Chapter Text
Aether going missing was the last thing Lumine would’ve ever imagined as the reason for her return to Mondstadt.
Ever since she went to boarding school years ago, Lumine has been living her life peacefully in Sumeru. She’s now an architect, her career rising with every project she takes on for Teyvat’s elite.
Escaping the expectations and boundaries set by her family’s name and establishing an identity of her own were almost within her reach… almost.
She was greeted by the sight of her grandfather’s butler-slash-right-hand-man, Dainsleif, picking her up from the airport.
“Any news on my brother?” was the first thing she asked him, and the tall, blonde man could only sigh.
“Still nothing since we first called you,” he told her. He sounded just as stressed as when he delivered the news to her over the phone a week ago.
Aether suddenly ran away from home. You have to come back here.
It came as a huge shock to her. Her perfect brother—already set to inherit Favonius, one of Teyvat’s biggest corporations—suddenly dashing off and ditching his responsibilities? Just how and why did that happen?
Ever since they were young, Aether has been the more obedient twin—whereas Lumine has been the free-spirited, you-can-never-hold-me-back one. This is totally out of character for him… unless something big finally made him snap.
The Lamborghini she rode stops in the mansion’s covered driveway, and Dainsleif assists her out of the car.
“Is it just me, or did the garden become bigger?” Lumine asks, squinting at the lush greenery surrounding the mansion.
Dainsleif nods in front of her. “It did. Aether thought it would be nice to expand it because you loved flowers. You know, just in case you returned.”
Lumine hums in thought, finding the act completely unnecessary given the fact that the garden now looked five times bigger than the simple apartment complex she had in Sumeru.
But she still thought that it was heartwarming, especially since it was her brother’s idea. He is the only one who truly cared for her in this family, ever since their parents passed away.
“Come, your grandfather is waiting for you inside,” Dainsleif tells her. Lumine follows him into the mansion, a frown evident on her face.
“What does he even want from me?” she asks the butler. She remembers her grandfather as the meddling kind, although often too engrossed in his life as a businessman, so him needing her to return to Mondstadt while Aether’s MIA? It doesn’t sound so good.
“It’d be better if you hear from the chairman himself,” Dainsleif only says. Hmph, did she even expect a man of few words like him to actually tell her?
“Ah, my dear Lumine! I’m glad you’re back,” Lumine’s grandfather greets way too enthusiastically for her liking when they enter his study.
“Ah yes, hello, grandpa. I guess it’s also nice to be back,” she says with a calculated laugh. “Why did you need me here?”
The old man only laughs, walking from behind his desk to stand near Lumine. She notices that he’s already using a cane to walk.
That wasn’t the case when she last visited over two years ago for Aether’s birthday, and she wonders if she’s been that detached from her own home and family.
“Oh, you little girl… you haven’t changed at all. Always so straightforward and headstrong,” he says with a gentle laugh.
“Grandpa…” Lumine trails off, her suspicion now at an all-time high. He’s definitely up to something, she can feel it in her bones. And she’s sure she wouldn’t like it.
Her grandfather sighs, completely aware that Lumine isn't the type to stay patient and circle around topics. “Fine. I need you to take over the company while we search for Aether… and get engaged while you’re at it.”
If Lumine was drinking anything, she would’ve already sputtered it out. “Whoa, whoa. First of all, I’m an architect, not a businesswoman. I know nothing about running a corporation, especially not one as big as Favonius!”
“And second, get… engaged? What the hell? I don’t even have a boyfriend!”
“And that’s why I’ve arranged for some of Teyvat’s best bachelors to be introduced to you! Here, you can look at their files,” her grandfather enthusiastically says, and Lumine almost throws a fit.
“This is crazy,” she says in disbelief. And then, realization strikes her.
“Is this why Aether ran away from home?” Lumine asks, her now-glaring eyes darting between her grandfather and Dainsleif who were both suddenly avoiding her gaze.
She gasped in horror. “You were forcing Aether to get married? Grandpa!”
“Having an heir of his own strengthens his power before taking over the company,” her grandfather says with a shrug, and he shows no signs of thinking that there's something terribly wrong with what he asked from Aether - and now, from Lumine as well.
“Oh my god, that is so old-fashioned… and just outright ridiculous!” Lumine groans.
Now she understands why someone as level-headed as Aether decided to run away.
“You can’t just force marriage or love on anyone, grandpa!” she says exasperatedly.
“Hey, I didn’t say he has to get married now. I just told him to get a fiancée and prepare to get married,” her grandfather replies defensively.
“That’s the same!” she exclaims. Lumine rubs her temples, feeling an incoming headache already.
“Miss, do you need me to fetch you a cup of tea?” Dainsleif butts in, with a bit of concern in his tone. But Lumine only glares at him.
“You! You should have told me this over the phone!”
The blonde man only frowns. “Then you wouldn’t have come.”
“Exactly!” she throws her hands in the air, not making any effort to hide her disapproval.
“It’s not such a bad idea, miss. It’s the easiest way to shush out opportunistic board members,” Dainsleif says stoically, making the girl’s jaw drop in disbelief once more.
Her old and traditional grandfather, she’d understand—but someone nearer to her age like Dainsleif? Holy shit.
“You actually agree with this?”
The butler says nothing. Wow, just wow.
“Please, Lumine. At least look at these files,” her grandfather says, pushing the papers towards her again.
“Or give me a name, if there’s anyone you fancy. They don’t have to be one of Teyvat’s best bachelors—as long as they have a solid background in business, I could consider them.”
And then the stubborn part of her head suddenly gets a brilliant idea on how to put off this discussion.
“Do you mean that?” she says, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Her grandfather nods, and she could see his expression brightening up as he thinks that she has finally come to see reason. Well...
“So if I say I’d choose Dainsleif, then that’s okay?” she says sarcastically, crossing her arms against her chest.
“I apologize, but I have to refuse this offer of being your fiancé,” the butler suddenly says.
Lumine already has a snarky response at the tip of her tongue, but her grandfather beats her from speaking first with an outburst of his own.
“And why is that? My granddaughter is amazing! She’s pretty, smart, and has a sense of independence—anyone would be blessed to be with her!”
Whoa, Lumine did not expect him to get angry like that. She was hoping he'd go ballistic and say he would never allow what Lumine had said.
That way, she could have taken them off guard and successfully sauntered out of the room with at least a day’s worth of figuring out how on Teyvat she’d get out of this mess.
“I - that’s not what I meant, sir. I mean, of course, she is, but -” Dainsleif stammers for the first time since Lumine arrived. But before the stubborn girl could relish in this rare moment, Dainsleif gets cut off by a heavy sigh from the chairman.
“My blood pressure is rising. Please leave, both of you,” he says. The butler instantly fusses over the old man, while Lumine only shoots him a worried look before leaving the room, too fired up to think rationally.
"Miss, I am incredibly disappointed that you used me as a scapegoat,” Dainsleif tells her, his eyes narrowed although his voice remains calm and composed.
He chased her down the mansion’s hallway after making sure that her grandfather was okay. Once he caught up with her, he made sure to let Lumine know that he wasn’t impressed by her little stunt at all.
“I thought you said this is not such a bad idea? How about shushing opportunistic board members now, huh?” Lumine says, her eyes full of challenge as she glares at Dainsleif.
“It’s not such a bad idea… if the bachelor you choose is someone well-versed in running a company. That’s what I meant,” he replies. I didn’t take you as someone who’d play with other people’s feelings, he wanted to add but decided against it.
“But you are well-versed in business, aren’t you? You are my grandpa’s right-hand man, after all,” the golden-eyed girl shrugs. From their phone calls to each other in the past, she remembers Aether mentioning how Dainsleif helps him handle documents, presentations, and other business matters.
“I don’t run one on my own. There’s a difference, miss,” he sighs, and Lumine feels herself getting irritated by the way he talks to her like a child who’s throwing a fit. Well… she is throwing a fit, she guesses.
“I understand that you’re frustrated, miss. But please also look at this situation while putting yourself in the chairman’s shoes. His only grandson—whom he had always assumed would lead his company—has gone AWOL. His own health is slowly deteriorating. And now, his only granddaughter is being hostile towards him,” Dainsleif says.
Lumine freezes for a moment. “His health? What’s up with his health?”
The butler heavily sighs before talking. “Well, he is already old. I’m pretty sure you can see that. But along with the complications that come with his age, he had a mild stroke a few months ago. The doctor says he's recovering fairly well from it, but you know…”
Well, now she feels bad. What if he suddenly had another stroke while she was throwing a fit earlier? She might be stubborn as heck, but she still has some sense of filial piety left in her.
“That’s actually one of the bigger reasons why I asked you to come home. Your grandfather hasn’t seen you for so long, and with the stress of Aether running away, I was afraid it’d affect his recovery. Your presence… might be able to provide him a bit of comfort,” Dainsleif tells her, his voice sounding softer and gentler now as he looks down at the floor.
"Why… is this the first time I have heard about this?" Lumine asks, her voice faltering a little. Her twin has never mentioned it in his phone calls, and she somehow felt hurt by the fact that she's unaware of something as big as this.
The butler sighs heavily. "Only Aether, the doctor, and I know about your grandpa's condition. It's… to avoid ill-intentioned people using his poor health condition to their advantage."
"Still, you should have told me this earlier," Lumine insists.
"Well, I would have, but you were too busy throwing a fit."
Okay, so maybe he’s right, Lumine thinks.
“Please stay here at the mansion. At least, until your grandpa’s health improves. Or we find your brother. Whichever goes first,” Dainsleif tells her, looking back at Lumine with his eyes begging her not to put up another fight.
Lumine purses her lips and breathes deeply, feeling a tinge of guilt over her actions. “Fine. But don’t think I’m agreeing to this whole fiancé fiasco.”
Dainsleif smiles despite the pointed glare that Lumine was sending his way. “Well, don’t think I wouldn’t try to convince you. Now, how about I show you to your room? You must be exhausted.”
Oh hell yes, she is exhausted. "Lead the way."
Starkly contrasting the event from earlier, Lumine found herself quietly following Dainsleif around the house. He gave her a mini-tour of the areas they passed by from her grandfather's study on the way to her room, including the library and media room.
The tall, blonde guy stops in front of another oak door, which he opens for Lumine.
"Here's your room. We had it cleaned and changed the sheets, but nonetheless, it's still the same as when you left it six years ago."
The girl nods, spotting the all-too-familiar baby blue walls. Although she visited Mondstadt periodically, she always chose to stay in hotels instead with the reason of only being in the city for a grand total of three days.
Cleaning my room would take so much unnecessary effort when I'm not even staying that long, she used to tell Aether.
But it seems like Dainsleif has assumed she would be staying for over three days this time around - which makes Lumine groan internally.
"Your luggage is by your bed. Let me know if you need my help in unpacking," Dainsleif tells her.
"No, no, I can do it on my own," she replies as she walks into the room. "I have some jet lag to fight off, anyway."
"Ah, I forgot about that," Dainsleif says. Lumine turns around to see him frowning as he lingers by the doorframe. "Would you like something warm to drink?"
The blonde girl mulls it over. "Hmm, maybe a glass of milk?"
"With a bit of honey and cinnamon?" Dainsleif asks, and Lumine’s eyes light up. That was her nighttime drink when she was young!
“Oh, wow. I didn’t expect you to remember that,” she thinks out loud.
“As long as it’s related to the Viatrix family, I remember it,” the butler shrugs. “I’ll be back with your drink.”
Lumine watches the tall, blonde man’s retreating figure, opening her suitcases and organizing her things. She was actually surprised when Aether told her that Dainsleif returned to the mansion and began working as the Viatrix’s butler four years ago.
Dainsleif's family was a good friend of Lumine's family, and the Viatrixes took him under their care when his parents passed away. He was a few years older than the twins, but the three of them basically grew up together. But just like Lumine, he left to study years ago.
She remembers him as a smart person, and she’s sure he could’ve taken any other job. Heck, he probably would’ve been a great businessman himself by now, which makes him returning as a butler slightly confusing for Lumine.
It's not like she's complaining, though. It was nice to have a familiar face around, especially since Aether is absent at the moment. And to be honest, she quite likes Dainsleif's face.
He's always been attractive, okay? And it doesn't help that he's gotten so tall and fit either.
"Miss Lumine?" she snaps out of her thoughts when she hears the butler's voice, a blush immediately creeping on her cheeks.
What the hell was she just thinking about? Wasn't she just pissed at this guy for siding irrationally with her grandpa a while ago?
"Ah, yes, sorry. My mind's flying because of the jet lag," she lies, leaning against her bedside table. "What were you saying?"
"Oh, I was just asking if you were okay. I think it's best if you go to rest now. I'll just leave your milk there."
Dainsleif begins walking over to the bedside table, and Lumine murmurs, "I guess you're right."
"It's been a long day, miss. You deserve it," he tells her.
"Hey, why do you keep on calling me 'miss'? I have a name, you know," Lumine says.
The butler blinks back at her, stopping just a few steps away from where she's standing. "Because it's only appropriate that I do? And yes, I am aware of that."
"Appropriate? Come on, this isn't the Middle Ages anymore, Dain," Lumine scoffs. No wonder he sides with her grandpa - he seems very old-fashioned himself.
"Hey, can I still call you Dain like before? Or would you also find that inappropriate?" she teases.
Dainsleif raises an eyebrow. "Why would that be inappropriate? You can call me anything you want."
He places the warm glass of milk on Lumine's bedside table, and by doing so, he had to move closer to the heiress. Lumine shuffles a bit when she feels his body heat - and oh fuck, don't tell anyone but he also smells really good.
"Would you rather I call you something else, then?" he asks, shifting his position so he's looking her in the eyes but staying unbudged from where he's currently standing.
"Madam? Boss? My lady? Master?"
Dainsleif's voice got deeper when he said the last one, and it made shivers run down Lumine's back. She doesn't even know if he's joking because his tone stays the fucking same.
"No, no… just… just Lumine is fine. Please," she manages to breathe out, and Dainsleif simply nods in acknowledgment.
"As you wish, Lumine."