#hidden strife

Kaeya and Diluc write letters to each other

Kaeya thought Diluc wouldn’t reply to his letters but Diluc actually does

They call each other K and D in the letters (which is kinda cute?)

They’re always looking out for each other. They show that they really care, they really care a lot

Kaeya informed Diluc about everything while he was away, and celebrated when they finally got their revenge on the man who sullied their father’s death

Diluc wants to act solo but he knows there might be times when they have to join forces and doesn’t mind

Diluc has so many of Kaeya’s letters around his house that he has kept

Also, Kaeya has really good handwriting

Kaeya’s eye was wounded when he fought Diluc, but he was not blinded. He wanted to pretend that he was, but Diluc knows the truth

Meaning that Kaeya can perfectly see with his right eye and he wears the eyepatch for another reason

Kaeya doesn’t blame Diluc for the fight, he knows that it was bad timing

Kaeya’s family, the Alberich Clan, were not the original rulers of Khaenri’ah but they took over. Which means that Kaeya is really a prince in a way

His family wanted to revive Khaenri’ah but couldn’t. They still want to continue with their plans (They might be allies with the Abyss Order then?)

Kaeya only has a small paper that talks about his clan that he saved when his birth father tried to eliminate all evidence

Kaeya’s melancholic when he thinks about his Clan and his birth father

Kaeya misses the Winery and goes there frequently, he spent a few days there while Diluc was still away. Kaeya stayed in his old bedroom and all the staff is happy with him

I couldn’t find a clear list of the full letters anywhere, so here they are! I think these are in the right chronological order, but I might be mistaken.

Warning, this thread is LONG and very text heavy!!

FROM KAEYA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM KAEYA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM VARKA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM DILUC: (LOCATION: JEAN’S OFFICE)

FROM KAEYA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM ALICE: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM DILUC: (LOCATION: ALBEDO’S CAMP)

FROM KAEYA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM DILUC: (LOCATION: ABOVE KNIGHT’S HQ)

FROM KAEYA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM ELZER: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

I’m assuming this is from Elzer, since Adelinde is mentioned by name.

FROM KAEYA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM JEAN: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM DILUC: (LOCATION: JEAN’S OFFICE)

FROM KAEYA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM ALBEDO: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM DILUC: (LOCATION: ALBEDO’S CAMP)

FROM KAEYA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM KAEYA: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

FROM DILUC: (LOCATION: ABOVE KNIGHT’S HQ)

FROM ???: (LOCATION: DAWN WINERY)

That’s the end of the letters I’ve found so far! The two letters to Kaeya from Diluc are located in a secret compartment above the Knight’s HQ, found by removing a brick in the wall. The details are as follows:

It looks like Kaeya keeps his important possessions in this secret compartment, including his letters from Diluc, the seashells they collected as children, an eyepatch and a relic from his past.

Hope this helps anyone who can’t play the event but want to be updated on the lore!! :D

So these letters huh (dont tag as ship)

every single one.

do you think that while he was away from mondstadt, sheltering from the biting wind in shenznaya, he thumbed between the few letters he had and committed them to memory? do you think he sat there, with all the time in the world to think about what happened, and about what he could've done differently? do you think he took special care to not let any of his tears fall onto the letters, just in case the ink smeared and became unreadable? do you think that the second diluc got the chance to write back, he stared at the parchment for what seemed like forever, mind filled with words and apologies that refused to be written down?

how often do you think diluc doubled checked his mail after arriving back in mondstadt? how long did diluc stay up at night before finally writing "take care of yourself, instead." ?

and kaeya,,,

kaeya, who keeps everything close to his chest, hidden away in a corner only he knows. how often do you think kaeya slipped onto the roof of the KoF HQ before diluc had responded to his letters, his fingers gently tracing over the shells he kept tucked in a pouch. do you think he looked around every corner with the hopes of seeing diluc, only to be disappointed every single time when he wasn't there?

when diluc still hadn't returned, and yet he'd sent a letter anyway, how quickly do you think kaeya rushed to hide it away with his other treasures? how many times did he read that letter, committing it to memory while diluc did the same thing miles and miles away?

do you think, in that moment, kaeya finally felt hopeful?