Droplets that fell (for you) [Wriolette]

Nobody's daughter, dreams of father

A murder case involving the murder of a Melusine has come to the light of the people of Fontaine. A week after the first murder, a second one occurred. The citizens do not particularly care for the Melusine's but if this threat was to spread to the humans, they would all be dead. In conclusion, speculations of a second calamity were brought up and answers were demanded from the government.

The guards were flooded with constant shifts as someone was always causing a scene somewhere. The citizens were eager to hear the opinions of the queen and even the fear of the second incoming calamity caused her to be more protected and secure. This was due to the last queen dying 200 years ago. The queen had insisted against it and reassured that she would be safe but despite her efforts, the guards began to look over her more closely just in case of emergency.

Most people treated The tale as real history, though the details were few. Everyone actually involved had pretty much died. Researchers have claimed to have found old bones of the original Fontainians, which strengthened the peoples' beliefs. Even pieces of their old language had been found and the Oratrice still standing in the Opera Epiclese served as proof of the previous queen's existence. The other nations' claims on the calamity were all the same but the Fontaine of the past was not on very close terms with the other nations back then, resulting in the lack of information and knowledge about the events.

The Oratrice was trusted by all of the Fontainians. Its verdict was final and never wrong. People even started to make rumors that Neuvillette was the previous ruler because his declarations always matched the Oratrice's verdicts. None of the citizens knew much about him but that was to be expected since he had such a high status and place in Fontaine. Those rumors wouldn't make sense though because the previous ruler existed 200 years ago and was claimed to be female. Neuvillette was very close with the current queen and usually made big decisions for the nation alongside her. No one really knew why a judge was granted such a privilege.

Carole, as the sign of peace, was criticized. The people claimed that the Chief Justice favored Melusines over humans and asked "Why is there no human as a sign of peace?" Not like peace would come that way anyway. It was just another way to find a way to attack the Chief Justice, as they began to consider him untrustworthy and even shady. The citizens' trust in the Chief Justice was beginning to fade, as if they ever trusted him that much. It didn't matter if he'd earned the title of Chief Justice. If you slipped even a bit or did anything wrong, the people would take any chance to rid you of your spot in society and drag you through the mud. Recently, a certain guard has fought to protect the Chief Justice, and people are speculating things about him.

That very same guard ran into one of the meeting rooms in the Palais Mermonia, currently occupied by the Chief Justice and a few of his acquaintances. He shouted, "Neuv- Chief Justice! There's a horde of people protesting again in front of the Palais Mermonia," He fixed his posture and manners as he saw the other guests but still made it sound like an urgent matter. He had run here quickly and was catching his breath.

The meeting room quieted down as they stared at the guard. Neuvillette stood up from his chair and ordered, "Clorinde and Wriothesley, come with me. Navia, Carole, and the rest of you stay here and look from afar if anything happens." He then turned back to the guard as Clorinde and Wriothesley stood up from their chairs and walked over, "You should accompany us as well. Thank you for informing us, Vautrin." Neuvillette nodded his thanks and walked outside with the others behind his back.

Vautrin was a guard known to be greatly trusted by Neuvillette. The people of Fontaine showed him great respect and lower-ranked guards looked up to him. He was trustworthy and open-minded, perfect for situations like these. He had had his doubts about the Melusines too but knew the Chief Justice made his decisions with a depth of thinking and considering possibilities first. Vautrin had recently gotten overwhelmed with the amount of people that came his way, though, and maybe the high status and trust placed upon himself was not so great after all. It was quite easy to take advantage of him.