"That scared me to death…"
Only after leaving the room did Lyney finally pat his chest and steady his breathing.
"Brother, the one who was truly frightened… should be me."
Lynette was no less shaken.
No matter what, that was a Fatui Harbinger.
Even if their Father treated them well—that was because Arlecchino was the head of the House of the Hearth.
And they were her children.
But the Genius was different.
He was another Harbinger entirely.
They already felt immense pressure facing Father.
Facing a Harbinger they had never even met before?
Naturally, it was even more terrifying.
Especially since his rank was higher than Father's.
And he enjoyed even greater favor from Her Majesty the Tsaritsa.
When Lynette had stumbled earlier, the two of them had nearly had a heart attack.
Within the Fatui, people had been killed by Harbingers for far less.
Not every Harbinger would overlook such minor mistakes.
Some of them were cold-blooded to the extreme.
"Sis, why did you suddenly fall like that?"
She had been perfectly fine at first. Why collapse out of nowhere?
Was it because of the ear-petting?
That didn't make sense.
As children of the House of the Hearth, Lynette had undergone strict training from a young age.
She shouldn't falter over something like that.
"That puppet… spoke."
The doll that had looked so unremarkable—
suddenly spoke.
That moment of shock had made her lose balance.
"A puppet… could that also be one of the Genius Lord's inventions?"
After witnessing the "mini-Father," Lyney's understanding of the Genius's capabilities had been thoroughly refreshed.
More importantly—
the Gnosis that Father had spent years in Fontaine trying to obtain—had been brought back by that little Father.
In a way, that was a direct slap to the House of the Hearth.
"Probably. It couldn't be Lord Marionette's work, could it~?"
Marionette was the only Eighth Seat now.
Just in terms of ranking, she was far behind the Genius.
Not to mention that even the Doctor had once stood behind him.
"We should report this to Father. If the Genius Lord truly has the power to break the prophecy, we may need to follow his plan."
Now that the Gnosis was secured, aside from routine intelligence gathering, the House of the Hearth had little left to do.
But Fontaine's prophecy still hung over every citizen like the Sword of Damocles.
Just as Lyney prepared to take Lynette back to report—
Little Arlecchino appeared.
"You two. What are you sneaking around here for?"
Though she had come alone, the aura she carried was no less imposing than Arlecchino herself.
Lyney and Lynette felt as though Father herself was staring at them.
"We… were just about to return and report to Father about the Genius Lord's arrival."
Considering that this little Father possessed the same keen observation skills— and was also the Genius's loyal daughter—
Lyney decided honesty was the safest route.
Neither Father nor the Genius were people they could afford to offend.
"Quite honest. Go ahead. Tell Arlecchino—Father has arrived."
Arlecchino-chan had no intention of making things difficult for the siblings.
Power struggles between major figures were not something minor players could influence.
Besides, Su Ran and Arlecchino were not rivals.
There was no reason for conflict between them.
"Yes!"
Lyney quickly pulled Lynette away.
He still felt as though he had just escaped death.
Lynette, however, seemed far more relaxed.
"Brother, the Genius called himself 'Genius big brother' when speaking to me.
And Little Father calls him 'Father.'
But Little Father speaks to Father on equal footing.
So… how exactly should Father and the Genius address each other?"
Lynette's question immediately caused Lyney's brain to shut down.
"Uh… I have no idea."
The relationships were far too chaotic.
Little Father.
Father.
Genius big brother.
How was he supposed to untangle that?
Did they just… each use their own system?
Sister, please don't test your brother's brain like this.
I just barely survived, you know?
"Arlecchino-chan's here? Come let Daddy give you a hug~"
It had been a while since Su Ran had seen this particular combat puppet.
He had returned to Snezhnaya before and met the others—
but Arlecchino-chan was the one he hadn't seen since leaving Snezhnaya the first time.
"Father…"
Unlike the other combat puppets, Little Arlecchino had been modeled after Arlecchino herself.
Her personality leaned heavily toward action.
She was truly a combat puppet.
In stark contrast to Little Duck and the others, who were more like household companion models.
If anyone truly deserved the title "combat puppet," it was her.
The others were closer to domestic companion types.
"Your daughter is pretty novel."
Black Tower looked at Arlecchino-chan with curiosity.
"You haven't even found a wife yet, and you already have a daughter?"
Even if she was artificially created, the way the two interacted didn't feel like tool and creator.
He genuinely treated her like his child.
"Who is she?"
Noticing the unfamiliar presence in the room, Arlecchino-chan immediately grew wary.
It was instinct.
She was naturally cautious toward strangers.
Very few in this world earned her complete trust.
"That's Black Tower~ Genius Society Member No. 83."
Black Tower crossed her arms, visibly displeased.
"Do you really have to emphasize '83'?
I have so many remarkable achievements, and that's what you mention?
You 85!"
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