Lyney once thought to himself how pitiful and sad the situation was for Y/n, having to watch her endure the abuse and torment that came from her own father, having to be rescued by her maids and his father each time.

If only he was there to always protect her.

Lyney once thought to himself how he should start planning everything to save Y/n from that wretched household, how he should ensure that she was treated the way she deserved to be treated; with kindness and love.

If only he pulled her out of there sooner.

Lyney once thought to himself how he should promise himself to treat Y/n each day as if it were special days for them both to celebrate, wanting for her to realize how beautiful it was to be alive and to know that she is with the people who genuinely love her.

If only he showed more than what he already told her.

Lyney once thought to himself how he should shower Y/n with affection, despite her pessimistic reactions. He wanted her to be loved and adored, even if she wouldn't realize it for now.

If only he did more than just affectionate gestures.

Lyney once thought to himself how he should confess to her one day, knowing that such emotions like love and adoration would only hold him back just as he is part of the house of the Hearth, a rumored successor of his father.

If only he had the courage to tell her sooner.

Lyney once thought to himself how he should have just asked Y/n to run away with her, to a place where no one could find them, a place where Y/n could live in peace and without any torment from anyone who wronged her.

If only he convinced her sooner.

Lyney once thought to himself how he should have done something after receiving notice that the Balladeer had accepted Monsieur L/n's offer to take Y/n as his bride in exchange for an overwhelming amount of debt. It shattered his entire world.

If only he was quicker to propose to her first.

Lyney once thought to himself how he should say goodbye to Y/n, and tell her... Tell her how much he loves her, so much that it aches his heart everyday, that he almost cries himself to sleep since the night he received news of the Balladeer's plan to whisk Y/n away from her torment, and give her a happier life.

Lyney once thought to himself...

"I never should've fallen for Y/n."

Sunset views in Fontaine were a spectacle that Y/n now found boring, a repetitive phenomenon that was once her favorite past-time before returning to her wretched home was now nothing but a tiring chore.

And today didn't seem any different despite the fact that the sunset she was viewing from the court would be her last.

Alone by the top of the walls of the Fontainian court, Y/n sighed for the nth time today, still waiting for the twins to return to her side after Lynette told her she forgot to grab something back at the hotel.

The poor noblewoman remained patient, her bored eyes gazing into the beautiful sunset she now came to hate and love.

"You seem quite lonely, my lady." Surprised, she turned towards the other twin that returned first, "You seem down in the dumps... Is everything okay?"

"Lyney..." A Rainbow rose flashes before her eyes, tilting her head to see his hand holding onto its thornless stem, "Oh... Thank you."

Lyney smiles eagerly, settling down beside her and watching the sunset, "I'll miss this..."

"Miss what...?" She turns towards him, "The sunset?"

"Watching the sunset with you, my lady."

"Oh."

Lyney felt torn. He knew that Y/n leaving Fontaine would make him a slightly lonely person- No, he would become a lonely person.

"Will... Will you miss this, Y/n?"

"I don't know." Y/n sighed, "I thought sunsets were beautiful... But now, It's just a chore, and a reminder of what I have to endure at home after the sun sets."

"That place isn't your home."

"Right, it isn't anymore."

"Right? Your home is with the ones who you love and love you. It's-"

"Nowhere..."

Right, the pessimistic thoughts that Y/n always manage to blurt out. It always seems to surprise him no matter how many times he hears it. At this point, he should get used to it.

"Then... What about us? And father?"

"Aunty Arle... The House of the Hearth... You've all done so much for me and there's little to nothing I could give back. I feel so selfish."

Right, all her life, she had been protected by the House of the Hearth, especially with the attempts to protect her from the abuse from her own father. It was their choice to protect her, and everyone, especially the children, were determined to turn her life around with that protection they provided.

And yet Y/n remains to be shameful of their help, thinking that she was giving them burden after burden to hold on for her.

"I... Just... Just forget about me when I leave for Liyue tonight. You and the others don't have to worry about me anymore. I have someone to marry now. Someone who may or may not protect me... I don't even know if... If he'll love me-"

Lyney abruptly cuts off her words, "Then why did you accept it?"

"Accept what?"

"The marriage proposal, why didn't you protest, Y/n?"

"It was the only way to clear papa's debt-"

"But you'll be marrying a total stranger. Don't you think that's..."

"I'll be alright, Lyney. Please, just let me go this time."

Let her go? Let her go? Why? Why let her go? He couldn't accept that. He couldn't accept letting go and watching her approach the embrace of another. He couldn't take it. It was too heartbreaking for him.

It was like his entire world shattered all over again since the report of her engagement to The Balladeer, and that shattered world he loved was possibly going to be pieced back together by someone else.

He feels selfish for this, but he couldn't help it. He loves her. He loves her too much.

He wanted to be the one who marries her, the one who'll give her the best experiences... Her first kiss, her first night, her first back hugs, first romantic, intimate date... So much of the thrilling moments of couples and married couples, he wanted to be the man who'd experience it with Y/n.

But alas, she is to be the Balladeer's wife, and he knows that even the slightest protest will cause him a great scolding from his father. He couldn't defy any orders.

Unless...

"How about we run away together, Y/n." He suddenly proposes, standing up.

"What? Lyney, You-"

"You and me, and maybe even Lynette and Freminet! Let's all run away and leave this place and live somewhere far away and in peace."

"Lyney, you're not thinking this rationally-"

"I know I'm not, but I can't help it anymore!"

"You've done too much for me!"

"And I think I'm not doing enough for you! I will never be enough for you!" Lyney raised his voice without notice, causing Y/n to flinch and back away.

She looked as if she just saw her own father yell at her. It broke Lyney's heart instantly at the realization. He didn't mean to scare or hurt her like that. He really didn't. It tore his heart to see her afraid. It was a constant reminder of his failures to help her.

"Y/n... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to!" He reaches out to her, only to be rejected by her recoiling gestures. She was on the verge of tears, now apologizing to him for her reaction,

"I didn't mean to yell at you, I'm sorry...!"

Lyney felt his chest weighing heavily. It was painful to see the love of his life like this. He wanted to see her happy, smiling, laughing... Not this. Not this at all.

He didn't want to be the same as her own father. Anyone but him.

Carefully, he kneels down to her level, gently pulling her in his loving, desperate embrace. His eyes swell with tears, his sobs held back as he sighed deeply,

"Y/n... I know that this will be selfish of me, but I don't want you to leave... I want you to stay. Stay with me."

Y/n didn't know how to react, other than leaning onto Lyney as he caressed her hair, sniffing her sweet scent,

"I just... I just want you to know..." Lyney smiles, his tears running down his face, " Y/n, my heart aches for everyday. Since the day we met, when I was praised for the very first time on the streets... That my magic tricks made you happy..."

Y/n looked down in shame, listening to his words. She didn't want to believe him at all, but she knew well that Lyney was never the kind of person who lies to her, and it was such a revelation that she never saw coming.

"Y/n I love you. I love you so much! I love you... I love you... I love you, I love you, I love you-!"

"...Why, Lyney? Why me?" So much doubt weighed in Y/n that Lyney just felt so desperate to convince her,

"Since that day we met, Y/n, I have loved you... So, so desperately. Even right now, I'm still desperate for you."

"I... Lyney..." Y/n couldn't properly utter a word, drowned by her sobs and sniffles, tears continue to run down her cheeks.

All the times she spent with Lyney, was all because he loved her? It couldn't be. She couldn't believe that at all. She was but a burden. Surely, none of them in the house saw her as a friend. She was nothing but a chore to them. Having to be under their protection even at inconvenient times.

They all must be celebrating her departure tonight. Good riddance, Y/n L/n.

"I know you'll be leaving tonight, and I... I'll miss you... I'll miss you so much that it's like I'm mourning... Everyone in the house will mourn for you, too."

"Why would you even miss me?" Y/n asks, calming down from her sobbing fit, "Why, Lyney? And Why are you only telling me this now!?"

"I don't know. I really... I don't know. That day when we first met, my heart ached for you since then. I was scared of confessing... I didn't want our friendship to be torn apart... I didn't want to be in the gruesome pain that is rejection."

Lyney's touch was gentle unlike any other, his hand gently caressing her face, his thumb wiping away her tear stains as he pressed his forehead against hers,

"And I wanted you to be happy... To make you realize how much everyone loves you... To realize how much I love you. I guess I, alone, wasn't enough. Heck, even your friendship with the Archon wasn't enough to make you realize how much you are loved."

"I don't deserve you... I don't deserve any of you or your love at all, Lyney!" Y/n sobbed, "You don't deserve me either. I'll just hold everyone back at this point... I'd hold you back! You're aunty's successor!"

Lyney wanted to explain more, but he was too late as Y/n stood up, her beauty illuminated by the moonlight behind her. It almost stunned him, but he could only feel more heartbreak as she opened her mouth, with what seems to him, are only hurtful words.

"Please, Lyney... Please fall in love with someone else. You deserve better than this!"

"Then I'll help you be better! I only want you!" Lyney pleaded, only to receive another rejection from his beloved,

"Please... Y/n!"

"I'm sorry, Lyney. Maybe... Maybe in a different life, I can accept myself to love you."

Lyney was indeed too far to reach her, just as how she was too far to grasp others' love for her.

And that was the last they would see each other for now.

"Let her go, brother. She... She can't stay here... Not anymore." Lynette muttered, placing a hand on her brother's slumped shoulders, her gaze never leaving the group of Fatui soldiers heading their way for Liyue.

"Y/n won't have to change bandages anymore...Right?" Freminet adds.

"Right," Lynette agrees with Freminet's statement, "Y/n won't have to be subjected to her father's abuse. Besides, that wretched man isn't going to last a few more weeks here after being exposed as Y/n's abuser."

"But even then... Even if the Iudex brings justice to the situation, even if the duke made his promises to torment Monsieur L/n for what he had done to her... What if she still has to change bandages because of the Balladeer?" Lyney spat, his knuckles turning white from the frustration and heartbreak that was eating him alive.

"Brother..." Lynette glances at him in disbelief, "You don't think that he'd do that to her, too... Right?"

"Everyone knows the Balladeer has a habit of degrading his own subordinates." Lyney glares down, "He might as well do the same or worse to his own future spouse."

Lynette... The sweet, sweet, darling sister of Lyney. She completely understood where his sentiments lay.

She was no stranger to his feelings for Y/n.

She was no stranger to his devotion for Y/n.

She was no stranger to his desperation for Y/n.

And she was also no stranger to the one-sided relationship between them.

Y/n had always been hesitant around them, even towards the Iudex and Fontaine's Archon. She was too afraid to accept the adoration, the compassion, and the affection that was offered to her.

Lynette knew that Y/n never accepted anything they gave her, let it be materialistic or in a social, emotional connection. She knew well how detached she was from them, how she was too far to be reached.

Lyney was no exception to the struggle to reach into Y/n's heart. It was expected that Y/n rejected his confession earlier.

"Well... Father planted a spy among the Balladeer's troops. Surely we'll know whether Y/n is safe or not while under his care." Freminet points out, remembering the day one of them from the House of the Hearth being chosen for such a mission.

"Right... Hopefully Garyth will do his duty as well to give us every information we need." Lyney sighs.

"He's an honest guy. He won't miss any information to report, especially not to you, Lyney." Lynette adds, gently rubbing her brother's back,

"Whatever we'll find out from him, I just hope that Y/n will at least learn to be happy with him."

As the siblings comforted their dearest brother, their Father knew what was to come as she saw the children from the corner of her line of sight, watching them leave for Liyue. A sigh resounded her exhaustion.

Arlecchino knew better than to let the children deal with those kinds of problems. She, herself, had no profound ideas of what it was like to love or to be loved. All she knew was to just... be there. To have her presence known and stay by the comfort of the children.

It was the same for Y/n. Her goddaughter.

Love. A concept so foreign yet so familiar.

Arlecchino knew well what love does to people. It makes them be better, be worse, or the latter. It could make you, or break you. But to feel that kind of effect, she doesn't really know herself if she had gone through growth or went berserk because of love.

But what she knows is that she is someone who is loved. Y/n couldn't realize that she, herself, is also someone who is loved.

Clinging on to the words of the late mother of her goddaughter, she never turned back from the promise of being the mother-figure who steps up for Y/n.

To be a mother she wished the previous knave genuinely could've been to her and someone she knew back then.

She could only hope that Y/n finds love with the Balladeer, and that Lyney could cope from the love he couldn't have from Y/n.

"Oh? You must be Garyth." The Balladeer hums, staring up and down the newly assigned aide he chose for his betrothed.

"Yes, my lord. I hail from Fontaine." Garyth answers, kneeling down and bowing his head in respect to his new master.

"The knave recommended you... And I can assume it was for a reason." The Balladeer sneers, his smirk showing his arrogance,

"I can tell she gave you orders."

"The Knave only gave me the order to serve and protect your betrothed, my lord. The same orders you have given me upon receiving my assignment."

"Then what about these reports? I know there are other agents assigned to snitch to the Knave, so what are these for?"

Garyth's eyes widened at the sight of his report drafts now in the hands of the Harbinger before him. He promised those three -Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet- to keep these special reports secret. How did he find them!?

"Don't worry, I'm not as bad as a paranoid mother looking through your things. I had someone else do it for me." The Balladeer cackles abruptly, "Now what are these for!?"

"Balladeer, must you degrade a child of the house in front of his father?" Arlecchino sighs, stepping forward, "And Garyth."

"F-Father... It's just-"

"I know. Those three put you up to it. Do you assure that the reports only go to the three and no one else?"

"With my life, I swear the reports will only go to them."

"There you have it, Balladeer. Now, I shall join your betrothed before you make your grand entrance. You have a few more matters to attend to, no?" Arlecchino offers a convincing smile, her authority slightly challenging the lower ranked harbinger.

The Balladeer scoffs, "Fine."

Just as everyone left, his gaze lowers down towards the report that was still in his hand, reading a passage that struck a chord in him,

"May the Balladeer promise to make Y/n the happiest woman alive. Happier than I could've made her."

"Hmph, She'll be the happiest when she and I wed. I can assure you that." Crumpling the draft and throwing it down the fireplace nearby, he stares at the doors to the Northland Bank,

"Y/n will be so happy, she'll keep talking about how much I make her happier than you do."

No one else will make Y/n happy. Only he can make her happy.

Just as someone from the distant past made him happy.

I'm sorry, Lyney enjoyers.