The adjacent table was filled entirely with members of the Kujou clan—every one of them men.
Their gazes lingered shamelessly on Yoimiya, making her deeply uncomfortable.
Kujou Takayuki telling her to sit there was clearly an attempt to force her into accompanying drinks.
Then—
The Prince of Snezhnaya spoke.
For a moment, Yoimiya thought she'd misheard.
Kujou Takayuki pointed at his own nose in disbelief.
"…Me?"
The Mirror Maiden calmly repeated Severin's words on his behalf.
The atmosphere at the banquet table instantly froze.
The head of the Tenryou Commission—
was being driven away from the main table by the Prince of Snezhnaya.
"Oh my, our Lady Yoimiya is in for a treat tonight," Yae Miko said with a light laugh, covering her lips.
"Many of these dishes were ordered from restaurants along your fireworks street."
How could Kujou Takayuki fail to grasp the implication?
Red-faced, he slunk off to the side table.
The vacant seat, naturally, belonged to Yoimiya.
"Thank you, Your Highness…"
Her eyes shimmered with tears, emotions surging so strongly she nearly broke down.
"I should be the one thanking you," Severin replied, rising to raise a toast.
"Your fireworks were truly magnificent."
The word "Snezhnaya" blooming across Inazuma's night sky had stirred something warm in him—
a distant echo of home, of memories from another world.
Yoimiya stared at him in surprise and asked bluntly,
"Our statuses are worlds apart. Isn't it improper for you to toast me? Is this how things are done in Snezhnaya too?"
"Not often," Severin admitted with a faint smile.
"But when it matters, I do. A prince is a role. A fireworks artisan is a role. We simply perform different duties—there is no inherent nobility or inferiority between us."
In Inazuma, where hierarchy was rigid and unquestioned, those words struck like thunder.
Shock. Confusion.
And above all—reverberating awe.
Yoimiya, who never drank so she could stay clear-headed for her work, drained her cup in one go and blurted out, emboldened by the alcohol:
"Snezhnaya's explosives technology is the most advanced in Teyvat. Do you take apprentices? I want to learn—no matter the tuition."
"Why?" Severin asked.
"Gunpowder is dangerous. And it's hardly suited for young women."
"The Vision Hunt Decree took away people's Visions," Yoimiya said seriously.
"Many can't protect themselves anymore. I want to develop weapons through gunpowder—so ordinary people can defend themselves. More than that, so they can feel safe again."
Privately, she'd sought out the Fatui more than once, asking to study explosives in Snezhnaya.
She'd been flatly rejected every time.
Advanced explosives technology was a state secret.
Foreigners had no chance—locals barely qualified either.
But Yoimiya had learned one thing:
That technology was developed by the Prince of Snezhnaya himself.
And now he stood right before her.
She wasn't about to let this chance slip.
"Lady Yoimiya," Severin said calmly,
"Inazuma also has gunpowder. So why is yours used only for fireworks, while Snezhnaya's became top-tier military technology?"
He answered his own question.
"Because of differing principles of governance."
"The Tsaritsa believes that military strength is the foundation of national survival.
The Raiden Shogun believes isolation preserves eternity."
"If you truly want to help Inazuma, then instead of learning Snezhnayan technology, you should inspire your people to change the Raiden Shogun's way of thinking—push for the abolition of the Vision Hunt Decree. That is the long-term solution."
It was as if enlightenment struck Yoimiya head-on.
She had never once considered this path.
Not only Yoimiya—
Yae Miko's violet eyes shone with unconcealed admiration and gratitude.
Because Severin had said exactly what she herself had long wanted to say.
But as the Raiden Shogun's familiar, she could not openly oppose her.
Tonight, with Inazuma's elite gathered, Severin had spoken the words she could not.
Inazuma could only grow stronger through reform at its root.
And that root—
Was the Raiden Shogun's governing philosophy.
Kamisato Ayaka and Kamisato Ayato exchanged a knowing smile with Severin.
They had always opposed the Vision Hunt Decree.
Sheltering Vision bearers and helping them evade capture had long been the Yashiro Commission's quiet resistance.
Hiiragi Chisato, representing the Kanjou Commission, wanted nothing more than the repeal of the Sakoku Decree to restore foreign trade.
If the Vision Hunt Decree fell, the Sakoku Decree would inevitably follow.
Thus, she supported Severin wholeheartedly.
Only the Tenryou Commission was displeased.
After all, they were the ones enforcing the Vision Hunt Decree.
Kujou Takayuki, now relegated to a side table, seethed with resentment.
To him, Severin's words bordered on incitement—challenging the Raiden Shogun's authority outright.
His son Kujou Kamaji looked as though he'd swallowed something rotten.
Yet neither dared speak.
Yae Miko hadn't intervened—
and without her lead, they had no standing at all.
The banquet continued. Cups clinked. Laughter flowed.
One after another, nobles came to toast Severin, and he returned each in kind.
Politics, after all, was an art of human relations.
Sayu dragged Kuki Shinobu and Arataki Itto over to toast him.
"Yaaawn… Prince of Snezhnaya, have we met before?" Sayu mumbled sleepily.
"Sayu feels like you're nicer to us than to other people."
Just as adorable as ever.
"Kindness recognizes kindness," Severin replied lightly, brushing it off.
He then turned to Kuki Shinobu.
"I've heard you're known as 'Inazuma's Finest Waist.' Seeing you today, the reputation is well-earned."
Behind her mask, Kuki Shinobu's smile turned shy.
Later, Kujou Sara approached to toast on behalf of the Tenryou Commission.
This time, Severin accepted.
Though adopted by Kujou Takayuki, Sara would never follow him into corruption.
Her loyalty belonged solely to the Raiden Shogun.
Severin casually mentioned the Mirror Maiden's cousin.
Sara immediately promised to return the Vision the next day—and personally cover medical expenses.
"This was excessive enforcement on our part," she said firmly.
"The Vision Hunt Decree does not apply to Fatui personnel. I apologize to Your Highness and guarantee this will never happen again."
Finally, Kaedehara Kazuha and his close friend came to offer thanks.
Without Severin's presence, the duel before the throne would have ended in death.
"Your Highness," Kazuha's friend said thoughtfully,
"Back at the inn, I heard someone vomiting in the bathroom next door… one of your people suffered seasickness?"
"One of my attendants," Severin replied calmly.
"There are remedies—chewing ginger, smelling orange peel…"
"I'll pass it along."
Behind him, the Mirror Maiden quietly laughed.
She remembered clearly—
only the Prince had entered that room.
So even the seemingly omnipotent Prince of Snezhnaya had his little secrets.
And just like that, she made a mental note:
next voyage, ginger and orange peels were a must.
As the banquet reached its height, Yae Miko leaned close to Severin's ear, her voice low and teasing.
"Shall we talk somewhere… more private?"
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