"mistress" • diluc

xxi

uh... more than usual spicy scene near the end......NOT AT THE VERY END SO do not skip. yeah i know u were gonna. 🤨um. yeah (CONSENSUAL i swear)

• third person •

White puffs of breath followed him with each trudge through the snow he took. His chest heaved, his heart pounding faster and faster with each second, his boots almost buried into the snow with each step he took.

"Mr Albedo," Diluc exclaimed breathily. Finally, he had reached his destination.

Albedo glanced upwards, his cerulean eyes widening at the sight.

"Place her here. What happened?"

Diluc did as he was told. He took a moment to catch his breath, and then shook his head.

"It's a long story... and an invasion of her privacy..." he mumbled. "She's just unconscious at the moment. But I brought her here because she has gone under extreme stress and trauma in the past few hours, and I was wondering if you could check if..." Diluc's gaze averted, "if both her and the baby will be alright. I know you know more about her pregnancy than anyone else."

Albedo tapped his chin, carefully unfastening the cloak Diluc wrapped around her to keep her warm. His lips pursed at the state of her, yet... there was strangely... a somewhat peaceful smile on her face.

"I'll begin straight away..."

"Oh?"

Diluc's head snapped up. Albedo cleared his throat.

"I'm going to be an uncle?!" exclaimed a voice behind Albedo.

"Why are you here." Diluc's eyes narrowed.

A shining sparkle of a smile beamed from Albedo's side, before he chuckled the most mischievous of chuckles.

"How interesting..." Kaeya said with a smirk. "I'm offended you never told me!"

With a heavy sigh, Diluc folded his arms, his eyebrows furrowing. "It's none of your business. You are not the baby's uncle."

"Are you the father, Master Diluc?" Albedo asked quietly. His gaze didn't move away once from Aila.

Diluc blinked.

"Aila didn't tell you?"

Albedo shook his head. "She chose to keep it a secret. Though, I had already deduced it a while ago. I had advised her to take the father with her on her trip to Liyue, and I heard from Kaeya that the pair of you went together. I am glad at least that the father really is a trustworthy person."

"Perhaps she wanted to protect your image," Albedo shrugged. "Though I don't have any use for such gossip."

"You have a funny expression on your face," Kaeya remarked. "Let me guess: while Aila was keeping it all on the down low, you told the entire winery your dirty secret, didn't you?"

Diluc scoffed. "Why wouldn't I? I was planning on getting her to move in somehow someday to make it easier, therefore it's more convenient if everyone knows."

Kaeya sighed. "You should've asked for her permission first, don't you think? Always so keen to do your own thing. You know those maids don't like her because of her name. They could have easily went and told those parents of hers. Do you know how scandalous this is?"

Diluc was silent for a moment. "That's what Adelinde and Elzer are there for. Nothing could ever go wrong with them two there. Plus, it's no longer a threat now. Aila has finally managed to cut ties with the Lawrence clan now."

Diluc's eyes casted downwards. "Do you think she would mind that you two know now..?"

Both Albedo and Kaeya glanced at each other.