Sob, Sob, Sob, I Miss My Ei

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The banquet hall of the Snezhnaya palace was ablaze with light, the crystal chandelier casting dancing reflections across the ice-crystal walls.

Baichen sat at one end of the long table, a spread of exquisite dishes before him: lobster baked in cream, truffled foie gras, venison roasted with rose honey, and a glass of ice wine trailing a chilly mist.

Every dish gave off a tempting aroma, but he could taste none of it.

Bronya sat at the head of the table, her long ice-blue hair swept up high tonight, exposing her slender neck.

She wore a silver-white evening gown, with an ice-crystal brooch pinned to her chest, identical to the one she had given Baichen.

The Tsaritsa elegantly cut the steak on her plate, her knife and fork clinking crisply against the porcelain.

"Have you given it some thought?" she suddenly asked, her voice as light as if she were discussing the weather. "The position of Harbinger."

Baichen's fork froze in midair. He cautiously looked up and met Bronya's faintly amused gaze.

"I... I'm still thinking..." he answered vaguely, his fingers unconsciously brushing his bare chest, where Ei's Electro-Patterned Magatama should have hung.

The corners of Bronya's lips dipped slightly. She set down her knife and fork and looked straight at the young man with her ice-blue eyes. "Your three days are almost up, little one." Her fingertips tapped lightly against her wineglass. "I need a definite answer."

The temperature in the dining hall seemed to plunge.

Baichen's breath condensed into white mist. He hunched his shoulders, his voice barely louder than a mosquito's whine. "What if... what if I refuse?"

"Bang!"

The wineglass slammed onto the table, splashing a few drops of liquid that instantly froze into ice crystals on the tablecloth.

Bronya's expression remained calm, but the chill in her eyes was enough to freeze magma.

"Then it would prove..." She slowly rose, walked around behind Baichen, and rested both hands on his shoulders. "That your loyalty to that Electro puppet far exceeds my expectations."

Her icy breath brushed his ear, and Baichen began to tremble involuntarily.

Bronya's fingers traced his collarbone before tapping lightly over his heart:

"And I have never liked... variables I cannot control."

[Bronya's affection -5%, current: 75%]

[Warning! Danger level increased]

Baichen's throat tightened, and the delicacies before him suddenly became impossible to swallow.

He remembered Ei's parting words, Inazuma's warm sunshine, and the fragrance of the Thunder Sakura... but all of it felt impossibly far away now.

"I..." His voice choked. "I need more time..."

Bronya gave a cold laugh, then abruptly grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Then think while we walk."

The palace corridor was even colder than the banquet hall.

Baichen was half dragged along behind the Tsaritsa, their distorted shadows reflected in the mirror-smooth ice-crystal floor.

Bronya's high heels clicked crisply against the floor, each step like a warning bell striking the young man's heart.

"Did you know?" she suddenly said, her voice echoing through the empty corridor. "Snezhnaya's underground prison holds countless traitors and spies." Her fingertips brushed the exquisite ice sculptures on the wall. "Most of them were once just like you... unable to make up their minds."

Cold sweat seeped down Baichen's back. This was no hint, but a blatant threat.

"I'm not a traitor..." he protested quietly.

Bronya spun around and pinned him against the wall.

The icy wall sent a bone-deep chill through his thin formal clothes.

"Then prove it to me." Her red lips nearly touched his. "Accept my offer and become my Harbinger." Her fingers gripped his chin. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee you'll make it back to Inazuma safely..."

Baichen's pupils contracted.

He had never seen this side of Bronya before: ruthless, authoritarian, and intolerant of defiance. This was the true Tsaritsa, the ruler whose very name struck fear throughout the Seven Nations.

[System warning!]

[Threat to life detected!]

[Recommendation: compromise for now]

(But Ei...)

[What good is love if you're dead?!]

[Placate her first, you idiot!]

Just as the tension reached its peak, a rush of footsteps broke the silence.

A Fatui soldier dropped to one knee. "Your Majesty the Tsaritsa, an urgent report from the northern border!"

Bronya's expression instantly regained its regal authority. She released Baichen and took the letter the soldier offered, scanning it quickly as her frown deepened.

"Summon all the Harbingers," she ordered coldly. "Immediately."

The soldier left to carry out her orders. Bronya turned to Baichen, the blizzard in her eyes easing slightly. "Go back to your room." She straightened her disheveled collar. "We'll... talk another day."

Baichen felt as though he had been granted a pardon. He turned to run, only for her to grab him.

Bronya pressed a cold object into his hand: the key to his room.

"Don't think about escaping," she whispered in his ear. "Every exit from this palace is guarded." Her red lips nipped lightly at his earlobe. "Be good and wait for me to come back."

[Item obtained: bedchamber key]

[Note: a magnificent cage]

Back in his room, Baichen collapsed onto the bed, his heart still pounding.

He felt the empty space on his chest, wishing desperately that Ei's magatama were still with him.

Outside, snow began to drift through Snezhnaya's night sky. The howling wind battered the ice-crystal windows, much like the turmoil in his thoughts.

(System, check in...)

The mechanical command was more an attempt to find a little comfort.

Today's check-in reward was a packet of "Warm Winter Candy," with the effect of "increasing cold resistance for a short time."

Baichen smiled bitterly and put the candy in his system inventory. What he needed most now wasn't cold resistance, but a way to escape this frozen cage.

[Check-in successful!]

[Obtained: Warm Winter Candy ×10 (stored in system inventory)]

[Effect: cold resistance +10% for 1 hour]

Time ticked by, but Bronya never returned.

Baichen's initial tension gave way to drowsiness, and he eventually curled up on the bed and fell fast asleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when the sound of the door opening jolted him awake.

Bronya stood in the doorway, having changed out of her evening gown into a silky ice-blue nightgown.

Her expression was much softer than it had been at dinner, but the forcefulness in her eyes had not diminished.

"Still awake?" She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through his messy hair. "Were you waiting for me?"

Baichen didn't dare admit he had just fallen asleep, so he could only give a vague "Mm."

Bronya seemed pleased with his answer, the corners of her lips lifting slightly:

"Have you made up your mind?" she asked softly, her fingers sliding from his hair to his cheek. "My patience has its limits."

Baichen bit his lower lip, unsure how to respond.

Refusing might anger her, but accepting would break his promise to Ei.

While he hesitated, Bronya suddenly pushed him down onto the bed and pressed herself over him.

"It seems you need some... extra persuasion." Her lips pressed against his cheek, and Cryo condensed into tiny frost flowers on the surface of his skin.

Baichen struggled in panic. "Wait! Lady Bronya-"

"Shh..." The Tsaritsa covered his mouth. "Don't resist." Her other hand undid (). "Let me have a good look at you..."

Baichen felt nothing but fear. He shook his head desperately, tears welling in his eyes.

Bronya ignored his resistance and seized both his wrists in one hand, pinning them above his head.

Cryo gathered in her palm, forming a thin ring of ice that () the young man's wrists to the headboard.

"Let go of me!" Baichen finally broke free of her restraint, his voice thick with tears. "I don't want this!"

Bronya's gaze turned utterly cold.

She gripped his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes. "You think you have a choice?" Her icy body pressed against his. "In Snezhnaya, I am the law. I am the rules..."

Just as her fingers were about to tear open Baichen's (), a blinding purple light suddenly burst from the corner of the room!

Bronya whipped around and saw the Electro-Patterned Magatama she had locked in a treasure box sitting on the dressing table. She didn't know when it had appeared there, and it was flashing wildly with Electro light.

"Hmph, a petty trick." She sneered and sent an ice spike flying at the magatama, intending to freeze it.

But the instant the spike touched the magatama, violent Electro shattered it.

The magatama rose into the air and hovered above Baichen, forming a purple shield.

An invisible force pushed Bronya away, sending her staggering back several steps.

"Ei...?" Baichen called softly in disbelief.

Ei's icy voice came from the magatama. "Bronya, you've crossed the line." Though only a few short words, they held an endless warning.

Bronya's expression shifted. She straightened her nightgown and gave Baichen a long look. "It seems your 'Shogun' cares about you even more than I thought." An ice key formed at her fingertip, and she unlocked the ice ring restraining him. "I'll send you back tomorrow at noon, on time."

With that, she turned and left, the door slamming shut behind her.

[Bronya's affection -10%, current: 65%]

[Status obtained: Ei's remote protection]

Baichen took down the Electro-Patterned Magatama with trembling hands and gripped it tightly in his palm.

The magatama gave off a familiar warmth, as though Ei were right beside him.

He curled up on the bed, and his tears finally broke free.

(Ei... I miss you so much...)

The magatama grew slightly warm, as if responding to his longing.

That night, Baichen clung to this last comfort and managed to fall asleep amid Snezhnaya's cold winds.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the ice-crystal windows.

Baichen opened his eyes to find a brand-new set of travel clothes beside the bed: a thick white fur coat, warm boots, and a silver-gray scarf. His luggage had also been packed and placed neatly by the door.

Bronya did not appear. Only a maid knocked respectfully and told him that someone would take him to the port after lunch.

"Her Majesty the Tsaritsa asked me to tell you," the maid said, her head lowered and her voice barely above a whisper, "that she respects your choice... but Snezhnaya's doors will always be open to you."

Baichen nodded silently, his feelings a jumble.

He changed into the clothes prepared for him and took one last look around the magnificent cage that had imprisoned him for three days.

The snow outside had stopped, and Snezhnaya enjoyed a rare clear day. Sunlight refracted through the ice-crystal palace in a rainbow of colors, beautiful enough to break one's heart.

Please click that button the color of crap, everyone, sob sob sob. Please give me the free little gifts too, thank you qwq. Big gifts would be even better!

If the author wakes up one morning and finds the stats a complete mess, I might just burst into tears and be too sad to update qwq