"Clorinde, do you have anything else you want to say?"
Richard looked down at the woman in front of him, who wished she could bury her head in her chest out of shame.
He had thought she took leave because she was flustered… but it turned out she'd really lost her mind!
She had actually used his photo to enter a contest, under Furina's name, no less!
"'The Cheating Cat'? What kind of cat doesn't eat fish for five hundred years?"
Cheating? His foot, he was a vegetarian!
If he wasn't, why would Clorinde have sent his photo to the exhibition center?!
"I-I didn't mean to…" Clorinde mumbled, bowing her head. Her hands rested properly on her knees, sitting barely halfway on the chair. Her thighs were pressed tightly together, calves angled slightly outward, body leaning forward in a submissive posture, half apology, half surrender.
"Not on purpose, huh? Then if you had done it on purpose, what were you planning to help Furina win first place in the photography contest?"
Richard had truly seen it all today. Who would've thought he'd become Fontaine's latest celebrity?
The ballot box in front of his photo had more votes than the two beside it combined!
At this rate, even if he didn't get first place, the top three was guaranteed.
Thank the Archons he caught it early; had he found out a day or two later, it'd be too late to fix anything.
After some discussions and considering the entry was under Furina's name, Richard decided not to remove all the photos, just the wet shirt one. The rest looked tame enough to stay in the exhibit.
As for the reason given for removing the photo, "Official Secrets Act."
Everyone in Fontaine knew that "Official Secrets" never protects secrets, only officials.
'Don't ask. If you ask, it's classified. Ask again, and you're invited to lunch.'
Another reason for only removing one photo: Richard knew that the more you ban something, the faster it spreads.
Especially in Fontaine, a nation full of rebels. If he pulled every photo, the next day, black-market stalls by the Gray River would be flooded with copies of his pictures.
Better to control the flow, remove the worst one, and let the rest fade away with time.
"…I'm sorry," Clorinde whispered, too scared to look up.
Fontaine's strongest duelist now looked like a scolded schoolgirl.
No, scratch that. She was a scolded schoolgirl.
"And since you realized the mistake, why didn't you go to the Steambird Press right away? Why wait until the next day?"
"It was late already… I thought they'd gone home. I figured I'd go in the morning…"
"Even if they were off work, couldn't you have made them come back? Or come to me?" Richard snapped, clearly frustrated.
'Where did all her usual cunning go? Oh, right, she only used it against me.'
"I didn't think…" Clorinde admitted. She honestly hadn't expected the Steambird to act so fast, and thought she could quietly fix it before Richard found out.
Instead, not only did she fail to retrieve the photo, but it had made the finals.
Now she regretted everything. Not only had she lost the photo, but she might lose her job too.
Great. A real-life "how to resign" tutorial.
"So what now…?" she asked cautiously.
"What else? Do nothing. Let it blow over," Richard sighed.
They'd lie low until the contest and cultural exchange ended. Then, when Ningguang and the others returned to Liyue, he'd have a long private talk with Clorinde.
She knew that tone; it didn't mean forgiveness. It meant deferred punishment.
"…And after it blows over?" she asked nervously.
He crossed his arms. "What do you think?"
"Will… will I be fired?" she whispered, wringing her fingers.
She couldn't bear to lose this job, not just because she liked Richard, but because Furina and Lynette were her friends.
Clorinde didn't have many friends. Her cold, distant air made people hesitant to approach her. Beautiful as she was, it was a distant beauty, like a lotus on ice, admired from afar but untouchable.
People avoided what could hurt them, and her chill often did.
Her only real friends were Richard, Furina, Lynette, and Navia from the Spina di Rosula. Maybe Wriothesley and Melusine could count if you stretched the term.
"After it blows over… you tell me," Richard said, unimpressed.
"Will I… really be fired?" she repeated, eyes trembling.
But her mind started spinning wild novel scenarios, like those melodramatic stories she'd read.
The cool, voluptuous office lady who made a mistake, alone and helpless before her stern boss, the only man who could save her career…
The boss, leaning forward with that unreadable smile, "This could be big or small. You've tarnished my name, but it was unintentional. What happens next… depends on you."
She knew what that meant. No one helps for free.
Money? He didn't need it. So what did he want?
And though the boss was rumored to have relationships with his secretary… perhaps this was fate.
In her imagination, the cold beauty lowered her eyes, eyelashes trembling, one hand pressed to her chest, voice trembling, "Whatever you say… I'll do it."
But back in reality,
"Fire you?" Richard slammed the table. "After all the trouble you've caused, you think you can just walk away? You wish!"
"No awards for you this year, no bonuses. You're taking half the Administration's backlog yourself. Then write a self-reflection report, ten thousand words. On my desk by week's end!"
He glared. "Got that?"
Clorinde, caught daydreaming, blushed. "Y-Yes… sir."
Her imagination really was getting unhealthy.
If Richard did want something from her, he wouldn't need tricks. She'd… probably walk right into it.
Honestly, if their roles were reversed, she'd be the one using "office rules" to her advantage.
"So that's it?" she asked in disbelief.
"What, you want me to get even and post your wet photos next?"
"Ugh, sorry!"
She wouldn't mind being his model… but only privately.
After another round of scolding in Liyue dialect, "getting chewed out", she left his office feeling simultaneously relieved and humiliated.
Outside, she found Furina pretending to admire a hallway plant like it was the most fascinating thing in Teyvat.
"Lady Furina…?"
"Oh, Clorinde! Done talking?" Furina asked, glancing past her nervously toward Richard's door.
"Yes… it's over."
"Everything's fine?" Furina asked.
She didn't really blame Clorinde; everyone makes mistakes, and honestly, those photos were… enlightening.
As for public opinion? Please. After the ring scandal, Furina no longer cared what anyone thought. She was a god who could judge a god's romance?
And besides, all the photos were decently dressed. Mostly.
"Everything's fine… for now," Clorinde sighed. She still had her job, at least. But after this, Richard would never ask her to model again.
"That's good, that's good," Furina nodded, then pulled her by the hand toward her own office.
Once Clorinde stepped inside, Furina shut the door and locked it.
"Lady Furina?" Clorinde blinked. "It's the middle of the day… why lock the door?"
"Ahem, Clorinde, sit down. Let's talk." Furina smiled sweetly, no, nuclearly.
"Lady Furina, you can just say it directly. You're… scaring me."
Furina's eyes gleamed, almost predatory.
"Those photos," she said. "You have the backups, right? Send me a copy."