Furina's POV
"Lady Furina?"
I looked up and Clorinde, the always calm and collected Clorinde was shifting around nervously.
"What is it?"
It was already weird that she requested some of my time this morning only to bring me outside of the Court to sit around in the grass.
I went along with it because I had nothing better to do at the moment and I was incredibly bored.
Aside from that, the weather was quite nice as well.
Neuvillette has been a lot happier recently.
Good for him.
Good for me.
Good for Fontaine.
"Lady Furina, please excuse me, but I've invited another guest to join us for this discussion."
"Oh? Who is it?"
Just why on Teyvat was she being so secretive?
She always hangs around when I'm alone and I'm usually less bored with her around. That's why she can pretty much do anything in Fontaine, so I really don't understand why she would be so nervous.
"Navia. The president of-"
"Spina di Rosula?"
"Yes. Please don't be-"
"I'm not that shallow." I waved off her worries.
She's just a child. Young and impulsive.
Not the first to oppose me either.
At that exact moment, the one in question walked up to us.
"Greetings, Lady Furina. Clorinde."
The two smiled at each other and I couldn't help but eye them suspiciously.
"May I sit?"
"Yes, sit. And then the two of you will spit out the reason for dragging me out here so secretively."
She chuckled as she sat down and then both of them proceeded to shift around nervously without saying another word.
...
"Spit it out." I repeated.
What the hell is wrong with you two?
"Lady Furina... Are you perhaps aware of what is going on with Monsieur Neuvillette?" Clorinde asked eventually.
"Neuvillette? No? He was fine last time I saw him."
It was a bit weird that he came back so soon even though the agreed-upon week had passed.
I thought he would stay a bit longer, but maybe he thought he just simply had too much work to deal with.
"First of all... He has been refusing to see the melusines."
"Excuse me?"
He's doing what?
"This has been going on for three days now. Even Miss Sigewinne, who came up all the way from the fortress at least once every single day was sent back without question."
What the f*ck?
I almost cursed aloud hearing that.
What the hell is wrong with that idiotic dragon this time?
Did the kids do something to earn their father's ire?
"He also seems much colder than usual. I went to personally deliver him some information he had requested from me and usually, I would have been offered some tea and at least a few pleasantries, but this time I was pretty much kicked out." Navia added.
????
He really seemed fine a few days back!
What the heck could have possibly happened in a few days?!
And...
If he's in a bad mood why is the weather so awfully pleasant and sunny?!
Argh!
I had the urge to scream my lungs out!
Just one!
Just one week of peace!
Neuvillette, you bastard!
Give me my week of peace!
"Thank you for informing me of this, you two. I would like to ask you both to do something for me."
They both looked at me curiously and I thought about how exactly I should formulate my request.
"Miss Navia, you shall go back to talk with Neuvillette once more to make sure that situation wasn't just a one-off thing because he had seen something unpleasant. I will provide you with a reason to visit later.
As for Clorinde. You will go to Meropide and speak to two people."
"Two? I suspect Miss Sigewinne would be one, but-"
"The second one is Duke Wriothesely."
"Duke Wriothesely? Do you suspect that something happened while the Iudex was in Meropide?"
"Yes and no. He's being questioned because he's dating Neuvillette."
"Excuse me?"
Both of them looked utterly stunned.
I know right?
"You will go and ask him what I tell you, word for word."
She nodded and I took a deep breath.
"Duke Wriothesely, if you can't provide me with a plausible explanation for the current situation or why it is still progressing even though it is well within your power to deal with it just by showing your face, I will personally go down to Meropide and check whether or not you've got your head shoved up your ass."
"Lady Furina... This..."
Clorinde hesitated while Navia was clearly holding back her laughter.
"You tell him precisely that. Not a word less."
Tsk!
Troublesome couple!
Can't give me a few days of peace!
I was expecting the problem to solve itself quickly, but the next day, Navia returned from her mission with a sour face.
"I got kicked you."
"What?"
Neuvillette actually has it in him to kick someone out?
"Ah! He did ask me to pass by your office on my way out, Lady Furina."
"Why?"
Have we been busted already?
No. That can't be.
There was no evidence of my meddling.
I took a better look at the thing Navia was holding.
A sound recording crystal.
I eyed the thing suspiciously for a while before turning it on.
"Lady Furina." Neuvillette's voice came from the crystal.
Oh shit!
We've been had!
This is bad!
His voice sounds far too soft and kind!
He's totally pissed!
"If you wish to ask me something, you can quite easily do so without bothering the young ones. Shall I tell you how to do it? It's very easy. Get to your feet and walk 50 damn meters to my office!"
The second the recording ended the crystal shattered.
I was right!
He's pissed off!
Damn it!
At that exact moment, a knock came from the door.
This wouldn't be Neuvillette, right?
I extended my senses and...
Phew!
"Enter!"
Clorinde walked in with a giant frown on her face.
Oh, come on!
More bad news?
"Any good on your side?" She asked.
Navia shook her head in return.
What an ominous question that was.
"What about Sigewinne and Duke Wriothesely?"
I swear if he doesn't give me a good enough explanation...
"Miss Sigewinne doesn't know much as not once did she manage to enter Monsieur Neuvillette's office in the past three days. She just said that it might be good to check up on him as he might have gotten himself severely injured."
"Injured?"
Neuvillette?
Just how the heck did he manage that?
"She didn't elaborate further. I suspect she herself doesn't know more."
Two out of three are bad news.
Our last chance is Duke Wriothesely then.
"What about Duke Wriothesely?"
"Duke Wriothesely... He..."
He what?
Why are you hesitating so much?
"He nearly punched me the second I mentioned Monsieur Neuvillette."
What?
What the heck is wrong with that guy?
Wait.
Are these two having a lover's quarrel?
"He... He also had a few choice words for you, Lady Furina."
He cussed me out, didn't he?
"Tell me."
"I don't think I will need to. He gave me this."
Clorinde held out a-
"Well, these two are awfully similar." I muttered.
Another recording crystal.
He probably got a bunch from Neuvillette.
I inserted my elemental energy and the sound started playing.
"Lady Furina."
Oh, good god!
Even the start is the same!
This one sounds even more pissed than Neuvillette.
"If you wish to speak with me about that damn bastard, get you ass down here and as me yourself! Not only did that no common sense morron suddenly dump me and leave without so much as a semblance of an explanation, he even dared to lock me inside my own fucking prison! On that note, tell that stupid bastard that if he doesn't immediately undo whatever it is that he did to keep me in here, I will burn every single document within Meropide and he will have to provide me with a handwritten copy of every single record lost!"
This crystal too shattered violently as soon as the recording ended.
...
I blinked a few times trying to process what I just heard.
What the-
"Duke Wriothesely cannot leave Meropide?"
"No. Every time he attempts to do so he passes out as soon as he crosses the threshold." Clorinde confirmed.
Argh!
Fuck!
These two idiots and their stupid fight!
If you want to argue keep it to yourselves!
Even if Neuvillette dumps you-
Wait...
"Dumped. Did he say Neuvillette dumped him?"
The two nodded in confirmation and I nearly had a heart attack.
Damn it!
This shouldn't even be possible.
"You two, go tell everyone inside the Palais that they're free to go for the day. If they ask why, and I doubt they will, just tell them that I'm gonna go and argue with Neuvillette."
"Pardon? Argue?"
Yes, argue.
Because this is bound to turn into an argument of some sort.
A dragon doesn't just "dump" their mate.
It is physically impossible.
It is a ' this will last for a lifetime and then some' kind of relationship.
So just what the hell is going on?!
I have a bad feeling about this.
A really bad feeling.