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The Fatui were very glad to have you back.

"A pleasure to be in the presence of your beauty and grace once again, Lady Y/N." multiple subordinates and agents have said with a chivalrous smile.

"Hi, Kris! Hi, Liala! Hi, Martin! Hi Jose-!".

Ajax pinched your cheek a little. You turned your head to see him smiling, his ginger hair basking in the sunlight filtering in from the colourful hues of the coloured glass adorning the walls of the corridor.

"You still remember everyone's names??".

"Of course I do! They're my second family. Actually, no...".

You looked at the ground, then at the ceiling, then back at Ajax.

"No. They're my first family."

At this, he gave a light laugh, as you eventually reached his quarters. The quarters you've stayed in all the time since he took you away that fateful night.

You haven't been here since that argument in which you ran away.

Walking into the kitchen in which you had your argument, you ask Ajax for a cup of water, for you are thirsty after your long journey from Liyue.

"Of course, my lady."

Ajax opens the cupboard and fills the pristine, expensive looking glass with water.

"Sorry, nothing here is made up. Wasn't expecting you to show up out of nowhere, you know?"

"I'm so sorry." you say, taking the glass carefully from his extended hand and taking a sip.

"Why are you apologising, darling? I'm the happiest I've been since I've left you 3 years ago. God, it was the hardest decision of my life..."

He sits himself down opposite you at the kitchen table, exhaling deeply.

"I've tried, so hard, Y/N, to take a mission in Liyue. To be as close to you as possible. But, alas, there was no opportunitues for me to travel and so far I've only been taking care of local Snezhnayan affairs...the legal side of Snezhnaya, if you will. It has been tough, I won't lie. But you...".

You look up at him, cocking your head to the side.

Ajax smiles a little, and rubs his eyes, as if he was a little uncertain, or, even doubtful, if it really was you sitting aross from him at his kitchen table, drinking water from a glass from his cupboard, or if he was just hallucinating or even dreaming and when he wakes up you will vanish along with his momentary delight.

"You...you had a life written in stone, quite literally, in Liyue. You were a queen. Top of the pack, the hierarchy. The most powerful. You had this without even working for it. Royal-blood type of privileges. Why would you decide to leave and come to a place where you'd have to start again from scratch, a place where it will be much harder for you?".

You filled your cheeks with air, puffed them out, and leaned back, swirling the water around in your glass. You smiled a little, looking around the room as if the answer was sitting here somewhere, raising an eyebrow at you, and fixing his hair.

That's right.

The only reason you came back here was because of him.

"The decision was made within 24 hours to leave all my responsibilities to Lady Ningguang and the Qixing and to prepare a boat for me headed to Snezhnaya. Was it crazy? Totally. Am I dreaming? Quite possibly. But do I regret it...?".

You stood up and walked towards Ajax, sweeping his hair up and out of his eyes, exposing his forehead reflecting the lights of the kitchen ceiling. He held your hips with both hands as he looked up at you, your hair tickling his nose as you leaned down and kissed him gently.

"Not one bit."

...

That night, in Ajax's bedroom, cuddled with him, head on his chest as you straddled him with one leg, you slept like a log.

Liyue is a warm country during all seasons, however, you felt an empty sort of feeling...cold, lonely, the hard stone that rents a space in your heart and stays there. But here, in Snezhnaya, in the coldest of places in Teyvat which requires heating and thick clothes all year round, your heart is warm and content, and it gives the stone an eviction document.

You didn't know how else to describe it.

This juxtaposition was odd, weird, but made you smile every time you looked at Ajax's sleeping face. There is an old saying in Liyue: Where your treasure is, your heart will be.

Well, your treasure is right here, snoring into your tangled hair as he shifts his body in a more comfortable position, murmuring as he does so.

And, by seeing the smallest hint of a smile of his face, you can ascertain that he felt the exact same way until your ship docked in the Snezhnayan Harbour.

...

You forgot how extremely busy the service is in Zapolyarny Palace first thing in the morning.

Harbingers were the first priority, however, so they were served breakfast first.

"They always amaze me. The chefs. Top class." You say, digging in to a hot, freshly made croissant.".

"I've been living here for years and they've never failed at their job. They've understood the assignment and delivered it to perfection."

The two of you share a small giggle as you clink orange juice glasses.

"Drink up and rest up, Y/N. You've got training to do."

Your face dropped.

"I'm kidding! Oh, I miss the days when you were but a mere underling! Your uniform is still in your room. I believe you still have your Vision?"

"Duh. My prized possession."

"Fantastic. I'll take a guess to say that 3 years sitting on the throne again, however, have completely demolished all hard work I've invested in you years ago."

Your mouth widens in mock shock.

"You think this pretty princess forgot all her mentor's training?! Think again."

Ajax smirks.

"Outside, 10am?"

You slyly place a piece of buttered toast in your mouth, smirking.

"Outside, 10am. And bring your Adidas tracksuit, you look hot in that."

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CHAPTER 1 END

Author's Note: Hi everyone!!

It's been awfully long since I had uploaded chapters and wrote a book on Wattpad!!!

The boom and support of "Codename: Childe" had been SKYROCKETING and I was so happy that people actually enjoyed it!!

One thing I took into account is the fact that most of you didn't like my fashion sense so I'll refrain from dressing Y/N like a "soccer mom" or "a grandma" and let y'all choose your own outfits because yeah.

I'll also make "Codename: Tsaritsa" a bit longer, in fact double "Codename: Childe", with a grand total of 40 something chapters around 2000 words long and some filler chapters in between because why not we love to see Childe and Y/N together. Also Xiangling will be more present.

(This one was short because it was just introductory.)

My updating schedule will be consistent...around 1 chapter a day... 2 if we're lucky.

I hope that "Codename: Tsaritsa" will get the same amount of love and support as its prequel. Here's to this new sequel!!!

Codename: Tsaritsa | A Sequel to "Codename: Childe"Where stories live. Discover now