"So… should Miss Charlotte come in or not?" Clorinde asked the pair, who were still holding each other.
Furina realized her current posture wasn't exactly fitting. She glared fiercely at Richard, then pushed against his chest to stand up.
At the same time, she rubbed her own chest. Richard's body was way too hard, crashing into him felt like hitting a wall, with no cushion at all.
Richard watched her movements and thought: 'Shouldn't safety padding like that be her own responsibility? If she didn't choose that configuration, how could she blame me? Isn't this the classic "if the person can't do it, blame the road instead"?'
Why doesn't she take a look at Clorinde? If she were the one to bump into him… that springiness, Richard didn't even dare imagine.
"Clorinde, whose orders are you following?" Furina adjusted her slightly messy hair and looked at Clorinde.
Clorinde hesitated. "Then… I'll go refuse Miss Charlotte?"
"Clorinde, I believe we should face the problem head-on. Rather than letting outside journalists make things up, it's better to hand the pen to someone trustworthy." Richard spoke calmly, picking up Furina's hat that had fallen on the carpet and handing it to her. He was rewarded with a tiny, almost inaudible "thank you."
She was still angry, but very polite.
"So… I'll let Miss Charlotte in then?" Clorinde felt these two were really hard to serve. Once again, she longed for her days as a guard captain.
Back then, all she had to do was stand at the door. She even had free time to ponder life. In Richard's words, that was probably called "slacking on the job."
Furina wanted to say more, but Richard looked at her and said: "Furina, don't you also want to clear up misunderstandings? Now Miss Charlotte has come to us voluntarily, and she knows us. Isn't that a good thing?
"With her help, the people of Fontaine will soon realize that 'Madame Furina' was nothing more than a baseless rumor. The Hydro Archon remains the same Hydro Archon."
Richard's words sounded flawless. But in Furina's ears, they carried another meaning.
If she stubbornly followed her own plan and resigned, then perhaps "the Hydro Archon" would no longer be the same Hydro Archon.
That was another threat!
Because of Richard's earlier tricks, Furina now felt that every word of his hid deeper meaning. She had to carefully parse and respond, or else she'd walk right into his trap.
What she hadn't realized was that once Richard had seized her weak point, there was no longer any need for elaborate schemes.
Petty tricks were only for the powerless. Real power didn't need them.
Richard always preferred open schemes. Intrigue was merely a stopgap for those lacking strength.
Under Richard's "open scheme" (threat), Furina had already made her choice, but she still wanted to struggle.
"This is indeed a good thing, but I still want to- "
Clorinde understood instantly. Without waiting for Furina to finish, she slipped away.
"No, you don't, Furina." Richard smiled as he took Furina's hand and slid the ring off her right pinky.
It came off easily, the size clearly didn't match her pinky well. That was also why she kept fiddling with it… among other reasons.
But on her ring finger or middle finger, it fit perfectly. Evidently, Albedo had thought it through from the start.
"You… you… what are you doing?" Furina reached to snatch back her treasured ring, thinking Richard meant to reclaim his gift.
Who ever heard of giving a gift only to take it back? Furina was furious and decided to glare at him.
"Doing something too deliberately only draws suspicion. Who said a ring on the left ring finger must always mean marriage?" Richard said lightly. "Give me your left hand."
Furina obediently placed her left hand on his. Her small hand, wrapped in white silk gloves, contrasted sharply against his larger, black-gloved hand.
"W-what are you doing?" She had a guess, but still couldn't help asking.
Richard didn't reply. He answered with action. He gently removed her glove, revealing the treasure beneath.
Her fingers were slender and long, her fingertips rounded with a faint blush. Her pale, smooth skin was delicate like porcelain. Staring long enough, one might even see a faint pearly sheen, making them seem like priceless gems, tempting one to hold and admire.
Furina noticed his gaze lingering and her face grew hot. A strange tingling spread through her body.
Fortunately, Richard didn't stare too long, nor did he toy with her hand. After all, Clorinde was still present, and Furina clearly wasn't comfortable.
Instead, Richard slid the ring onto Furina's ring finger. It fit perfectly.
Indeed, the ring belonged on the ring finger!
Considering that Fontainians all wore gloves, Richard carefully put away the glove he'd removed. Then he pulled out another white glove from his pocket.
But this glove was special, it covered only the thumb, index, and middle fingers, leaving the ring and little fingers exposed.
Like a "half-transparent food wrapper."
Furina's face, already flushed red after the ring, turned crimson. Before Richard could put it on her, she pulled back her hand and clutched it to her chest.
Thump, thump… Her heart pounded wildly.
"Furina, there's still the glove," Richard reminded her.
Such beautiful hands deserved a half-transparent frame.
"I-I'll do it myself!" Furina snatched the glove from him and hurriedly put it on.
It fit perfectly, snug without being tight. It shaped her hand beautifully and added a refined touch.
Her two pale fingers, exposed against the pure white fabric, seemed even more elegant, like a fine painting framed in gold.
Exquisite!
Richard's little "XP" was satisfied, leaving him in good spirits. Furina, meanwhile, was flustered, her mind full of the image of him placing the ring on her. All thoughts of resignation and "staying away from this man" had been thrown out the window.
Luckily, Clorinde had already left to fetch Charlotte after Richard's "you don't want to." She hadn't seen any of this.
Otherwise, the misunderstanding would never be cleared.
But truth be told, if Clorinde had been present, Furina might not have lasted until Richard slid the ring on. She probably would've broken the act as soon as he removed her glove.
Don't be fooled by her bold, quirky front, Richard had already seen through her.
She was just a total rookie at love!
"Richard, you…" Furina finally calmed down, ready to demand an explanation and hold him accountable.
But before she could speak, Clorinde returned with Charlotte. Furina swallowed her words and instead gave Richard a fiery glare, warning him not to try anything.
Unfortunately, Richard was immune to her looks. In fact, they only made him want to tease her more, like a bandit thrilled by danger.
It was the same effect as being given the classic: "beautiful girl looks at you like you're trash."
"Lady Furina, Miss Charlotte is here." Clorinde knocked and formally announced.
"Ahem, come in." Furina shot Richard one last glare, then cleared her throat.
"Lady Furina, Monsieur Richard, long time no see." Because of their past travels together, Charlotte greeted them warmly.
Furina replied politely, "Long time no see, Miss Charlotte."
Charlotte's gaze drifted unconsciously to Furina's left hand. After all, the matter of that ring had been the hottest rumor lately.
As a reporter, she naturally knew of it. But she didn't believe Furina was truly "Madame Furina."
Charlotte prided herself on her integrity. She never published baseless gossip for clicks. She wasn't here about the ring, she had another reason.
Furina, noticing Charlotte's glance, quickly pulled her hand back. Remembering the scene from just moments ago, her face heated up again. To cover it, she fanned herself with her hand and told Clorinde:
"Clorinde, open the window, please."
Clorinde stared at the already-wide-open window, brain momentarily lagging. Why did Furina always ask her for impossible things?
Ignoring her aide's silent complaint, Furina turned to Charlotte. "You're not here about the ring, then?"
She gestured with her left hand.
To her surprise, Charlotte shook her head. "No. I came for something else. Of course, if you do want to explain the ring's origin, I'd be happy to report it truthfully, to clear unnecessary rumors."
"Something else?" Furina frowned. 'What could be more important than marriage gossip to a reporter?'
"Yes. The Fontaine Research Institute is holding a public experiment soon. Though 'public,' only a few insiders and government officials received invitations."
"So since you didn't get one, you came to us?" Richard cut in.
"Hehe, exactly!" Charlotte admitted cheerfully.
"Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. We haven't received any invitation either. We can't help you." Furina shook her head.
"Huh? The Institute is that slow?" Charlotte blinked.
Just then came a knock at the door. Clorinde, still brooding over the impossible "open the window" task, looked relieved to escape. She stepped outside, spoke briefly, then returned holding an envelope.
"An invitation from the Fontaine Institute," she announced.
Richard and Furina exchanged glances, then looked at Charlotte.
Charlotte brightened, gazing expectantly at Richard. She knew very well who had the final say here.
"I'll agree, Miss Charlotte. But in exchange, answer me a question."
"Please, Monsiuer Richard."
"Why are you so interested in this experiment? Isn't Furina's ring the real hot topic? As a reporter, aren't you curious?"
"My intuition tells me this experiment isn't simple. Under the shadow of doomsday prophecies, it represents one possible future for Fontaine. If it succeeds, it will open a new era. Even if it fails, it deserves to be remembered." Charlotte's eyes shone with conviction.
"And besides, Lady Furina's ring must be a gift from you, Mr. Richard, right? It clearly doesn't mean what outsiders think. At most, it symbolizes friendship, doesn't it?"
"After all, anyone can see you two share a very close bond. Such harmony between an Archon and her secretary is rare in the Palais Mermonia."
From experience, Charlotte knew the secretary and the Archon's relationship usually soured, becoming adversaries.
But Richard and Furina? They were exceptional.
Examples of such harmony existed in Fontaine's history, but only when one side overwhelmingly outshone the other. Only then could peace last.
Charlotte didn't see that in them. She believed they were the true model of a respectful, balanced partnership.
Thankfully, Furina couldn't read minds. If she knew Charlotte thought that, she'd definitely object.
…Or maybe not. Because wouldn't that be admitting she wasn't Richard's equal?
"Rather than cheap gossip, I prefer reporting truthful, valuable news," Charlotte continued.
"Besides, Lady Furina, the ring's buzz has already died down. A mysterious force has been suppressing the topic, and with the Steambird press silent, soon no one will care.
"At that time, I can publish a clear explanation about the ring, and the whole thing will blow over quickly."
"A mysterious force?" Furina asked, puzzled.
"Well… that would be Monsiuer Richard's domain." Charlotte smirked knowingly.
"Just a few unremarkable connections," Richard replied smoothly, meeting Furina's eyes.
Only then did Furina realize, Lynette hadn't shown up for work today…