Arranged Marriage * Zhongli x Childe*

Chapter 6: A Gift

The moon was up high with a variety of stars surrounding it, supporting its radiance. The water around the harbor now looked a dark, hazy blue with a gentle light glazed upon it. The wind was harsher than before and it made the atmosphere chilly. It was cold enough to damage Liyue's warm air. Childe was still deeply asleep, unaffected by the freezing night. Zhongli wasn't affected by it himself. He was used to these cold nights and of course, Childe wasn't stiffening to the breeze because the place he originates from has a reputation for being icy and chilling to the bone. To be honest, Zhongli could wonder how it felt to live in such a constant freezing environment. It is heard that the blizzards in Snezhnaya are so strong and unbearable that they could easily tear down wooden houses and freeze you to death in no less than a few minutes!? Maybe he should ask Childe about that. How it felt like to grow up in such an environment.

But sadly, that's not what he should be focusing on right now. Right now, if anything, he had to focus on the fact that he and Childe were still here, resting in this high-altitude area of Liyue. Zhongli stared down at the prince, his eyes searching for any signs of awakening in Childe's body, questioning if— No, hoping he'll wake up from his deep slumber soon.

He looked so serene and calm in his sleep state. As tempting as it was to wait at least a few more moments to see if Childe would wake up, Zhongli knew very well, after numerous attempts of "waiting a few more moments" before, Childe wasn't going to wake up. Zhongli sighed, another option would be to carry Childe back to the palace. Which of course wouldn't be such a hassle since the place was nearly a 10-minute walk away. Plus, Childe was very tired. He had to be for him to stay in such a vast slumber since the sun was low until the moon rose in the sky. He deserved to rest until his body tells him to wake up. Zhongli could at least grant him treatment like this.

So the decision was final. The brunette took the Glaze Lily that Childe gave him and tucked it within the bouquet. He was just going to have to take his flower back once when they get back to the palace, which was shortly. After putting away the flower and placing the bouquet on top of Childe's abdomen again, he then hooked one of his hands underneath Childe's legs while the other was clutching to his shoulder, making sure his grip on it was firm. Childe was still completely limp in Zhongli's grasp and thanks to Zhongli's luck, Childe didn't stir or nearly wake up when he was lifted from Zhongli's lap, which caused the brunette to let out a sigh of relief. He then began to walk and walk slowly, in hopes that his pace won't affect the prince sleeping tranquility in his arms.

After 8 minutes or so, Zhongli found himself walking through the courtyard of the palace. A ton of eyes, them all belonging to the guards that patrolled the area, observing him and specifically Childe. Once when Zhongli got to the steps of the courtyard, he announced "goodnight" to the night guards that were stationed at the entrance and they quickly offered a helping hand and held the door open for Zhongli. They too were just as curious as the guards walking around the palace and Zhongli had a feeling the servants were probably going to gossip and stare intently at the two of them.

Zhongli's hypothesis was correct and the servants within the palace were staring and chatting under their breaths about it. Typically women liked to gossip and chat about the topic of love, right? This is something he should have prepared for before Tartaglia's arrival. His servants were constantly gossiping about something or just anything. For once, it was actually affecting the brunette as he tried his hardest to not pay mind to the side stares and whispers.

After a few more steps through the corridor, Zhongli finally made it to Childe's room. Because there weren't any guards or servants who were around that could offer help to open the door, Zhongli kicked it open as gently as he could. He didn't want to slam it open, knowing that if he did it would wake up Childe. Plus, it might spook some servants and guards on this floor.