Lucas knew Arlecchino had great potential, but she still exceeded his expectations in the best, and worse ways possible. Making the bubble and extracting her abundance of mana was easy. The curse worsening with her usage of mana, is what he didn’t expect.
He knew they were connected. But seeing the black blur around her fingers grow, along with her increasing pain, made him frown.
“Did this happen in the other world as well?”
Arlecchino stopped looking at her hands to glance up at him. After considering how to answer, she nodded.
“It’s much bearable now thanks to the children. My body just needs to adjust like before.”
Lucas nodded and ruffled her head. It was a much softer touch than all the other times.
“You’re a strong person, Arle.”
She knew that much. At her unamused look, Lucas chuckled and kept his grin as he spoke.
“Are you still curious about how I know so much?”
She finally shoved him an eager expression while nodding.
He hummed and jabbed her forehead, smiling at her scowl and glare.
“Simply put, my eyes are special. Like yours. With a single look, I know everything about a person. Their personality, past, and magic potential.”
He knows everything about a person with a single glance?
Lucas smiled at her clear interest.
“When I see you, I see a soldier. One that’s been taught about death, and one that chose to be different from the only role model you knew. You’ve saved many children, and killed just as many. You’re a ruler, a leader, and a killer.”
Arlecchino nodded softly.
“You know that much, so what are you hoping to get from helping me?”
Lucas scoffed and looked at the foot of their new bed. Where two cats were trying to climb up while a small penguin jumped in place. Failing to catch the bed sheet to follow after them.
He smiled at the sight before catching himself. He scoffed again and used his finger to push Lyney’s forehead down, stopping him from moving further. At his small meow of complaint, he finally answered her.
“Since you have trust issues, I’ll be honest. There’s two reasons I’m helping you.”
Arle pinched Lucas hand to make him let go of Lyney. He did so with a small smile and moved his hand to annoy Lynette, but unlike Lyney… She bit his finger, he quickly took his hand back with a frown while Arle helped the cats reach her.
“Ow… The main reason, is the world fruit.”
Arlecchino pointed at the small Fremi still hoping in place. His eyes had little tears ready to spill at being left behind. Lucas sighed and easily brought the penguin up with his magic, letting Arle catch him and gently soothe its cry with a gentle pat.
“To put it simply, every world has a magic tree. That tree grows a fruit called the world fruit. Eating it extends a person’s lifespan, and gives them all the knowledge of the world stored inside the fruit.”
She hummed and placed Freminet beside his siblings, who stared comforting him as well. Rubbing their faces on his while meowing softly. At their attention, the penguin stopped resisting the urge to cry and instead blushed and tried to hide its face.
“And what does that have to do with me?”
“Well, Arle, as someone that’s eaten a world fruit before, I’m quite in sync with it. You see, after you eat one, you’re forced into a long slumber where yo absorb all the information gained from it. My slumber was cut short because of you.”
Arlecchino remembered how, in their first meeting, Lucas had mentioned she had woken him up.
“Keep explaining.”
“I was about to.”
He shook his head and waited. After making sure she wouldn’t interrupt him again, he continued.
“Since I’m in sync with it, I felt it when you were born. The very minute your soul came here, the tree screamed that an intruder had arrived. It doesn’t welcome you here, hence-“
Lucas tapped her hands.
“The curse. This world is rejecting you. That’s why it’s trying to kill you.”
Arlecchino calmly repeated what he said inside her head. So, it’s just like Teyvat.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
Lucas took his hand away before Lyney could bite it.
“Then again, this curse has followed you. Now I understand why you’re also a, ‘child with no place.’ You’re not from here, or Teyvat. So? Which is your original world?”
Arlecchino closed her eyes, and shrugged.
“I do not know. All my life, I’ve been in an orphanage. The only kid with a curse, the monster and biggest freak. From what I do know, I come from a line of immigrants. Ones forced to enter Teyvat and live there by curious civilians.”
Arle looked up at Lucas.
“Since you know this much, what else is there to keep you beside me?”
“I’m not here just out of curiosity, or because you can help me find it faster than I could on my own…”
He smiled and tabbed the spot between her eyebrows.
“You may not believe it, but the other reason is simply you. I want to see what you’ll achieve, what you’ll do, and who you’ll become.”
Arlecchino kept her eyes on his own as she asked.
“What are you expecting from me?”
He simply shrugged and threw himself on the bed. The impact from his body falling caused the mattress to bounce and lift the small cats into a forced jump. They meowed and landed easily before tucking their paws inside their belly as they laid down as well.
Arlecchino placed the small Fremi between the. The penguin slowly dozed off as she looked at Lucas. The magician hummed as he closed his eyes and thought about it.
“Hmm… I guess…”
Lucas turned and looked at her with a knowing smile.
“I just want to know what you’ll choose. The empire, that bastard emperor, or everything you’ve known.”
“Isn’t the choice obvious?”
Lucas hid half of his face inside his arms as he turned to lay on his chest. All Alre could see was the glint of amusement in his red eye and the corner of his lips tilted up into a sneer.
“Maybe, but where’s the fun in that?”
–
Ever since that conversation, Arlecchino was forced to face various, turbulent challenges. Lucas stopped leaving during the day. He stayed on that bed he made nearly every hour while reading.
His presence caused Arlecchino’s daily exploration tostop completely. Instead, she was forced to stay in the room and study.
It should’ve been infuriating, to get her freedom taken away on Lucas whimp. But she did miss laying around. It even felt like a reward, especially when she glanced to the side and saw the kids playing with the toys Lucas made them. A red, little ball with a golden flower and small details like that.
Unlike the cats that always played together, Freminet preferred to be between Lucas and Arle as they read on the bed. His belly up as he breathed evenly in a deep slumber.
With no other option, she went back to her book in silence. The book was on her lap as she turned the page, Lucas laid on his stomach beside her. Using one hand to hold the book while the other held his chin.
The silence was comforting, they spend hours like this. Even when the cats huddled around the penguin and slept while warming him up.
“You hungry?”
Arle paused her reading and quietly closed the book. Lucas smiled and used his magic to bring her a meal. She quickly ate, and glanced at Lucas, who kept reading. She stared at him without a word, and when he hummed in question, she asked.
“Why don’t you ever eat?”
Instead of answering, Lucas turned to her and stole a slice of apple from her plate. The he went back to his book as he munched on it.
Arlecchino had never seen him eat whenever he served her food. Lucas swallowed the last bite of the apple and answered her question without taking his eyes off the book.
“I can eat, I just don’t depend on it for nutrition and energy like you do. My magic fulls me instead.”
She nodded and munched on her snacks.
“Do you still have taste?”
He smiled and answered.
“Yes. I’m very picky about what I eat.”
With his answer, Arlecchino didn’t bother talking anymore.
–
Arlecchino never realized how fast four years went by. The peaceful quiet of her current life, with only the soft sound of a page turning, and the purrs from the cats…
Was so different when she compared it to Teyvat. When she was five back then, she had already killed many of her siblings. ‘Mother’ had begun her training, her experimentation, and she would go to sleep with a chilling, and bloody story inside her head every night. If there was one thing that stayed the same, it would be the favor she has over her caretakers.
Just like that woman, Lucas was clearly fond of her. Every night, he read her a story while keeping her in his arms. The little ones sat comfortably on Arle’s legs and kept their eyes and ears sharp for the story being narrated.
After the story was over, Lucas would ruffle her head, then pat each cat and penguin before tucking them all under the covers. The cats would curl above her head, and circled the penguin between them. Every night, the three of them moved a bit closer. Until they slept directly beside her cheek.
They seemed to take turn. One night, Lynette would be closer, then Lyney, and finally, Freminet. Whenever it was bedtime, Lucas would stay beside her. Sitting on the bed with another book in his hand.
At first, Arlecchino barely slept at sensing his presence closer than any other night. But as time went on, she got used to him and slept soundly each night. Not even stirring whenever he absentmindedly stroked her head or teased one of the kids beside her.
How odd, is this how normal children are raised…?
Arlecchino wasn’t sur. She had tried to ask Lucas once what a normal childhood was, and he simply shrugged the question off.
“Eat, breathe, and get independent?”
Is that what normal parents want their children to do…? Arlecchino could understand why a parent would think that way. She spent her life making sure those three would be able to take care of things on their own, and protect each other until the end.
In that sense, she seemed to have achieved her goal before death.
Anyway, now that she’s five, Arlecchino can officially train her body without much setback. Lucas had stopped her from training, saying her body was still in crucial development. It seems that another reason for why Lucas stayed behind was to ensure she didn’t train her body.
She was forced to train her mind thanks to him. But when she turned five, he only sighed and let her train outside. Why outside? Because Arlecchino wanted to be out of that room for at least one hour.
So when she grabbed the kids, and looked at him while waiting… Lucas only groaned and summoned a wooden scythe for her to use. Arlecchino grabbed it and looked at its sturdy structure.
“You even know the kind of weapon I prefer?”
“Of course.”
He grinned teasingly and pointed at the kids.
“I even know which one is your favorite.”
She paused, as the kids perked up and looked at Lucas expectantly. The cats moved their tails in waiting while Fremi leaned a bit closer.
“I do not have a favorite.”
“Sure you don’t.”
Lucas ruffled her head, using his magic to cool her hair before opening the window.
“I’ve taught you quite a bit. Why don’t you use it to leave, and enter this room?”
Arlecchino nodded and went closer to the window. These four years have been filled with mana theorie. She’s been using spells and can now even cool down her own body if she wants to.
But she doesn’t do so. Constantly relieving the pain will make it harder for her to build a tolerance to it. No matter how frustrated Lucas becomes, the only times her pain is relieved is whenever he teases her, or when she’s on the cold bed.
Arle jumped, causing strands of the wind to envelope her body and help her slowly descend to the garden. Lucas nodded with a proud grin before he grabbed the window sill, looking down as Arle started walking away to explore.
“Now then, how can I watch her without her knowledge…?”
–
The cats jumped down her arms and happily explored the grass beneath them. Arlecchino held the wooden scythe with both hand. It was bigger than her body, but not to the point where she couldn’t practice with it. She raised it and stretched her arm forward. The wood was light, nothing like how she remembered her old weapon.
She looked inside her head for those days, when ‘mother’ would grab her arms and move them for her.
“Up, down, left, right, turn and jump before spinning twice.”
Just like that, Arlecchino did a complete set of exercises. She huffed and frowned at how easily her body got tired. Arms shaking as they held the scythe.
She’s grown weaker, how idiotic…
Arlecchino swallowed and did it again, again, and again. Sweat tickled down her forehead as she huffed and aimed the scythe at the tree upon seeing something small swiftly run up the tree. When the sytche indebted itself into the spot above it, the small critter paused its movements.
Arlecchino huffed and focused on her breathing as she watched the red lizard stare at her without moving. With a shallow breath, she spoke.
“Red horned…?”
No, this is another world. This lizard must have another name. Arlecchino caught her breath and just looked at it. Until the lizard finally moved and hid itself in the tree. Arle pulled her scythe back, and stared at where she last saw it.
“Meow.”
She felt something soft, and scalding rub itself against her legs. When she looked down, it was Lyney. He meowed again and patiently waited. Arlecchino squatted down and gently patted his head, doing the same when Lynette and Freminet came over.
Seeing this, she sighed softly and kneeled down to gather them in her arms. While they got comfy, she slowly stood up and looked forward.
Then, jeweled, blue eyes met her black and red ones. With a soft gasp, the young girl in front of her simply stared without a word and a blink.
Her long, golden and curly hair was tied into a high ponytail, a fluffy, pink dress with floral details and a big bow around her waist. She held a small cluster of flowers in her arms.
Arlecchino easily identified the young girl so similar to the emperor. Athanasia, the princess on the other side of the Ruby palace. What was she doing on the abandoned side…? Arlecchino simply observed her, how the girl swallowed and blinked, her golden lashes shining under the sun as she opened her mouth and spoke in a soft, childish tone.
“Are you, my little sister…?”
“…….” Little, sister? According to Lucas, we were born on the same day just a minute apart. Because of that minute difference, Athanasia is first in line for the throne.
Arle wasn’t quite sure how she should respond, and neither did she want to. There’s no point in associating with a girl she’s not going to meet often.
But, Arle couldn’t open her mouth to answer her. Just like before, the expectation of having to speak made her want to stitch her mouth shut. So, she choose to just look at her and softly shrug at her question.
If Arlecchino could read Athanasia’s thoughts, she would be much more inclined to ask questions. Athy looked at her calmly, and innocently, but in her mind, she was hysterically screaming.
Peruere!!! She’s here! She’s so cuuuute!! Her chubby cheeks, soft expression, her fluffy hair and cute, oversized jacket!!!
Why is she here!? The original story didn’t mention another princess apart from her and Jennete, not to mention… The Knave is in the wrong universe! She’s from a video game, not a novel!
That’s right. Princess Athanasia Algert Obelia, is actually a modern, Korean woman. Just like many others, she had chosen to read novels and play games during the pandemic. One of such games she played the most, was Genshin Impact. When she died, Arlecchino had just been announced as a playable character along with her story quest.
She had been so excited to play it, but she died before she could. She remembered saving more than 200 wishes just for her and her weapon, only to somehow die before she could get her.
Athy looked down at the Knave’s hands and froze. Two grey cats, one with a top hat, the other with a teal bow and a penguin…? Her eyes shone with recognition.
The kids! It’s the Fontaine siblings! AAH! I don’t know what’s happening, but if this is really Arlecchino then… I need to earn her favor!
Athy finally moved and took a step forward. She looked at her with wide, innocent eyes as she stopped before her.
“Um, sister…”
Sister, there was only one person that ever called her that. And when Athy beamed at her, it was oh so similar to ‘her’…
“Athy’s name is Athy. What is yours?”
Unlike ‘her’ this girl was sickeningly sweet. So much so it felt superficial, unlike ‘her.’ Arlecchino quietly observed her, Athy waited patiently with a tilted head and a childish smile. So unlike a child, yet… Arlecchino looked down at the princess’s hands, seeing them tremble slightly as they held her flowers.
With a soft exhale, Arle responded while looking at her.
“Arle, that’s my name.”
Saying Arlecchino will just result in her shortening it like Lucas did. With a nod, Athy handed her a pink flower.
“I’ll treat you well, little sister! Athy will protect you!”
The cats rested their head above the penguin and stopped observing Athy, deciding she was harmless. Arle gently went to grab the flower, but stopped when she saw her black skin threaten to touch Athy. Before she could take her hand back, Athy grabbed it and placed the flower between her fingers.
With a large smile, Athy spoke sweetly.
“Arle! Let’s play!”
Athy didn’t bother hearing her response, and simply dragged her towards the Ruby palace. The part Athy stayed in.
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