Clorinde's brow twitched as she read the headlines.
Iudex Under Inquiry: Shocking Politics Influence Fatui Court Ruling!
Clorinde waited as Neuvillette continued to read through the news article. There was no change in his expression when he finally set down the newspaper, looking at her across his desk.
"The Seven Nations Gazette is indeed living up to its reputation," he said, polite as ever.
"The Palais could sue for libel," Clorinde glared at the paper, "Perhaps requesting a retraction would be in order as well?"
Neuvillette considered her suggestion for a moment before he finally shook his head, "In my experience, doing so at this stage will backfire by increasing awareness of the protests instead. Leave them be for now. How is the latest condition on the ground?"
Clorinde took a moment to adjust her thoughts. It was very frustrating to see how quickly the public could turn on a dime. It was as if all their years of effort of quietly working for the good of Fontaine was worth nothing so long as people could gossip over unsubstantiated rumours.
"Half a dozen more organised groups have simultaneously popped up distributing flyers throughout the major population centres of Fontaine. Someone is throwing in a lot of mora and manpower to blow this matter up," she reported.
"An organised effort to undermine my authority," Neuvillette said thoughtfully, "The timing is most suspicious."
Clorinde tilted her head, observing him. It really seemed that the accusations had not stirred a ripple in his heart at all. Then again this was Neuvillette, the one and only Chief Justice of Fontaine for four hundred years. This was not the first time that he had faced detractors, nor would it be the last in all likelihood.
"Could it be the Fatui again?" Clorinde suggested.
In particular, Arlecchino came to mind. Clorinde frowned as she recalled the Knave's mad smile and haunting, claret gaze.
Neuvillette shook his head, "I think not. They would indeed have the resources to conduct such a campaign…but making such overt movements at this time does not match my understanding of the Knave."
Clorinde nodded. Maybe it was too easy to blame everything on the Fatui- they did usually have their fingers in a number of unsavoury pies after all- but she had to agree with Neuvillette on this one. It would be out of character for Arlecchino to draw attention to the Fatui so soon after their last tussle had resulted in Neuvillette reporting her to the Tsaritsa. Clorinde's gut feeling was that it wouldn't be quite so simple to find the culprit in this case, although of course they couldn't entirely rule out Fatui involvement at this time either.
"About the Oratrice…" Clorinde paused, uncertain if she should, could, press on this matter. After all, wouldn't it be simple to resolve the rumours if they could just explain why the Oratrice had acted up against Childe? But if she had thought of this solution, then Neuvillette had obviously thought of it as well.
Neuvillette knew what she was thinking even though she didn't fully articulate her thoughts. He held her gaze for a moment and then said, "Lady Furina has made her statement regarding the Oratrice."
Ah, that meant that Neuvillette also didn't know why the Oratrice had acted up. He was probably researching leads on his own but so far hadn't found anything useful that they could publicly announce. That was why the Palais hadn't issued a press release yet. Of course, the longer they remained silent, the louder the outcry would grow…but hastily making an ambiguous statement would also just be inviting further attack, especially if they ended up contradicting their findings later.
"I see," Clorinde sighed, "As for Lady Furina…?"
"There is no need to bring this matter to her attention," Neuvillette said. He rose from his seat. Clorinde stood up as well, following a step behind him as he walked out of his office.
"She'll notice eventually," Clorinde felt that she had to point this out.
Neuvillette nodded once, continuing to walk forward.
So he was aware of that fact, obviously he was. Clorinde sighed inwardly. She hadn't exactly been suggesting that they rely on Furina to solve this problem, but it was just like Neuvillette to quietly take up the burden of handling the issue all on his own so that Furina would not have to worry about it. There was no point in arguing with him about it too- the Chief Justice rarely changed his mind once he had made a decision.
Clorinde reflected that most people probably assumed that Neuvillette was the more reasonable of the pair of Fontaine's rulers just because he always looked so calm and collected on the outside. But the truth was that the both of them could be equally stubborn and impulsive in their own ways.
The Opera Epiclese was a magical place. Furina would never get tired of the sight of the huge brocade curtains being pulled back. Perhaps one day, the curtains would withdraw to unveil dazzling dancers twirling on the stage; yet another day, she would see the most interesting person in the world direct a trial, silhouetted by the glowing gears of the Oratrice.
Neuvillette wasn't seated at the Chief Justice's seat today though, nor was she seated at her throne. Instead, they were seated together right at the front row before the stage. Furina knew that their presence in the front row was causing people to mutter, but she didn't care at all.
In the darkened opera house, Furina felt happy as she observed Neuvillette seated beside her.
"The performance today is a new opera put together by the fabulous Monsieur Verdi, titled Violetta !" she told him excitedly, "I've heard it's wonderfully tragic!"
"Oh?" he murmured quietly.
A little disappointed at his lacklustre reply, Furina continued in an even more enthusiastic tone, "The title role is being performed by that famous soprano from The Barber of Seville . I've heard her perform before- She's very good!"
"I see," said Neuvillette absently.
Furina peered at him carefully. Shyly, she brushed her hand against his arm, "W-well, what do you think, Neuvillette?"
Neuvillette finally seemed to notice her at that, turning his gaze towards her. He reached out and very gently circled a thumb over the back of her hand. Furina waited for him to say something, anything, but Neuvillette just smiled faintly at her before turning his gaze back to the stage. He seemed preoccupied with thinking about something, but he just wouldn't tell her .
Furina chewed the inside of her cheek, resisting the urge to scold him. No…she couldn't have an argument with Neuvillette here, especially not when she had finally managed to make him get out of the Palais with her. He'd been so busy lately for some reason…
…but things were supposed to be better now, weren't they? She'd told him how she felt…well, she hadn't exactly said it outright, but he should obviously be able to understand what she was implying from her actions, right?
Furina tried to cheer herself up as the spotlights switched on above the stage, illuminating a group of performers gathered around a lavish banquet table. Each and every performer was dressed in magnificent embroidered gowns and dapper suits that glittered dreamily under the bright lights.
What did it matter if he wasn't responding how she had thought he would? At least he was here with her. That was good enough, wasn't it? She'd probably end up pushing him away if she didn't control herself anyway…
As the male lead raised a champagne glass and began to sing in a rich tenor, Furina leaned forward, eager to dive into the opera and get away from the messy thoughts in her head. She perked up when the lead soprano's performance began. Furina's heart throbbed when it was revealed that the heroine, Violetta, was severely ill and conflicted between her free lifestyle and the burgeoning love she felt for the male lead, Alfredo. At the end of the first act, Furina clapped furiously alongside the rest of the audience.
"That was an amazing performance! We must speak with Monsieur Verdi and the cast after this to congratulate them!" Furina said eagerly to Neuvillette. She frowned when he did not immediately reply, biting back a harsh question. Had he even been paying attention to the opera at all?
"I am glad to see that you are enjoying the performance, Lady Furina," Neuvillette said.
"I certainly am, my dear Iudex!" Furina laughed nervously, looking away from him.
Did he really mean that? Furina fiddled with her fingers in her lap. Was he just saying that because he felt obliged to support her? Was he worried he was wasting time here when he still had a lot of work to handle back at the Palais?
She should just ask him what he was thinking…but then they'd probably start arguing and then she'd end up hurting him with her words again.
On the stage, the second act began. Furina tried her best not to look at Neuvillette as the performance began. She was absorbed in the bright and happy expression of the male lead as he began to sing of his happy life in the countryside with Violetta. Furina snuck a glance at Neuvillette. Wouldn't it be nice if he could one day look at her like that?
The act continued. Alfredo was called away to the city while Violetta was invited to a party. Furina was annoyed when Alfredo's father ambushed Violetta at the party and tried to persuade her to break up with Alfredo as she tarnished the reputation of their family. Furina was even more upset when Violetta agreed for Alfredo's sake and left behind a tearful farewell letter in their country home.
Furina couldn't help rooting for Alfredo when he confronted Violetta during another party, proclaiming his love boldly for her. Violetta gently asked Alfredo to leave- but surely he would understand she was only doing that so that her suitor wouldn't challenge Alfredo in a duel to the death? Furina gripped the edges of her seat as Alfredo denounced Violetta in front of the guests, causing her to faint.
"Alfredo, Alfredo, you can't understand all the love in this heart..." Violetta sang as the act closed.
It had been a terrible idea to watch this opera with Neuvillette, Furina realised. Her emotions were running all over the place. Furina turned to Neuvillette. There were so many things she wanted him to understand, just like Violetta…
"I'm going for a quick walk to stretch my legs," her mouth opened and bright words spilled out instead.
Neuvillette stirred at last, focusing on her with a frown, "I shall come with you then-"
"No, no! I-I just want to be on my own for a while to- to digest the opera before the final act begins! Yes, it was indeed a grand performance worthy of the praise of the Hydro Archon, Focalor!" Furina told him proudly. When she saw that he was about to protest again, she scoffed, "I won't be long! Can't you just be a little accommodating, Neuvillette?"
Furina winced inwardly. She could see that she'd accidentally bitten him with her words again from the way he shifted minutely in his seat.
"Very well, I shall wait for you here, Lady Furina," was all Neuvillette said.
Was he upset with her? He probably was, wasn't he? Furina pasted a smile on her face, bouncing out of her seat and strutting down the aisle, acutely aware of all the gazes from the people of Fontaine around her. It was all she could do to keep moving forward one step at a time even though it felt like her heart was breaking.
The Opera Epiclese was filled to the brim today. Neuvillette could sense a heavy wave of emotion rippling through the air as people around them murmured and discreetly looked. By this point, the rumours about his supposed tampering of the Oratrice had reached the upper echelons already, but he was fairly certain they wouldn't dare to confront him about the matter in public.
Not yet, at least.
Neuvillette was fully aware that this stalemate wouldn't last for long. All it would take was one prominent noble sticking their neck out to decry him and the rest would follow like a herd of sheep. Humans were disappointingly predictable like that. Out of habit, he summoned his cane to his lap, turning the handle over and over in his hand as he thought. He would much rather be in the archives at the Palais Mermonia searching for information on the Oratrice at this very moment, but Furina had insisted that he had to take a day off to spend time with her.
Neuvillette stared at the huge curtains hanging behind the stage, looking past the performers and the elaborate set to where the scales of the Oratrice was hidden. What secrets did the Oratrice hide? What had Egeria hidden all those years ago?
Neuvillette had considered whether he should just enter the Oratrice's underground chamber to examine its condition…but no, that would be too reckless for now. There was no telling what the condition was within the Oratrice what with the massive amounts of Indemnitium the Knave had mentioned during her teatime with Furina and the Traveller. It would be disastrous if he really ended up causing the Oratrice to break. Fontaine would not survive a flood of so much Indemnitium.
Neuvillette sat there, completely unable to focus on the opera. He was utterly exhausted. Between the threat of the Primordial Sea below and the Oratrice above, as well as the daily work of the court and now the public scandal, the amount of paperwork that he needed to do was reaching astronomical heights, even for him.
And then there was Furina…
Neuvillette observed her profile out of the corner of his eye, his gaze softening. Her hand rested on his arm.
Something had changed between them recently. Neuvillette wasn't quite sure what it was. They had spent centuries together at this point after all. He had thought that their relationship had been set in stone by now but Furina still managed to surprise him again. She was a lot more…touchy, perhaps the word was, after the incident with Arlecchino. She often leaned against him or insisted on sitting together with him. Sometimes in the evenings when nobody else was around, she would even wrap her arms around him and bury her head in the crook of his neck without saying a word.
Neuvillette raised a hand, stopping as he was about to brush against a stray lock of her hair. Furina's eyes were glistening with tears, absorbed in the drama of the opera. He shouldn't disturb her, he decided, allowing his hand to fall away.
Neuvillette closed his eyes. He needed to talk to her properly once this was all over.
"I'm going for a quick walk to stretch my legs," Furina spoke up suddenly.
Neuvillette blinked and turned to her, "I shall come with you then-"
"No, no! I-I just want to be on my own for a while to- to digest the opera before the final act begins! Yes, it was indeed a grand performance worthy of the praise of the Hydro Archon, Focalor!" Furina puffed out her chest. She glared at him, hands on her hips, "I won't be long! Can't you just be a little accommodating, Neuvillette?"
Her words stung. Neuvillette quickly suppressed any emotion that he felt. He couldn't allow it to rain right now, otherwise Furina might question him upon leaving the opera house.
"Very well, I shall wait for you here, Lady Furina," he said.
Neuvillette waited stoically as Furina bounced away. He couldn't afford to show any signs of weaknesses especially at a time like this.
Of course, just because he wasn't inviting trouble, that didn't mean that trouble would stay away.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, what a surprise it is to see you here today," a smarmy voice rang out next to him.
Philippe, a promising judge at the Palais. He was a tall and powerfully built young man, known for his strong work ethic and his connections with the influential and wealthy Pétain family. Philippe was eager to make his mark on the world, proud of his successes…and very hungry for power. Neuvillette had met many of his kind over the years, often ruined by their desires and drunk on their own strength.
Neuvillette glanced up, "Monsieur Philippe, it seems you have me at a disadvantage. Is it truly that surprising that I am attending an opera? Lady Furina is an ardent patron of the arts after all."
"Lady Furina is indeed fond of staging performances," Philippe continued, "However, it seems that it might be possible to say the same of you, Chief Justice."
Neuvillette tilted his head. He had seen this coming but it didn't make the experience any less irksome, "What do you wish to say, Monsieur Philippe?"
Philippe raised his voice a touch, a smug grin on his face as he asked, "What's wrong with the Oratrice, Monsieur Neuvillette?! Are its rulings truly just?!"
At first, the opera house went silent as everyone digested the audacity of Philippe's words. Then a round of murmurs started, growing louder, faint voices speaking up amidst the crowd- Philippe's supporters planted in their midst.
"The Chief Justice isn't speaking…" "Does he have something to hide?" "Why hasn't the Palais released any information about the Oratrice…" "But Lady Furina said…"
Neuvillette rose to his feet slowly. Despite being the same height, Philippe paled and backed away as Neuvillette focused his gaze on the other man. The murmurs subsided as Neuvillette tapped his cane against the ground with a resounding thud.
With all eyes on him, he began to speak.
"The Palais is aware of the doubts that have arisen concerning the veracity of the Oratrice's judgements," Neuvillette said slowly, knowing that his every word would be dissected and analysed to death, "We are currently conducting a routine review of the Oratrice's workings to ensure that it is functioning accurately."
"Was Childe wrongly convicted?" Someone shouted. Someone else added, "Why did Lady Furina say that she planned the Oratrice's verdict?"
Neuvillette didn't answer, choosing to walk away calmly down the aisle. He had to find Furina now and get her out of here before the crowd turned nasty. He came to a halt at the doors of the opera house.
Ah, Furina was already there. She looked like she had been in a hurry, dashing before coming to a halt. He could see flashes from Kameras behind her. Despite his best efforts, it seemed like the paparazzi had managed to get through the security barriers and ambushed Furina while he was occupied.
"Lady Furina-" he called out to her.
Furina's face was pale. She turned on her heel and walked briskly away from him without a word.