Furina threw herself onto a couch and buried her face in a pillow, letting out a muffled scream.

"Ugh, that could have gone better," she mumbled, "That- that awful woman doesn't know what she's talking about. I-I've tried my best to deal with the prophecy, I-I know I have…"

Behind her, she heard the click of an opening door. Furina tensed. It couldn't be the Knave, could it? No, no, no, she was in Neuvillette's office. It was safe here. The Knave surely wouldn't dare to just barge in here! But, but earlier, Neuvillette had suddenly left her on her own before their teatime appointment with the Knave. He said he had to do something urgent and had no time to explain so she was alone now and vulnerable and-

"Lady Furina…?"

Furina schooled her expression, shoulders hiking as she whirled around, "You! Where have you been?!"

Neuvillette, who had just been walking into his office, stalled in his tracks, taken aback. He paused, sweeping his gaze across the room. Furina winced inwardly as he spotted the trail of rainwater she'd left on her way in. She hadn't even bothered to remove the water from her wet coat but had just flung herself onto his couch without a care. Furina braced herself. If he was going to scold her, then she was ready to scold him back too.

Instead, Neuvillette simply tilted his head. His reptilian eyes were completely unreadable to her even as he spoke, "You're shivering, Lady Furina."

Furina swallowed. Just moments ago, she'd been so frightened that the Knave had come back to finish her off. She couldn't even tell him how relieved she had felt when she had realized that it was only him entering the office but now she tensed up all over again.

"I'm shivering because the weather is so cold and miserable!" Furina turned up her nose at him, sitting up with hands on her hips, "You really should control your emotions better before the city floods!"

Thunder rumbled outside. Furina knew instantly that she'd gotten to him. Neuvillette's brows slanted down, "I see that you are trying to distract me. It will not work, Lady Furina," he paused, and then added awkwardly, "Are you…alright?"

Furina stared at him. She could hear the rain beating against the windows of the office. Looking at Neuvillette's concerned frown, she almost broke down there and then.

But she couldn't let herself break. Stupid dragon. He was so much more respected by the people than her, so much better at managing the nation than her, so much better at…at so many things- If he finally realized how weak and pathetic and foolish she was, then maybe one day, one day he would finally decide to abandon her and leave her all alone and-

No…she couldn't cry in front of him, anything but that.

"Of course I'm alright!" she snapped, sharp words spilling out of her uncontrollably, "I am the God of Justice after all! Can't you trust me to handle a mere Harbinger? You sure took your own sweet time to come back to me after whatever little errand made you run off!"

Neuvillette reared back as if he'd been slapped. He closed his eyes briefly and Furina could see his brows furrow as he struggled to forcibly control the Hydro outside. She could see the exhaustion in his eyes. Whatever he had been up to while he'd been away from her had clearly taken a toll on him. She chewed the inside of her cheek anxiously. The rain didn't stop at all, merely lessening in intensity.

"I have always respected your authority, Lady Furina," he spoke stiffly after a moment, "My apologies-"

"Don't you dare apologize to me!"

Furina flinched as her shout echoed through the office. She stared at Neuvillette, fear and shame and anger bubbling up inside her until she almost felt like bursting. The silence between them stretched out uncomfortably, filled only with the sound of falling rain splattering against stained glass windows. She squeezed the pillow she was clutching, unable to meet his gaze.

"Very well, Lady Furina," Neuvillette appeared perfectly composed as always. He walked past her to his desk, collecting the files he had been working on previously and then he turned to walk away. He stopped beside the couch on his way out without looking at her, "I know not what business has transpired between you and the Knave but we will certainly be discussing this matter at a later time."

Furina said nothing as she watched him go. There he went, so poised and elegant. To everyone in Fontaine, it was as if nothing in the world could ever sway the stoic Iudex. Except for her. She knew that he had a heart that could break, didn't she? She knew, yet she just couldn't help herself because she was so weak. She couldn't stop herself from hurting him with barbed words and lying to his face and keeping secrets from him.

Furina locked the doors of the office behind him, then she crept back to the couch and covered her face with a pillow, sobbing as quietly as she could.

Neuvillette was…distracted. He tested the term carefully, turning it over in his mind. Yes, that must have been what he was feeling. Distracted.

He had work to do. It didn't help that he did not have access to the archive in his office so he'd had no choice but to search through his memories for the relevant information instead. It couldn't be helped however, since someone had locked him out of his own office and he'd been forced to use a spare office nearby.

He was being unproductive. This wouldn't do at all. He was already behind schedule because Furina had suddenly wanted to drag him off to meet the Knave again and then his scheduled work had been pushed back even more because the Fortress of Meropide now needed support for urgent repairs.

Neuvillette massaged the bridge of his nose. His vision was blurring as he stared at yet another form on the desk before him. This human body was so weak compared to the vague memories he had of a far stronger form.

Furina…no, there was work to do, he couldn't think about her just yet.

"Monsieur Neuvillette?"

He felt a pair of soft paws wrap around his arm. A small face buried itself against his side. Neuvillette stirred tiredly, looking around.

"Ah, Sedene," Neuvillette patted the Melusine's paw gently. He felt himself smiling as Sedene tilted her face towards him.

"I've brought coffee for you, Monsieur Neuvillette," Sedene smiled sweetly at him, indicating the cup on the table, "I made it myself. You should drink it while it's still warm."

"Thank you, Sedene," Neuvillette took a sip of the coffee, "This is most excellent."

"You're welcome, Monsieur Neuvillette," Sedene beamed, hopping back.

Neuvillette turned back to his papers.

"Monsieur Neuvillette?"

He glanced up to find that Sedene was still standing beside him, watching him attentively with her paws behind her back.

"Is something the matter?" Neuvillette asked her.

"It is getting late. I will be leaving the office," Sedene said, pressing her paws together tentatively, "Please do not stay up too late, Monsieur Neuvillette. My sisters and I…we worry about your health."

Neuvillette touched his chest lightly, feeling warm. How strange it was that the Melusine could so easily change his emotions.

"Thank you, Sedene, I shall take care not to worry all of you," he said, "Please be careful as you head home."

"I will. Goodnight Monsieur," Sedene bobbed her head and then left.

Neuvillette drank his coffee and continued working. There were trials he had to preside over tomorrow. There were budgets he needed to authorize.

There was Furina…no, he still couldn't think about Furina right now.

Neuvillette went back to his paperwork. Maybe he could find more work to do once he was done…

*** stirred in its slumber. From the cold darkness of the depths, *** glanced up through the pure waters and saw a ship. *** marveled, for it was so small and weak compared to the vast Sea, yet it sailed onwards, carrying the weighty hopes of humanity.

"Great ***!" called *****, a tiny yet magnificent figure standing on the stern, silhouetted against the too bright sun, "…won't you join us as we sail?"

*** considered the request and then slowly began to swim up. Purest water rippled over scale and mane, tides parted as a vast, serpentine form snaked up from the depths. *** did not understand ***** very well, but surely ***'s new friend would appreciate a special gift-

Neuvillette straightened, eyes snapping open.

It was still night time. He must have drifted off for a moment. He glanced over the office he was working in and didn't find anything amiss. The lights outside the office were off and the doors were open, revealing a dark corridor outside.

He could hear footsteps approaching. Nobody else should have been around at this time. It didn't sound like Furina's light and quick footsteps either. No, this person was walking leisurely towards him and then stopping in the darkness just outside the doors.

"If one is found guilty of trespassing, one may bear a penalty of up to a year of imprisonment and a hundred thousand mora fine," Neuvillette said sternly, "But I imagine you would be more than aware of this…Lady Arlecchino?"

A pair of red crossed eyes glowed hungrily in the gloom. The Knave stalked into the office, standing before him with a predatory smile on her face.

"Why certainly, Monsieur Neuvillette, I would not presume to casually break the laws of Fontaine," she paused delicately, "However, it has been…ever so difficult to find you alone."

Neuvillette's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Oh?"

Furina was likely safe in her bedroom at the upper floors of Palais Mermonia at this time. Hopefully she would be able to get away safely if he had to fight the Knave here, but there was also the possibility that Arlecchino was here to distract him while danger was closing in on Furina.

"Please don't misunderstand me, Monsieur Neuvillette," Arlecchino spread her hands to her side, as if the gesture of surrender made her any less dangerous, "I do not wish to cause any harm to Fontaine and its people. Well, no more than from the result of some people's negligence, in any case. I merely wish to speak to you regarding a…sensitive topic, shall we say?"

Neuvillette watched the Knave carefully, "What do you wish to speak with me about?"

Arlecchino curled a dainty, gloved hand under her chin, smirking slyly, "Monsieur Neuvillette, you are the most powerful being in Fontaine yet you bow to the whims of a fickle god who cannot even so much as provide a rescue plan for the people she wishes to save…can you truly trust in such a god?"

"I trust Lady Furina to save Fontaine," Neuvillette glared, "Your attempt at sowing dissent is both abortive and puerile."

"Your faith in your Archon is admirable!" Arlecchino exclaimed. She paused theatrically, an uncertain expression pasting itself on her face, "But…does Miss Furina truly trust you as much as you trust her, Monsieur Neuvillette?"

Neuvillette paused, then quickly said, "Of course."

His silence had only lasted for a second too long, but Arlecchino's eyes widened like a cat that had caught its prey.

Neuvillette waited for Arlecchino to try to attack the opening he'd inadvertently given her but instead the Knave simply reached into her coat. Neuvillette didn't move but readied to defend himself.

Arlecchino smiled like she knew what he was thinking. With exaggeratedly slow movement, she removed a bottle filled with dark liquid from her coat. She walked up to his desk and set the bottle down before slowly backing away.

"It is said that the ancient dragons had a custom of drinking the blood of their fallen kin in remembrance," the Knave said thoughtfully, "I wonder…would the blood of the ancient Dragon Sovereign contain its memories and wishes…?"

Neuvillette stared at the bottle and then reached out and picked it up, examining the black liquid roiling about within. Arlecchino could have been lying…but he could sense some kind of familiar resonance from the liquid.

Did the Knave know of his true identity? Or was she merely making a wild guess and trying to trick him into revealing himself?

"Is that all-" he began.

The Harbinger was already gone by the time he looked up. Neuvillette stood up from his seat. He hadn't sensed her leaving at all. It wasn't for nothing that Arlecchino was placed as the Fourth of the Harbingers, it seemed.

Neuvillette hurried out of the office to check on Furina…and slipped the bottle into his coat as he left.

Neuvillette did not trust the Fatui Harbinger at all, but if what she had given him was real…the bottle felt like a burning coal in his coat.

Furina pushed around a slice of cake on her plate. She speared a piece of cake, chewing mechanically. Her fork clinked against her plate as she forced herself to continue eating.

"If your breakfast has offended you so, I can speak to the chef to prepare a new cake for you, Lady Furina."

Furina jumped, almost dropping her fork. She cleared her throat, embarrassed that Neuvillette had noticed her behavior, "It's fine. I-I'm fine! You should focus on your own breakfast, my dear Iudex!"

Furina waited for a moment, hoping he would go back to eating his own breakfast. She peeked at Neuvillette carefully when she thought that he wasn't looking only to accidentally lock eyes with him.

Furina gulped. Was he still upset with her? It was still raining lightly and the skies were overcast outside the windows of their dining chamber in Palais Mermonia. Was he okay pretending yesterday hadn't happened? Didn't he say he wanted to question her? Why was he just staring at her without saying anything?

Frantic, Furina cast about for something, anything to distract him.

"I've noticed that there are more Gardes patrolling the Palais than usual today!" Furina blurted, "Has something happened?"

Neuvillette dropped his gaze to the bowl of consommé sitting before him, "There is no cause for concern. An intruder appeared last night. I have therefore made further security arrangements to prevent this from happening again."

"A-An intruder?!" Furina's mind flashed to the Knave. She shuddered inwardly as she thought of the Harbinger's cruel smirk, "Why wasn't I informed of this matter earlier?"

Neuvillette sampled his soup, "Nothing has been taken or tampered with and none of our staff have come to harm. The increase in the presence of the Gardes is merely precautionary in nature."

Furina hesitated. Something felt off about his reply, although she couldn't quite tell what. But surely Neuvillette would let her know if it was important, wouldn't he?

But then why didn't he mention the intruder to begin with? Furina watched him drink his soup. She chewed her lip. If she asked…if she asked for more details, he would surely tell her, right?

"That is good to hear," she found that she couldn't bring herself to actually ask. Furina forcefully ate another bite of cake, "As the Hydro Archon, I must be informed of all important matters in Fontaine!"

Neuvillette raised his head, pinning her with his gaze.

"I would expect to be informed of all important matters as well so as to better assist you, Lady Furina," he said quietly.

Furina flinched. That…that had to be a dig, didn't it? He already knew she was hiding something concerning the Knave from him.

"Certainly so! T-That is only to be expected as you are my Iudex!" Furina managed a laugh.

It was fine! Everything was fine! Neuvillette didn't need to know the Knave had almost killed her when she snuck out of the Palais without him that one time! She wasn't just keeping this matter to herself because she was worried about what he would think of her if he knew, it was…it was because she was trying to prevent him from causing a diplomatic incident for her sake, yeah!

Neuvillette raised a brow pointedly. Furina squirmed under his gaze. She was the God of Justice here, so why did it feel like he was the one who could read her guilt like it was printed on her face?!

"You are most capable in all things! It's no surprise that a foolhardy intruder could not evade your attention!" she declared brightly. Furina peered at Neuvillette carefully, hoping to see a positive reaction from her praise.

Uh, wait a moment, why was he looking away again?

"Y-you did have the intruder arrested, didn't you?" a sinking feeling built up inside her.

"…the intruder left quickly while I was preoccupied with other matters," Neuvillette said shortly.

Furina stared at him. Neuvillette seemed very interested in his consommé. How could it be possible for anyone to escape when Neuvillette was around? Well, there was one person in Fontaine who might be able to…but, but if the Knave had entered Palais Mermonia and Neuvillette had been there-

"You allowed an intruder to escape because you were preoccupied?" Furina couldn't help but say, "How unlike you, my dear Iudex."

Neuvillette said nothing, merely taking a sip of tea from the teacup by his side.

She could ask him to explain himself. She should ask him, in fact. Furina clenched her fists in her lap so tightly that she could feel her nails biting against her palms.

A long, painful silence drew out between them as they both continued to eat their respective breakfasts. It was as if they had both simultaneously decided to pretend that nothing was wrong and that this was a perfectly normal morning.

When had it become so difficult for her to talk to him? The tension in the air was so thick. Furina felt nauseous as she poked at her food.

"I shall take my leave to start work, Lady Furina."

Neuvillette's voice startled her from her thoughts. Furina saw that he was waiting patiently for her to dismiss him.

Furina cleared her throat, affecting an air of nonchalance, "Go forth then, my dear Iudex! I, Focalor, shall surely expect you to fulfill your duties with your utmost efforts!"

"Indeed, Lady Furina," Neuvillette's expression didn't change at all. She watched him leave. Her lips twitched. There were so many things she wanted to say to him but in the end she couldn't even bring herself to say a word.

"Report."

"Yes, my lady."

Arlecchino leaned back in her chair. A bowl of freshly picked bulle fruits of the highest quality sat on the table beside her. She picked at a fruit leisurely, peeling the citrus segments of flesh apart slowly.

A Pyro Agent, one of Childe's entourage that she had commandeered during his absence, stood on her other side and bowed as he gave his report.

"Two additional patrols of Gardes have been added to the grounds of the Palais Mermonia. Our agents are working on acquiring their patrol routes to add to our records," the Pyro Agent reported, "In addition, a dozen Gardemek units have been sent to the upper floors."

"As expected of Monsieur Neuvillette to so quickly make arrangements," Arlecchino nodded approvingly. A lovely smile bloomed on her face, "Do you have news of his movements as well?"

"My apologies," the Pyro Agent dipped his head nervously, "We were only able to confirm that he had breakfast with the Hydro Archon before departing for his office as usual."

"Is that so?" Arlecchino pinched a segment of fruit, crushing it between her fingers. Blood red juices trickled down her fingertips.

"I…w-well…"

"It's fine," Arlecchino smiled. Her eyes glittered with a hint of well hidden mania as she watched the scarlet droplets drip down into the bowl, staining the fruits below, "It's only a matter of time before everything falls into place."