Marcel's aged face turned wistful. "I didn't expect Monsieur Richard to actually know Monsieur Callas."
"'The Unjust Callas', I think very few people don't know the name, right? And you dare compare me to him? Aren't you afraid I'll get angry?" Richard raised a brow and asked bluntly.
'You compare me to Navia's father, did you even ask if she's okay with that?'
"Since Monsieur Richard knows of Monsieur Callas, then you must understand he was a good man."
"Even though he was convicted? Should I take this as you openly questioning the fairness of Fontaine's trial system, right in front of the Hydro Archon herself?" Richard pressed, intent on grilling Marcel over the fire.
Furina also cast her gaze at the Confrerie of Cabriere's president at just the right moment, heightening the pressure.
"This… no, I wouldn't dare say that. What I meant was… sigh, no matter what, Monsieur Callas once helped me. All of my fortune came from his generosity. To me, he truly was a good man," Marcel said with apparent sincerity.
"So what you're saying is, you also suspect there was foul play in the Callas case back then?" Richard continued.
"..." Marcel fell silent for a moment, then glanced at Navia beside them, as though something clicked in his mind.
So that was it. Richard and Furina must have been persuaded by Navia, hoping to overturn Callas' case. He didn't know what evidence they had, but clearly, they had already visited Florent and Thierry before coming to him.
Understanding this, Marcel quickly drafted a response in his mind. His expression turned sorrowful as he said, "Yes… I believe Monsieur Callas could never be that kind of man. If it's possible to clear his name, I would accept any price."
"Are you sure?" Richard asked.
"I'm sure."
Richard nodded, then said something Marcel never expected.
"In that case, Clorinde, please escort Monsieur Marcel to the Opéra Epiclese."
'Wait, what?! That's not right!'
Marcel jerked his head up, staring at Richard in disbelief.
Richard added calmly, "Relax, Monsieur Marcel. We're only asking you to testify in court, not treating you as a criminal. Florent and Thierry will also testify alongside you."
"But this trial will be conducted in secret. Witnesses must head to the Opéra Epiclese as soon as possible. Any leak could alter the entire case."
"And since you just swore you'd pay any price to restore Monsieur Callas' honor… surely testifying is no problem, is it?"
Marcel realized his overreaction just now might have looked suspicious. He quickly bowed his head, adjusted his expression, and replied, "N-no problem."
Soon, Clorinde led Marcel toward the Opéra Epiclese. Before they left, Richard patted her shoulder, secretly giving her a protective blessing to ward off danger.
If Marcel realized something was wrong and tried to attack her with Primordial Sea Water, this shield would block the lethal strike. It would also protect her from other threats.
After all, useful "tools" like her weren't common; she had to be kept safe.
Clorinde didn't know what Richard had done. She only felt unexpectedly reassured after his pat on the shoulder.
The aloof beauty pursed her lips. She didn't understand the principle, but she remembered what a colleague once told her, that when a boss pats your shoulder, it's actually recognition, even praise.
So perhaps that was why she felt peace of mind… At the very least, this month's work evaluation report was safe.
Clorinde soon delivered Marcel to the opera house, settled him into a designated guestroom, and considered her mission complete.
The place was surrounded by Richard's informants, Fatui, Special Patrols, the Spina di Rosula, even Inazuman agents. Even if Marcel really was the mastermind behind the "Sinthe" trade, there was no way he could vanish without anyone noticing.
And from his attitude so far, Marcel didn't seem like he'd try to disappear anyway. To him, this trial was merely Navia bringing some surface-level evidence to clear Callas' name. It had nothing to do with him.
In truth, Callas had died on the dueling stage, not through an official trial. Naturally, he never bore a formal conviction.
The so-called "Unjust Callas" was just public opinion branding the Spina di Rosula leader who fell in a duel.
And whether that public opinion had been manipulated or guided, well, that depended on who you asked.
"Miss Clorinde, may I ask when the trial will begin? Of course, I don't mean to rush. It's just that the Cabrier Confrerie of Cabriere still needs someone to oversee things. I can't stay away for too long," Marcel said.
"Don't worry. It'll be soon. The trial starts tomorrow. Knowing Richard's style, it won't drag on," Clorinde replied, though she couldn't help finding the words strange.
It felt like telling a condemned prisoner, "Don't worry, the executioner's blade is quick, it won't hurt long."
"That's good, that's good. Lord Richard truly lives up to his reputation, always planning thoroughly, never leaving the enemy a chance to resist," Marcel sighed.
He didn't know who Richard's opponent was this time, but whoever it was… tough luck. It had nothing to do with him anyway.
"His reputation? What do people say about him?" Clorinde asked curiously. She wondered what merchants thought of Richard.
"Of course, that he's formidable. Before he came to Ministry of Administration, the place was practically a hollow shell. Nothing like it is now," Marcel praised sincerely.
From one perspective, Marcel really did see Richard as a great threat. Years ago, when a Treasure Hoarder leader exposed the "Sinthe" trade to Richard, Marcel immediately cut off all supply routes and went into hiding.
Only after the Fontaine Research Institute incident distracted the nation did he dare resurface.
Now, meeting Richard face-to-face, he fully felt how difficult this man was to deal with. Throughout their talk earlier, Richard had controlled the pace completely, leaving Marcel no room to argue back.
It showed his strength clearly. Otherwise, how could he serve as the Hydro Archon's Secretary-General? Whereas Marcel, if not for an "accident", would have been nothing more than an ordinary adventurer.
If given a choice, he would have preferred ordinary life, living quietly with Vigneire, instead of becoming what he was now.
Still, Marcel felt a twisted sense of pride. Even this famed Richard hadn't uncovered his true identity. That gave Marcel a strange accomplishment, as if he'd beaten the soaring Secretary-General in some small way.
Unfortunately, he couldn't deal with Richard the way he had dealt with Callas. Marcel clearly recognized the difference: Callas had weaknesses. Richard didn't, or perhaps Marcel just knew too little. But their statuses alone made it impossible to handle Richard the same way.
If Richard hadn't come knocking, Marcel wouldn't even have the qualification to speak to him.
And without even the chance to talk, how could he ever fight him?
Besides, it was said Richard wasn't from Fontaine. That meant even the Primordial Sea Water wouldn't work on him. To Marcel, Richard was simply an unbeatable opponent.
Hearing such vague flattery, Clorinde immediately lost interest.
Did she need Marcel to tell her Richard was formidable? She already had firsthand experience.
"Well then, rest well, Monsieur Marcel. If you're bored, there's a concert at the opera house tonight."
"No, no. I'm too old, and I don't have the energy I used to. I'll just stay in my room quietly and wait for tomorrow's trial."
"Miss Clorinde, is there anything else?"
"No."
"Then please rest early as well."
Marcel stooped and shuffled back to his room, pulling out a copy of the Steambird to pass the time.
Clorinde closed the door for him, then prepared to rejoin Richard and the others.
On her way through the opera house, she unexpectedly ran into an old colleague, the very one who had once told her, "A pat on the shoulder from your boss is recognition, even praise."
But the colleague's expression was a little unnatural. After a few words, he quickly found an excuse to leave.
Clorinde was puzzled but didn't dwell on it. They'd only ever been ordinary colleagues. She'd heard he had been promoted after she became Furina's secretary, moving from the front lines to an office post. Supposedly with quite a decent position too.
As she thought this, she spotted him again, not far away, a middle-aged woman in formal wear linked her arm through his.
That woman was his direct superior.
Clorinde froze, unconsciously touched her own shoulder, then shook her head to chase away the ridiculous thought.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
"Was that your former colleague?" Lynette's sudden voice made her jump.
"Yes," Clorinde admitted.
"I heard a high-ranking official in the Palais Mermonia recently remarried. Office romance, apparently. So it was with your ex-colleague, huh?" Lynette remarked.
"Is… that a problem?"
"Heh, no problem at all. The man wants a better life, the woman wants a partner she likes. Mutual benefit. Nothing wrong with that." Lynette was used to seeing such things. As long as Richard didn't behave that way, she didn't care about others.
"!!" Clorinde's heart skipped. So her suspicion was right?
Did Richard's pat on her shoulder mean… that?
Seeing the conflict on her cold face, Lynette asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing. I was just wondering why he did that," Clorinde replied.
She meant Richard. But Lynette assumed "he" referred to the colleague who married up.
"It's common. Once you've seen enough, it's nothing special," Lynette said.
"What do you mean? Have you experienced it too?" Clorinde asked, thinking Richard had also patted Lynette's shoulder.
Which, honestl,y wouldn't be surprising, after all, Lynette was beautiful, with her cat ears and tail…
Lynette, however, remembered being sold by her foster father to a noble. That counted, right?
So she nodded. "Yes, I've experienced it."
"You agreed?" Clorinde pressed.
"I didn't have a choice at the time."
Back then, Lynette really had no power to resist, just a girl living under others' roofs with her brother. But Clorinde completely misunderstood, her gaze changing.
The ice queen was probably already thinking: 'If Richard really tries something with me, what should I do?'
But before she could imagine a plan, Lynette added, "Thankfully, Richard intervened and saved me. Otherwise…"
Her cat ears twitched as she trailed off, lips pressed tight. Clearly, the memory still cast a shadow over her.
"Wait, Richard saved you?!" Clorinde blinked. 'Isn't he supposed to be the one doing the exploiting? Did I mix up the roles?!'
"Of course. Don't you know? It was a big scandal at the time. That noble family was thrown into Meropide." Lynette explained briefly, leaving out the detail that they soon all "died of illness" there.
"Ah… so that's how it was. I thought…" Clorinde muttered awkwardly.
"Thought what?" Lynette asked curiously.
"N-nothing. By the way, why are you here?" Clorinde quickly changed the subject.
She couldn't possibly admit she thought Richard was trying to "secretly rule" her. If Richard ever found out, that'd become her ultimate resignation trick.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu