Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [25]

After parting ways with Varka, Artem Vetrovski limped along, rubbing his backside and cursing under his breath.

“All I did was poke a little fun at you! Did you really have to go that hard?”

He’d barely finished a few casual jabs before the infuriated Varka had thrown him to the ground and given him a thorough beating. The old bastard had even aimed for the softest spot, now Artem was hobbling with every step.

Still, there was one thing that had genuinely surprised him.

Artem had been prepared for Varka to make excuses or try to wriggle out of it, but the old man had actually agreed, full of bravado, to find him a wife.

It was just… the choice was a little cruel.

Varka’s words still echoed in his mind:

“I, Varka, Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius—when have I ever gone back on my word?”

“I’ve already picked someone out for you.”

“It’s that girl from the Lawrence clan!”

“You’ve told her stories, gotten her drunk a dozen times, even beaten her up twice—you two have at least some kind of connection.”

“As for how a Fatui Inspector like you is supposed to marry a Knight of Favonius, well, that’s a headache for another day. Let me handle Crepus first, then I’ll figure something out.”

And with that, the old fox had shamelessly slipped away.

What a mess…

Just thinking about the prospect of marrying Eula—after having beaten her up twice—left Artem somewhere between amused and helpless.

But, when he considered it…

There really wasn’t anyone else.

Of the younger generation in the Knights of Favonius who could be considered a match for Artem, there were only a handful.

Rosaria was more like a sister to him—Varka knew that, so she was off the list.

Jean’s status didn’t fit. As the eldest daughter of the Gunnhildr clan and the Church’s bishop, even if Varka agreed, neither Frederica nor Seamus would, and even if they did, the Fatui would never allow it.

Barbara was the same, and besides, Artem had no interest in a girl barely thirteen or fourteen.

Lisa? Out of the question. The mysterious librarian barely gave Varka’s words the time of day.

As for the rest—
Either too young, or even younger.

So, in the end, only Eula was left.

She was, after all, a Lawrence by blood.
No matter how loyal she was to Mondstadt, she’d never be fully accepted among the Knights’ inner circle.

Using an unpopular “sinner’s” descendant to win over an orphan Fatui agent like him…

Varka, you old schemer. What a perfect play.

Artem curled his lip in a wry smile.

A little thought was all it took to guess what Varka was planning.

And even after all those calculations, the old man still had the gall to give him an empty promise.

“Wait until I’ve handled Crepus”?

Who knew when that would be.

And after that, figure out a way?

Yeah, right—who knew if he’d ever actually come up with a solution.

Varka, oh Varka…

Do you take me for a three-year-old? Or just some fool who goes weak in the knees at the sight of a pretty face?

Still muttering sarcastically, Artem made his way back to Windrise.

The moment he saw Eula, still tied up tight, he felt a twinge of guilt.

Tch, if you ever found out that Varka’s trying to marry you off to me for political gain… how big would your list of vengeances would you have against me?

He crouched down, gently brushing aside her hair to get a closer look at her delicate, sleeping face.

Up to now, every meeting between them had ended in bickering or blows, he’d never had the chance to observe her this closely.

And he had to admit:

On Teyvat, those blessed by the elements weren’t just longer-lived, they were preternaturally beautiful.

Setting aside all the political calculations, Eula was truly captivating.

But that admiration broke off abruptly when his gaze landed on a small, crude patch on her clothing.

Artem fell silent.

He’d never lived in Mondstadt, but he’d heard enough about Eula’s situation to guess what she’d gone through.

Shops refused to serve her.
Restaurants wouldn’t seat her.

The very teammates who should have stood beside her shunned, feared, and resented her.

Even her own family offered nothing but blame and scorn.

And yet, this girl still fought to integrate, still struggled to break free from the chains of pointless hatred.

Suddenly, Artem smiled.

Guess we’re both unlucky souls, huh?

I don’t have a family, and you barely do, either. Not such a bad match, honestly.

Come to think of it, maybe we wouldn’t be so bad together after all.

---

“Hey, Lawrence—wake up.”

“Hey! Wake up—”

In a haze, Eula thought she heard someone calling her.

A voice she knew all too well, and couldn’t stand.

“Hey—”

All at once, Eula jerked upright, the memory snapping into place.

“Lawrence, how’d you end up tied up out here?” Artem drawled, legs crossed as he perched on a rock.

Eula’s heart leapt. Fully awake now, she glanced down at the cut ropes at her feet and frowned.

“You were the one who rescued me?”

Artem looked theatrically around, grinning.

“Do you see anyone else here?”

“….”

Eula fell silent, eyes sweeping over the rest of the group, all still trussed up tight.

Not just the 4th Company.
Even the 9th Company was here, bound hand and foot.

That masked man who’d attacked them really was terrifyingly strong.

“Hey, aren’t you going to say thank you?” Artem demanded, disgruntled.

Eula snapped back to herself and, after a moment’s hesitation, muttered, “Th-thank you.”

“Tch. No effort at all.”

Artem grumbled, hopping down from the rock.

He strolled up to Eula, hands on his hips, leaning down.

“Hey, you still haven’t told me—how’d you end up tied up like this?”

“We were ambushed,” Eula replied, feeling his breath warm on her cheek.

She hurriedly leaned back, trying to put more space between them.

“There’s someone in Mondstadt bold enough to ambush the Knights of Favonius?” Artem tilted his head, feigning innocence.

“There is. For example, your Fa—”

She cut herself off mid-sentence, clamping her mouth shut.

After all, she’d just been rescued by a Snezhnayan envoy; in this situation, some things were better left unsaid.

“You were going to say ‘the Fatui,’ weren’t you?”

“Really—what a stereotype.”

“Every time there’s trouble, it always comes back to us, huh?”

“When honestly, we’ve been nothing but upstanding citizens lately—aside from the occasional street brawl, of course.”

Artem rambled on for a while before ending with a famous line:
“Prejudice is a mountain in the heart; no matter how hard you try, you’ll never move it!”

Eula’s eyes sparkled as she repeated the phrase softly.

“All right, Lawrence—er, Eula, right?”

“Rescuing Knights of Favonius isn’t really in my job description.”

“And let’s be real, you Mondstadters don’t exactly appreciate favors from the Fatui.”

“So here—take the credit for this one.”

“If you get a chance, just buy me a drink at Angel’s Share.”

As he spoke, Artem tossed a dagger.

Thunk.

Embedding it in the rock beside Eula.

With that, he turned and sauntered away.

Watching his retreating back, Eula got to her feet, pulled out the dagger, and kept her gaze fixed on him until he was completely out of sight.

Only then did she start cutting the ropes from her comrades and rousing them from their stupor.

---

T/N: AHHHH EULA IS SO CUTE, im the cat

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!