#scaramouche from teyvat: i have ended bloodlines. i have brought ruin to all i have encountered. bow to me!!!! >:)

[merakiui]

thinking about scaramouche who, after being defeated by the traveler and nahida, never regains consciousness in teyvat and instead wakes in another world entirely (a world from one of yae publishing house's light novels LOL). at first it seems fine because surely, even if he's reborn, he can still claw his way to the top and attain unfathomable power, yes?

wrong. very wrong.

scaramouche finds that in this particular world he is a nobody peasant working as a measly servant for an all-powerful monarch (you). given his position as a harbinger, he rarely had time to entertain such foolish pastimes as reading silly light novels, so he has no idea what sort of plot this world follows and whether you're a kind-hearted monarch or a tyrant. he supposes he should lie low for now until he learns more about this place and the people in it.

if only it were that easy.

some of the servants are rather cruel to him, and because scaramouche has never truly had to serve others before (rather it was the other way around) he's unaccustomed to the fast-paced lifestyle of a servant. the others like to tease and bully him, making him seem inept by slyly tripping him in the halls when important figures are around or by conveniently forgetting to notify him of his duties for the day so he's left to wander the palace aimlessly. he's scolded nearly every day and he hates feeling beneath everyone. scaramouche is one more "harmless mistake" away from committing the worst atrocity in all of history when he realizes that, if he really wants power, he shouldn't wait around like a fool! he's lord scaramouche, after all! how dare they make a mighty figure such as he get on his hands and knees and scrub mud from the floor tiles?!

his plan is rather simple: if he can work his way up through the ranks of servants and earn your trust, he will have his chance at assassinating you and taking the throne for himself. all he needs to do is become your personal butler and then he'll have far more access to you than he does now. currently, he's only caught glimpses of you or listened in on conversations in which you were the subject. your staff speak so highly of you. perhaps this will be easier than he thought.

but then, on the night of your birthday gala, someone tries to kill you. scaramouche, infuriated that there's someone else who might try to steal his spot at everlasting glory and kingship, is quick to defend you. he's only thinking of his own selfish goals when he does this, but everyone else sees his potential. tonight, he's proven to everyone that he is highly adept in combat. your would-be assassin flees and scaramouche attempts to pursue them, only to lose sight of them as they blend into the inky vastness of the night. he's so frustrated. if he had his power and strength from his original world, that person would have been dead the moment they stepped into his line of sight. he's silently fuming as he stands on the balcony overlooking the forest and town beyond the palace, assessing his next move.

he doesn't get too far into his thoughts before a cheerful round of applause is thundering through the ballroom, and he whirls on his heel, stupefied. they're...cheering for him. for him. because he's saved your life. because he's proven not only loyalty but strength.

scaramouche goes from a nobody servant to a hero in the span of one evening and you, so touched by his quickness to protect, appoint him as a knight. tomorrow morning, bright and early, he'll begin honing his skills alongside the rest of the royal military. this may not have been part of his original plan, but it's a solid start. even if he doesn't become your personal butler, he can work towards becoming one of your few most trusted personal attendants. and now that he has access to weaponry with this newfound position (and has memorized the layout of the palace) he will be unstoppable in his pursuits!

if scaramouche had read the light novel, he would know that it's a romance between monarch and knight. but with his murderous scheme, it's going to quickly become a different genre...