At the Kanjou Commission, within the Hiiragi estate.
Hiiragi Chisato stood in a pavilion in the rear garden, admiring the flowers. Several maids stood behind her, heads lowered, hardly daring to breathe.
Chisato snorted coldly.
"The Prince of Snezhnaya rejected our invitation? Did you make it clear to them that if he came to the Hiiragi estate tonight, we would present him with vast amounts of gold and treasure?"
The lead maid wore a miserable expression.
"Lady Chisato, we explained everything. But this Prince of Snezhnaya isn't like the Fatui Harbingers—money simply doesn't work on him."
"Worse still… I secretly offered that Mirror Maiden an expensive jade pendant, hoping she'd speak well of us before the Prince. She returned it to my face."
That jade pendant was worth a fortune—enough to equal most of the Mirror Maiden's lifetime wages.
Yet she hadn't taken it.
Greed was the weakness of most Fatui. The Hiiragi family had exploited this many times, even buying classified intelligence through such means.
A tactic that had never failed—
Had utterly failed on the Prince of Snezhnaya.
"What a shame," Chisato sighed.
She had been prepared to spend heavily on this banquet to establish her authority within the family and secure her position.
With that plan fallen through, she had no choice but to consider alternatives.
After a moment's thought, her eyes lit up.
"If the Prince won't come to us, then tonight I'll go to the Kamisato estate instead. As long as I establish a good relationship with him, my goal will still be achieved."
One of the maids ventured,
"Lady Chisato, the Kujou family was also rejected. Why not arrange to attend together with Kujou Kamaji? Even if Kamisato Ayato is displeased, surely he must give face to the future heads of two Commissions."
Chisato's dark eyes spun quickly.
"If we can think of this, the Kujou family will too. And even if Kamaji is slow, his father Kujou Takayuki is an old fox—he'll remind him."
"Kamaji has always claimed to be interested in me. If he truly is, he'll send word on his own."
"I'll wait."
She decided to treat this as a test.
Whether a man truly cared could always be seen through his actions.
"And if Kamaji doesn't come?" a maid asked cautiously.
Chisato snapped a blooming flower clean off.
"Then never speak of a marriage alliance between our families again."
Severin agreed to attend the banquet for several reasons.
First, to align with the purpose of his diplomatic visit. Inazuma was offering hospitality; his presence fulfilled proper protocol.
Second, to reclaim the Vision taken from the Mirror Maiden's cousin—and to put the Tenryou Commission in its place.
Third, to discuss cultural cooperation with the Kamisato clan.
The Yashiro Commission oversaw Inazuma's cultural affairs. During the Sakoku Decree, trade was forbidden—but cultural and tourism exchanges could still be expanded.
Snezhnaya's culture had long been austere and monotonous. Since becoming Prince, Severin had never neglected its development.
So much so that Snezhnaya's ministers of culture and education now brought nearly everything to him for approval.
In just three years, arts, poetry, dance, music, and painting in Snezhnaya had flourished. Ballet gained worldwide renown, oil paintings sold across Teyvat, and Snezhnaya acquired a brand-new cultural identity.
Still, Severin wasn't satisfied.
Culture needed exchange and fusion to grow faster. That was why cultural dialogue was a core objective of his visit to the Six Nations.
Lastly—
He intended to retrieve Inazuma's Gnosis from Yae Miko.
At dusk, Severin led several hundred members of the Snezhnayan delegation to the Kamisato estate on schedule.
Kamisato Ayato and Kamisato Ayaka personally came out to welcome him.
After exchanging courtesies, Ayato led Severin inside.
At the center of the welcoming crowd stood the Kujou father and son, Lady Hiiragi Chisato, and Yae Miko—each wearing polite smiles.
"Welcome, Prince of Snezhnaya!"
Severin also spotted several familiar faces—
Kujou Sara, Kaedehara Kazuha, Sayu, Shikanoin Heizou, Thoma, Kuki Shinobu, and Arataki Itto—
Every familiar face seemed to be present.
Severin's gaze skipped past the Kujou and Hiiragi families, swept over Yae Miko, and landed instead on Sayu and Kuki Shinobu.
He greeted them one by one before taking his seat.
Sayu and the others felt both honored and bewildered.
Why was the Prince of Snezhnaya so friendly toward them?
During the banquet, Kamisato Ayaka took over the Mirror Maiden's "duties" and personally poured wine for Severin.
Yae Miko sat to his left, Ayaka to his right.
Fine wine. Beautiful company.
Severin was in excellent spirits.
After several rounds of drinking, Kamisato Ayato smiled.
"I hear this is Your Highness's first time leaving Snezhnaya. Beyond Inazuma's cuisine and wine, there is another local specialty you must experience."
With that, he whistled softly toward the night sky.
Fireworks erupted—one after another—brilliant, dazzling, streaking across the heavens like falling stars.
As the display reached its climax, the characters "Snezhnaya" formed in the sky, edged with patterns of drifting snow.
Members of the Snezhnayan delegation applauded enthusiastically. Far from home, many were moved to tears by the romance of it all.
"Works from Naganohara Fireworks are always a delight," Yae Miko remarked.
"The owner—Yoimiya, was it? Invite her to join us."
Yae Miko was once again surprised.
The Prince of Snezhnaya knew Inazuma far too well—he'd called Yoimiya by name instantly.
Then she relaxed.
After all, he even knew the Plane of Euthymia inside out. What didn't he know?
With Yae Miko's nod, Ayato immediately had Thoma send the invitation.
Before long, Yoimiya arrived.
The red fireworks tattoo near her left collarbone looked particularly striking.
"You're the Prince of Snezhnaya?" Yoimiya stared in disbelief.
"I thought you'd be some seventy- or eighty-year-old grandpa."
Laughter rippled through the hall.
She'd said exactly what many were thinking.
Before meeting Severin, everyone had imagined Snezhnaya's second-in-command—just beneath the Tsaritsa—to be an elderly man, or at least a middle-aged one.
Instead—
He was impossibly young.
"Yoimiya, take a seat at the side," Kujou Takayuki said sharply.
"This is a diplomatic setting. Being too casual undermines Inazuma's dignity."
On the surface, it was a reminder.
In truth, it was disdain for her commoner status.
This table was reserved for nobility and officials—Yoimiya's presence lowered it.
Ayaka smiled gently.
"Yoimiya, sit beside me."
"Our table is already full," Takayuki cut in.
"There's no room for extras."
He then fixed Yoimiya with a warning glare.
Yoimiya herself wasn't afraid of the powerful.
But behind Takayuki stood the Tenryou Commission.
Just last month, under the pretext of fireworks safety, they had forced her shop to close for ten days—causing heavy losses and leaving her workers underpaid.
She didn't want that to happen again.
So she bowed toward Severin and smiled.
"Your Highness, thank you for the invitation. I hope the fireworks helped make your night a pleasant one."
Turning away, she headed toward the side tables as arranged, a trace of disappointment lingering in her heart.
Her nature was bright and passionate—
she'd really wanted to talk with the Prince a little longer.
"Old man."
A commanding voice suddenly rang out behind them.
"Go sit somewhere else."
"Free this seat for Lady Yoimiya."
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/SwritesTL