"Jeffrey, please explain how you managed to furnish this room with such a generous budget, yet this is all you've done?"
Wriothesley stared at the bare room Jeffrey had found—containing nothing but a plush sofa and an exquisite table—his fists clenching as he interrogated Jeffrey.
"Your Grace, I believe that for Lady Furina, the sofa and table are the most essential furnishings."
"I once had the honor of queuing for a chance to meet Lady Furina in person. In her own chambers, I saw nothing but a table and a sofa."
"Therefore, we can conclude that Archons don't need to sleep or bathe, so a sofa and a table are all they require!"
"That's why I believe my arrangement is quite excellent. Not only have I retained the most essential elements, but I've also created ample space for Lady Furina to fully express her imagination!"
Hearing Jeffrey's meticulous explanation, Wriothesley felt his blood pressure rise slightly.
"Jeffrey, are you unaware that the Hydro Archon receives Fontaine citizens in the guest quarters?"
"Oh, so that's how it is!" Jeffrey exclaimed, feigning sudden realization. "As expected of the Duke—you know such things. My dull mind could never have conceived of that."
Wriothesley chuckled in exasperation and retorted, "Not only do I know that, but I also know you've never even met the Hydro Archon."
"You've worked in the Fortress of Meropide since birth. Tell me, how did you ever line up to meet the Hydro Archon?"
"I must have misremembered. I think I heard it from someone else!"
"Who told you?"
"Uh... I can't recall..."
At this point, Wriothesley had heard enough. He waved his hand, and two guards immediately stepped forward to restrain Jeffrey.
"Jeffrey, I never expected you to be a traitor."
"I'm innocent, Your Grace!" Jeffrey pleaded. "I've always been utterly loyal to you!"
Wriothesley ignored him and waved for his men to take Jeffrey away.
As Jeffrey's cries of innocence faded into the distance, Wriothesley's expression darkened. Two consecutive orders thwarted had left him deeply suspicious that the Fortress of Meropide's administrative structure had been infiltrated by the young woman.
But isn't this exposure too hasty? he thought.
Both Colt and Jeffrey could have stabbed me in the back at a critical moment, yet they expose themselves over such a trivial matter as Lady Furina's dormitory assignment. What exactly is she planning?
Sensing a looming danger, Wriothesley immediately turned to leave, instructing his attendant as he walked.
"Prepare a procurement list. This time, I will personally furnish Lady Furina's new chambers."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Suddenly, Wriothesley paused, stroking his chin, and a smile returned to his face.
"Ah, yes. Tell Miss Emily to submit a report on her guidance regarding Lady Furina's life in the Fortress of Meropide. I need it by dinner."
Though puzzled by Wriothesley's request, the attendant nodded.
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Writing a report?"
The young woman raised an eyebrow at the person who had appeared before her.
"Surely you can handle something this trivial for me, can't you?"
A charming smile spread across her face, mirrored by a subtle smile on the other person's face.
"You're right, Miss Emily."
"Go then. Remember to make it vivid and compelling—it must convey my hardships and struggles so vividly that the Duke will truly understand what I've endured!"
Furina returned from her afternoon duties to witness this scene.
Watching the person's retreating figure, Furina turned to Emily, her brow furrowed in curiosity.
"Emily, who was that person?"
"Oh, just a friend asking for advice on writing a report."
Emily didn't want to dwell on the matter and quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Lady Furina, I heard you were convicted of a crime due to an accident and ended up in the Fortress of Meropide. Could you tell me the full story?"
Upon hearing Emily's question, Furina stiffened abruptly, her expression turning visibly unnatural.
"Emily, why... why are you suddenly asking about that?"
"It's nothing really, just a simple accident. Even as the Hydro Archon, I don't wield the power to control fate."
"Just curious. Tell me, please?"
"Lady Furina, when you asked why I was imprisoned last time, I told you right away!"
"And you still haven't answered me: Was what I did actually a crime?"
"As the God of Justice of Fontaine, I really want to hear your answer!"
The girl's words only made Furina feel worse. How could she possibly say "not guilty"?
If she did, wouldn't the law she herself had pushed for—prohibiting naming pets after Furina—become a complete joke?!
But how could she declare Emily guilty when the girl revered and loved her so deeply?
"Ahem, according to Fontaine's laws, Emily, your actions are indeed not permitted..."
"By the way, Emily, you wanted to hear how I ended up in prison, right? I'll tell you now!"
Unable to answer the girl directly, Furina steeled herself and began recounting a heavily embellished version of the events leading up to her imprisonment, including the proceedings at the Judgment.
After listening to Furina's account, Emily immediately fell into deep thought.
"What's wrong, Emily?"
Furina asked anxiously, noticing the expression on the young woman's face. She worried that Emily might have detected some inconsistencies in her story, leading her to suspect the truth and deduce that Furina was hiding something.
Emily was remarkably intelligent, a fact Furina had come to deeply appreciate during their time together.
"I did indeed trigger this incident, and even the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale has declared me guilty."
"As the Hydro Archon, I cannot shirk responsibility. That's why I'm atoning for my crimes here in the Fortress of Meropide, just like any ordinary person."
As she spoke, Furina couldn't help but feel a pang of confusion. To everyone else, the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale was considered absolutely impartial and infallible. But knowing the truth behind the case, she understood she was innocent; the true culprit was Arlecchino. Yet the Oratrice had condemned her.
Did this mean the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale wasn't truly infallible? Could centuries of past cases have resulted in wrongful convictions?
But the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale was said to have been left behind by the Hydro Archon herself. How could such a thing happen?
Just as Furina was deep in thought, a young girl's excited voice suddenly rang out in her ear.
"Lady Furina, I've figured it out!"
"You've been framed!"
"The true culprit isn't you!"
Furina's heart skipped a beat at the girl's words. Seeing the smile on the girl's face, she realized her back was already soaked with cold sweat.
"No, no, Emily, you don't need to defend me. I know I'm the guilty one in this case!"
"Lady Furina, you have absolutely nothing to do with this case! I've uncovered the key to solving it!"
"No, that's not true! I am the guilty one, I'm absolutely certain!"
Furina's heart clenched completely as she made one last desperate attempt to deny the truth.
"Lady Furina, you're sweating so much!"
Hearing the girl's remark, Furina raised a hand to wipe her forehead and found the back of her hand completely drenched. She immediately laughed awkwardly and said, "Emily, this isn't sweat! It's just my Hydro Element being overly abundant. You know, the Hydro Archon often has such... complications!"
"Really?"
Seeing the girl's skeptical expression, Furina nodded frantically.
"Of course it's true! Absolutely! As the Hydro Archon, I would never deceive you!"
Hearing Furina's assurance, the girl seemed to finally dispel her doubts.
"Alright, I believe you, Lady Furina."
She... she really believes me?!
Furina finally breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, she had almost thought she and Fontaine were doomed. But the girl's next words made her heart leap again.
"But Lady Furina, you're truly innocent in this case!"
"It's clear that a third party is responsible!"
Furina was on the verge of tears.
"No, Emily! There's no third party involved! It's undoubtedly my crime, and I must atone for it!"
"Of course there's a third party! Isn't the eyewitness that very third person?"
"Emily, please stop... Wait, what?!"
Just as Furina was about to dodge the girl's persistent questioning, she froze completely.
"E-eyewitness?"
"Yes, Lady Furina, don't you find it strange?"
The girl nodded and continued, "You said the deceased was found in a secluded corner of the street, yet by sheer coincidence, a witness observed the entire incident and immediately apprehended the black cat responsible for the accident."
"Moreover, you mentioned that the victim's wife behaved with remarkable indifference, even insisting on your innocence. This is utterly illogical."
"Therefore, I believe this was no accident at all, but a premeditated murder!"
"These people are truly despicable! They framed Lady Furina, causing you to be imprisoned and suffer!"
"Is that... how it is?"
Watching the girl's indignant expression, Furina felt her CPU nearly overheat.
Wait a minute, so I really was framed in this case?
No, that can't be right! I was innocent all along!
Could it be that this case has nothing to do with Arlecchino after all?
Furina suddenly felt her entire existence thrown into doubt.
"Yes, Lady Furina! You must be innocent!"
"Neuvillette was wrong! The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale was wrong too!"
"For you, who are innocent, to receive such a Judgment—even forcing an Archon into imprisonment and punishment—it's the biggest joke in Fontaine's history!"
"What? Neuvillette was wrong?!"
"Ha ha ha ha! This time, I can really mock him properly!"
Furina easily grasped the most crucial information for her from the girl's words, immediately bursting into triumphant laughter, completely oblivious to how the girl's smile almost faltered.
After recomposing her expression, the girl addressed Furina.
"Lady Furina, the most urgent matter now is to quickly submit an appeal to overturn your verdict!"
"Emily, you're right! Overturn it! We absolutely must overturn it!"
"That way, Neuvillette's greatest stain as Chief Justice will never be erased! Ha ha ha ha!"
Watching Furina's boundless smugness, the girl muttered under her breath, "Whatever makes you happy."
Once Furina's excitement subsided, she gazed at the girl with heartfelt gratitude.
"Emily, I owe you everything this time."
"Don't worry, once I'm out, I'll definitely take you away from the Fortress of Meropide too!"
However, to Furina's surprise, the girl gently shook her head in refusal.
"Lady Furina, thank you for your kindness, but I don't want to leave the Fortress of Meropide."
"Why?!" Furina pressed, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Emily, do you not like me? Don't you want to come with me?"
The girl shook her head. "That's not it at all, Lady Furina. My sentence here has already expired, but I have no desire to return to life above the water. On the sea, my last family is gone. But here, I've found a new one. This place is my home now!"
"But Emily, I can't live without you!" Furina insisted, trying to persuade her to leave. Yet the girl only shook her head again.
"Lady Furina, please go back. That's where you belong. If you miss me, you can always visit me here at the Fortress of Meropide."
Hearing the girl's words, Furina's mind flooded with memories of their time together. Though most of the scenes seemed to show her getting the short end of the stick, she had felt an unprecedented sense of ease during this period.
Suddenly, Furina wasn't so eager to leave the Fortress of Meropide. She lived so carefree here every day—why should she return to that brightly lit stage, laboriously playing the role of the Hydro Archon?
"Emily, I don't want to clear my name anymore..."
Upon hearing Furina's words, a charming smile bloomed on the young woman's face.
"Lady Furina, how can you think like that?"
"If you don't clear your name, won't you be forever burdened by this unjust accusation? And wouldn't that allow the real murderer to roam free?"
"But I don't want to part with you so soon! We've only just met, and you refuse to leave the Fortress of Meropide with me."
Without you, this place would only suffocate me, Furina added silently to herself. Compared to that, she suddenly felt that even bearing an unjust accusation and losing the chance to mock Neuvillette weren't such terrible sacrifices.
"But Lady Furina, you could still stay in the Fortress of Meropide even after clearing your name."
"That's right!"
Furina's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she'd just realized there was no necessary connection between these two things.
Moreover, once she regained her position as Hydro Archon, wouldn't she be able to casually ask Wriothesley for Credit Coupons and indulge in delicious cakes every day?!
The thought made her mouth water.
Wiping her drool, Furina eagerly declared, "Alright, I'll apply right away!"
Neuvillette, you can't escape your fate of being mocked by me after all! Hehehehe!