Gazing at the ceiling, a young woman lay in her bed, her thoughts a whirlwind of frustration aimed at herself and the world around her.

"Idiot..."

Golden curls framed her face as her bright green eyes sparkled with a fiery intensity, almost as if they could tear through the walls of her room and turn it into a giant cheese platter.

Today was just another setback, the result of a week filled with mishaps.

"Mein Fraulein..."

At the foot of her bed sat Oz, the purple raven, trying his best to cheer her up while conveniently ignoring the fact that she was sprawled out in a not-so-dignified manner.

"Mein Fraulein... It's not like you to be so dispirited."

With a sigh, Fischl pushed herself up and faced her mirror. Her eye patch lay forgotten on the bedside table, leaving both her green eyes to reflect her inner turmoil. She often wondered if hiding one eye was messing with her vision, but those thoughts flew away like leaves in the breeze.

"Oz… Is it always this… difficult?"

When she was alone, her royal speech slipped away, revealing a more vulnerable side of 'Amy' to her loyal companion. In this bubble of solitude, she longed for the simplicity of being an everyday girl, especially with thoughts of a certain unfortunate pyro-wielding adventurer swirling in her head.

"Mein Fraulein, your cheeks are aflame..."

"I'll let you take a guess why..." Amy, feeling unusually exposed, let her emotions take over. She craved the attention of her prince for reasons her mind couldn't quite grasp, but her heart seemed to understand perfectly.

This emotional storm had been brewing quietly, but it had hit its peak just a week ago.

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"WHAT!?"

"Do thine ears not function!? Please, raise your voice louder so that the echoes entertain the entirety of Mondstadt!"

"But you... I mean, him... What!?"

It was a sunny day beaming across the city of freedom. Fischl found herself frantically trying to calm down a hysterical Mona across a table perched outside of Good Hunter.

"But how did this happen? And you... I mean, god forbid I'd see the day when the Prinzessin der Verurteilung decides she's in the market for a Prinze-."

"Can you not!?" Fischl hid her face in her hands. She broke form but she needed to get Mona to put a cork in it and protect her secrets from the world.

"Listen, I don't normally care much for gossip but when it's you, I need to make an exception. How!?"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Honestly, I have no idea! It all started during the assignment!"

"What assignment? From the guild?"

With a resigned sigh, Fischl knew she was in for a long story.

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She began her tale from a week ago, remembering how she'd fixated on the back of his head, her heart fluttering and her throat having shrunk to the size of a straw.

"So I was thinking we need to go to Starfell Lake, but I can't remember what… wait, what's her name? Katherine? Yeah, Katherine. Anyway, what's this flower she was after?"

"...Windwheel Aster…"

"But why Starfell Lake? There's loads near Windrise, or that one place near the Dawn Winery."

"I'm not sure…"

Bennett turned around, suddenly aware that something was not right with his guild partner today.

"Fischl, are you feeling okay? You've seemed kinda down ever since we left Mondstadt…"

Shaking her head, Fischl didn't know how to respond to the pyro-wielding adventurer's question. She really wasn't feeling okay, but she didn't know how to put her thoughts into words. It was obvious that she couldn't hide her thoughts from Bennett. They had known each other for too long. It would be like trying to hide your emotions from a mirror.

"Do you want to cancel the assignment? We could always go back to Mondstadt and try this again another day?"

She shook her head again. It was an easy assignment, all they had to do was find a bunch of flowers and go home. Backing out of an assignment like this would be humiliating. Though more importantly, she wasn't sure if she would be able to adventure with him again. He might not want to be her partner in the future.

"I'll be fine. If we hurry, we can finish quickly, and I can return to my solitude."

"Okay, if you're sure..." Bennett turned back to the windy road, aware the girl a few steps behind him was quite obviously miserable about something. She wasn't using her normal speech and didn't seem to care very much either. He could've been fooled into thinking that this was how Fischl would normally be without her eccentric façade.

Something about that made him sad. The Fischl he admired was optimistic and resilient against everything that came her way. Steadfast, able to weather any storm and always with a smile, there was something about her that made him want to push himself.

He wanted to lift her spirits, but his mind was blank.

Suddenly, he felt a gentle tug at his shirt—a fragile grip that surprised him. Turning around, he was taken aback to see her looking down, tears falling to the ground.

"I'm sorry..." The soft whimper cut through the air, piercing his heart. Taking her hand, he guided the stricken girl towards a fallen log that they could both sit on.

"Fischl... What's going on with you today. I'm getting really worried about you." Still clasping her hand, Bennett tried to find her non-covered eye. He had never seen her like this before, what on earth happened!?

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"No, seriously… What happened?"

"I don't know!" The delicious smells from Good Hunter made her stomach growl. She wanted to rush through her story, but something pushed her to dig deeper. Among her few close friends in Mondstadt, Mona held a special place, but…

She had never really done 'girl talk' before. Growing up with few friends made this kind of openness both new and scary.

"So, you said you were finding it hard to talk to him that day…" Mona rested her elbows on the table, hands clasped thoughtfully. "Wouldn't that imply that you already sort-of knew how you felt about him before that?"

Fischl nodded. Her feelings had been there long before the assignment, but saying it out loud was another story..

Sharing meals around a campfire, protecting him in battle, healing his wounds—every moment with him made her heart race.

"I think… my feelings have lingered for quite some time… but it wasn't until the assignment that it truly struck me…" Fischl murmured, her thumbs fidgeting nervously.

Oz, perched above, watched with a mix of concern and confusion. Who was this girl? Where had the 'Prinzessin' gone?

He pointed his beak at Mona, his eyes begging the self-proclaimed genius astrologist to help his master in any way she could.

"Okay. At least you're not denying it…" Mona mused, her gaze fixed on the table as her thoughts spun. Her own experiences with love were lacking, and she worried she wouldn't be able to provide the best advice. Maybe it was time to seek some extra wisdom.

"I have an idea…"