Tartaglia took the pitch-black invitation and turned to enter the gates of Snezhnaya Palace.
He passed through a long corridor, and the Fatui members he encountered along the way all saluted him.
As he walked, Tartaglia looked down at the invitation in his hand, running his fingertips over the golden patterns and the ice crystals on its surface.
It felt intensely cold to the touch, as though the chill came from within, and he felt increasingly uneasy.
Yet a little girl who looked no more than twelve or thirteen had casually produced this strange object and, as though it were only natural, told him to "show it to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa."
Who on earth is this little girl?
Tartaglia shook his head and pushed open the doors to the audience chamber.
Inside, the Tsaritsa of Ice sat on a throne forged of ice. Long silver-white hair fell over her shoulders, and tiny ice crystals adorned her ice-blue gown. She held a document and seemed to be reviewing it.
"Your Majesty." Tartaglia dropped to one knee and presented the invitation with both hands. "A little girl came to the palace gates and said she wanted to see you. She produced this."
An attendant at her side took the invitation and presented it to the Tsaritsa.
The Tsaritsa put down the document and took the invitation, lightly tracing the golden patterns with her fingertips.
Her expression barely changed, but a flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
As she gazed at the invitation, memories sealed away for hundreds of years surfaced in her mind.
Tartaglia saw that Her Majesty had actually accepted the letter the little girl had brought, and still had not reacted after quite some time.
He began to panic. Oh no, how could I forget to open it and check it? And judging by her ears, that little girl seems to be a water spirit. What if those exiled old nobles brought her here? Oh no, I'm really going to be ruined...
Just as Tartaglia thought he was about to be reprimanded, the Tsaritsa on the throne seemed to come back to herself and slowly asked, "Where is that child now?"
"Just outside the palace gates," Tartaglia answered. "She said she had something very important to see you about. She looked so young that I was going to persuade her to go home, but she started crying..."
At that, Tartaglia's mouth twitched. "She cried so hard that none of the guards at the gate knew what to do."
"That's why I made an exception and presented the letter she brought to you, Your Majesty. It was all my momentary recklessness. If this letter has caused offense, I'll go out and see that the little girl is taken care of, then go to The Jester to accept my punishment."
The Tsaritsa lowered her gaze slightly, concealing the expression in her eyes.
After he finished, she slowly spoke again, her voice as calm as a frozen lake. "Accept your punishment?"
Tartaglia's body tensed even further.
"When did I say I was going to punish you?"
Tartaglia abruptly raised his head and looked at the person on the throne in surprise.
"Cried?" She seemed to find it amusing. The Tsaritsa's gaze returned to him, and her tone remained even. "Bring her in."
"Your Majesty?" Tartaglia froze. "But her origins are unknown, and this letter..."
"Bring her in," the Tsaritsa repeated. She did not raise her voice, but it carried an unquestionable authority.
"...Yes." Tartaglia bowed, turned, and withdrew.
"Yes." Tartaglia bowed and withdrew.
"What a lousy day. If I'd known, I wouldn't have been hanging around the gate. I should have taken that little girl to the security office and had her sent home." Tartaglia gave a quiet sigh of dismay.
Bai You's feet had grown sore from waiting at the palace gates, and she was squatting on the ground, drawing circles.
Then she saw Tartaglia come out, looking dejected.
"How did it go? How did it go?" She immediately jumped up and looked up at him.
"Her Majesty has agreed to see you." Looking at her sparkling eyes, Tartaglia felt a little less exasperated. "Come inside with me."
"Yay!" Bai You happily pumped her little fist, then followed Tartaglia into Snezhnaya Palace on her short little legs.
The inside of Snezhnaya Palace was even grander than it looked from outside. Ice-crystal chandeliers hung from the lofty dome, casting a soft blue light.
The floor was polished black marble, and the walls were carved with exquisite frost patterns and eagles.
Fatui guards in black uniforms stood along both sides of the corridor, along with some wind seelie fairies of the Winter Pact Army. Everyone was expressionless, their presence as cold as Snezhnaya's ice and snow.
Bai You looked around as she walked, her little head turning this way and that, her eyes full of curiosity.
Seeing it in real life was countless times more spectacular than seeing it in the game.
[Host, you look just like a country bumpkin visiting the city.] The system teased her in her mind.
What kind of system are you? Shut up, Bai You said in her heart. But come to think of it, system, what should I say when I meet the Tsaritsa?
[Aren't you already set on what to say? Just tell her you want to become a Harbinger and use Mora to travel around the nations.]
[That reason is so genuine. It's much more convincing than saving Signora or whatever.]
But wouldn't that make me sound too unambitious? Bai You was a little worried.
Will the Tsaritsa think I'm here to be a joke?
[Besides, the Tsaritsa already agreed to see you. That means she's interested in you. Just tell her the truth. The more honest you are, the better.]
[What are you afraid of? You've got the talent of a Primordial Physique too. You're just too weak at using it yourself.]
[But given your current condition, theoretically, you could trade a couple of blows with the Tsaritsa without a problem. If she stood still and let you hit her, you could even leave her severely injured.]
Fine... system, get lost. You're not much use anyway. Listening to the unreliable system hold forth, Bai You took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
After walking for about five minutes, Tartaglia stopped in front of a pair of enormous palace doors.
"This is it." He glanced down at Bai You. "Don't be nervous. Her Majesty is very kind. Since she agreed to see you, she definitely won't make things difficult for you."
"Whatever it is, just say it boldly. You're the first person I've seen Her Majesty agree to meet under these circumstances."
"Are you sure?" Bai You looked at him suspiciously.
He glanced down at Bai You and smiled without answering. "Come in with me."
With that, he pushed open the doors and led Bai You inside.
The audience chamber was cold.
Not cold in temperature, but with a pressure that seeped into her bones.
On the ice throne, the Tsaritsa was looking at them, her ice-blue eyes utterly devoid of emotion, like ice that had not melted in ten thousand years.
Bai You raised her head and looked at the woman on the throne, swallowing instinctively.
Her long silver-white hair fell to her waist, and tiny ice crystals adorned her blue-and-white gown. She was stunningly beautiful, yet so cold that one dared not look directly at her.
She merely sat there, yet the air in the entire hall seemed to freeze.
"Your Majesty, I've brought her." Tartaglia dropped to one knee.
"Rise." The Tsaritsa's gaze fell on Bai You. "Are you the child who was crying at the palace gates, demanding to see me?"
Her voice was soft, yet it carried a power that pierced straight into the heart.
Bai You looked up, trying to keep her legs from trembling. "Y-yes, Your Majesty. My name is Bai You."
"Bai You." The Tsaritsa repeated the name, her tone even. "You're so young. Why did you want to see me?"
Bai You took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth. "I want to become a Fatui Harbinger!"