The courtesan is here to assassinate him.

The lovely creature they call Childe is clever, but Emperor Morax has spies watching every move the Tsaritsa makes, and they whisper the truth to him before Childe first sets foot in Liyue.

Morax intends to slay him the moment he steps before the throne, robes the color of the sea falling around him and a sly smile on his lips.

But something stays his hand.

Perhaps the courtesan will be of use, will let some state secret slip as they while away the afternoons together, pretending at a more amorous relationship.

But as the days go by, it becomes clear Childe is too skilled a diplomat for any such mistakes. And yet Morax continues to seek his company.

Finally, Childe attempts seduction. Morax takes him to bed, pinning his hands above his head and keeping a careful eye out for the flash of the dagger he knows Childe has concealed on his person. But it never comes.

It would be foolish to sleep in the arms of an assassin, so Morax spends the night watching Childe sleep, petting his shock of orange hair and listening to the soft sighs he makes in his dreams.

In the morning, Childe wakes to the sight of his weapons and his correspondence with the Tsaritsa, laid out on the dresser. He sits up quickly, pulling the sheets to his chest as the combination of his bared skin and his predicament make him feel incredibly vulnerable.

He should have killed Morax last night when he had the chance. But he couldn’t bring himself to act. If he’s being honest with himself, he’s been in love with Morax for a long time now, a love an emperor could never return to a courtesan.

He thinks Morax will have him executed by sundown. But instead, Morax proposes a contract. A marriage, with a few concessions to the Tsaritsa’s demands as a dowry.

Despite the decorum that has been drilled into him since birth, Childe leaps into Morax’s arms and peppers him with quick kisses as he promises, over and over, to be true.

In a distant land, the Tsaritsa reads over Childe’s letter, pleased but not surprised. She had known Morax was lonely, and that Childe was clever and strong enough to be his perfect match and was in fact quite proud of herself for bringing their alliance about.