Genshin Impact: A Fool

The journey back to Snezhnaya took a week. And that was because of how capable and powerful the agents under the Fourth Seat were, hacking and slashing any monsters and hillicurls who dared to block their path.

Meanwhile, in the same splendorous carriage, there are only two people. Arlecchino, full in her casual attire, crossed her legs as she comfortably sit on the couch of the carriage, and Heins, his handsome boyish face no longer concealed by the mask, exposing his cold crimson eyes and charcoal hair, sat opposite of her.

Arlecchino started, "My dear Fool, do you understand just how big your role was in this mission?"

The captured merchants that lead to the instigators, the sheer decisiveness showed as her dear Little Fool did not hesitate to take them down after he heard their conversation, and the fact that he immediately alerted the group of agents to investigate these merchants.

These... These are qualities that simply cannot be trained. It required bravery, decisiveness, ice-cold rationality, quick judgement, and perfect accuracy.

Perhaps Heins did not have a clear understanding of what he did, but Arlecchino was clear. He... Was born to be a warrior. An agent.

Thinking about this, Arlecchino's cold heart immediately set ablaze with fierce possessiveness. It was even more intense than back then, when Heins awakened his Electro Vision.

Meanwhile, unaware of his Miss's quagmire of a mind, Heins coldly answered, "I was just doing my duty that you behested upon me, Miss Arlecchino."

Arlecchino leaned forward, her crimson eyes boring into Heins's own as she fixed him with an intense, unreadable gaze.

She uncrossed her legs slowly, leaning forward until she was mere inches from his face, her voice dropping to a low, fervent whisper.

"Do not diminish your actions with such casual dismissals, my dear Fool," she murmured, her gloved hand coming to rest lightly on his knee, her fingers tightening with a possessive grip.

"You have demonstrated a natural aptitude, a instincts that set you apart from the common rabble we call agents. Bravery, decisiveness, cold rationality, quick judgement, and perfect accuracy... these are not merely skills, but gifts, and you have them in abundance."

Heins met her gaze unflinchingly, his own crimson eyes reflecting the flickering lantern light within the carriage as he held her stare, unyielding and calm.

"I am merely fulfilling the duties and expectations you have instilled in me, Miss Arlecchino," he replied, his tone carefully neutral even as her touch sent a faint shiver down his spine.

"I am your agent, bound to serve the Fatui and the Tsaritsa. It is my purpose and my honor to act as you command."

A faint, humorless smile played at the corners of Arlecchino's mouth, her eyes glinting with a fervor that was almost frightening in its intensity.

"Bound to serve, you say? Oh, my dear Fool, if only it were that simple," she murmured, her hand sliding slowly up his thigh, her nails digging in with a sharp, almost painful pressure.

"You have a destiny greater than mere servitude, a path that has been foretold long before you first drew breath."

Heins's breath hitched almost imperceptibly in his throat, a flicker of unease passing through him as he felt the weight of her words and the heat of her touch.

"Miss Arlecchino, I..." he began, only to falter, uncertainty clouding his eyes.

Arlecchino silenced him with a sharp, cutting gesture, her voice dropping to a low, almost feverish whisper.

"Hush, my dear boy. You need not understand the grand design just yet. All you need to know is that you are mine, now and forevermore. My chosen, my champion, my... Little Fool."

With that, she leaned back in her seat, the faint, almost manic light fading from her eyes as she regarded him with a look of cold, calculating appraisal.

"Rest now, my dear. Gather your strength, for you shall have need of it in the trials to come. The Tsaritsa has great plans for you, and I intend to see them come to fruition."

Heins leaned back against the plush cushions of the carriage, his mind racing as he tried to process the weight of Arlecchino's words.

He knew it was merely a judgement of his Miss of what he did. He knew he cannot be swept away by it. After all, a person who believes that they're competent will always fall to the abyss of arrogance.

But the arrogant of youth, even for him, was extremely hard to control.

Arlecchino couldn't help but grin, with her intentions hidden beneath the simple gesture, as she looked at the cold, indifferent little Fool showing such a conflicted look.

This Little Fool... Was the only one capable of moving her heart to that extent.

Arlecchino smirked, "Little Fool, why don't you lay your head on my lap? How about it, hm?"

Heins, knowing that it was a mere jest, smiled wryly, his indifferent finally flickered as he shook his head, "How could I? I—"

However, it seems like the Fourth Seat did not have any intention to listen to him as she moves to change her seat beside him and slowly pulled his head to her lap. Heins tried to resist, but found himself powerless.

How could he resist the demand of his Miss?

Arlecchino's smirk only widened as Heins tried in vain to resist, his struggles only seeming to amuse her further.

She tightened her grip on his hair, her nails digging into his scalp as she forced his head down onto her lap with a firm, unyielding pressure.

"There now, that's not so difficult, is it?" she purred, her voice a low, sultry murmur as she gazed down at him, her eyes glinting with a wicked, almost manic light.

"You should know better than to argue with me, my dear Fool. I always get what I want, one way or another."

Heins's breath caught in his throat, a confusing mix of discomfort and something else, something far more dangerous, coursing through his veins as he found himself trapped in the Fourth Seat's lap.

He could feel the heat of her body seeping through the fabric of her attire, could feel the pounding of his own heart as it raced in his chest.

Arlecchino's hand drifted lazily through his charcoal hair, her fingers toying with the strands as she gazed down at him, a look of cold, possessive satisfaction etched into the sharp lines of her face.

"You are a rarity, my dear boy," she murmured, her voice a low, almost hypnotic whisper. "A treasure beyond compare, and I have no intention of letting you slip through my fingers."

Heins swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry as he met her gaze, his crimson eyes reflecting the flickering lantern light within the carriage.

He knew he should feel more than just a flicker of unease, should recoil from the intensity of her gaze and the dark promise he saw lurking there. But instead, he found himself inexplicably drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.

Arlecchino's hand drifted lower, her fingers trailing along the line of his jaw, the pad of her thumb brushing lightly over his lower lip.

A faint, almost cruel smile curved her mouth as she leaned in closer, her breath ghosting over his skin like a whispered secret.

"In time, my sweet Fool, you will understand the true extent of your importance," she murmured, her voice a low, fervent hiss.

"The role you are destined to play in the grand scheme of things. And when that day comes... well, I will be right there beside you, guiding your every step."

Heins's heart raced beneath his chest, a bead of sweat trickling down the back of his neck as he struggled to maintain his composure beneath the intensity of her scrutiny.

He knew he should say something, should protest, should remind her of his place and his duties... but the words died on his lips, swallowed up by the weight of her presence and the dark promise he saw lurking in the depths of her eyes.

And so, with a sense of trepidation and a flicker of something far more dangerous, Heins allowed himself to be pulled deeper into the web of the Fourth Seat's designs, his mind already racing with the possibilities of what the future might hold.

Whatever fate awaited him, he knew one thing for certain... Arlecchino would be there, a constant presence, a dark guardian, guiding him through the shadows of their shared destiny.

In the end, perhaps because Arlecchino was the only one that almost knew everything about him, he finally felt at ease. His heart calmed down as his restlessness receded, replaced by a calm symphony of a controlled huff of breath every second.

His crimson eyes closed slowly, his facade that embodies the importance of hierarchy receded as he whispered, "Miss Arlecchino... I will not disappoint. I'll be your sharpest blade, quickest mind, strongest bodyguard, heart's protector, trusted figure."

"I'll... Be someone you could always depend on..."

Arlecchino gazed down at Heins's slumbering form, a rare and precious softness stealing over her features as she drank in every detail of his handsome face.

The calm, even rise and fall of his chest beneath her touch, the way his long lashes cast shadows on his cheeks, the slight parting of his lips as he breathed out in a steady, measured rhythm... it all served to ignite a warmth within her heart, a feeling she had long thought herself incapable of entertaining.

Her gloved hand drifted over his hair once more, the fine black strands slipping like silk between her fingers as she swept them back from his brow.

In sleep, the ever-present mask of indifference and cold control had slipped away, revealing the youth and vulnerability that lay beneath.

The sight stirred something deep within her, a longing she had never dared to acknowledge, let alone act upon.

Arlecchino's heart clenched, a bittersweet ache blossoming within her chest as she gazed at her little Fool, her most precious treasure.

He was more than just a weapon to her, more than a tool to be honed and wielded for the glory of the Fatui and the Tsaritsa.

No, Heins was something far more... something she dared not put a name to, lest it shatter like glass beneath the harsh light of reality.

Her eyes traced the line of his jaw, the curve of his cheek, the slope of his throat... committing every detail to memory, as if to burn it into the very depths of her being.

In that moment, the ever-present coldness that had long since turned to ice within her chest thawed, if only for the briefest of instances, and a flicker of warmth took its place.

It would not last, she knew. Harsh reality would soon enough come crashing back, and with it, the weight of her duties and the cruel truths of their world.

But for now, in the hush of the carriage and the softness of the lantern light, Arlecchino allowed herself this one, fleeting moment of indulgence. This one, precious, fragile instant where she could indulge the impossible dream of something more than mere master and servant.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, a breathless murmur that hung in the air between them like a spoken secret.

"My little Fool... you have bewitched me, body and soul. In a world that knows no mercy, you alone have the power to stir the embers of a heart I thought long dead. Sleep now, my dear one... dream of a future where you and I might stand side by side, not as mistress and agent, but as... something more."

It was a sentiment she would never voice aloud, a hope she dared not let take root lest it wither and die.

But in the hush of the night and the softness of Heins's slumbering form beneath her fingertips, Arlecchino allowed herself to dream... to imagine a world where love might conquer all, and a little Fool might capture the heart of the unassailable Fourth Seat.

However, perhaps it was fate pulling its strings, or perhaps it was fate itself calling for the impossible to happen, but the sleeping Heins opened his eyes, albeit half-lidded, and as always, he stared at Arlecchino with warm and gentleness, as if she too, was the most precious person he held dear.

"Dear Miss Arlecchino... If that is what you want... Then, one day, I'll... I'll be the strongest of them all... I will announce to the world... That Miss Arlecchino... Is to be my bride..."

"I'll give you the safest of havens... The greatest of joys... And the most beautiful of lives..."

"For you... Are... Very... Beautiful."

Perhaps it was just a fleeting dream in his mind, and perhaps it was just a foolish dream of a fool, but as Arlecchino listened to his audacious promise, she found her heart... Bursting.

Arlecchino sat frozen, her heart pounding a staccato rhythm against her ribs as she stared down at Heins, his half-lidded crimson eyes gazing up at her with a softness that stole the very breath from her lungs.

The world seemed to still around them, the creaking of the carriage wheels fading into a distant hum as the weight of his words settled over her like a gossamer shroud.

She knew she should rebuke him, should put an end to such foolish notions before they could take root and fester like a poison in his young mind.

To speak of love, of marriage, of a future beyond their agreed upon roles... it was a dangerous path to tread, one that could only lead to ruin and despair.

And yet, as she gazed down at his cherubic face, at the gentle curve of his lips as he spoke her name with such tender reverence, Arlecchino found herself powerless to do anything but drink in every syllable, every whispered word.

Her heart, that icy, unyielding organ she had long thought immune to such base emotions, began to race in her chest, pounding against the confines of her ribs like a caged bird desperate for flight.

She could feel it, the way it strained and ached, bursting with a feeling she had long thought herself incapable of entertaining, let alone reciprocating.

Arlecchino's breath caught in her throat, a sharp, almost painful gasp that echoed like a gunshot in the hush of the carriage.

She lifted a trembling hand to her chest, pressing her fingers against the fabric of her attire as if to still the frantic beating of her heart, to quell the rising tide of emotion that threatened to sweep her away in its relentless current.

But it was no use. The more she tried to suppress it, to push it down and bury it beneath the cold, unyielding mask she had long since donned, the more it raged and surged, demanding to be acknowledged, to be set free.

With a strangled, almost agonized sound, Arlecchino found herself leaning down, her face hovering mere inches above Heins's own as she gazed into the warm, adoring depths of his face.

The heat of her breath mingled with his own, the soft, plush curves of her lips parting slightly as if to whisper a return declaration, a promise of her own.

"Oh, my foolish little darling..." she breathed, her voice a husky, trembling rasp that betrayed the turmoil raging within her.

"What have you done to me, to make me feel this way? Do you have any idea what it is you're asking of me, what it would mean for us both if I were to... to..."

She broke off, unable to give voice to the words that clung to the tip of her tongue like a briar, sharp and bitter and impossible to utter.

The very thought of speaking them aloud filled her with a terror that was almost as potent as the longing that gripped her heart in its relentless fist.

And yet, as she gazed down at Heins's slumbering form, at the gentle rise and fall of his chest and the soft, almost blissful smile that curved his lips, Arlecchino felt something long since dead and buried deep within the icy depths of her soul begin to stir, to life, to reach out towards the warmth and light of his love like a flower turning towards the sun.

It was a moment, a fragile, fleeting instant suspended in the hush of the night, and Arlecchino knew it could not last.

But for now, for this one, precious, impossible moment... she allowed herself to indulge, to bask in the sheer, unadulterated wonder of being loved by her Little Fool, her most precious treasure, her heart's one true home.

"Then, my Little Fool, I will wait."

"I'll wait... When you're enough to handle the consequences, then... I will watch as you announce your promise. Always. As of now, it will be a secret between us. A secret... That you perhaps are unaware. A secret... That I will always hold. Never letting it go."

An: How the hell did I write this piece of pure heart-warming thing? I dedicated a whole chapter for this damn thing! My goodness! Well, enjoy this bit then, cause after this, it will be blood. Blood, blood and blood! Pure carnage Mf! HAHAHAHA—