He feels pain, a lot of pain, and then, suddenly, not so much anymore. The cold that he felt on his wounds diminishes and there is a feeling of peace rushing through his heart.
A light shines bright from behind his eyelids, beckoning him to open his eyes again.
"Where... Where am I?"
He feels a cold hand on his forehead and another on his arm, making him shiver. "Do you remember who it is?" He hears a low, velvety voice ask, looking in the direction of the voice. It was a woman with blond, curly hair and violet eyes. She wore a nurse's outfit and a hat with a red hospital symbol.
"Ah... You're... You're Nurse Aislinn." His voice is but a whisper, his throat dry and sore. "What happened? Am I... in the infirmary?"
Tears well up in his eyes as he realizes how much pain he was in before this moment of calm. It feels like someone has taken away the weight of the world from his shoulders, and he can't help but be grateful for it.
"Yes, you are in the infirmary." She takes her hand off his forehead to grab his arm, checking his pulse. "Do you remember your name?"
"My name is... Crepus..." He pauses, frowning slightly as he tries to remember more. "Ragnvindr... I'm the head of Dawn Winery." He glances around, confusion etching itself into his features. "But how did I end up here?"
As if in response to his unspoken question, a sudden memory assaults him like a tidal wave: the malfunctioning experimental combat device in his hands, the bright light, and then nothing but pain. He gasps, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"A war, Mr. Crepus. You defeated the monster with unknown magic, but that magic turned against you." Aislinn takes a cloth and wipes away Crepus' tears, being careful not to hurt him. "You almost died. And your children, Diluc and Kaeya, are in a deep state of depression."
Hearing this, Crepus can't help but feel guilty and ashamed. He wanted to protect his family, and instead he has put them through so much pain. His vision becomes cloudy as more tears well up in his eyes. "I need... I need to see them..." he manages to say between shaky breaths.
He tries to get up, but Aislinn holds him against the stretcher. "You need to rest. I'll call them to check on you, how about that?" She hands him a letter, with the Dawn Winery seal. "They said if you woke up, they were to give you this letter."
He takes the letter, tears pouring down his cheeks as he clutches it to his chest. "T-thank you... Nurse Aislinn," he manages to stammer between sobs. When he finally regains some composure, he looks up at her, determination sparking in his eyes. "I'll make this right."
He glances back down at the letter, then to Aislinn. "Would you... would you tell them I love them? And that I will..." His voice breaks again as more tears spill over, but he forces himself to continue. "...to protect them with everything I have left."
She smiles and looks at the ground before looking at Crepus. "Gentlemen, you will not die. You still have many years to live." She turns, heading to the infirmary door. "I'm going to call Diluc and Kaeya. Please don't leave here."
"I... I won't," Crepus whispers, gripping the letter tighter as he listens to the nurse walk away. "I will be strong for them." His eyes close, a mixture of pain, guilt and determination clouding his features. He takes a deep breath before opening them again and taking another look at the letter. Slowly, with shaking hands, he undoes the seal, revealing its contents.
Dear Father, I hear that you have recovered and are awake in the infirmary. This brings me great joy, as I worried for your safety during those dark hours. My heart aches knowing that it was my own malfunctioning device that caused you so much pain. Please, father, know that I hold no grudge against you.
I am writing this letter to ask for one thing: the chance to redeem myself in your eyes. To make
As soon as he finishes reading the letter, Diluc and Kaeya enter the infirmary, crying and running to Crepus. Even though he was adopted, Kaeya had a great affection and love for Crepus After talking and laughing a lot, they are talking about Vinicola Dawn, talking about different flavors of wine and never-tested ingredients. Crepus looks at Aislinn, who was tidying up the medicine cabinet until he felt Diluc poke his shoulder and ask if he had any feelings for Aislinn. Crepus blushes and looks down, embarrassed.
Crepus looks at Diluc, then to Kaeya, before glancing back down at the letter in his hand, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I... I do have feelings for Aislinn," he says softly. "Very strong ones, actually." He clears his throat self-consciously and tries to meet her gaze, but she's looking down, concentrating on her work. "Nurse Aislinn is one of the kindest, most caring people I've ever met," he continues, a hint of fondness in his voice. "I would be honored if... if she would consider being with me." He pauses, mustering up all his courage before finally speaking again. "If you two think that wouldn't be too much for her..." He trails off, searching their faces for any signs of disapproval or
Diluc and Kaeya smile, encouraging Crepus to try talking to Aislinn or something. When he turns and starts to approach them, they change the subject, trying not to let her find out what they were talking about. "Master Crepus, you will have to take these medicines while you recover." She places a small box with medicine next to Crepus on the stretcher and puts her hands behind her back, showing respect. "Take them every 5 hours for 1 month."
"Thank you," Crepus says with a nod as he takes the box of medicine from Aislinn's outstretched hand. He smiles warmly at her, his heart racing faster than it has in years. "I appreciate your help and support very much." His gaze lingers on her for a moment longer before returning to Diluc and Kaeya.
"So," he says with a chuckle, trying to break the tension, "what do you say? Would you two like to go over some new winemaking plans?" He glances at Aislinn again, hoping she'll find this change of subject acceptable.
When they change the subject, she walks to the infirmary door and leaves, leaving them alone there. Diluc and Kaeya start saying that he should have tried to flirt with her, since she was very beautiful and was the only woman in the mansion. Crepus smiles at his children and blushes, looking at the medicine box.
"Oh? Well, you know..." Crepus begins, his cheeks flushing even redder as he steals a glance in her direction. "Perhaps I might need your help with that. After all, you're both quite charming yourselves." He pauses, chuckling nervously before looking back at Diluc and Kaeya. "But enough about me! What did you think of the new honey wine recipe? We could use some fresh ideas around here."
As they discuss plans for Dawn Winery, Crepus can't help but steal sideways glances at Aislinn whenever she passes by, his heart racing with anticipation. It feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders, as if finally allowing himself to feel these emotions is freeing him in ways he never imagined possible.
After a few hours, Diluc and Kaeya left the infirmary to bring dinner to Crepus. As he sits there alone with Aislinn, he works up the courage to ask her out on a date.
Crepus looks at the nurse hesitantly before gathering his courage. "Nurse Aislinn...," he begins, his voice barely a whisper. "I wanted to ask... if you would do me the honor of accompanying me on a date." He swallows hard, waiting for her response with bated breath.
She looks at Crepus in surprise before blushing and looking down. "Well, I don't have very nice dresses to go on a date with, sir..."
Hearing her protest, confusion spreads across Crepus' features. "Oh, no," he says quickly, "I didn't mean anything fancy. We could just go for a walk around Mondstadt and perhaps get some ice cream. I think you'd look beautiful in anything." A shy smile plays at the corners of his lips. "Would you consider it?"
She smiles and blushes some more. "Yes, I would love to."
Crepus beams with relief and joy at her answer. "Wonderful! How about tomorrow afternoon? I can ask one of the servants to help you choose an appropriate outfit." His heart skips a beat as he thinks about spending time alone with Aislinn, and he suddenly feels much better than he has in weeks. He reaches out to take her hand gently in his own, a shy smile playing on his lips. "I'm looking forward to it already."
The rest of the evening passes by in a blur of conversation and laughter as they talk about everything under the sun, from their favorite books and movies to childhood memories and dreams for the future. For once, Crepus doesn't feel like he has anything to prove or accomplish; all that matters is being here with Aislinn, enjoying every moment of it.
The next day, Crepus wakes up anxious, barely containing his happiness. He decides to go tell Diluc and Kaeya about his date with Aislinn, hoping they like his progress with Aislinn.
After making sure he looks presentable, Crepus knocks softly on Diluc and Kaeya's shared bedroom door. When they answer, he can't help but grin like a fool. "Good morning, boys," he says cheerfully. "I hope you slept well. I have some very good news." They share confused looks before he continues, his face flushing slightly again. "Aislinn and I are going on a date today!"
Diluc's eyes widen in surprise while Kaeya claps him on the back, a wide grin spreading across his face. "That's wonderful news, father!" he exclaims, sounding genuinely pleased. Crepus nods, unable to hide his happiness as he asks them to keep an eye on things at the winery in his absence. They promise with enthusiasm and wish him a good time before seeing him off
When it was almost time for the meeting, Crepus adjusted his suit one last time before a butler entered his room and said that Aislinn was waiting for him outside the Dawn winery. He takes a deep breath and follows the butler. When he gets there, he sees Aislinn sitting on a bench wearing a light white dress and a white glove. She was watching the sunset, waiting for Crepus.
As Crepus approaches Aislinn, he can't help but marvel at how beautiful she looks in the dress the servant had picked out for her earlier. "You are absolutely stunning," he whispers, stopping a respectful distance away before taking another step closer. He offers his hand to help her up from the bench, their eyes locked on each other as they slowly slip their hands into one another's.
"Thank you," she says shyly, blushing as she stands beside him. The sun dips below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange. They stand there together, watching the world change colors around them, neither one of them willing to break this perfect moment by speaking.
Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Crepus turns his head toward Aislinn and smiles softly. "Shall we?" he asks, gesturing toward a nearby