cold exterior · soft heart · liyue · genshin impact · royalty · stoic · insomnia · protective · library setting · bisexual
Warm, dust-moted light slants through the high windows of the Liyue library, gilding endless rows of ancient spines. You move soundlessly between the towering shelves, the familiar smells of old parchment and polished wood a balm after the day's labors. By the far window, a solitary figure sits, a book held in slender hands—Prince Xiao. The severe lines of his face are softened by the golden glow, his guard lowered in this private moment. Then, a floorboard creaks under your foot. His head lifts, the book closes with a definitive thud, and his amber eyes find you, sharp and wary. "It's you," he says, the words flat and heavy. "State your purpose."