Neuvillette's POV
"Come on! Tell me!" Furina jumped around.
"Nothing happened."
"Then why are you wearing his clothes?"
"Mine were left in his office. You can't possibly expect me to wander around bare."
"You're here now, though. You could have changed." She pointed out.
I couldn't help but stop writing when I heard her accusations.
She was right.
I could have.
I could have changed a hundred times over and yet, here I am, still in his clothes.
I wonder why.
"Neuvillette, I'm being really serious right now, so make sure to listen to what I say."
"Always."
"Inform me if you ever find yourself a mate."
For the first time in my life, I had to physically restrain myself from throwing her out.
"Lady Furina-"
I tried to be as calm as I possibly could, but-
"I'm incredibly serious. One person influencing Fontaine's weather is already more than enough. If there is another, I want to know."
Phew...
Breathe, Neuvillette. Breathe.
Throwing Fontaine's archon out of Duke Wriothesely's office is not ideal.
"I believe I told you before that I have no intention of finding a mate."
"You have no intention of doing so. That doesn't mean a certain someone isn't eyeing that spot." She mumbled.
"Excuse me?"
What was she on about?
"Duke Wriothesely likes you." She pointed out.
"Or so I've heard."
"Do you like him?"
"If I did not, I would not have agreed to your proposal of me staying here for a week, archon or not. You seem to have taken a liking to him as well, Furina. Seeing as how you care to bicker with him."
"I? Bicker? With that guy? When?"
"Yesterday."
Don't for a second think that I didn't hear of what you three were up to while I was... in a less-than-optimal state.
"You- That's not the point! Besides, I'm not talking about that kind of like!"
"Both you and Sigewinne seem to have a rather confusing understanding of that word."
I just can't understand where they want to end up.
"Ugh! Neuvillette! You're a lost cause! you know what? Maybe I should let you read some of the letters sent to the Duke and just guess your thoughts from your reaction."
"Letters?"
Just what kind of letter could possibly-
"Love letters. Confessions and the like. He gets quite a few of those on a regular basis. From what I heard from Sigewinne, there are many who wish to court our dear Duke-"
I couldn't stop a growl from escaping between my teeth.
Silence instantly fell in the room.
"Neuvillette... Did you just-"
"I did not."
I couldn't possibly have.
I must have been hallucinating.
"Did you just growl?"
"No."
Definitely not.
I would have no reason to.
"You must have misunderstood something, Lady Furina."
"Are you saying that my hearing is so bad that I misheard something from a 1-meter distance?"
I couldn't answer that.
I'm not answering that question.
"Neuvillette-"
"No."
"Are you not going to acknowledge it?"
"There is absolutely nothing to acknowledge."
"You know that you gave one of your special recording devices to the Duke, right?"
I couldn't help but flinch.
I turned to her, and sure enough, she was holding the said device in her hand. A triumphant smirk graced her face.
That-
No matter.
I can just-
"You aren't thinking of destroying it, are you?"
...
"You couldn't possibly. After all, what's on here will be evidence in a trial." She smiled.
For Teyvat's sake!
"Furina..."
"Shall I rewind the recording?"
"Furina-"
"What? Since you say nothing happened, there is nothing for you to fear, right?"
The next second I saw her finger move and without much thinking, took the sphere out of her hands, holding it as far away from her as possible.
The problem with that action was that-
"Oh? I did indeed need this back. Thank you." A familiar voice sounded from behind me.
I froze in place as if struck by lightning, and before I could process what was happening, the device vanished from my hand.
No! Not that!
I watched as Wiothesely walked away with the sphere and placed it back in its place.
Phew.
As long as he doesn't look at it anytime soon, I can find time to erase it.
Not that there is anything in particular to erase.
Just Furina speaking nonsense about me finding a mate.
Hmm?
Were there always this many stickers on his clothes?
No, I don't think so.
I looked over to Sigewinne, the most likely suspect behind this change, but...
She was pouting.
"Sigewinne? Is everything alright, dear?"
I knelt down in front of her, drawing her into my arms.
"I- That-"
She cast a glance at Wriothesely before mumbling:
"The Duke broke my favorite cup."
That's a lie.
"Hey! I thought we had a deal here! Neuvillette, that's not true! I didn't break anything!" He protested.
I'm aware.
It might not be to others, but it's quite clear to me that Sigewinne is lying.
But-
Sigh...
"It would be best if you apologized if you have yet to do so, Your Grace. Replace the broken cup as well."
I could see as he became utterly baffled. It wasn't just him either. Furina too was looking as if she had seen a ghost.
"Unbelievable..." She muttered.
This is exactly what I had warned her about.
Even though I know that Sigewinne is lying, I couldn't give Wriothesely the right here.
My apologies, but my child is more important.
"Hey, Neuvillette! You can't be serious! She's obviously lying!" Furina's voice sounded in my mind.
"I'm aware."
"Then-"
"She's my daughter."
And that was the end of that conversation.
I completely shut Furina out and she could only fume to herself in frustration.
Though, I will have to talk this over with Sigewinne later.
Lying isn't a good habit.
"Neuvillette-" Wriothesely started as well.
"I know."
He stiffened and so did Sigewinne.
"If you know-"
"You are currently far lower on my list of priorities, Your Grace, so please apologize while I'm still speaking nicely."
If he was utterly baffled before, now he looked like he had just seen the sky collapse.
Still, I expected an apologise.
After all, cup or not, something made Sigewinne sad and since she's taking such a roundabout way to blame him, the chances of that something being Wriothesely are rather high.
And just like that, any sense of guilt I had vanished.
I even ignored the triumphant smirk Sigewinne flashed Wriothesely.