Chapter 3: Blue Rose
This morning, Lady Furina's breakfast was bread with butter and jam, followed by a refreshing cup of coffee.
But today, Lady Furina seemed somewhat distracted.
As she ate the buttered bread, her eyes looked a little unfocused, as if she was lost in thought.
"Are you thinking about something?"
Liu Yuan stood opposite Lady Furina and asked softly.
"No… nothing."
Lady Furina shook her head gently, but she didn't look at Liu Yuan. She lowered her head, quickly finished the bread in her hand, and then drank the coffee in one gulp.
She stood up and went to the full-length mirror to check her makeup.
On a whim, Lady Furina glanced behind her through the mirror — but saw nothing there. When she turned around, however, that figure was standing not too far away, tilting her head slightly, confusion showing in her eyes.
"It's nothing…"
Lady Furina shook her head again, forcing herself to calm down.
But Liu Yuan's appearance just now… inexplicably made her feel a little envious. Why envious…? No, absolutely not…
Taking a deep breath, Lady Furina pressed down all the thoughts in her heart, then reached out and rubbed her face.
Calm down, calm down, Furina. You still have responsibilities!
Without looking at Liu Yuan again, Lady Furina turned and walked to the door. Her expression gradually changed. In just a short while, the Damselette named Furina completely disappeared, leaving only Focalors — the god.
Liu Yuan took all this in, and doubt slowly rose in her heart.
Is she… playing some role?
Liu Yuan didn't know, but she followed.
---
The trial began.
The Damselette smiled brilliantly and, as if possessed, accepted the blue rose formed by pure Hydro elemental power.
She had so many questions in her heart, but in the end, why did she only say "thank you"?
Below the stage, the verdict was announced.
The suspect's lies were finally exposed, and he failed without any suspense.
Neuvillette sat high on the judgment stand, pronounced the final verdict, and ended the trial.
The audience below began to clamor, excitedly discussing the twists and turns. This "performance" truly satisfied them — it was perfect!
Some excited audience members even looked up at the highest seat, waiting for their god to give her evaluation. That would have been the perfect ending.
But this time, for some reason, their god did not appear as usual, judging the trial with her high and mighty attitude.
What happened?
Clorinde noticed something was wrong and walked forward from behind, only to see the Damselette staring blankly at the blue rose in her hand.
"Lady Furina?"
"Ah… ah! What's wrong?"
"The trial is over."
"Ah? Oh, I understand, I understand. Let's go. What's the next item on the itinerary?"
Lady Furina quickly responded. Clorinde was stunned for a moment, then recovered.
"The next item… is the weekly meeting. This time, the one meeting you is—"
"Mm… let's go."
A somewhat distracted Lady Furina urged, and Clorinde, who noticed something strange, let her gaze slide once more to the blue rose that Lady Furina held tightly in both hands. Then she nodded gently and turned to lead the way.
Perhaps… it was just an illusion.
In the distance, Neuvillette looked at the departing Lady Furina, his gaze fixed on the blue rose.
"This level of energy fluctuation… and such pure Hydro elemental power…"
His gaze withdrew, returning to the noisy audience below. Neuvillette gripped his cane, tapped it against the floor, and declared:
"Recess!"