Arlecchino could feel herself start to panic.
“You take her.”
“What? No. No, I barely managed to stay alive when the emperor started the massacre! I’m not touching her.”
“Think, she’s contagious?”
“Why else do you think I placed a blanket over her? Grab her!”
After a minute of hesitation, Arlecchino felt two arms wrap around her before lifting her from the crib.
“Grab her properly! We can’t drop her!”
“She’s cursed, why does it matter?”
“If she dies, we’ll have to take care of the other princess! Let’s just move her in case the emperor sends someone to check on her.”
Arlecchino was suddenly pressed onto a soft chest before they started walking.
“Why would he even send someone to look for her?”
“Why would he even spare her?”
At that answer, the maids stayed quiet the whole way. Until another door was opened.
“Just place her on the ground. We’ll come back later.”
The maid holding her knelt down and placed her on the hard, and cold surface. The third maid that had been quiet for a while spoke up.
“Are you sure this is a good idea? Seems a little harsh…”
“Whatever. I just want to collect the pay.”
Arlecchino felt the maid walk further away from her. Wait, the blanket was still on!
“If you pity her so badly, take care of her all on your own.”
“What? I didn’t mean it like that!”
The door closed behind them. Leaving Arlecchino in complete darkness and silence.
“…..”
Are they seriously this… Neglectful? Not even the House of Hearth treated its small children like this!
A surge of anger rushed through her, Arlecchino tried to kick, and punch the blanket to get it off her. But it wasn’t working. She couldn’t escape…
She stopped fighting, her emotions leaving as her body fully relaxed.
Is this, her punishment? For everything she’s done? For all the lives she’s taken, and for letting those children, her children, die? For the first time in her entire memory, Arlecchino felt her chest heavy, and her eyes watery.
She’s far, far too weak right now… She had never felt so useless before…
A memory of pastel, pink hair, and a smile similar to Lyney’s made her jolt awake.
No, she has felt that way a long, long time ago. She left her children behind, just to die as a small child? Because an emperor got a woman pregnant, and didn’t want to take proper responsibility? No. The Knave won’t die like this!
She started punching and kicking the blanket again. She’s not dying without a fight. That’s not what she taught them, that’s not how she’s dying!
Arlecchino winced when the blanket flew off her, and the light from the moon made her eyes squint.
At seeing the other person in the room, her eyes widened when their eyes met. Blood red eyes, just like a ruby, narrowed as the man smiled. A strand of his black hair dangerously close to Arlecchino’s bloodied cheek.
“So, you’re what woke me up.”
His smile widened to an arrogant smirk as his finger poked the cheek the emperor had pinched.
“Found you.”
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