章 65: The groom can't escape
In Liyue.
Yahiko and Mio, Keshin's parents, were watching a 12-year-old boy who was looking at them with an expression brimming with determination.
"So I was tasked by Kenshin to escort you to Mondstadt" Bennet said with a smile.
"Hmm, I don't think you are lying, and we trust Kenshin, so we have no problem" said Mio, looking curiously at the little boy. How was he supposed to protect them?
"Then let's go!" he excitedly said and Yahiko and Mio smiled fondly at his enthusiasm.
What a trip it was.
"BOUKEN DA BOUKEN!" and a 3-meter-tall mitachurl was instantly turned into ashes.
"BOUKEN DA BOUKEN!!" a 4-meter Geovishap, with a solid armour made of pure stone that had resisted any threats its owner had been subjected to for a hundred years, was cooked inside his own armour.
"BOUKEN DA BOUKEN!!!" an Eye of the Storm was instantly annihilated by the spear of fire that shot from the ground.
"D-Dear" a scared Mio asked with a trembling voice. "Kids in this area are scary".
"I-I think s-so too" replied Yahiko, who saw Bennet leave a smoldering crater in the ground after killing a lizard that got too close.
Bennet's bloodthirsty eyes looked around for more threats, ready to unleash his somewhat incomplete special move again. He was going to protect his friend's parents with his life. He saw something move with the corner of his eye, and he instantly teleported 10 meters into the sky with a jump.
"BOUKEN DA BOUKEN!!!" he fell to the ground like a meteorite, his Vision releasing flames.
A Wopperflower that was approaching sneakily Yahiko and Mio found itself surrounded by molten rock, and it died amidst terrible pains.
They gradually approached the City of Freedom, leaving behind them a trail of pure destruction that didn't recover for the next 20 years.
'Path to Freedom', people called it, was a touristic destination where people would follow the trail left behind by a powerful adventurer to visit Mondstadt.
"Puff, that was tiring" said Bennet with a sigh after reaching Mondstadt, but then felt happy that he could help Kenshin, even if it was only a little.
'You don't look tired at all!' Yahiko and Mio thought, looking back and seeing the path they had followed, and only seeing scorched earth.
"Who are you?" asked a knight waiting at the gate.
Kenshin's parents felt nervous now. In Inazuma people outside the city weren't used to seeing guards or armed people, and seeing them meant that they were looking for someone near your area, so it was usually a bad thing.
But in Mondstadt people saw them every day, and even talked with them relaxedly, they were their protectors and helpers after all.
"I bring Kenshin's parents!" said an excited Bennet.
"Who is Kenshin?" the guards looked at each other in confusion.
"Kenshin! You know, the founder of the JRK" explained Bennet, feeling exasperated by the guards. Over the years people stopped remembering Kenshin's name, but they will never forget his nickname.
"Ah, the Princess!" they shouted, and looked very respectfully at Yahiko and Mio, who wore stunned faces.
Yes, people knew Kenshin as the Princess.
He had 'proposed' to a Knight of Favonius, and because it looked like a fairy tale, the one who married the knight had to be a princess.
'Well, better than the Slapping Baby' mused Mio.
'Well, better than the Slapping Young Master' thought Yahiko.
"Please come in" the guards respectfully stood aside, making a corridor for Yahiko and Mio to pass through, and then put an extended hand to their foreheads, a greeting only their superiors were supposed to receive. "If you ever need something, please don't hesitate and come to us".
"Y-yes, thank you" replied a nervous Yahiko, wondering what had his son done here in a single month.
They passed through the streets, and Kenshin's parent marveled at the colorful scenery, the bustling streets and appetizing fragrances.
"I will take you to the Knight of Favonius headquarters" said Bennet with his never-changing happy smile.
Yahiko and Mio could only nod, distracted by the beautiful scenery.
They quickly went to the Knight HQ, where they heard a conversation taking place in one of the rooms.
"Mom!. Stop that. I will do what Kenshin asked, not what you want to do" said a girl in a fed-up tone.
"You will never get him behaving like that, you need to be proactive!" said a mature voice, in a chastising tone.
*Knock, knock*, Bennet knocked on the door, and waited for the ones inside to answer.
They heard steps, and a beautiful woman with short blonde hair and penetrating blue eyes studied them.
"What do you need from the Grandmaster? He is busy solving a problem with the expedition" she said, looking curiously at the little boy who was accompanied by 2 scared people.
"Ooww, it must be my bad luck" said Bennet while slumping. "I was tasked by Kenshin to escort his parents to speak with the Grandmaster".
"Hmm, Kenshin?" the woman, Frederica, looked at Kenshin's parents with a look of realization. "I will take care of them boy".
"I can't do that" denied Bennet, not intimidated by the imposing woman. "I need to take them to the Grandmaster".
"I approve of that loyalty to your orders" Frederica nodded approvingly. "But take a look inside, she is my daughter".
Bennet did just that, and seeing the face of the confused girl inside, he instantly understood.
"Okay then" he nodded happily. "I will leave now, I need to give my report to the Guild. If you ever need something, I am always ready to help!" he said to Yahiko and Mio, and left the building humming a happy tune.
"My name is Frederica, but please come in" Frederica introduced herself, and gestured to Kenshin's nervous parents to come into the room.
Yahiko and Mio gulped, seeing that in a few hours, they had gone to search for a cheap place to stay to speak privately with a seemingly important woman in another country altogether.
They entered the room and saw a beautiful young girl looking at them curiously.
"How can I help you?" she politely asked.
"Jean, what did I teach you?" asked sternly Frederica.
"Ugh, sorry" Jean grimaced but apologized and wore a polite smile. "Please take a seat, how may the Knights of Favonius help you?"
Yahiko and Mio obeyed quickly but were stumped hearing her question.
"We....don't know" confessed an ashamed Yahiko rubbing his nape. "That boy, Bennet, took us here".
"I see. Why don't you tell me about your situation so we can figure it out?" Jean nodded with a relaxed smile while reassuring Kenshin's parents.
''She is an angel'' thought Yahiko and Mio at the same time.
"Why are you being so polite for?" interrupted Frederica with a frown. "You should already know who they are. You are still lacking".
"Ugh, sorry" Jean apologized and tried to analyze the information she had. Those clothes belonged to people from Liyue, maybe-
"While I would normally let you figure it out, we can't make them wait" said Frederica while taking a seat next to Jean. "They are family after all".
"W-We are?" asked a confused Mio. She doesn't remember any people she could know who looked as beautiful as this woman that could be related to her.
"A-are we?" Jean was thinking something similar. She didn't remember having seen these people in her life. "Ouch" Frederica hit her forehead.
"They are your parents-in-law, don't show your stupid side in your first reunion" she mercilessly said.
Yahiko and Mio's faces turned blank at this moment. They expected a lot of things, but finding that his son was married at his age was not one of them.
On the other side, Jean felt her lower jaw hit the floor, and looked at Kenshin's parents with shock. She knew they would come, but the letter arrived yesterday, wasn't it too soon?
"Why are you standing there agape there for? Quickly greet them properly" said Frederica with a sharp voice.
"H-hello" was all Jean could say before blushing and looking to the ground with a red face. Thing that earned her another hit.
"I said properly" Frederica scolded her in front of the still-deadpanning Yahiko and Mio. "I'm sorry for my sloppy daughter, she is still training" she apologetically said.
"I'm sorry for my son" Yahiko said bowing deeply. "I don't know what has he done, but I will punish him as I have never before". It was obvious that Kenshin had fooled this beautiful girl, and he was ready to suffer the consequences of his son's act.
"Indeed, I'm sorry for my son" Mio imitated Yahiko and bowed. "He is a good son, but he is not a good person".
Jean looked alarmed at having Kenshin's parents bowing to them for a thing that was obviously her mother's machinations, but before she could speak, her mother spoke with a sly smile that Kenshin's parents couldn't see.
"Hahh, I see he didn't tell you about this" Frederica sighed under Jean's scandalized look. "Don't apologize I know kids at their age can be bashful and ashamed to talk about some things. I understand".
"We are deeply sorry" Kenshin's parent said at the same time with a familiarity to the process that came from thousands of times repeating it. They were used to apologize after Kenshin's 'pranks'.
"As I said, no need to apologize. Why don't I tell you about everything you should know?" Frederica said with a devious smile, one that Kenshin's bowing parents couldn't see. Jean knew what was going to come, but under the sharp warning look of her mother, she couldn't speak.
"Please do so. We can punish him accordingly knowing what he has done" Yahiko said with a stern face.
"Hmm. I will start with the important part. Kenshin proposed to my daughter in the middle of the city, and even got help from the Anemo Archon and our God, Barbatos-sama to make it so everyone in the neighbouring countries could hear it" Frederica explained with a calm voice.
Kenshin's parents looked stunned at that. They never knew that Kenshin had fallen in love with someone, and knowing him, he wouldn't confess to a girl until he was completely sure he loved her.
"And the same day he ruined my daughter for other men" Frederica said under the horrified look of her daughter.
"That...doesn't sound like something Kenshin would do" said Yahiko slowly.
"Yes, he is quite slow with these things, and that doesn't sound like something he would do with a person he had known for a month" Mio added, suspiciously looking at Frederica, who saw a chance here.
"Of course, they didn't have sex if that's what you were thinking about" she said while ignoring the angry look her daughter was sending her. "But everyone in the neighboring countries heard his confession, so I fear that my daughter will not be able to find a man for herself who will look at her. In Mondstadt we mind purity quite a lot" Frederica lied with a straight face.
If there was a city where 'purity' wasn't worth a dime, it was Mondstadt. Of course, it varied from person to person but overall being 'free' tended to make people quite adventurous. Not her family though.
"O-Oh, I'm sorry for doubting you" Mio apologized while looking at the floor, ashamed of her conduct. This woman had only helped her and even forgave them after one of Kenshin's shenanigans, and yet she was doubting her.
"Don't worry about that" Frederica dismissed Mio's worries with a smile. One that looked quite devious from Jean's point of view. "Anyway, my daughter accepted his confession, and as it's a costum in our family, they are now betrothed. In the Gunnhildr family we take promises very seriously, so you must understand that this is a big deal for us" she added with a certain sternness.
"Of course" Yahiko was not nervous any more, only determined. "If he had promised something, he will abide by it. That's how we educated him after all".
"Hahh, but I fear that it was a promise made in the haste of youth. I fear for my daughter's future" Frederica worriedly sighed.
"I will make sure my son marries your daughter if that's her will" Mio said with a stern face. "He won't leave such a precious girl alone after promising that. I will make sure of it".
"That's a relief to hear" Frederica shouted in triumph inwardly. Nobody would oppose that marriage, not even the groom himself.
"Ahh, but" Mio nervously added. "I fear that my son may have failed your daughter. I know that she is speaking with another girl from Mondstadt behind your back".
"May I know the name of the girl? We may need to solve this misunderstanding soon, I don't want some strange girl to be the reason my daughter will need to spend her life alone" Frederica said with a smile, but she was ready to shed blood.
Jean looked at all this horrified of her mother's manipulations, but too scared to disobey her.
"We don't know her name" said nervously Yahiko. "He always refers to her as 'Radiant Knight' or something like that".
Frederica and Jean were stunned hearing this, but Frederica's face turned into a radiant smile.
"Hmm, I can allow that" she nodded and pointed at her daughter. "That's what my daughter is known as after all".
Yahiko and Mio looked stunned at the revelation but sighed, relieved that their son wasn't cheating on this adorable girl.
"I see, then I must say that Kenshin speaks very fondly of her" Mio said with a smile and looked at Jean. Doesn't all this mean that she has a daughter-in-law now?
Jean felt her face turn red under Mio's stare, knowing what she was thinking. She only wanted to hide in a hole and apologize to Kenshin for her mother's actions.
"Yes, he even told us that he was writing a book about her" Yahiko added, but remembered that Kenshin spoke equally fondly of a few more women. But he wasn't going to say it now, he would send a letter to Kenshin first, maybe he misunderstood something.
"Indeed, we receive the first book he wrote about it. My daughter keeps it with her all the time when we are home, she even sleeps with it" Frederica said with a smile.
"Mother!" shouted a panicking Jean. How did her mother know?
Mio and Yahiko looked at Jean and nodded inwardly. She had been polite with them even when they were only disturbing her, she tried to help them with their problems and appreciated deeply Kenshin's gift. She was too good for Kenshin.
"I'm sorry we can't give you something valuable" apologized Yahiko with an ashamed smile.
"Your son already gave us a dowry, quite valuable if I may add" commented Frederica with a smile, thinking about all the money 'they' had now. Even if the Knights were keeping it, it was the Gunnhildr's money.
"We are not talking about money" Mio shook her head. "Money can help, but we believe a marriage won't work if it's based on money".
"Continue" said an intrigued Frederica, liking what she was hearing.
"We have a custom in our family" explained Mio, taking off her necklace. "The boy's or girl's family will give a present to the other party. It is not money, it's not beautiful, it's not even valuable. It's a simple gift that carries all of our goodwill, wishing our son and his chosen one a happy life together. Please accept it" said Mio, handing Jean her pendant.
Like she said, it was not valuable, as it was quite worn out.
It was not beautiful, as the single small gem in the centre was quite scratched after years.
"I received that from Yahiko's parents when I married him. As you can see, it's not that beautiful like the pendants and jewellery we saw in Liyue" Mio was a bit ashamed of their 'cheap' present. "And you 2 look like you have a lot of money so you could probably buy a better one, but I would like it if you could accept it. It's not valuable, but it's special for us".
Jean, who had extended her hand in an unconscious move after seeing Mio trying to give her something, found herself holding the pendant that carried Mio and Yahiko's goodwill.
From a jeweller's perspective, it was ugly.
From an appraiser's perspective, it was worthless.
But Jean, and even Frederica, found it the most beautiful thing they could ever have in their house.
"O-of course I will" said Jean, stuttering a bit as she was feeling emotional after receiving the beautiful present." But are you sure? You said it was special, and you will give it to me".
"Of course we are" said a smiling Yahiko, putting his arm around the also smiling Mio. "It's special because of the meaning it carries. We are already happy and satisfied with how our life went after knowing that Kenshin has grown to be a good person. Now it's time your turn, and we hope that the pendant will help you remember that we are there to support you".
Mio nodded and smiled gently at Jean.
"T-thank you" said Jean while wiping her tears.
"Yes, thank you. We appreciate your gesture a lot" said an emotional Frederica. She didn't cry but felt that she couldn't have found a better family than her in-laws.
"Well, it's not much" said Yahiko with a nervous laugh. "Probably those swords you carry could have bought our entire home back in Inazuma".
"And yet, we find that pendant much more valuable" said Frederica, knowing that Jean couldn't talk now. "Kenshin sent my daughter a letter asking for her help to buy a house with a field for you to work in".
"We don't have that much money" said Mio shaking her head.
"Kenshin gave us free access to his vault, but we will be the ones to buy you that house" said firmly Frederica, it was the least they could do".
"We can't accept that!" said Yahiko in panic. "It's a lot of money, and we won't be able to pay it back".
"Yes" Mio nodded strongly. "If you feel in debt for the pendant, please don't. It's only a costume we have in our family and the pendant it's not that important".
"It is for me" said Jean with red eyes.
"As my daughter said, it's important for us and what we want to gift you is not the house, it's a safe place you will be able to call home" Frederica nodded while hugging Jean with her arm
"But-"
"Please accept it. As you said, money doesn't matter, and we have more than we know how to use" insisted Frederica, making Yahiko and Mio nod after some hesitation.
"Perfect" said Frederica with a clap. "Now I will tell a knight to send you 2 to a good restaurant to have a good meal, we will be there shortly after, I think I need to talk for a bit with my daughter".
Yahiko and Mio nodded, and after sending Jean a smile, they left for the Good Hunter.
Frederica and Jean were now alone in the room.
"I got you a good husband and a wonderful family. I'm still not hearing your thanks" said Frederica with a calm face.
"You fooled them" accused Jean with a stern expression. "You knew they were good-natured people, and you still went ahead with this".
"Well, yes" said Frederica with a guilty expression. "I didn't expect them to believe me that easily, and felt quite bad after they gave us that pendant".
"Then we should return it and explain everything" Jean said with a reluctant face. She appreciated the pendant a lot.
"No" Frederica sharply said. "I won't allow such a beautiful family to escape. That boy has no chance of escaping now, and even if my method wasn't ethically correct, you will still accept it".
"I don't want my marriage to be built in a lie" argues Jean, but Frederica didn't budge.
"Then tell him the truth after you 2 are married" Frederica dismissed her daughter's arguments with a was of her hand. "Even if you tell him before getting married, you won't let this chance escape".
Jean nodded. She also didn't want to 'break up', but her morals told her the correct thing to do.
"Why don't you send him a letter? That way you won't feel bad" suggested Frederica.
Jean excitedly nodded. She wanted to resolve this as soon as possible, and hopefully get to keep the pendant.
Of course, she knew that she needed to return it first, but she would wait for Kenshin's answer first.
Then the mother and daughter went to have a happy meal with their in-laws.
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That night, on the roof of the Gunnhildr house, a cloaked person stood still, waiting for the inevitable to happen.
A small bird left the house, but the figure jumped from the roof 50 meters tall and caught the bird mid-air in a spectacular show of agility, coordination, and sheer power.
The bird froze, falling into the hands of a dangerous being he hadn't seen coming, and waited for his fate to be decided.
"*Sigh*" the figure sighed in exasperation. "Jean is still green".
The figure took its hood off, and the charming face of Frederica was illuminated by the moon.
"She should have been able to predict this" she took the letter the bird was carrying and replaced it with another. "There is no way I'm letting that boy and his family escape. We are Gunnhildr Clan after all, we get what we want".
The figure promptly disappeared, leaving no witness except for the moon and the bird.
And a certain alcoholic Archon, who thought the scene was amusing.
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