#ff req

-> CHAPTER 1 ♡

The Gold etched your bare skin like sacred tattoos. Your skin was dawn-inked, something that made Neuvillette's eyes follow mindlessly with sheer adoration. Are they scars? Tattoos? Paint? Regardless, you looked absolutely ethereal. The bright golden markings on your skin were a stunning contrast to your void-inked hair that poured over your shoulders like a waterfall. Your hair had golden. Golden amidst void. Black, with bright golden streaks, and long, it reached the back of your thighs, and the most intimate parts of Neuvillette's mind. He couldn't help but wonder how it'd feel to run his long, draconic fingers through your smooth, wavy locs that looked surreal...

                            ♡♡♡

It's been about a month since you started working for Miss Chiori. Hot-headed, cold-blooded, and silk-adorned. She was sure an intimidating person to be around with, but gosh, was she beautiful! Her designs were nothing short of ethereal, and so was she herself. The first time she laid her eyes on you weaving threads in Mondstadt, she snatched you away from the cheap tailor shop and started making you work for The Chioriya Boutique instead.

You made the finest of silk, afterall. High quality, insane attention to detail, and embroidery that was as sharp as Miss Chiori's eyeliner. You were brilliant. You were beautiful. So she taught you professional tailoring techniques, modelling poses, and soon enough, you became famous. Not just "Oh my gosh, can I take a pic with you?" famous, but the die-hard, stalkers-for-fans famous.

Fans flooded the boutique, followed you wherever you went, appeared from all around Teyvat just to see you wearing Miss Chiori's designs and advertising her botique. Her boutique grew. Your fanbase did too. And soon enough, the media started howering over you like a silk veil, pouring attention all over your shoulders that soon made you appear on the headlines of The Steambird.

"Fontanian Supermodel and Chioriya's Boutique designer Aliza stalked and revealed she's an outlander."

"The hot-topic of Fontaine— Supermodel Aliza reveals to fans she's an outlander."

"Miss Chioriya beats up Supermodel Aliza's fans breaking into the boutique and clears up a firm boundary that if broken, will get fans 'arrested'."

"'I do not tolerate the violation of one's privacy, especially in a workplace, during work hours, especially, especially when the worker belongs to The Chioriya's Boutique.', Miss Chioriya quotes."

And that was when the law had to get involved. Fandoms are... quite some breed. You never expected yourself to get this much of attention from these Teyvatian aliens because of mere modelling and weaving clothes.

You were all over the newspapers and couldn't leave the Chioriya's Boutique unless you were accompanied by Chevreuse or Miss Chiori herself. So with the cash you earned from modelling and embroidering clothes, you were able to buy an apartment near the Chioriya's Boutique itself so that when fans are pestering you, Miss Chiori or Miss Chevreuse could be around to take care of it.

You didn't expect to ever meet the Iudex in person. Well, you did, but you thought if you ever met him in person, it would only be because of how much ruckus your fandom creates all over Teyvat that it'd become a legal problem. You didn't expect to meet him... this way.

The Iudex paid a visit to the Chioriya's Boutique once to gift his melusines some quality clothes made by the well-trusted designer herself— Miss Chiori. And that was when he first saw you, weaving silk and attending deliveries from Kirara. Now, the Iudex himself has heard of you a lot of times. One of his favourite hobbies is reading newspapers while sipping Liyue's crisp water with his little Melusines around to accompany him.

He's read about you a lot, not just from the newspapers, not just from the most popular fashion magazines that star you, but even from the books your fans write about you, some of which are even approved by the Yae Publishing House and are formally published all over Teyvat.

He's seen you on pictures before, but didn't expect you to look this ethereal in person. Miss Chiori's designs adorned your form beautifully— puffy shoulder sleeves, golden embroidery on the black leather of your knee high boots that matched the golden streaks on your dark hair and your skin, form-fitting corset with the shiniest gemstones adorning the edges, hair styled so professionally with glitter tinsel and expensive accessories. Gosh, you looked like a wax figure. You were perfect.

And you weren't even doing anything he'd expect a supermodel normally does. Taking photoshoots, trying on new clothes, answering fancalls... No, you were dancing with the kitty girl from Inazuma that stole the Melusine's candy last visit.

Kirara's hair was the fluffiest, and it bounced with the cutest wiggles and wobbles when she danced happily with you in the middle of the botique, unbothered by the sharp hisses from Chiori to 'quiet down'. You loved dancing with her, your movements were smooth, elegant and on contrast to her messy, cute movements that made you giggle in adoration. She was super adorable, and she was one of the reasons you loved working with Miss Chiori. Your hands swayed in the air, mimicking the Sumerian dance steps you learned from a professional dancer known as Nilou, when you visited Sumeru once for fashion projects.

Your skirt bounced with every step, the soft clinking of sharp heels on cold floor echoing through the Boutique. You took Kirara's hand and twirled with her support, your hair bouncing with every move you made.

And suddenly the music stopped. You turned around to see Miss Chiori sighing and facepalming as Kirara hissed in frustration. Soft claps filled in the Boutique as the Iudex stepped in, a gentle smile caressing his lips.

"That was wonderful." His voice was soft, gentle, and deep. It reverberated through your earbuds as you made a small bow to him and walked towards the entrance where he stood.

"Welcome, Sir! To The Chioriya's Boutique!" You welcomed him with Kirara and chuckled softly.

You deliberately ignored his clapping and his compliment, well, you were a little flustered from the sudden attention, no less, from the Iudex and you sure felt super shy at the moment. You didn't want anything less of a professional attitude at the moment. So you excused yourself and swiftly went away with Kirara to unbox the packages you recieved from Inazuma, before the Iudex could ever inquire you about your... well, suspicious fans.

You sat down on the soft carpet with Kirara as your hands moved to the packages, the Inazuman textile materials arrived just in time. They were ordered for kid size clothing, soft texture, fluffy material, and a bunch of cotton fabrics with cute prints on them.

These must be for the Melusines.

You couldn't help but admire the Iudex of how much he cares for the little ones around him, giving them monthly gifts, weekly check ups, and now, custom made designer clothes. You could only expect there to be a hundred meslusines waiting for him.

Designer clothes... Inazuman fabric, and straight from the Chioriya's Boutique. How wealthy could this man be, to be able to afford all of this? And most importantly... how sweet could his heart be to put this much money, thought and care into this, for the Melusines?

Miss Chiori's sharp voice broke through your chain of thoughts as she called you to the main hall to take measurements of a little Melusine standing awkwardly between her and the Iudex. You excused yourself to Kirara and swiftly went with a measuring tape and candy in your hands.

Crouching down with the sweetest smile on your face, you gave the Melusine some candy to make her comfortable before you pulled her a little closer to take measurements of her small body.

You could feel the sharp gaze of Miss Chiori and the soft, reassuring one of the Iudex as he stands beside the Melusine, giving her headpats and mumbling something about Springvale water from Mondstadt that Sedene mentioned long ago.

"Now, turn. What flavour of ice cream do you like, mhm?" You cooed in the Melusine's ear, making sure to be the gentlest as possible.

"..Strawberry."

You nodded, smiled, and continued on with your work. Ever since you were thrown into Teyvat due to some unknown circumstances, you never really had the time to think about something so mundane as desserts. You had to get a job, survive, and keep your identity as a godess a secret.

Soon after taking the measurements of the little Melusine, you stood up, patting dust off your knees and giving the Melusine some headpats.

"Done! You've been a very good girl throughout this." with that mumbled sweetly with a smile, you turned to Miss Chiori and gave her the paper containing the Melusine's measurements.

"It will take a few months since there are sixteen Melusines in total." Miss Chiori turned to the Iudex as he gave a single nod and mumbled a small 'thank you'.

It felt like you were in a book. You've never met a man this handsome before, he looked like a prince. His hair? pearl white with blueish hues, long and flowy, reaching the back of his thighs, and his clothes made him look absolutely majestic. Intricate details that screamed royalty, flowy elements merging with stiff details, like a waterfall pouring into rocks, and his body? Oh, his body. How tall is this gentleman? Looking at the little Melusine clinging onto his right leg, you could only assume he's approximately two whole Melusines tall.

You heard the soft sound of Miss Chiori fixing her throat, demanding your attention on her.

"Have the Inazuman packages been unboxed? Unbox and organize all the materials and tell me when it's done. We have a lot much of work to do."

"Yes, Miss Chiori."

The rays of sunset spilled into the windows like wine into glass. You were quite exhausted from weaving lately. Monsieur Neuvillette and Miss Chiori were still discussing about the order, as you heard soft murmuring from the main hall nearby.

Oh how delightful would it be to visit the waterfalls in Fontaine? The first time Miss Chiori had brought you to the City of Justice, thinking about all the sightseeing spots scattered across the wild made your heart race. You so badly wanted to visit one of those tall waterfalls surrounded by plush bushes and thick trees, with hydro crystalflies glowing around the surface of the water and the sky as serene as the waterfall right below.

There you were, getting distracted from your work again. But the sun was setting, and you finished your work. It would be truly blissful if Miss Chiori let you leave early.

But you were almost certain that was never going to happen. With the amount of delusion even a harbinger cannot possess, you went to Miss Chiori. She was still talking to Monsieur Neuvillette, mhm? She seems to be showing him some designs, and he does seem pretty satisfied while looking through her notebook. His smile looks so... serene. As serene as the waterfalls in Fontaine.

"Mm... Excuse me... Miss Chiori, may I take my leave early? I have finished all of my work. It'd be great if you-"

"Going alone?"

"..."

Oh no. The conversation seems to be slipping into a direction you wouldn't want it to.

"I'm quite busy right now and I do still have a lot of work to do, so I cannot be the one accompanying you back home. And Kirara?"

"She's gone, Miss Chiori."

All she could do is roll her pretty eyes and sigh softly, shifting slightly in her seat, ofcourse, she cannot just let you go home alone. The last time she did, you almost got kidnapped and begged her to not to bring it to the Court of Fontaine. She did keep the news low, but unfortunately or fortunately for you, she beat up the guy who was behind the kidnapping and called Chevreuse for some extra hands. You were horrified.

And since then, Miss Chiori had never let you leave her side unless someone she trusted was with you— Chevreuse or the traveller (never Kirara, both of you ended up in the wild somewhere after trying to get you home, when it was really nearby the Boutique itself).

"Ah, and I have to ask. The news outlets and the magazines have been mentioning some rather... suspicious situations you tend to get in, in public..."

Oh no. Word reached the Iudex as well now. Ofcourse, it did...

You turn to look at him, and chuckle nervously. His eyes are... unbelievably ethereal. His slit-eye pupils make him seem almost otherwordly, and his gaze is firm and steady, something that could make even dragons shiver (irony in the air).

"Being famous comes with its price. But yours seems to be... a lot more costly."

Miss Chiori does nothing more than adding fuel to the fire. The last thing you'd want is to get the Iudex questioning you and end up limiting your media actions. Or worse, put the wild ones of your fandom in court and end up arresting them.

And there Chiori goes, explaining the previous incidents that happened with you going out alone, with stalkers spotted in the wild and fans chasing you for pictures and autographs. And it was midnight. Your fans really don't care. If anything, night is a preference due to the low possibility of getting caught by authorities.

The Iudex on the other hand, listened intently, and nodded. "That sounds serious. Action shall be taken. I shall have a talk with you in private, when time comes available."

You nodded gently and smiled.

"Thank you."

"Ah, and I should be taking my leave now, Mademoiselle Chiori."

Oh right. You wanted to leave too. Ugh, since no Kirara or Chevreuse are at the moment right now, all you can do is slouch your back and sit somewhere in some corner of the Boutique with Miss Chiori working intently. But you didn't want to!

You walked closer to Miss Chiori and leaned in, whispering softly in her ear.

"Since the Iudex is around the area, I'm safe and can go home alone!"

"The Iudex is always around here."

"What? So he doesn't live in the Opera Epiclese?"

"That's the Court! Why would he-"

"But why! He's a judge. He should be living in the-"

"THAT'S THE COURT-"

The Iudex stopped in his tracks, turning around, letting out a small "mhm?".

Miss Chiori sent you a sharp glare and turned back to him.

"It's nothing..."

"Monsieur Neuvillette, where do you live?"

Why would you say that?

You don't know. It just came out of your mouth like bad breath! You couldn't control it.

Miss Chiori's eyes widened as well as the Iudex's.

"I-I'm so sorry!! That was unnecessary and unprofessional. I deeply apologise-"

"We're sorry. Please forgive her-"

The Iudex chuckled.

What? What's happening? You just audaciously asked no other than the Iudex his address like you're the creepy stalker and got a chuckle?

"Your conversations with Mademoiselle Chiori were rather loud enough for me to hear. If going home early is what you want, then... Shall I escort you home?"

You blinked. Slow. Like a kindergarten learning addition and subtraction for the first time and hating it. You turned to look at Miss Chiori and she almost had a worser look. She was in disbelief. You were, too.

"Pardon...?"

"Shall I escort you home?"

The Iudex's voice was soft, gentle, and firm. It was steady and sure. Something a bit of raspy and rough, yet as soft as the threads you weave.

"..."

"It's totally fine, Monsieur Neuvillette!"

"There is no need to try to be polite. You shall come with me."

He walked towards you and offered his hand for you to take. Ofcourse, before doing anything on your own, you shot a glance at Miss Chiori. She just blinked cluelessly and turned away. What?! She can't do this!

Nervously, you turned back at the Iudex and placed your hand on his, smiling and thanking him.

The fabric of his gloves felt soft and high quality, something like kidskin leather, but you definitely doubted you've ever seen a goat around anywhere in Teyvat. His large hand wrapped around yours, firm and safe.

He turned towards the door and walked, his pace was steady, it matched yours and you began walking beside him. Glancing one last time at Miss Chiori, she still looked like she was in disbelief, she shook her head and waved you a small 'bye bye'. You did too.

The outside atmosphere was cool, dark and quiet empty. The night patrols were around the main parts of the city, although you could still see some patrollers walking around the Boutique.

The walk started as quiet and nervous. If some fan spotted you walking with him, rumours would definitely overflow and drown the city better than the prophecy was meant to. And even worse, holding hands. You didn't expect he'd offer you his hand, but if you were him, you would have too. Well, if it weren't for the disgustingly intimidating heels you're wearing, looking like it'd trip you and give you a sore ankle at any moment.

You were still feeling quite nervous, and the Iudex was quiet the entire time. You would definitely be lying if you said it wasn't awkward at the moment. So you tried to start a small conversation with him.

"The uhh sky looks like it's going to rain, Monsieur Neuville-"

Oh!

The water poured on both of you with a force you didn't know rain could possess. You heard a storm somewhere, and flinched. And the Iudex? He seemed completely unbothered. His hair was slightly disheveled yet as elegant as ever. It was a pearly white, like moonbeam, and flowed down like waterfall. His bangs were partially covering his eye, some lone strands sticking to his forehead, and his long, pearl white lashes catching a few small waterdroplets.

His court attire now completely drenched, it looked heavier and darker, a stunning azure with platinum accents, making him look even more majestic than he ever looked. His boots were still as steady and firm as ever with sharp heels, under rainwater pooling at his feet. Even while completely drenched, the man looked ethereal. Majestic. And powerful. Better than the magazines potrayed him, and better than he looked in the newspapers. Up close, you could see small waterdroplets against the pale skin of his cheeks, almost looking like tears. His eyes now, were softened, and gentle.

He turned towards you and lowered his gaze to your face.

"Yes. It has started raining."

"My house is just nearby!"

After a few faster, longer pace of walking, both of you reached your home. The Iudex turned to leave, but your hand refused to leave his.

"Monsieur Neuvillette, it is raining! You can stay here until the rain goes away."

Ofcourse, he politely refused. He probably finds it inappropriate for him to stay at a young lady's quarters alone, especially at night. But you refuse too. Refuse to let him go.

"Please, Monsieur Neuvillette. I'll serve you the finest water from Mondstadt's lakes! Please take a seat."

And that caught his attention. Ofcourse, his quiet obsession for water has become quite popular, with Fontanian businessmen now selling river water in fancy packaging, advertising 'approved by the Iudex!' that directly got them sued by Neuvillette himself after he took a sip and almost spat it out.

"Water from Mondstadt?"

"Infused with windwheel asters. Straight from the lake surrounding the Anemo Archon's statue! And cooled by purified ice straight from Dragonspine."

He still looked quite hesitant, but sat down on the couch, with his hands placed neatly on his lap, his posture picture-perfect straight. He looked quite shy, a bit uncharacteristic for the Iudex you expected.

And when you pulled out a bottle of water with Mondstadt style packaging, his eyes shone. And wherever you moved the bottle, his eyes followed.

You knew exactly what you were doing.

"I'll serve you this entire bottle!"

"That is not needed... Just a small cup would suffice-"

You opened the bottle and placed it infront of him, pouring some of the water from it, to a cup as he described.

He looked at you, and you were standing there with a big smile plastered on your face. Your hair still wet from the rain from earlier, sticking to your cheek and neck, your dress form-fitting yet loose and flowy, it looked beautiful on you. And the rain certainly wasn't enough to dilute the elegance in your outfit.

All he could he is stare, right? He is the Iudex, afterall. He does envy your fans given all your attention, and definitely has been fanboying over you in secret all this time. With posters hidden in his office cabinets that he swore to Sedene was regarding your kidnapping cases when she found out while trying to find documents, pictures of you in his wallet that he admires for hours, magazines with your face on the cover that he's cut out to paste on his journal like a lovesick teen... You definitely don't know about any of this. But he's downbad.

The time he was so quiet while walking you home, he was recalling uncomfortable memories purposefully for the sky to suddenly start weeping out of nowhere. And he secretly hoped you'd let him stay a bit longer in your house, and he'd start a conversation about your inconvenient fandom just to spend a little more time with you... But it seems that's not needed, afterall.

You have him seated on your couch, serving him water to distract him from leaving, turning the AC on, and sitting right across him while starting a conversation about the Melusines so that you could keep the pretty creature in your abode a little longer...

You gave him a warm towel to dry himself off from the rain and chatted with him happily.

In every response, his voice grew softer, and with each sip of the cold water he took, you could see that his eyes were growing more distracted. He was getting a lot more engaged in the conversation, and you wanted him to lose sense of time as the night went on.

Who could blame you? He was such an eye candy. Your eyes felt blessed at every sight of him. And his voice was soft and deep, and so serene like a cathedral at midnight.

And everytime his cup ran out of the cold Mondstadt water, you kept on filling, your movements slow and deliberate. You didn't want him to notice. But he did. Every movement that you made, every place your eyes darted to, every polite nod you gave him while he went on with his monologue about Melusines and water. And he couldn't help but feel incredibly pleased with how much attention he was getting from you.

He wanted to lose sense of time as well, and his eyes never glanced at the clock and deliberately ignored every tick of it, he wanted to stay longer, but also at the same time wanted to respect your space and be polite. But with every smile you gave him, it seemed that you wanted him to stay too.

You put the glass of water down softly on the wooden table, and excused yourself to get some pastries for him. Time was running. You knew it was almost midnight, but you couldn't help it. As a Godess yourself, you knew from his features he wasn't a normal human. And it doesn't matter. Whatever he was, probably some reptilian species, you could have him. You want him.

The storm continued on, and the Iudex was gazing out at the window as the it rained, little kids running around jumping in puddles, couples taking a walk under shared umbrella, it was peaceful. The sounds of storm was distant, and the soft, earthy scent of rain filled in the room through the open window.

You brought in freshly baked macarons and cakes, setting the tray down on the table with a soft click. You noticed him glancing at the clock, and you knew he was planning to leave soon.

"Monsieur Neuvillette, please stay a little longer! It's still raining, and I just baked some pastries for you."

Your voice matched the serenity of the rain. And you softly slided the tray of pastries towards him, with warm hot chocolate on the side. It was the only ever hot chocolate in the world which had more water content than milk. Just how you thought he'd like.

And he smiled, picked up a single cupcake and took the tiniest bite ever. He still seemed quite shy, and quietly complimented your pastries.

You couldn't help but smile, you find this version of the Iudex somewhat adorable. You never expected someone like him, to be a person who could feel shyness, and you could practically see it in his eyes. He seems incredibly different from the version of him you saw at the Boutique— quietly authorative, bold, and serious. And the feeling in your chest, seeing him like this, makes you want to discover many other versions of him too, that he might usually conceal infront of others. And that, in a very personal way too.

Having some more pastries and the drink you offered, he was full. And he mentioned that he usually has a very small appetite, but he seemed content with the amount of snacks you made for him.

After chatting a bit more about the clothes for the Melusines, he gently pat his lips with a tissue and stood, ready to leave. You handed him an umbrella and bowed slightly, waving him goodbye.

And just before he turned to leave, he looked at you, smiled, and whispered softly,

"It was a great time. Would you like to... accompany me to the Erinnyes Forest? There are beautiful sceneries there."

And you blinked. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. Is the Iudex inviting you on a date with him? You were practically bouncing internally out of a mix of excitement and disbelief, and you wanted to run to the Chioriya Boutique instantly to tell Miss Chiori everything that happened.

"Y-Yes..!! Surely! I would be delighted to accompany you, Monsieur Neuvillette. When shall we go?"

His smile only widened, he looked so soft and gentle now, and nodded at your acceptance.

"Great. Shall we go on this Saturday, if you're free?"

"Yes, sure! I am glad."

"Me too. I shall take my leave now, let's meet again soon."

He bowed slightly, and turned to leave, glancing at you with a sweet smile on his face before closing the door behind him.

Oh... how dreamier could this man get?

Sure, you know you're going to find out very soon.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎

Gold and Azure make a Striking Pair ♡