Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [9]

Two Days Later.
Mondstadt.
Dawn Winery.

From the early morning, the manor was alive with the noise and bustle of guests. The halls were packed with visitors from every nation—today’s event was a crucial business banquet.

Merchants and representatives from every country who partnered with Dawn Winery had sent their people.

Today, Crepus would officially present his son, Diluc, inviting everyone to meet the heir of Dawn Winery.

As for his adopted son, Kaeya—out of a sense of propriety, he’d been staying at the Knights’ headquarters since yesterday and hadn’t come home.

Diluc wasn’t happy about it.

He’d grown up alongside Kaeya—brawling in the streets, joining the Knights together. In his eyes, Kaeya was his brother in all but blood.

Crepus didn’t play favorites, either. But when it came to the matter of succession, Kaeya simply wasn’t suited to stand beside Diluc as an heir. Besides, Kaeya was clever enough to know not to jeopardize either father-son or brotherly bonds over such things—so he’d chosen to remain in Mondstadt for now.

Among all the guests,

it was no surprise that Jean, the Dandelion Knight of the Gunnhildr family, drew the most attention.

Though she was barely fifteen, she already stood among Mondstadt’s Four Winds as the Lion of the South, and had earned Varka’s highest praise.

Her status and lineage were enough to make every merchant eager to curry favor.

Eula, by her side, drew her own share of curious foreigners—

—but the moment anyone heard she was from the Lawrence clan, they’d quickly find an excuse to slip away.

All except for one person.

The last person Eula wanted to see.

“Hey, long time no see,”

Artem approached with a wine glass in hand, nodding with a cheerful smile.

“What are you doing here?”

“I don’t recall anyone inviting the Fatui.”

Eula’s voice was icy as ever.

Just two days ago, she’d been beaten by Artem in public. She hadn’t been seriously hurt, but some in her clan immediately tried to use it as an excuse to strip her of the [Mark of Unforgiving Frost], stirring up no end of trouble. The townsfolk’s hostility toward her only deepened—if she weren’t so strong-willed, the pressure from her family and the endless gossip would have broken her already.

So seeing Artem now felt like being pestered by a particularly persistent and irritating fly.

“Tsk tsk, in Teyvat, is there anywhere the Fatui aren’t welcome?” Artem grinned.

“Forget Dawn Winery—even the Knights of Favonius treat me as a guest of honor the moment I show up.”

He smiled so brightly that Eula wanted nothing more than to knock out every one of his gleaming teeth.

The worst part was—she couldn’t deny it.

He was absolutely right.
With Barbatos gone and the Four Winds scattered, Mondstadt was simply no match for Snezhnaya, no matter how you looked at it. Even a single envoy could throw their weight around as much as they pleased.

“Oh, by the way… You look troubled. How about I tell you a Snezhnayan story?”

Artem said this with a carefree smile.

“No need,”

Eula snapped, turning to leave.

But as soon as she moved, Artem grabbed her arm.

She struggled, but against his iron grip, she couldn’t budge an inch.

Realizing it was pointless, she yanked her arm free and scowled, “Is this how you treat a lady?”

“I will have my vengeance for this.”

“Do you ever say anything besides ‘I will have my vengeance’?” Artem clicked his tongue. “If I were you, and someone acted this arrogant to my face, I’d just punch them.”

“…”

Staring at Artem’s shameless grin, Eula was speechless.

Of course she wanted revenge—but the result was obvious.

“Enough with the pointless talk. Let me tell you a story from Snezhnaya.”

Artem didn’t care whether she wanted to hear it or not. He simply began:

“When I was in the military academy in Snezhnaya, there was this one classmate.”

“He was born of old nobility—always so proud of his lineage.”

“But Snezhnaya doesn’t have nobility anymore. The Tsaritsa crushed all that long ago.”

“Still, those nobles just wouldn’t accept it.”

“They were always stirring up trouble.”

“When that classmate spoke, you know what he’d say?”

Artem cleared his throat, mimicking a haughty accent:
"Hmph! You crude, uncultured commoners—if you wish to address me, you must mind your language. The way you speak is simply beneath me."

Dropping the act, Artem returned to his usual storytelling tone:

“He was always like that. Would even demand we kneel and salute him—but he never stopped to consider where he was.”

“After all, it was the Snezhnayan military academy—the strictest discipline in the land. Not some noble estate.”

“So one night, a few of us classmates grabbed him, threw a sack over his head, and gave him a good beating.”

“When the instructor found out, he asked who’d done it. Would you believe it, that kid took the blame himself—claimed he fell down the stairs. Saved us all from punishment.”

“Strange as it sounds, after that, we actually became friends with that stubborn noble.”

“Friends?” Eula’s eyes flickered with a trace of surprise.

She’d started out listening only half-heartedly, but suddenly found herself drawn in.

“Yeah, friends.”

Artem smiled, a distant, almost wistful look in his eyes.

“After a few scuffles, he started letting go of all that rotten noble etiquette.”

“We went ice-fishing together, hunting together, drinking together… those were some good days.”

“Too bad…” He shook his head, genuinely regretful.

“Too bad?” Eula, now fully invested, pressed for more. “What happened?”

Artem glanced at her, half-smiling.

“Too bad his family…well, they tried to overthrow Snezhnaya. Tried to overthrow the Tsaritsa. Dreamed of restoring the age of nobility.”

“They conspired with the people of Fontaine and Natlan—even leaked the defenses of Snezhnaya.”

“You’re a Knight of Favonius. You know what something like that means, right?”

“Betrayal.” Eula’s voice was a snarl. “What good is a family like that?”

“Exactly. What good is a family like that?”

Artem repeated her words, then went on:
“My friend said the same thing before he betrayed his own house.”

“Betrayed his own family?” Eula’s eyes widened.

“Yeah. After learning of their treachery, he turned them in to the Fatui—exposing everything.”

“The Tsaritsa was furious, ready to have the whole clan executed. But thanks to the Harbinger’s intervention—and in recognition of his service—they were spared death, simply exiled from Snezhnaya.”

“And my friend was promoted, made an Inspector on par with me.”

“Some say he sold out his family for glory and fortune.”

“Some say he stayed true to the Tsaritsa and should be hailed as a hero.”

“Eula Lawrence—what do you think? Which one is right?”

With that, Artem drained his glass, chuckled, and walked away—

Leaving Eula rooted to the spot, her mind tangled in questions with no easy answer.

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This is a fan translation of 提瓦特之我在至冬做臥底 by 曉風殘月聽荷 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!