Scaramouche Ha.

DILUC

the man who scorned you, the very reason why you gave up on love. you could never forget the moment when he told you that the reason why he hasn’t returned to your kingdom after so many years to fulfill his promise is because he was actually with a woman who’ll become his wife in a few days, causing you countless number of nights that left you sleepless, thinking why you weren’t good enough for your first love.

you could recall the days when you two were hopelessly in love and never got separated — it was evident that the both of you would end up getting together. you had never thought of what life is like without the love of your life, and he can say the same thing as he holds you in his arms in a protective but caring grip.

you could recall the days when he’d whisper nothing in your ear as he talks about how he’s looking forward to the both of you getting married as soon as the both of you have come of age together, causing you to feel your cheeks warming from those words alone.

was everything… a lie?

you didn’t give a second thought when diluc informed you that he has to leave the palace because of his father’s condition, immediately telling him to come to his father and come back once the emperor is alright. if you held him back from visiting, would things have gone differently? would diluc still be by your side and not by a stranger’s side?

you could never guess that you’d find yourself standing in front of his palace to attend a wedding that isn’t yours.

he was with you since childhood, so what changed? turns out, he was only marrying the woman because it was his father’s last wish before his passing. he even had the audacity to ask you to wait for an unknown amount of years until he files a divorce, then that will be the day when he’ll come back to you, which didn’t make anything better, not when he looks at her as if she’s the universe while he looks at you as if you’re the moon.

as for the woman – goodness, the woman – even invited you to their wedding, oblivious to the fact that the new emperor of the infamous empire was her fiance’s lover who he promised to return to marry once he’s done visiting his ill-father, the emperor of a neighboring empire. you couldn’t bring yourself to despise her because of how genuinely nice she is. you don’t blame the passed emperor for choosing her as diluc’s wife.

you thought diluc was your forever, did he not think the same as well? or were all those words of love that came out from his lips were lies? what did she have that you don’t?

you swore to yourself to never love again, ignoring the way he glances at your way when you don’t look at him. you still look the same as always, he’d thought. beautiful and strong.

you ignore how some of the staff has been talking about how they had never seen their emperor being this expressive when you visited the palace, not knowing that the diluc you knew is far from how everyone in his homeland sees him.

you ignore how diluc confesses about being worried about your safety during your battle against the man who tries to take your throne, too focused on your heartbreak to even process the rest of his words after his confession about being with another.

you ignore how he sends you letters everyday when he has the chance ever since the wedding, throwing said letters aside among the piled up unnecessary documents, not knowing how he puts his heart and soul to those letters you despised seeing.

you ignore how his eyes were on you from his window when you walked away from his palace the day after the wedding as he ignores his heart screaming at him to run after you and tell you that he wants to abandon his empire for you.

but he couldn’t. not when his brain whispers how it’s his fault that he was too late for his father to die alone and how he doesn’t deserve to be with you. that’s why he drowns himself with guilt, not noticing how his most trusted royal advisor told him that his father’s dying wish is for his son to marry the daughter of the grand duke of favonius, not knowing how it was just a trick.

that’s why diluc has to suffer knowing that his step-brother, kaeya, gets to be with you while he can't.

KAEYA

the first person who joined your harem. his name was the first thing that caught your eye when you were reading documents about your potential consorts, and you did not hesitate to add him on the list much to your right-hand’s dismay. you may not know him much since diluc refuses to let you meet him, but that doesn’t stop you from inviting him.

you honestly never expected him to be so… flirty and witty, unlike his brother who’s more shy and calm.

not to mention the fact that you felt like you’ve seen him before — and it surely isn’t in diluc’s wedding — giving you all the more reasons why he’s so mysterious. despite not recalling any moments of meeting kaeya, the only thing you felt from him is familiarity and... comfort, leaving you conflicted and wondering where on earth you met him.

unfortunately you were against finding out, because you’re completely convinced that he’s just here as diluc’s spy due to the constant letters kaeya sends to someone who’s from his home.

it didn’t help that there were certain incidents between your consorts that always manages to have kaeya involved - and he never fails to plead that he’s innocent despite the other consort suggesting otherwise, giving you all the more reasons to doubt him and refrain yourself from spending more time on him while never noticing the mischief laced in the other consort’s eyes that kaeya spots.

you never noticed how he looks at you as though you’re the only thing that matters in this world.

you never noticed how he hopes - and even prays - that you’d look at him among the crowded room and pay attention to him and only him, just like the night during his brother’s horrible reception where you sobbed about how much you love him, your breath reeking of alcohol. yet, it didn’t stop him from feeling like his stomach sprouted butterflies and finally felt like he mattered to someone. ignoring how a part of his head is telling him that you’re just talking about his stupid brother.

you never noticed how he instantly stopped seeing other people for romantic purposes after he met you, instead of sleeping next to someone he’ll eventually forget in the morning, he’s all alone on his bed thinking about you with a smile on his face. who knew the emperor from a neighboring empire would be so cute when drunk?

you never noticed how he wonders everyday when you’ll visit his chambers at night or simply just spend time with him, rambling to his servant about the things he’d be interested in doing with you as he plays with a plushie that he bought in a store of your empire because it reminded him of you.

you never noticed how he stares in jealousy at the stupid consort who’s dancing with you on your first banquet that he arranged, wishing that he’s the consort that’s dancing with you and making every other consorts seething in jealousy.

you never noticed how he’s the one who made the talisman when he gave it to you when you first visited his chambers for a nice chat, excitement rushing through his body that he hides with his charismatic facade that he always puts around you.

you never noticed how he sends letters to a certain prince from another kingdom every single day writing about the things you do that made him go crazy and ask about his advice that could help him win you over out of the other consorts that's blocking his way.

but you did notice, in the end.

it was during the first time you took a stroll with kaeya as a make up for not choosing him to dance with you on the banquet when you heard something that never came out from his lips but instead in your head,

as if you can read minds.

“please don’t leave me again..”

TARTAGLIA

the son of the same duke who tried to protest against your decision to have more than one consort and the second person that you chose to become your consort besides kaeya, much to the duke’s relief.

unlike his father, tartaglia prefers violence over reasoning, something you took note of after overhearing a conversation between him and his servant about how he‘d like to fight the other consorts to “see if they’re worthy to be considered as your consort.” despite his bloodlust, his charismatic personality and loyalty makes it up, something that’ll definitely be useful in the near future for you.

he’s also the first consort that you spent the night after the arrival, much to his delight. it’s safe to say that he felt incredibly disappointed when you said you‘re only here to sleep next to him instead of what he assumed, but he respected your wishes – besides, at least he gets to watch you fall into slumber. who knew the emperor would sleep so cutely?

because of this, every single consort is jealous of tartaglia.

who wouldn’t be? he’s the only consort so far who got to spend your first dance and first night, and he never fails to rub that on his peers’ faces with every chance he gets.

unfortunately, your right hand knight would beg to differ and agree that tartaglia’s on the same page as everyone, since you’re unaware of how the son of the duke always walks past your office, asking the guards stationed if you’re available.

you’re unaware of how he looks at you as if you’re the rest of his life.

you’re unaware of how dull blue eyes stare at your figure as you spar with your right-hand knight, wishing that he’s in his place instead. would you praise his skills in fighting if he was the one you’re sparring with?

you’re unaware of how his memories of what you did for him during his childhood and wanting to see his family again were the only things that kept him fighting for his life when he was trapped in a dark place called the abyss. would you believe him if he told you that he still remembers the time when you told him that you'll gladly marry him when you're older?

you’re unaware of how he thinks of you whenever he sneaks out from the palace, having fun with many commoners around him and watching multiple performances of your empire who all turn a blind eye to the fact that a consort is around. would you be as happy as him if he sneaks you out from your emperor duties and spends time with him and your people?

you're unaware of how he purposely flirts with you and is physically affectionate to you just to fire up a certain knight, whose amber eyes gazes at the consort with jealousy and anger. would the knight be angrier if he were to see you pulling him closer and perhaps place a kiss on his face?

you’re unaware of a side you never got to see from him that only his tortured victims get to see. the screams and begging from those pesky nobles who dared to question your ability as an emperor made him even more alive, yet it never washed away the anger that he felt when his secret agent informed him about how there are some nobles who are on your dead step-brother’s side and are against on you being the emperor. shouldn’t they be grateful that you’re so merciful to let them live?

you’re unaware of how a light shone in his eyes for just a moment when you finally have time to spend with him after so many weeks of walking past your office and asking the guards.

he was so enraptured by your potential skills that he didn't know that his strong desire had reached your thoughts because of his excitement just like what happened with kaeya.

you immediately brought out your sword, and childe could just imagine how thrilling it would be to finally see your strength.

“please tell me you’ll let me fight by your side.”

THOMA

the sweetheart that you dearly care for.

now that you think about it, he’s the only consort you can think of when it comes to being well-behaved around other consorts and loved by many of your servants in the palace, not because of his kindness but also because of his amazing socializing skills. it's scary how he absolutely has nothing wrong and is the perfect royal consort for you.

though, it does seem strange that he’s sometimes around when some of your consorts are causing a scene,

you don’t pay attention to how his eyes look at you as if you’re his guilty pleasure.

you don't pay attention to how a strange crow flies past your window and the guards patrolling around the castle grounds as it heads towards thoma's window, carrying a small letter with its claws that contains the one thing that will make you change your view on the so-called perfect consort. he stares down at the letter that's written by the one person he swore loyalty for eternity: kamisato ayato, the famed prince who was considered your brother. thoma tries to think of a way to convince him that in due time he'll finally make progress in coming closer to you, knowing full well that he couldn’t bring himself to do the one thing that made him come here in the first place.

you don't pay attention to how his hobby of cleaning was just to spend time thinking of his plan to kill you and let his master take over the throne just as he and his mother had always wanted. if he could do that to your father, then he can do it to you as well, right?

no, he can't. unlike your father, you're.. different. unlike the people who died from his hands, you're someone he can't bring to kill without mercy, not when you remind him of his homeland that he'll never get to visit in this lifetime.

you don't pay attention to how his fists clenched when he sees you spend so much time with that knight, who's not even a consort like him and other men who compete for your attention and love, or when he spots you walking towards another consort's room instead of his. why can't he be the one you visit? why is it always the problematic ones you go to and not him, the perfect man you can choose?

you don't pay attention to how he deals with people in the palace who are also a part of the organization and tried to kill you with merciless tortures, making sure that not a single person gets away from trying to lay their dirty hands on you. he convinces himself that this was just their punishments for failing their lord's orders, but he knows the truth deep inside.

you don't pay attention to the number of times he tried to murder you, only for his guilt and heart to stop him from doing so. if only he hadn't grown attached, then maybe he could've been back to his lord’s hidden sanctuary and get ready to help him take over your throne.

you don’t pay attention at all, and it pains him so. if you knew, you could end his misery and he can pay for the sins he had committed all in the name of ayato, the man he swore loyalty to when he was but a helpless foreigner in a foreign place.

you did pay attention by the end of the day.

it was bad timing really, thoma just happens to be finished dealing with yet another subordinate in anger after finding out that they somehow invaded your bedroom to try and kill you in your sleep, not knowing that you happen to be passing by his chambers until your mind has suddenly been flooded by so.. so many dark thoughts.

“that fool should’ve known when to keep his dirty hands from them if he didn’t want to be punished by me. it’s me who should kill them.”

“which death would be quicker, i wonder? poisoning their food won’t do the trick, especially if i end up being the suspect – unless i blame one of those consorts?”

“perhaps lord ayato would let me go to my homeland if i manage to kill the emperor.. then their death would be worth it at least.”

chills ran down your spine when hearing thoma’s thoughts, not expecting him of all people to be one of your traitors in the palace. thanks to him though… at least you now know that your step-brother is alive.

you frown deeply in thought, debating whether or not you should take thoma to the dungeons and let your knight investigate. but then again, he’ll probably curse himself the way your past prisoners did when you investigated about your step-brother being alive or not.

it’s better to just let his anger get the better of him and you can just listen to his thoughts while he’s at it. you thought to yourself, before you return to your bed chambers to start your new plan and not notice a certain man peeking out from his chambers, watching your every move like a hawk.

ARATAKI ITTO

the king of mercenaries.. and one of the only people who can make you laugh.

people are more than shocked when they find out that you have chosen itto as one of your consorts, especially since he’s viewed as the scariest person and most dangerous in the kingdom. it shocked them even more when some would hear you laughing when you’re spotted walking around the palace with him by your side.

at first, you were truthfully wary of how the man is like as your consort, until he talks to you – which you’re surprised of because of how he speaks so casually (much to your knight’s irritation since itto’s talking to an emperor).

it’s safe to say that he’s perhaps one of the only consorts you mostly talk to since you always come across to him. now that you think about it, it does feel a bit.. more than coincidences from the amount of times you encountered the mercenary, but his excuses are pretty much valid, giving you no reason to suspect him yet.

sure, he’s reckless in his own ways, but the way he acts like a gentleman and positiveness makes it up a lot, which everyone doesn’t see. it’s endearing, honestly, to see him come over to you and try his best to make you happy and comfortable with your surroundings.

whenever you talk to the mercenary king, you feel like a normal person with no high status, mainly because of how he treats you as though you’re both best friends and not an emperor he should be polite to. not only did he introduce you to the delicious meal of what people call ramen, but he also introduced you to many entertainments besides opera and jesters, particularly.. his singing and child-games.

his singing may not be as strong as that of an opera singer like yunjin, but it managed to make you amused and have the urge to laugh, causing your knight’s jaws to drop in surprise (surely your humor isn’t that as broken as he anticipated?!). playing games with itto made you feel like a kid despite only playing one or two rounds because of your busy schedule.

nevertheless, he truly does make your worries and stress over your empire and ayato’s situation go away by just talking to him despite his recklessness.

you fail to recognize the way he looks at you as if you’re his favorite book. every time he spends time with you, the more invested he is in getting to know you and love you even more. he makes sure that you always have a smile plastered on your face whenever you’re with him, because it’s what he feels whenever he sees you.

you fail to recognize the fact that he memorized your whole schedule (after forcing his servant to figure it out and write it down) so that he can “coincidentally” bump into you with perfect excuses just because he wants to hang out with you. oh, if only those losers who call themselves your consorts knew how he’s smarter than they think~

you fail to recognize how his eyes would brighten when he opens his doors and sees you walking around the consort halls thinking that you’re on your way to him, only for his face to fall when you stopped by thoma’s room and waited. no books could ever describe how furious he was when thoma didn’t open the door, watching as you rushedly left from the consort halls. just how ungrateful is that blondie for him to not answer the door and let you in?!

imagine his shock when he sees you entering a newbie’s room and never came out until in the morning. does this mean you’ve already slept beside two of your consorts out of eight!? will he be next, he wonders..

you fail to recognize how he often thinks about you and gets pouty each night whenever you don't visit his chambers. his servant is honestly on the verge to try and convince you to come visit the mercenary king, who’s obviously head over heels for you. thankfully, the man managed to reassure his servant that he’s alright, saying how good comes to those who wait.

you fail to recognize how he worked hard on his appearance despite his first time dressing in such formal attire for your first ever royal banquet after your crowning ceremony. his face once again fell when you chose that ginger haired noble to be your dance partner and paid attention to that weird blonde-haired man who's dancing like an idiot – not to mention the audacity the man has for doing a heart shape with his hands towards you! you can guarantee that itto’s the greatest dancer!

unknownst to itto however, you did eventually recognize it.

it was the day after the banquet was over when itto received a visitor, who is none other than you much to his delight! turns out, his servant had lied to you that the mercenary king fell ill and you just had to come over to check if he’s alright, causing the white haired man’s face to turn red and flustered.

you honestly didn’t believe that itto’s actually sick, given that his temperature is normal and isn’t even lying on his bed, but his voice that suddenly appeared in your head made you refrain yourself from taking your leave.

“...you finally visited me after so long..”

KAEDEHARA KAZUHA

a skillful poet whose noble name has long faded away and forgotten – except for you, it seems.

it’s safe to say that kazuha was taken back by surprise when he received a letter from the royal palace, eyes widened when it turned out to be an invitation to become one of your very own consorts.

he wonders why on earth someone, let alone an emperor such as you, would even pay attention to him. as well as how you managed to find him just for him to receive your letter despite his great skills in hiding.

although he seeks no luxury, you’re quite an interesting person, he’ll admit that.

hence why he finds himself standing across from you in the palace gardens that he managed to sneak in, the grin plastered on your face says it all: you expected his arrival. it’s concerning how you know him so well, yet he couldn’t help but stay.

he suddenly became more interested the moment a certain name came out from your lips.

tomo. his dearest companion that he felt a connection with back then when he was in his homeland, eien.

“he told me a lot about you in his letters,” you said, giving him a sad smile. “i only invited you to become my consort since it’s the only way for you to come to the palace without anyone being against it. of course, it’s up to you whether or not you’d like to stay here. i should mention that you’ll also be safe from the raiden shogun’s wrath and my guards.”

before he could open his mouth to refuse, you immediately gestured around the garden. “i’ve also heard from tomo that you prefer outdoors than indoors, so the best thing i can do is to offer you full access to my gardens. i can request one of my staff to give you a map since it’s quite a large space.” you added.

kazuha could tell. if it weren’t for the winds and his smell, he would’ve gotten lost when he sneaked in.

“so, what do you say?”

…he supposed it won’t hurt to accept it, right?

not long after that, he accepted your invitation in the end.

you’d like to admit, it was difficult to get along with the man at first. he’s often quiet and isn’t found at his chambers (much to his assigned servant’s panic), which you weren’t surprised about. as time flew by however, you’re glad that the man has started to warm up to you and started talking more, particularly by reciting his poems that he made.

whenever you managed to find him by the gardens, it was always quiet – just the sounds of the calming wind and knights training in the arena nearby whilst never hearing the loud heartbeats of the samurai when he realized you were close.

you never saw how his eyes stared at yours, as if you’re a dream he never wanted to forget. he wasn’t familiar with the feelings he found growing every time you came to visit him in the gardens, but he knew all too well from poems and stories what it is. if he ignores it, will he eventually forget about it? if he acts upon it, will the feeling stay and be remembered?

you never saw how his ears turn red when you lean on his shoulder as you slumber, exhausted from your duties and how soft his voice was when reciting yet another poem. if possible, he would’ve stayed still in his position for a long time for as long as you desire to sleep. plus, you smell.. quite pleasant, really.

you never saw how kazuha actually starts getting into noble manners that he learned when he was still a noble in hopes of gaining favor from your peers in the palace during the banquet, giving him chances in being the most favored out of all your consorts (who aren’t exactly aware of who kazuha is since he’s always outside and away from people).

you never saw how his hand held a luxurious box that keeps a stunning brooch that he bought from a nearby jewelry shop during his escapades at night, thinking it’d suit you well (especially since it has his color). he was eager to give it to you before the banquet ends, or maybe when you chose him as your first partner for your first dance, until he finds himself standing in the background watching you choose tartaglia as your dance partner, shoulders slumped when you decided to take your leave from the banquet not long after.

it took a few weeks before you did receive his gift, letting him put it on top of your attire as his ears turn pink, not noticing how you’re paying attention to his thoughts that have finally come to your head.

“you look even more breathtaking with my color.”

ALBEDO

the great sage who’s somehow entangled himself with your harem.

when you first discovered that one of your hostages has killed himself with a curse, you immediately called for the head priest of your empire’s holy temple alongside your dearest friend chongyun, who both confessed that exorcism won’t do a trick, given that the curse is what they call a “dark magic” curse, which is an assumedly extinct supernatural act that hasn’t occurred for years.

much to your relief, they both recommended you to the great sage, who may be able to help you on your investigations against the current threat of both you and your empire. hence why you decided to throw a royal banquet as a way to invite the great sage and discuss matters with him.

you had never expected the great sage to look so hot.

you were taken back by surprise when he removed his hood, giving you a charming-like smile as he thanked you for saving him from the sudden ambush that had occurred, paying no mind to your reaction to his face.

everything was pretty much a blur, but the conversation ended with albedo offering you a deal that’ll ensure both his safety and your desired information, leaving you no choice but to accept it gladly.

you never anticipated to see the great sage dancing in the middle of the dance floor, catching every single guests’ attention including your consorts by his strange… dance moves, causing your jaws to drop at the embarrassing sight.

it didn’t help that he looked in your direction and made a heart shape with his hands before giving you a wink, causing you to cover your face and prevent yourself from seeing such a performance. you told him that he should do something to catch your attention at the banquet — but not this way! why on earth did he have to do this and embarrass both him and yourself?!

you tried to ignore everyone’s shocked reactions as you walk towards the great sage and offer him an invitation to your harem for giving you such an amazing performance whilst internally dying inside from the embarrassment. you could only dread what others will say about your taste in men.

it didn’t help that you often have to come to his chambers a lot of times, raising a lot of eyebrows from onlookers (especially from your other consorts), surprised that you actually like kreideprinz (albedo’s fake name) that much.

in reality, you only visited him just to discuss matters with him regarding your investigation, too distracted by it to not notice how the great sage thinks more than that.

you were too distracted to see how he sees you as if you’re his most precious hardwork. he could stare at you all day no matter what you do and he’ll still be awestruck. every single thing you do is worth remembering for even if you’re doing nothing at all.

you’re too distracted reading your knight’s reports about your investigation to see albedo playing with his abilities, thinking you’d be entertained by his exceptional magic that his master had praised.

you’re too distracted to see how he often teases your other consorts, telling them lies about how you always come to his chambers for entertainment. he must admit, the most amusing consort out of all is definitely kaeya alberich, who has the strongest feelings towards you more than anyone (which gives albedo all the more reason to mess with him). besides kaeya, scaramouche and xiao are the most amusing ones since albedo gets along quite well with them.

you’re too distracted to see how he sneaks to your room and outside of it to bless it from evil spirits, pleasing him in the process when he caught that traitor, thoma, standing still near the doors of your chambers with a hesitant stance. albedo wonders when that man will find out that one of his love rivals is his actual enemy.

you’re too distracted to see how jealous the sage becomes when you asked him if he could make a talisman for a certain consort, who already gave you one it seems. if it weren’t for his title as the great sage and his determination in impressing you, he would’ve used his old-school magic and put an unharmable trick on the talisman for kaeya to suffer with.

in the end, you didn’t get distracted when you realized one thing about the great sage.

albedo is perhaps the only person you couldn’t read thoughts from even when he has a strong emotion, but then again, he isn’t the great sage for nothing.

you didn’t have to read his mind to know his feeling, staring at his bright teal orbs as his hand is placed beside your head, trapping you against a wall behind you in his chambers. you were just talking to one of your consorts before you suddenly got pulled by albedo to his room.

“do you… have any idea how much i want to be with you, your imperial majesty?” he spoke in a low tone, your cheeks feeling warm from how close the both of you are. his breath reeks of alcohol too, making you wonder if he was drinking a lot at such an early hour.

before you could try to move away from the sage, you suddenly hear the doors of his chambers opening unexpectedly, causing you to look away from the sage’s eyes in surprise–

only to see a small figure of a man entering the chambers with looks of murder.

“...i knew this bastard would hog the emperor.” scaramouche snaps, smiling sinisterly. “but i would never have thought that his twin would hog them as well, aren’t i right, oh great sinister sorcerer rubedo?”

SCARAMOUCHE

if itto isn’t the scariest person in your empire, scaramouche would’ve taken that title instead.

you could understand why on earth your people are so scared of someone such as scaramouche, but you could never understand the cruel rumors about him in his household. besides that point, his way of speech, his posture, the way he carries himself, and everything else about him is every nobleman’s dream son – which isn’t exactly a surprise since his caretaker, yae miko from the empire of eien, had raised him.

given that he’s admired by every single nobles, it’s evident that he ended up a part of your harem despite the rumors.

his attitude was not a surprise when he introduced himself to you, he reeks of confidence and power (and a spark of lightning, it seems) from his stance and voice alone, it’s very much something to admire and be intimidated by nobles.

you’d be lying if you said that you’ll visit scaramouche to spend a night sleeping beside him, because deep down you don’t think you’ll ever do it any time soon since you’re quite unsure if he’s someone who’s considered as your foe or ally.

it’s no surprise that tartaglia seems to know him given that both share the same nobility title. though they’re usually found bantering one another over things. never once did you find scaramouche talking to someone in a friendly manner.

except you, he claims.

“it wounds me that you don’t trust me as such, your imperial majesty,” scaramouche said, letting out what seemed to be an irritated sigh. “fine, how would you feel if i let you call me by my real name whenever we’re alone like this?”

he can tell you were taken back, but decided to hide your expression, causing him to add more. “if it makes you feel better, no one in this world knows my actual name besides my caretaker and someone who was important to me. isn’t this a good step in trusting someone such as me?”

you swirl your drink around, thinking for a moment.

“..i suppose it won’t hurt to know. is your real name embarrassing for you to not let anyone know about it?”

he rolls his eyes, leaning against the railway of his balcony. “of course not. i consider my real name something that is valuable enough to let those i care to only call me that.”

“so… call me kunikuzushi.”

“kunikuzushi,” you spoke, to not let the name get it on the tip of your tongue. “..i’ll call you that from now on, kunikuzushi.” you said with a smile, not caring to see how his eyes slightly widens before the devilish grin on his face comes back.

you never seem to care to see how he looks at your direction as if you’re the forever he desires. he’s impressed that you invited him out of all the people that could’ve been your consort instead despite the rumors that’s always circulating in town. he only accepted it because of how it gives him a chance to have the privilege to be close to the most powerful person in the empire (and because of how he’s interested to know why you chose him).

you never seem to care how he sees you as more than just some emperor he wants to take the role from because he starts to feel for the first time in years. no longer was the numb and agonizing feeling that his birth mother stole from him that made him despise this world, for all he feels is how his empty heart races and how his stomach feels.. strangely good when he’s around you. could you be the one he’s been desiring for all this time?

you never seem to care how his words are less harsher than how it was whenever he’s stuck with one of the consorts, thinking that no, you don’t deserve to see the harsh attitude of his that was created from his hatred to this world and his birth mother, and that you deserve to see at least the small crack of his real self that he hides with the walls he built up.

you never seem to care how it felt like he was back to being an empty shell that roams around the cold halls of his birth mother’s mansion in your empire when he was but a child when yae miko drops by the palace to check up on him (to torture him by reminding him of who he was before entering the palace), only to feel his heart racing again when you held his hand and told yae miko that yes, scaramouche has been comfortable around the palace and has been a good person around you.

you never seem to care how he felt hurt that you don’t trust him enough. did you really not know how much he does?

you never seem to care, but it makes him all the more challenged. he’ll show tartaglia how much you trust him more than that stupid ginger man.

despite being harsh, he’d never go that far towards consorts, so seeing him barging into albedo’s chambers absolutely seething at the sight of albedo shocked you, let alone spilling profanities at the great sage – well, you thought he was the great sage.

“i think it’s best for you to step away from that man, your imperial majesty. ” he said, still glaring daggers at the sage, or sorcerer, who has currently trapped you against the wall. “who knew you’d have the audacity to try and touch the emperor without knowing your place, you filth?”

you immediately brought out your dagger that was strapped to your thigh before pointing it at the unknown person in front of you, who remains unfazed by the situation.

“..you must be my brother’s close friend, huh?”

XIAO

the quietest consort…. and also one of the most reliable ones.

when you first met the man, the first thing in your mind was how pretty he looked. his amber-colored orbs definitely remind you of your knight, who you’re surprised to hear that he knows xiao a lot and is the reason why the consort was in your files of candidates.

the second thing in your mind is how quiet he is. he doesn’t bother spilling out flirts and words of flattery in order to gain your favor and love, though his caring self is what made you favor him a lot. unlike all of your consorts besides thoma, xiao comes from a family of exorcists, who your biological brother praised for their excellent skills, giving you an interest in inviting him to your harem.

just like kazuha, xiao isn’t found anywhere but by the gardens as well, where he sits on top of trees and relaxes. although it’s hard for his servant to look for him, you clearly didn’t have a hard time since the man always appears when you call him, scaring you in the process by accident.

he explains how he’s uninterested to be with people, since it’ll only harm them in the process because of a curse that’s been going around his family for generations to generations because of their ways in exorcism, killing his siblings in the process.

you were quite well aware of xiao’s curse thanks to his father, who explained thoroughly about the curse and gave you a book to read in case you wish to know what to do when he goes through pains, giving you more reasons to visit xiao every now and then to check up on him. sometimes if your busy time prevents you from doing so, you’d send your knight or butler to do it instead on your behalf.

“you don’t have to send your knight or butler to check up on me, your imperial highness.” he spoke as the two of you stroll around the garden. “i’ve dealt with this… curse for my life, i know what to do if i ever experience the pain again.”

“i’m quite well aware of that,” you told him. “but i just want to make sure you’re okay since.. it often worries my poor heart for your condition.”

is it just him, or has his surroundings gone.. warmer?

“...i’ll be alright,” he reassures you. besides, my pains have started to lessen ever since i arrived at your palace.

you don’t realize how much he sees you as his soulmate.

he was too busy devoting himself to becoming the best exorcist to not pay attention to something such as romantic love, but he’s spent time with a certain runaway prince from a faraway kingdom to become aware of love after listening to the certain prince’s songs and poems that he made that actually helped him come through his pains.

it was just like that when he first met you. loving and peaceful.

you don’t realize how much he feels at peace when he’s with you. he doesn’t mind that you didn’t come to his chambers to sleep next to him, but he would be lying if he said that his mind doesn’t trail off to thinking about what it’s like to sleep next to you. would he be able to experience what dreaming something good feels like?

you don’t realize how much it means to him when you accept his gift happily and thank him, it warms his heart a lot when he sees you actually wearing it when he spots you walking around the palace nearby without noticing him. it may just seem like an amulet that gives you protection from evil spirits, but to him, it’s an item that he made with love and in hopes that you’ll like it. he sometimes wonders how others would feel when they see the amulet (that has the same colors as his necklace that he wears on his neck) and realize it’s a gift from him.

not to mention the fact that you always gave xiao painkillers whenever he runs out of it, always insisting that he should tell you if there’s at least one painkiller that’s more effective than the other, not realizing that you’re his painkiller.

you don’t realize how it breaks his heart when you chose tartaglia to become your first dance partner of the banquet, even more so when your attention is only at a blonde man who goes by albedo instead of him, who actually showed up in such a crowded place just for you. does he not mean something to you as much as you are to him?

you don’t realize how he’s the reason why scaramouche found out about albedo’s secret twin getting rid of albedo and replaced him with himself, letting the angered noble come over to the dancer’s room to deal with the twin as he sets out to find the real albedo, who’s most likely trapped somewhere in the palace since he’s been sensing dangerous spirits lurking around recently. he would’ve ignored all this if it weren’t for your safety.

you don’t realize how much it pains him to see you visit half of your consorts’ chambers except his. he hides that from you, but it does hurt that you don’t notice it.

it all washed away one night when you came back from the empire of where kaeya came from ever since you visited the empire for the wedding.

xiao quickly headed towards the scene where he heard the sounds of someone crying, only to see you standing nearby covering your eyes that had tears.

he didn’t know what came over him, really. he was standing on top of a tree before he found himself in front of you, concern flashes through his face. who dares to make you cry so much? never has he seen you in such a fragile state, and he wanted nothing more but to see you happy aga–

it felt like his heart stops when you suddenly wrap your arms around him.

“i..” you sobbed as his breath hitched in response. “i hate him so much. why.. why does he do this to me?”

xiao isn’t quite sure of who you’re talking about. who’s he? what did he do to make you cry so much?

“..i don’t know…” he mumbles, before he hesitantly wraps his arms around you. “but i’m here for you, your imperial highness. whenever you need me, i’m here.”

ZHONGLI

the captain of the imperial guard, also your most trusted confidant and knight. he isn’t a part of your harem, but all of your consorts are envious of him because of how he gets to be with you everywhere you go.

you’ve known him for as long as you remember to the point where he knows you like the back of his hand (or so he thinks). it’s no lie to nobles that he’s someone precious to you both in status and personally, making him one of the only people no one dared to pose as an enemy in the empire.

the both of you are so close that it wouldn’t surprise anyone if you ever caught feelings for him and chose him as your husband, but much to their surprise, you caught feelings for a certain prince, who’s also your childhood friend besides zhongli.

he was with you through thick and thin. through your spar training, coming of age ceremony, escapades from royal banquets to get away from chatty guests, the person you practiced your love confession for diluc to, your heartbreak, the mourning of your father’s death, the battles you spent with him against your step-brother in order to win your throne, your coronation, and of course, welcoming your harem to your palace.

he’s quite knowledgeable and skilled in many activities. he’s actually the reason why you’re interested in opera and had the chance to meet the infamous yunjin as well as the reason why you always drank tea (despite your preferences in drinks). despite your protests, he had always visited your office to give you tea that he personally made, telling you yet another long explanation as to why it’s a good drink for you.

unknownst to him though, you’ve been getting suspicious as you find out more about your investigation. if ayato, who should be dead, isn’t the so-called dark lord who’s after you and your throne, then is your biological brother behind it? if so, is zhongli with your brother?

you don’t get to see how zhongli looks at you like you’re enough.

everyday, he wakes up and starts his day just to see you and helps you with everything he can as he makes sure you’re happy everyday even if he’s not the reason for your happiness. he devotes himself into becoming a better person and protector just for you. even a blind person could see how much he loves you.

you don’t get to see how he struggles to figure out how he feels about you. is this what poets would consider as love?

by the end of the day, he considers his feelings as love. he wonders if you love him back as well, causing him to feel a bit giddy and help him sleep better from thinking about you.

you don’t get to see how his face instantly goes from happiness to sadness quickly as soon as you

take your leave after you practiced your confession for diluc, for someone who knows how to talk a lot, he was speechless from how painful his heart was when he finds out that his lover for you was unrequited.

you don’t get to see how angry he feels when he sees you crying on your bed, telling him how diluc’s getting married to another without you knowing about it until you received his wedding invitation. the audacity that red-haired man has, how dare he wasted your love for him just for another?! just the thought made his draconic features that he unintentionally revealed on his face – only for it to disappear when you held his hand, telling him to not leave you alone for a moment.

you don’t get to see how smug he feels when diluc sees him holding his hand on your back, a sign of protection and a sign of disapproval against the newlywed man. after all, this is what he gets for treating you like nothing.

you don’t get to see how he was completely against your decision to get more than one consort. just when he thought his heartbreak would disappear, it simply returns so soon. unfortunately for him, he wasn’t able to express his decision since he knows you were only doing this to get back at diluc, who he’s sure will be upset from this.

you don’t get to see how he had a small discussion with your butler, who told the knight strictly that he should keep his feelings to himself since the butler wants nothing more but for you to fully move on from your heartbroken state and rule your empire, telling zhongli that he should leave you alone for now after the butler caught sight of the knight escorting you to your room after you got drunk from drinking wine with him.

you don’t get to see how zhongli makes your meals ever since you two found out about a traitor in your palace. he’ll blame himself if you ever get hurt from something he could’ve prevented.

if there’s a consort he trusts, the knight definitely trusts xiao, who he knows will protect you from harm as well. which led him to persuade the exorcist to give you an amulet that will surely protect you from evil spirits.

you don’t get to see how zhongli was there when he sees you hugging xiao as you cry your heart out as zhongli tells himself that he’s too late to be able to comfort you and that he should listen to the butler. he knows he can’t tell you how he feels for so many years, but it pains him so to try and forget his feelings for you, the only person who gets to make him feel like this.

you do get to see it.

it was one night when you accidentally fell asleep on your desk once more, only to wake up when you felt zhongli carrying you back to your chambers. just how many times have the both of you done this throughout your years together? you couldn’t count honestly, but you always made sure to pretend you’re asleep just to not make zhongli get embarrassed.

however, unlike the times when he does this to you, this moment was different.

instead of exiting your chambers as soon as he tucks you in and letting your servant dress you in your nightwear, he stays still before whispering words that make your heart drop.

“...i wish you good night, my love.”

a few fun facts !!

zhongli and xiao know each other because of how both of their families are quite close together thanks to their mothers, who knew each other ever since they were children.

scaramouche, albedo, and xiao have an unspoken alliance with one another and respect each other a lot after an unknown incident. it’s quite an unexpected trio, really.

ever since rubedo, albedo’s secret twin, replaced his brother with himself, presence of dark spirits have grown stronger unlike before, catching xiao’s attention in the process and starting to grow suspicious of “kreideprinz’s” behavior, which started at the same time as the strong presences of dark spirits.

every single consort is aware of itto’s tendency to watch them from the doors of his chamber but paid no mind since it’s not something to worry about.

kaeya’s unfortunately a victim to most incidents that have occurred in the harem hall. sometimes he’d be involved in a fight, lost an item that he assumes was stolen by someone such as scaramouche, and so on. it honestly worries the man that it’ll change your perception to him.

tartaglia and scaramouche are in a one-sided rivalry, with scaramouche being the one who sees the ginger-haired man as a rivalry while tartaglia pretends to be oblivious of it and acts as though they’re childhood friends that have reunited.

albedo’s the first consort who manages to see thoma’s facade, especially since he caught a sight of a certain dark omen in an accessory of the blonde-haired man’s.

kazuha is a loner and wants to keep it that way, though he does find himself getting along with scaramouche and xiao, who he had conversations with during the royal banquet.