author's notes:
written for NeuviFuri Week Day 2 - Royals AU. as always hope you enjoy!
The Steambird calls Lady Furina de Fontaine a diamond of the first water.
A diamond of the finest quality. Flawless. Dazzling. Effervescent.
Apart from her flair for the dramatics, she was what a proper lady of high society ought to be. Affable and observant, polite but quick-witted. Gifted in both the violin and pianoforte, skilled in both needlepoint and painting. She possessed exceptional intelligence, unparalleled grace and ephemeral beauty. Truly, one could hardly find fault with her impeccable behavior, etiquette and elegance.
Indeed, Lady Furina was the perfect match for Crown Prince Neuvillette. A union predetermined since her birth, one that the entire kingdom anticipated.
All of that, was as per usual, from the perspective of the Steambird. Not from Furina de Fontaine herself.
Neuvillette places the paper on the table, "High society would be affronted to know that the lady in question does not want nor care for such a moniker. Never in their greatest minds could they fathom that Lady Furina was actually trying most ardently to ruin her reputation," he says glancing at the young lady who sat across from him, enjoying a slice of cake.
Furina doesn't bat an eye at his accusations, nor does she deny them. After all they were true. She had been trying very hard, and utterly failing, in besmirching her reputation.
Her attempt at blatantly disregarding the score, and playing something entirely different at the latest concerto, had led to her being dubbed a musical prodigy. Her barbed and hurtful comments about the desserts –from the most popular patisserie in the Court of Fontaine –not being up to standard resulted in the owner conducting an investigation, and the subsequent exposé of a corrupted merchant withholding premium goods. Her intentional change of style choices from overly extravagant to shockingly modest and simple had given rise to a new trend in clothing, one which every lady –whether they were nobles or commoners –had clamored to follow. So much so that it apparently welcomed an influx of new jobs and even boosted the local economy.
She had even tried to seem fickle but every gentleman she conversed with maintained a respectful distance and seemed to flee not even five minutes into their conversation, as if the presence of a terrifying dragon lingered over her shoulder!
Furina was quite literally running out of options, ideas and time, this tea party with Neuvillette was her last chance to break free from the chains that kept her tied to this gilded cage.
"They would be scandalized," Furina says firmly, lifting the teacup to her mouth, "if they ever heard her say that she did not wish to marry the Crown Prince."
The corners of her lips curl into an empty smile as Neuvillette gives her an exasperated look.
"Lady Furina," he says her name as if she were a petulant child, "I will not break my engagement to you. We have been over this a thousand times already."
Two thousand seven hundred and twelve times actually, but it's not as if the both of them were counting. This has been a point of disagreement ever since Furina's thirteenth birthday. She would try to convince him to call off their engagement, and he would refuse every single time.
At first it mattered not to Neuvillette, he basked in the opportunity to spend any time he could with Furina, even if it meant arguing with her about their betrothal. However, lately it seemed that she was taking drastic measures to ensure that their union wouldn't come to fruition. Was he really that undesirable to her? Neuvillette couldn't imagine himself with anyone other than Furina. He doesn't know if he could bear seeing her with another.
"Your Highness," Furina sets her teacup down, gloved hands settling on her lap, "I am certain that you have received more advantageous offers from others who are equally as prestigious, or perhaps even more so than myself."
If the gossip from her household's maids were anything to go by then, there have most definitely been offers from various ladies and their families within and outside of Fontaine. Anyone would jump at the chance to marry the Crown Prince of one of the wealthiest and most prosperous nations in Teyvat. Anyone but Furina that is.
She meets the prince's gaze, "It is within my understanding that the Kingdom of Khaenri'ah sent a proposal, did they not? Although Fontaine is one of the foremost nations in technology, we cannot hope to compare to their industrial might."
Now Furina bringing up other eligible ladies to be his Queen instead of her was nothing new but, it was the first time that she brought up royals from other countries.
She continues, "Would it not be in Fontaine's best interests to establish a more stable connection given their–"
"The contract in question," he says slowly, cutting her off, "is a trade deal between Fontaine and Khaenri'ah regarding our clockwork technology and their energy operating system."
Neuvillette replies, taking a sip of his own tea, "If you had thought they sent a marriage proposal then I believe that was not the case, my lady."
Furina blinks, cheeks turning the slightest shade rosier, "I see...forgive me for presuming that it was anything but professional in nature."
She clears her throat, "I am delighted to hear that our nations will be working closely in the future."
Neuvillette quirks a brow, "I shall let Princess Lumine and Prince Aether know that you were ecstatic to hear such news."
She sighs internally, Princess Lumine would no doubt tease Furina to no end again the next time they would meet if word of this ever reaches her.
"However," Furina would not be deterred thus, she pushes on, "you cannot deny that Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, did not send such an important envoy just to talk about trade deals and economic endeavours with Snezhnaya."
Especially, given how intently the Knave seemed to be scrutinizing her whenever they crossed paths during the recent societal functions. Furina knows what a woman sizing up her competitors looks like, not that she was ever a rival in the first place but, it would appear that way to most of the ladies.
After all, as the Steambird so eloquently pointed it out, she was the jewel of high society. A diamond of first water. The epitome of grace and perfection. The object of every man's desire and the recipient of every lady's ire. And in another life that may have mattered to her but, it didn't. Not in this one.
"If that has reached your ears, then you must also know that I am not the only one that the Tsaritsa has proposed marriage to," Neuvillette reasons.
He needed to stop this infernal dance they were in. It would only wound them further if he let it fester, and did not get to the root of Furina's worries. He needed to reassure her that it was either her or no one else for him. Neuvillette would rather find a distant relative to inherit the throne than be married to anyone but Furina.
"Every royal of appropriate age, whether they are betrothed or not, has received such an offer. Prince Aether, who is not attached to anyone as of the moment, is the most suitable candidate that Her Majesty seeks. She has merely sent a letter out of courtesy and has in fact already extended her congratulations on our upcoming nuptials," he finishes, placing his teacup down as well and staring intently into her eyes.
Celestia forbid-! That was Furina's trump card. Now she really has exhausted all her options.
"Prince Neuvillette," she begins, "I must implore you to reconsider, for if that were the case then why would the Knave, the Tsaritsa's personal representative, be so dead set in attending every social gathering that Your Highness has been to as of late."
She didn't know that Neuvillette was only at such events because she was there, had he not received word that she would be present, then he would've gladly replied no to each and every invitation.
Furina was desperately grasping at straws at this point. She had already tried and failed to bring down her reputation, had already tried to break off the engagement even before that, but alas the only way for such a thing to ever occur was for Neuvillette to annul it himself. After all, no one in Fontaine had any power to force him into this marriage if he did not desire it.
The prince looks at her as if she has grown two heads, "While I may not have the faintest idea about the Knave's intentions," he would have to look into that matter at a later time, "I am certain that Her Majesty does not harbor any feelings for me in any intimate capacity. She has made that much clear in her letters."
He rises from his seat and stands in front of Furina, looking down at her, "Is that really the reason why you have been trying so hard to break our engagement?"
"Do you really feel that indifferent towards me, do I evoke that much negative emotions from you that you can't even stand the thought of us spending the rest of our lives together?"
Neuvillette kneels before her, his piercing violet eyes searches her own mismatched blue ones with such sorrow that it makes Furina turn away.
One would wonder why Furina was so determined to declare her engagement to the Crown Prince, the heir to the Fontainian throne, null and void. Neuvillette was by no means lacking in the qualities that any respectable gentleman should be expected to uphold, especially for a Prince such as himself. He was immeasurably wealthy, undeniably handsome, and the most courteous person to ever exist in this world. Any lady would be fortunate to stand next to a man as great as him.
Furina, as his fiancé and future Queen, would undoubtedly be given only the finest things in life. So why then, you would ask. Why was Furina so adamant in breaking their predetermined union.
While she didn't harbor any ill feelings towards her intended –quite the opposite in truth, she cared for him more than as a childhood friend, she cared for him and wanted him as a woman wanted a man–her name would forever be whispered in tandem to Neuvillette as an afterthought. Never alone, never by herself. All her achievements, all her accomplishments –past, present, and future –would be attributed to Neuvillette. Society would not allow her, a woman, to handle a more assertive, more dominant, a more active role in policy making and government. No, society dictated that such matters should be best left to the male species.
While Furina adored her nation, she did not love it and the people enough to choose them over her own selfish dreams.
Neuvillette's hands cover her own, he raises them to his lips placing a gentle kiss, and pleads in a voice filled with heartache, "Please tell me Furina, do I stand no chance in succeeding? Do I truly have no place in your heart?"
Furina closes her eyes, there was no way out of it but to just speak the truth it seems. "Your High- Neuvillette," she corrects, "you misunderstand, I-I fear that," she gathers her courage to voice her true fears, "I-I am not fit to be the Queen that this country expects me to be."
Her breath shudders but still, she pushes forward, "Despite what many believe me to be, I will... never be content with being a submissive, meek, and docile Queen. I will not be able to endure having no voice of my own, of being resigned and dismissed in matters regarding governance or policy making."
"What I desire," she opens her eyes and stares at Neuvillette with resolve, "is to be treated and recognized as a partner, as your equal."
She lowers her gaze to stare at their intertwined hands, "If you cannot stand that, then I cannot, and will never, bear the title of Queen or be the wife that you desire."
Furina did not want to entertain the thought of Neuvillette, her closest companion, her longest friend, dismissing her opinions like every other man did to their so-called other half. She didn't want to just be his pretty amicable wife, an ornamental trophy by his side who only concerned herself with the petty societal norms all the women were expected to care for. She wasn't submissive, she wasn't docile. She was selfish and desired a life that would not consign her to such oppression.
Furina wanted to be rid of those shackles. She wanted to be free to pursue her interests. She wanted to dabble in acting, an activity that was apparently beneath her status as a noble lady. She wanted to study law, learn trade and medicine, try her hand at fencing, converse and discuss any topic without the predatory and judgemental eyes of nobility boring into her back because such activities were not fit for a Queen.
If Neuvillette could not accept that then, they were not fit to be by each other's side as husband and wife.
"Furina," Neuvillette calls, fingers tilting her chin to properly meet his eyes, voice soft, "What I desire isn't a Queen that only nods in agreement to everything I say but, a co-ruler, an equal that is not afraid to share her opinions and engage in debate. Someone who views that every citizen should be treated with the same respect, regardless of their social standing, regardless of their origins, regardless of their sex or gender. Someone who will fight for their rights because that is what every human deserves."
He moves his other hand to her cheek, pushing an errant strand of hair behind her ear and Furina is certain her cheeks are blooming red, "What I desire isn't a wife that does not voice her complaints but, a partner who will not hesitate to tell me when I have committed something wrong in her eyes. Someone who will not stand idly by and be content with just making the Palais presentable. What I desire is a partner in life who will actively push for me to try new things, someone who will push me out of my comfort zone, bring out the best and the worst in me but, chooses to be by my side through all of that."
Neuvillette places his forehead against hers, their noses unbearably close that if Furina were to even move one inch forward, their lips would touch.
"It does not matter to me if society dictates I have a conventional Queen or an agreeable wife," he exhales, eyes filled with so much longing, passion, and love, "I only desire you, and you are by no means conventional. If that is the kind of ruler you want to be then, I will support you. If you want to pursue other fields of academic interests then I will not stop you. I cannot imagine a life with anyone else but you by my side."
Neuvillette murmurs, tender and vulnerable, "From now on until the end of my days, I will only ever be able to love you, Furina. Do you desire the same as well?"
more notes:
the term 'diamond of the first water' is used to describe diamond of the highest quality. a diamond so translucent that it resembles the purest and clearest water. such a phrase was used predominantly in the early 1800s to refer to women that men believed were the embodiments of a true 'noble lady'. if you've watched the first season of Bridgerton then you have probably heard of this phrase before.
my inner critic had me rewriting and deleting entire chunks of paragraphs because it wasn't what i envisioned it to be. admittedly it came out better than i thought it would be.
constructive criticism and comments are very much appreciated. this is also cross posted on ao3 so do check out the Furina/Neuvillette tag there if you want more NeuviFuri content!
also on twitter and tumblr using the same username, @argonautnana, dont be afraid to say hi there if you want to!