"Clorinde!"
"Waaah! That murderer is so cruel and despicable!"
"It's one thing to have someone impersonate you to trick me, but to release those photos too...!"
"And, and that message...!"
"Waaah! Clorinde, I can't face anyone anymore!"
Furina clung tightly to Clorinde, who had rushed to her side at the sound of her cries, burying her face in the other woman's ample chest and weeping bitterly, her eyes swollen and red.
"Clorinde, you must catch him! You must teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"
"Waaah! He's so, so awful...!"
"Lady Furina, please rest assured. I will investigate this thoroughly and bring the perpetrator to justice as swiftly as possible."
After hearing Furina's tearful complaint, Clorinde reassured her.
Only then did Furina's emotions begin to stabilize slightly. Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she declared fiercely, "Today, I shall have double the cake to soothe my wounded heart!"
Furina would have been better off not mentioning cake at all. The word dredged up unpleasant memories for Clorinde, especially after spotting the "Furina—Spitting Tea" photo on the table. She turned to Furina and asked, "Lady Furina, the cake you rewarded me with that day had a distinct black tea flavor. Would you care to explain?"
Upon hearing Clorinde's question, Furina's expression froze, and she broke into a cold sweat.
"Ahem... Clorinde, that cake was actually a brand-new creation," Furina stammered, trying to maintain her composure. "It perfectly blends the sweetness of cream with the rich aroma of black tea, creating an unimaginable delicacy for the taste buds! Don't you think it tastes far better than the old cakes?"
Furina forced a calm tone, though her eyes darted nervously, avoiding Clorinde's gaze entirely.
Clorinde knew full well that Furina had indulged in imported cake. She sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of helpless resignation.
"You're right, Lady Furina. This cake is much better than before."
"See? See!"
Furina breathed a sigh of relief, glad she'd managed to bluff her way out of the situation.
"Such a delicious cake should be shared with everyone. I'll ask the baker for the recipe. It would be wonderful if we could make it widely available throughout Fontaine."
"Lady Furina must want the people to enjoy this cake too, right?"
Furina broke into a cold sweat, forcing herself to reply.
"Ahem... the baker apparently took a sick day today. Why don't you ask about the recipe some other time, Clorinde?"
Seeing Furina rack her brain so hard it nearly fried her circuits to come up with such a lame excuse, Clorinde decided to let go of her lingering annoyance.
It's already eaten. What's done is done.
Besides, Furina was Fontaine's Hydro Archon. No matter how close they were, Clorinde couldn't overstep her bounds.
"How unfortunate."
"Very well. I'll ask the baker about the recipe another day."
Furina wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, sighing in relief once more. I need to get my story straight with the baker immediately! she thought frantically.
"Lady Furina, let's agree on a secret code."
"Huh?" Furina responded, utterly bewildered by Clorinde's suggestion.
Faced with Furina's confusion, Clorinde patiently explained:
"We now know the Murderer has a way to mimic our appearances and voices. They previously impersonated me to deceive you, Lady Furina. And now, they've mixed in fake photos to smear your reputation. The voice recording too—it was likely the Murderer mimicking your voice."
"Ah? Ah... Ah!"
"Clorinde, you're absolutely right!"
"That Murderer is absolutely despicable! Not only did they take photos to defame me, but they also used my voice to deceive everyone! This is unforgivable!"
Furina clapped her hands together, her face lighting up with sudden delight.
Seeing Furina's reaction, Clorinde was slightly bewildered. Why did she seem... almost gleeful while saying these things?
She must be too furious to think straight, Clorinde thought.
Clorinde pondered for a moment, then temporarily put the matter aside.
"So, to prevent a repeat of what happened last time, we could agree on a secret code beforehand. That way, even if someone impersonates us, they won't know the code."
Furina's eyes lit up at Clorinde's suggestion.
"Clorinde, you're so clever!"
"A secret code, a secret code... Let me think, what kind of code would be suitable?"
"I've got it! How about 'Fontaine's cake shop is having a half-price sale today'?"
Clorinde: "..."
"As you wish, Lady Furina."
Clorinde sighed softly, then addressed Furina.
"Lady Furina, this time the criminal acted boldly, so they might have left some clues."
"Therefore, I wish to investigate the streets personally and see if I can uncover any leads."
"Ah? Clorinde, you're leaving already?"
Hearing Clorinde's words, Furina felt a familiar pang of panic.
Every time Clorinde was away, major trouble seemed to strike. It was getting to the point where she wanted to cling to Clorinde indefinitely.
Seeing the intense reluctance in Furina's eyes, Clorinde responded, "If Lady Furina wishes me to stay, I can have the Maison Gardiennage officers investigate this matter."
"However, the murderer is highly skilled, and some subtle clues might be overlooked."
"N-no, no, Clorinde, you can go with peace of mind!" Furina insisted.
"I am the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, the Archon Focalors! How could I possibly fear a mere murderer?"
"If that wretched culprit dares to show his face again, I'll personally apprehend him!"
Furina forced a strained smile. After hearing her words, Clorinde nodded.
"Indeed, Lady Furina's power is far beyond the reach of petty criminals."
"To be honest, I've always known my own strength is still insufficient to serve as Lady Furina's bodyguard."
"Lady Furina doesn't truly need my protection. All this time, it's been Lady Furina who has been looking after me. I understand that."
Upon hearing Clorinde's words, Furina nearly burst into tears.
"No, Clorinde, I truly do need your protection!"
"If only you could stay by my side twenty-four hours a day, that would be even better!"
"In truth, if Lady Furina were to act, even using just one percent of her power, I doubt there are many in all of Fontaine who could withstand her. All I can do is try to shield her from the madmen who disregard her kindness and dare to offend her."
"However, Lady Furina, you really can't afford to be too lenient with the murderers."
"Their crimes are so heinous that even if they suffered every punishment imaginable and died a hundred times over, it still wouldn't be enough!"
"When I'm not around, Lady Furina, please take good care of yourself."
"Ahem, I know!"
"Then this time, I'll give you a glimpse of my true power as an Archon, Clorinde!"
As Furina spoke these grand words, tears streamed silently down her face.
Seeing Furina's confident demeanor, Clorinde nodded reassuringly and bid her farewell.
"Then, Lady Furina, I'll take my leave for now."
"Very well, Clorinde. Take care of yourself too."
Furina watched Clorinde's figure gradually recede, her sense of security fading with each step.
"Oh, Lady Furina," Clorinde said, turning back. "Monsieur Neuvillette seems to be in rather low spirits lately. Since you're close to him, perhaps you could check on him if you have the time."
Clorinde's words startled Furina momentarily. Then, her eyes suddenly lit up with a dazzling gleam.
That's right! With Clorinde gone, I can actually go see Neuvillette!
Clorinde, you're my hero!
Unaware of Furina's thoughts, Clorinde left the room and headed toward the mansion's exit.
However, as she rounded a corner in the corridor, she overheard a conversation between two Maison Gardiennage officers.
"I never imagined Lady Furina had such an ambiguous relationship with Miss Clorinde..."
Upon hearing their conversation, Clorinde frowned, realizing she indeed needed to replace some personnel.
She could overlook the dim-witted actions, but even believing the slanderous recordings the murderer had disseminated throughout Fontaine's streets and alleys, and then gossiping about her relationship with Furina behind her back?
With that thought, Clorinde slightly altered her course, veering toward the two guards.
However, just as she was about to speak up and reprimand them, their subsequent discussion made her pupils dilate in shock.
"Yeah, I was stunned that day too."
"I never imagined that after hearing Lady Furina crying and barging into the room, I'd find her confessing her feelings to Miss Clorinde."
"I heard it too. To be honest, I never realized Lady Furina had been in love with Miss Clorinde all this time."
Clorinde was completely dumbfounded.
Wait a minute... could it be that the evidence the murderer presented wasn't fabricated after all?
Did Lady Furina really say that herself in the recording?!
Clorinde recalled Lady Furina's discomfort at the time, only deepening her confusion.
"Sigh, what's with all this?!"
"I was planning to pursue Miss Clorinde myself, but now Lady Furina's got her eyes on her. How am I supposed to compete with such a formidable rival?!"
"This world is so unfair! Why does all the good stuff have to be kept in-house...?"
"Come on, with your personality, Miss Clorinde would never even look at you!"
"Besides, wouldn't Miss Clorinde be better off with Lady Furina? Aren't their intimate interactions a sight for sore eyes?"
"Ayo, brother, you really get it!"
The two Maison Gardiennage officers exchanged knowing smiles, the kind only men understand.
Unable to listen any longer, Clorinde materialized behind them.
"Enough!"
"Gathering here to chat during work hours? Do you want to be fired?"
Startled by Clorinde's voice, the officers immediately began begging for mercy.
Clorinde wasn't truly heartless; she merely warned the two to never let it happen again before asking the question that had been weighing on her mind.
"About what happened that day... How many people heard?"
The two froze for a moment before scrambling to answer.
"Miss Clorinde, there were probably about a dozen people in Lady Furina's room that day."
"As for how many heard... we all must have heard."
Clorinde's body jolted violently.
Didn't that mean almost everyone in the manor had heard?!
She quickly regained her composure and dismissed the pair, though her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
Lady Furina... likes me?!
Clorinde lifted her gaze to the gloomy sky, her mind a complete blank. Her eyes unfocused, she had no idea what to do next...
Meanwhile, Neuvillette returned to his office with a weary heart and suddenly noticed a tuft of pale blue hair stubbornly poking out from under his desk, proclaiming its unique presence.
Given Neuvillette's familiarity with the other party, he instantly recognized the uninvited guest in his office.
"Ahem, ahem."
Neuvillette cleared his throat twice, signaling his presence.
"Neuvillette? Wonderful, you're finally back!"
Hearing the noise, Furina poked her head out from under the desk. Upon seeing Neuvillette's exceptionally powerful and reassuring figure, her face lit up with an incomparably radiant smile.
"What are you doing in my chair?"
"Uh, well..."
Furina's smile froze instantly. She scratched her head awkwardly, glancing sheepishly under the desk.
Unwilling to waste time on this matter, Neuvillette strode forward and immediately noticed the documents scattered across the floor. His eye twitched.
"I, I just bumped into them accidentally!"
"And who stacked these files so high anyway? It was easy to knock them over!"
Hearing Furina's flimsy excuses, Neuvillette took a deep breath.
"I'll handle this myself. If there's nothing else, please leave."
"Please don't give me unnecessary work, Lady Furina."
"Oh, Neuvillette, don't be so stingy! I already told you I didn't do it on purpose!"
"Besides, of course I'd come to you if I had something important to discuss! And it is extremely important!"
Furina said awkwardly, but quickly latched onto Neuvillette.
"Fine, just say what's on your mind. I'll listen, for now."
Neuvillette shook his head helplessly and returned to his seat. After tidying up the scattered documents, he sat down, pulled out one of the letters, and began to review it.
Clearly, Neuvillette didn't believe Furina had anything truly important to discuss.