The Inazuman embassy in Fontaine was beautifully decorated. Warm sunlight streamed through the crystal-clear glass, falling onto the luxurious carpet and bringing a gentle warmth to the spacious and open embassy office.
Yae Miko stood barefoot on the soft carpet. Her perfectly sculpted toes, neither too plump nor too slender, curling slightly against the fibers. Her feet were smooth and glossy, and the arch stretched like a crescent moon toward her delicate ankles, faint blue veins just visible.
But the owner of these beautiful feet was in no pleasant mood. If she could, she'd shove them straight into Richard's mouth.
She casually tossed a copy of the Steambird onto the table, the headline reading: {"Professor Bossuet Publishes Inazuma Safety Report – Ambiguous Stance Hints at Hidden Agenda."}
Beside the newspaper was the actual safety evaluation report by Professor Bossuet. While the report affirmed the safety of Tatarasuna's environment in Inazuma, its vague concluding remarks left room for speculation.
Still, it was enough for Richard and the others to deal with those profit-driven scholars and businessmen.
"Lady Guuji, should we continue funding Professor Bossuet's research?" asked the shrine maiden respectfully, bowing from across the tea table.
"Of course. Since we agreed, we must follow through. Otherwise, if word gets out, we'll suffer even more loss," Yae Miko replied, unfazed by the setback.
She wasn't angry at Bossuet's sudden change of heart, nor did she halt his research funding.
Even though the ambiguous ending weakened the report's impact, it was still sufficient to serve as a basis for bringing in Fontaine's advisory team.
In fact, Richard's goal wasn't to prevent Yae Miko from attracting investment or importing Fontaine's top technology consultants.
He was aiming to maximize the Fontaines Administration's leverage in the negotiations that he represented.
Both Yae Miko and Richard believed this deal was inevitable. The only question was how difficult the process would be.
Their goal was to lower each other's price, trading the least to gain the most.
Of course, there were personal agendas too. Yae Miko wanted not only to win the negotiation but also to drag Richard back to Inazuma with her.
Meanwhile, Richard wanted to keep Yae Miko's sharp tongue in check so she wouldn't say anything damaging in front of his superiors, and maybe, just maybe, fleece the fox to boost his political record.
Returning to Inazuma was out of the question. As the saying goes, "A wise horse doesn't go back to the grazed pasture." More importantly, Richard's governance ideals clashed with Ei's. He wasn't strong enough to fight her, and going back meant prison at best, becoming a tool for Yae Miko and Ei to rule Inazuma.
Possibly even… a plaything.
By comparison, Fontaine was far better, liberal social climate, unique core technologies, and, most importantly, nowhere else could he find such an obedient deity like Furina.
That obedient goddess now sat gracefully behind her desk, her gaze deep and wise, her manner elegant and noble. She looked at her Executive Secretary and said:
"Richard, what do you think of this pose? Can I intimidate that Yae Miko with it?"
Richard gave a polite but awkward smile and answered tactfully, "Lady Furina, though posture and presence matter at the negotiation table, the most important factor is the actual leverage both parties hold."
"Do we have enough leverage?"
"We're not lacking compared to the other side."
"Then I must dominate in posture and presence too—for a complete victory!" Furina declared seriously.
Richard thought for a moment but couldn't find a reason to argue. The main issue was that Furina didn't feel involved enough.
Or rather… she was too free.
Richard couldn't help but wonder: had he not given her enough preparation materials?
Or was she so capable that she absorbed all the information effortlessly?
"Lady Furina, you're the one leading this negotiation. Please take it seriously," Richard said.
"Of course. I'll be very careful and not let the opponent catch any weakness in my demeanor," Furina said confidently.
She might not be confident about everything, but when it came to elegance and poise, she had it locked down. She'd surely show the Hydro Archon's dignity.
"Also, don't let them catch any flaws in your speech, Lady Furina," Richard added.
"Speech?" Furina's confident expression froze and turned puzzled.
Richard suddenly had a bad feeling. He cautiously asked, "Lady Furina… don't tell me you didn't know that you're the one leading the negotiation today?"
"I knew. But isn't it usually the superiors chit-chatting, while subordinates do the actual talking? Then they agree on terms, the higher-ups sign, and it's done?"
Seeing Richard pinch the bridge of his nose, Furina widened her eyes. "Wait, that's not how it works?"
"Forgive me, Lady Furina, but where exactly did you get that impression?"
"The Opera Epicles. Before I took office, I even asked the actors how to project both majesty and kindness."
"Well… politicians are actors to a degree. Often better than real ones. But Lady Furina, I did remind you to review the materials I prepared for you, didn't I?"
Furina thought of yesterday's courtroom drama, the afternoon desserts she tried, but couldn't recall even glancing at the documents Richard gave her.
Still, Furina wasn't out of tricks. "Of course I read it. Speaking of which—did you hear about that wife from the trial yesterday who slept with the neighbor…"
"Lady Furina, your attempt to change the subject isn't very subtle." Richard cut her off expressionlessly.
"I did read it! But… do you realize how serious the problem is?" Furina tried using the same rhetorical tactics Richard had used on Bouchuet.
"Oh? Then please enlighten me, Lady Furina." Richard raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.
"I…" Furina ran out of words. She hadn't read a single page. What insight could she possibly offer?
"In fact, Lady Furina, the materials I prepared weren't even a report, so the classic 'Four Ways to Refute a Report' (Intimidate the reporter, Question bias, Appeal to the majority, Slander the author) don't apply here." Richard saw through her instantly.
"Then… what should I do?" Furina asked humbly.
"That would be…" Richard was about to reply instinctively, but stopped himself. 'Why teach her a shortcut now?'
'What she needed was a crash course, now, before the delegation arrived.'
"Of course, it's to review the negotiation points before the Inazuma's delegation arrives. Please turn to page 3 of the document…" Richard began.
"Okay…" Furina obediently turned the page she felt secretly pleased.
She had managed to distract Richard from her neglect of duty, tricking him into offering help of his own accord.
'See? I am talented after all.'
Richard glanced at Furina, who looked like she was listening intently, and suddenly said, "Given your dereliction of duty, I believe I should inform Chief Justice Neuvillette that you're not allowed to visit the Opera Epicles again until your work is complete."
"No!" Furina reacted more strongly than he expected.
Richard raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure which nerve he had touched to provoke such a reaction.
He said nothing, just stared at her calmly.
"Ah no… sorry, I mean I'll read the documents properly from now on! I promise not to slack again, so…" Furina's voice grew smaller and more sheepish, her hand clutching his sleeve pitifully.
It was clear she was genuinely afraid of Richard's suggestion—enough to lower herself this much to beg for mercy.
To an outsider, it would look like some shady, suited man was coercing an innocent girl into doing something against her will.
Thankfully, no one else was in the office. Clorinde was standing guard outside and didn't see this, or else she might've arrested Richard on the spot.
"Lady Furina, you've got the wrong document," Richard sighed.
Furina flushed red, flustered, and tossed the wrong document aside, frantically searching through the pile.
Richard handed her his own copy and said, "Use mine, Lady Furina. Time's short, we meet the Inazuma's delegation in half an hour."
"What about you?" Furina asked. 'Had he memorized it all?'
'That was a huge stack of papers—thicker than a fist!'
"Of course, we'll share it. You didn't really think my memory was that good, did you?" Richard said, moving around the desk to stand beside her. He bent down to explain the key points and data needed for the negotiation.
Furina stared at his head, leaning in. Her brain momentarily froze.
They weren't that close, barely a head's distance, but Furina's heart began to race. Her body tensed, her long pale legs pressed tightly together, and her hands rested primly on her thighs like a nervous student at a job interview.
"Look at the document, not me. Do I have words written on my face?" Richard asked, sounding like a tutor lecturing a clumsy but charming student.
"N-No, of course not. Your face is… very clean. No words," Furina stammered.
"I know that. Lady Furina, did you take in what I just said?" Richard asked.
"Of course! You just said…" Furina then repeated his explanation perfectly.
Despite her airheadedness, Furina wasn't dumb. When she focused, and with Richard's help, she could grasp the materials well enough not to embarrass herself at the table.
Soon, it was time. Clorinde knocked on the door to remind them: Inazuma's delegation was already in the conference room.
Then she saw Richard standing up beside Furina, and her little water goddess blushing.
Instinctively, Clorinde's thoughts began to wander uncontrollably. Keywords: office, half-elf, adult male, young maiden, alone...
Lynette walked in alongside Clorinde, her delicate face expressionless. She glanced at Clorinde, then offered an explanation on Richard's behalf:
"The air circulation is poor, and they were sharing the same material, sitting too close. Blushing is normal."
"So that's how it is..." Clorinde nodded seriously, her expression solemn, as if she hadn't just been thinking something scandalous moments ago.
She accepted Lynette's explanation without questioning how Lynette, who clearly wasn't even in the room earlier, knew what had happened so clearly.
In truth, Clorinde didn't really believe anything had happened between Richard and Furina. Besides, she was just a bodyguard. Even if something had happened, as long as Furina was willing, she had no right to interfere.
When Furina saw Clorinde and Lynette, she instinctively lowered her head and straightened out her clothes a little.
Girl, that move is super misleading!
Sure enough, Lynette's cool, emotionless gaze sharply fell upon the well-dressed Richard, who stood there on the side. That look made Richard feel like she was staring at a worm.
Richard's expression remained calm. Like he'd be scared of Lynette's eyes?
'I, Richard, stand upright and have nothing to hide!'
His relationship with Furina was perfectly innocent, a pure monarch-subject bond. Though he did admit that getting close under the pretense of helping her study earlier might've been a little calculated, it was all for the sake of improving future work efficiency.
It was a necessary tactic.
There's a certain "safe distance" between people. Shortening that distance is part of building intimacy.
Just now, Richard had used a legitimate excuse to gently breach Furina's personal space.
And the benefits of doing so were clear: as two people's physical proximity increases, their psychological closeness tends to grow as well. They become more inclined to trust the person closest to them, perhaps even view them as a trusted friend.
That way, if Yae Miko were ever to snap and come after him, or if any of his past... incidents got exposed, Furina might, for friendship's sake, give him a little wiggle room.
And as long as there's wiggle room, Richard could make magic happen. His slick escape from Inazuma back then was proof enough.
"Let's go. We'd better not be late and give Lady Guuji Yae an excuse to come after us."
With that, Richard raised his chin and strode out of Furina's office, radiating confidence!