Both women had once belonged to the same camp. Now, though their paths had diverged, Rosalyne still hoped to bolster Su Han's influence. The Fatui Harbingers were, after all, rare talents. If they could be brought over, she was willing to try.
Arlecchino remained silent for a long while before finally speaking. "I suppose there is no way for me to walk away from this, is there?"
"Correct," Rosalyne replied smoothly. "You know too many of Su Han's secrets. Do you really think you can just leave? Accept your fate. Submission means life; death means all your previous efforts were for nothing."
"But joining you is also a death sentence," Arlecchino countered. "You just want to use me to leak Snezhnayan intelligence."
She knew Rosalyne. If Arlecchino was sinister, Rosalyne was a "she-devil" who would do anything to achieve her goals.
Rosalyne shook her head. "No... you don't understand. I don't need Snezhnayan intel. Look at us—do we look like we fear the Tsaritsa? We've already declared war. The only reason I hide my identity is that I don't want to bring trouble to Su Han. The shell of 'The Signora' left a bad reputation in other nations."
"Tch... I never thought a madwoman like you would actually fall in love."
"Is it so strange? There isn't a man in this world who can surpass Su Han. You've been in Liyue long enough to see the reports. He can bring back the dead. Do you think there's anything he can't do? Revenge against the Heavenly Principles? When we rule the Seven Nations, they will kneel at our feet. A frog in a well can never know how vast the world outside Teyvat truly is."
Rosalyne gestured toward the horizon. "Look at the Xuanyuan Sword. It is a treasure from another world, yet it belongs to us now. The World Tree is the same. And the treasures will only keep coming."
"What? You can steal things from beyond the stars?!" Arlecchino's body shook. The puzzle pieces finally clicked. The rapid growth of Liyue, Inazuma, and Mondstadt... the root cause was that Su Han could travel to other worlds.
The Truth was finally laid bare. Arlecchino realized Snezhnaya stood zero chance. Even if she delivered this intel, the three-nation alliance was an iron fortress. Even the Abyss had retreated in failure; what could the Fatui do? The power of the Adepti, the Elemental Queens on the World Tree, the martial gods of Liyue, the lightning of Inazuma, and the gales of Mondstadt... the remaining four nations combined were no match for them.
"So? Will you submit?" Rosalyne's voice turned cold. "One minute. Submission or annihilation."
"I... I am willing to submit," Arlecchino said, her voice strained. "But I need a guarantee. I don't want to be exposed and killed immediately."
"Rest assured. You will leave a soul fragment here. If your physical body dies, we will revive you directly. You have the guarantee of the Rex Lapis's Contract."
The Double Agent
Once the contract was signed—strictly prohibiting Arlecchino from leaking specific secrets under the penalty of the Thousand Rocks—Rosalyne laid out the plan.
"I need you to leak the news of my resurrection. Only through your mouth will they believe it. You will obtain a flying sword tonight, and then I will send you back as a double agent."
Rosalyne pressed a palm against Arlecchino's heart. BOOM! A surge of hellfire seared through her. Arlecchino felt death's door opening, but the power stopped just short of killing her.
"This is a pill to heal your wounds and boost your strength. Go. Information will 'leak' tomorrow."
That night, Arlecchino claimed a flying sword at Immortal Trace Mountain named Blood-Butterfly. She did not hide her name. When it was etched into the stone tablet, the sky erupted in crimson light and flame, a spectacle the military covered up as an "Abyss intrusion."
Arlecchino fled toward Sumeru, clutching her wounded chest. Once in the rainforest, she activated her communicator.
"Connect me to Tartaglia... I have vital intel. Now!"
When the connection was established, Childe's voice sounded worried. "Arlecchino? Your breathing is erratic. Did you get exposed?"
"Cough... yes, but I have the truth. Tell the Tsaritsa... Rosalyne is alive. She never died. She's been at Su Han's side this whole time. And second... that man... he's too terrifying... cough..."
The line went dead as Arlecchino fell unconscious—a result of Rosalyne's carefully timed power surge.
When the intel reached Pierro (The Jester), he narrowed his eyes. "So, Rosalyne betrayed us."
"She冒死 (risked her life) to bring this back," Childe noted.
"Hmph. Rosalyne was always driven by passion. If she was saved by him, it's natural she would flip. But we will play her game. If she's a double agent, we'll use her to feed them false info. For now, we act as if we don't know she's compromised."
Birth of the Queens
Inside the World Tree, the day of destiny had arrived. Under the influence of the Ten-Thousand-Year Wood Essence, the three eggs began to vibrate with life.
Su Han, Venti, and the others gathered. "What kind of beings will the Queens be?" Venti mused, wine in hand.
The first shell, on the left, shattered. A lithe elf with pale blue hair and a melancholic gaze emerged. She held a staff longer than her body—a supreme Hydro Mage.
The shell on the right broke next. A vibrant woman in crimson knight's armor with verdant hair stepped out, a brilliant smile on her face. This was clearly the Anemo front-line commander.
Finally, the central egg cracked. Different from the others, the last Queen radiated raw heat. She had scarlet hair and a fierce, almost predatory gaze. She didn't look like a gentle elf at all—she looked like a Pyro war-goddess.
The three Elemental Queens had finally awakened.
100+ chapters are available now and daily updates! @patreon.com/Zefyrus