Clorinde had just been about to stop Furina from blurting things out, but it was too late.
Her "glorious" deeds of the morning had already been exposed to Richard.
"I didn't expect this side of you… Miss Clorinde, the great informant." Richard's face darkened.
He had thought enemies lurked outside the Palais Mermonia, yet it turned out the enemy was right at his side.
'So you're already itching to get rid of me and take my place, huh?'
"I wasn't, I didn't, it was the reporters…" Clorinde quickly tried to defend herself. She hadn't meant to act like a double agent, those reporters were just far too sly.
"Malicious speculation?" Richard offered a phrase.
"Yes! Malicious speculation!" Clorinde nodded earnestly.
"So that's why you gave them the rough scope? What's next, my citizen ID number?" Richard tapped his finger on the wooden table, making a dull thump, thump.
"How could I? I don't even know your citizen ID number!" Clorinde felt she was being wronged terribly.
"Good thing you don't!" Richard muttered. 'This woman… really is a bit too simple, nothing like her appearance suggests.'
Realizing she had indeed crossed a line, Clorinde obediently stood up and went to pour tea for the two people involved.
"So what do we do now?" Furina asked, watching Richard's troubled expression.
Her own mood improved a little, sometimes, when you're down, seeing someone else even more down weirdly cheers you up.
She called this "transferring sadness."
Besides, she was also dissatisfied with Richard's reaction. Was it really so unbearable to be linked to her in a rumor?
She was Fontaine's superstar! Her admirers could line up hand-in-hand and circle Teyvat.
And as his rumored wife, if Richard still wasn't satisfied, wasn't that just too greedy?
"Lady Furina, why do I feel like you're enjoying this?" Richard frowned. She didn't seem as flustered as yesterday. In fact, she almost looked like she was watching him squirm for her own amusement.
'That's not how you were yesterday at all…'
He remembered her yesterday, red-faced, stammering, hiding her left hand so he wouldn't see it. Compared to that, today she looked calmer, even entertained.
'This shift is way too big…'
"Me? Not at all. I just think that since it's gossip, sooner or later the truth will come out. Until then, we just need to do our jobs." Furina spoke with newfound clarity.
After all, no matter what the public said, her position as Hydro Archon wasn't in danger. They weren't going to strip her of divinity over a rumor.
And Richard as her rumored partner? Well… she didn't find that unbearable. Fake becoming real was out of the question, of course, but if it was just talk, what was the harm?
Richard, however, carried more pressure. He wasn't Fontaine's Archon, just a Palais Mermonia civil servant. No matter how impressive his career looked on paper, in this situation his past was more a liability than an asset.
Headlines flashed through his mind:
{"Fontaine Official Once Served the Fatui!"}
{"Inazuma Elite Turns Coat, Now Fontaine's Secretary-General to the Hydro Archon!"}
{"Hero of Mondstadt Dragon Crisis, Unveiling the Past of Fontaine's Chief Secretary!"}
Whichever headline came out, it'd be front page news for weeks.
Under public pressure, he'd be finished. Forget promotion, just keeping his post would be a miracle.
Fanatics, reporters, political rivals, and hungry subordinates would all drag out his past, no matter how well he'd hidden it. Nobody had a spotless history, unless they were a newborn child. And even if nothing was found, people could simply make things up.
Hyped-up fans wouldn't care if it was true or false, they'd attack all the same. A suicide squad, basically.
If that happened, his only choices would be to give up his post, or make the rumors real.
At least then he could face Furina's fans and say: Do you really want your idol's husband to be unemployed?
Sure, it might not change anything, but the idea of forcing those fanatics to stew in discomfort was amusing.
If I lose my job, your idol Furina will have to support me financially. How's that for payback?
But the situation hadn't reached that point yet. Richard glanced at Furina, who was clearly waiting to see a show, and made up his mind.
He smiled. "Lady Furina, what do you think a god should look like in the eyes of mortals?"
"Proud, dazzling, unique, and… strong?" Furina replied, frowning slightly. "Why ask?"
"Then do you think such a god would marry a plain civil servant like me?" Richard pressed.
"What do you mean 'plain'?" Furina shot back. She had seen him bring dragons to heel with mere words.
"But in their eyes, I'm just an ordinary clerk, at most, someone with a varied résumé." Richard sipped his tea.
"Gods don't favor mediocrity. Do you know what kind of person would?"
"What kind?" A bad feeling crept over Furina.
Richard met her heterochromatic gaze.
"A normal, naïve, pretentious… ordinary human girl."
Furina's throat felt dry. Was he talking about the rumors, or something else entirely?
Either way, she couldn't gamble. Even a sliver of doubt from the people could shake her divinity.
The gods love humanity, but they must not fall in love with any one human. That was the belief. Flip it around, and it meant: once she loved someone, she was no longer a god.
If she truly were Hydro Archon, maybe she wouldn't care. But was she?
The tension thickened until Clorinde, sensing it, tried to break it.
"Well, actually… in Fontaine's matchmaking circles, civil servants are considered pretty popular."
Both Richard and Furina turned their gazes on her.
Clorinde, oblivious, went on: "Ever since I stepped down from the Court and became Furina's secretary, matchmakers have been chasing after me nonstop, no matter how many times I refuse."
"So… did you go?"
"No. I'm not planning on settling down yet."
"Good. Clorinde, say one more word, and you'll need to start job-hunting again."
Clorinde got the message and shut her mouth, though her interruption had eased the tension somewhat.
Furina, taking advantage of the break, organized her thoughts and spoke carefully:
"Although as Hydro Archon I don't care about gossip, for the sake of divine dignity, and your own reputation, I believe measures must be taken to curb these false rumors."
"Exactly, Lady Furina." Richard nodded. "On that point, we are aligned."
Furina studied his face, searching for hints. 'Does he see through me? If so… which side is he really on?'
"What is it, Lady Furina? Something on my face?"
"No. I was just wondering, which side are you on?" Her words carried double meaning.
"Of course yours, Lady Furina," Richard replied smoothly. Then, after a pause: "At least, for now."
"I'm on your side too, Lady Furina!" Clorinde piped up eagerly.
"Clorinde, leave. And close the door." Furina cut her off, wrong timing to declare loyalty.
Once Clorinde was gone, only Richard and Furina remained.
After a long silence, Furina decided she couldn't keep avoiding it. She had to know his true stance, even if it meant taking a risk.
"…Did you come for my Gnosis?"
For the first time, she had brought up the subject directly.
"No. Didn't I say before? The Anemo Archon's Gnosis was to repay a debt."
"And mine? Would you use it for repayment, or something else?" Furina pressed, gritting her teeth.
"No."
"You promise?"
"Of course. I promise. After all, you don't have a Gnosis."
Furina: "!!!"
Richard watched her face pale in shock, like a kitten whose secret had been uncovered, fur bristling.
"I… I…" Furina stammered, her lips dry.
She shifted nervously, unable to sit still. Her slender fingers unconsciously rubbed the ring Richard had given her, while her wide, beautiful eyes darted everywhere except at him.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, only to hear Richard say the exact same words at the same time, their voices overlapping perfectly.
'How does he know what I was about to say? Does he have mind-reading powers?'
"Relax, Lady Furina. I don't read minds," Richard said calmly. "You're just… easy to read."
"I… easy to read?" She regretted sending Clorinde away. This wasn't going how she'd planned.
"This isn't the Opera Epiclese, Furina. It's just us. And the more brilliant the actor, the more they risk a trap, trying to perfectly play someone they're not. But no matter how convincing, it's never real. One day, the mask always slips."
Furina fell silent, meeting his gaze head-on. "What are you implying?"
He ignored the question, continuing: "Overdoing an act, forcing yourself into a role that isn't yours, it destroys your authenticity. Over time, it even damages the mind. Sometimes… irreversibly."
"I don't understand what you're talking about." Furina's face went blank, voice drained of emotion.
"Furina, your problem is already serious. You know you're not really- "
"Enough! We are here to discuss rumors, Secretary Richard. Please… don't waste time on irrelevant matters!" she snapped, cutting him off.
Richard held her gaze, then finally bowed his head. "Yes, Lady Hydro Archon."
At those words, her face eased, her tone lively again.
"I will explain the ring matter to reporters at the Opera Epiclese. I'll say it was an Easter egg for an upcoming play. At the same time, I will also announce my resignation, from the position of Minister of Administration. I'll claim that I lack the energy to balance both governance and artistic creation."
"After stepping down, I'll deliver a grand performance to all of Fontaine. And then… I will recommend you, Secretary Richard, as the new Minister to Neuvillette."
That way, the ring would have a reasonable explanation, the public's attention would shift to her new production, and Richard would rise in power. A perfect solution.
What she didn't say aloud was that she had realized Richard's "danger." He might have already seen through her. Before things became irreversible, she needed distance.
Richard stayed silent after hearing her plan.
Unable to wait, Furina asked, "Well? What do you think?"
'Please agree. Please. It's best for both of us' she told herself.
This was the best, and only, solution she could think of. He would rise, she would remain Hydro Archon, everything would return to balance.
But under her hopeful gaze, Richard finally answered, "I don't think much of it, Lady Furina."