Furina's face turned bright red after falling into Gu Chen's arms.
Her heart was beating extremely fast.
Being seen through by Gu Chen made her feel a little embarrassed—but at the same time, the scene she had imagined actually happening gave her an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
At the very least, it proved he didn't dislike her, right?
Focalors watched Furina remain in Gu Chen's arms for quite a while without getting up. After a moment, she sighed emotionally.
"Ah… youth is wonderful."
Clorinde froze for a moment.
Among the people present… wasn't she technically the youngest?
Neuvillette—who was currently driving the aquabus beside a Melusine—was at least five hundred years old.
Furina and Focalors were also both over five hundred.
As for Gu Chen…
Honestly, Clorinde felt that hundreds of years couldn't even begin to describe the length of time he had lived.
So hearing Focalors sigh about "youth" felt rather strange.
But it didn't matter.
Watching the drama was enough.
The aquabus was moving very quickly, making it difficult to stand steadily.
Whether intentionally or not, Neuvillette maintained the speed.
Even when Furina tried to get up after feeling things were a bit improper, she would end up falling back into Gu Chen's arms again.
Regardless of the past—
At least for now, Furina's skin was still thin.
After enjoying the moment for a bit, she felt satisfied.
Eventually she gathered the courage to sit properly beside Gu Chen.
Gu Chen rested his interlocked fingers on his knees and glanced sideways at her.
Her head was lowered.
Her face and ears were flushed red.
Although he couldn't see her expression clearly, Gu Chen's perception was extremely sharp.
He could clearly sense her racing heartbeat.
And her happy emotions.
While he was thinking, the aquabus gradually slowed.
"We're here," Neuvillette said, stepping off first.
Everyone followed.
Gu Chen walked behind Furina with his hands behind his back.
They followed the main road back to the Palais Mermonia.
"I still have matters to attend to, so I'll excuse myself first," Clorinde said apologetically before leaving quickly.
Neuvillette added,
"Miss Furina will handle the arrangements for Mr. Gu Chen and Miss Focalors' accommodations."
"I need to deal with the matter of your retirement funds."
"Mm-hmm! Leave it to me!" Furina nodded enthusiastically.
They entered the Palais Mermonia.
The building was vast.
Its clean yet grand decorations created a solemn atmosphere.
The first floor was full of staff members working busily.
Neuvillette's office as Chief Justice was also located here.
From what Gu Chen knew, aside from this level, the upper floors contained the Court of Fontaine and the Maison Gardiennage.
Everything else essentially belonged to Furina.
One could practically consider the Palais Mermonia the Hydro Archon's residence, with part of it simply allocated for government work.
Their arrival immediately attracted attention.
The staff had barely been working anyway.
The events earlier were simply too shocking.
When they saw Furina standing beside a woman who looked identical to her but dressed differently, people immediately realized who it was.
"Lady Furina and Lady Focalors!"
"Oh my god—I was just worrying about Lady Focalors!"
"She must not be executed!"
"I heard from a friend in the Supernatural Chat Group that the Sect Leader already handled everything!"
"Really? Then it's fine! With the Sect Leader's power, rewriting fate should be easy!"
"By the way… when will Fontaine get a Past Life Series protagonist?"
"Come to think of it… Lady Furina might actually fit."
"Are you crazy? She's right there!"
"But I think she'd make a great heroine."
"Same here…"
The crowd whispered quietly but didn't approach.
"Focus on your work."
Neuvillette reminded them calmly.
Then he turned to the others.
"You three can head upstairs first."
"I have matters to attend to."
"Okay!"
Furina nodded.
Then she turned to Gu Chen and Focalors.
"Follow me!"
They took the elevator upstairs.
Only after the voices of the staff faded did Furina finally sigh in relief.
Having practiced the Taixuan Scripture, her hearing was extremely sharp.
So the talk about her being a Past Life Series heroine…
She quickly slapped her cheeks to calm herself.
The elevator stopped at the fourth floor.
"The top floor above is my room," Furina said casually.
"So you'll have to stay here."
"Mm." Focalors nodded.
Then she smiled slightly.
"Now that everything is finally over… the exhaustion suddenly caught up to me."
"I'm feeling sleepy."
"Where is my room? I should rest."
Furina was surprised for a moment.
Then she became delighted.
"Over here!"
She hurried to a room and opened the door.
"It's this one!"
"It's quiet, and no one will disturb you."
"If you need anything, you can ask Sedna downstairs."
Focalors nodded.
Before entering, she gave Furina a meaningful look.
Then she turned to Gu Chen.
"If the Sect Leader isn't tired, perhaps she can show you around Fontaine."
"You could get familiar with the city."
Furina blinked.
Focalors was unexpectedly very considerate.
Gu Chen smiled but said nothing.
"Then I'll get some sleep."
Focalors closed the door gently.
Furina was extremely happy—but she tried not to show it too obviously.
She turned around and opened the door across the hall.
"This will be your room!"
Gu Chen stepped inside.
It truly deserved to be called the Hydro Archon's palace.
The room was incredibly luxurious.
The location was excellent too.
When he stepped onto the balcony, he found a wide space with a tea table.
From here, he could see most of Fontaine City.
"Not bad," Gu Chen nodded.
"My room is upstairs," Furina added.
"If you need anything, just come up."
Gu Chen raised an eyebrow teasingly.
"Oh?"
"If Focalors has problems she asks Sedna."
"If I have problems I ask you."
"So my status is higher?"
"Ah—well—yes!"
Furina panicked slightly.
"Of course!"
"No matter how you look at it, the Sect Leader deserves the highest treatment!"
"If you have problems, even gods from other nations would personally help!"
"Focalors isn't familiar with things here, so naturally I have to take responsibility!"
Her flustered excuse looked rather cute.
Gu Chen nodded seriously.
"Reasonable."
Furina secretly sighed in relief.
Then she asked expectantly:
"Sect Leader… are you tired?"
Gu Chen thought for a moment.
If Neuvillette had asked that question, it would simply mean what it sounded like.
But from the expectant look in the girl's eyes, the translation was obvious:
"Please don't go rest yet."
"I'm fine," Gu Chen replied.
After all, separating Focalors from the Oratrice and fixing everything afterward had been as easy as erasing a typo on paper.
Furina brightened instantly.
"Then let's go!"
"I'll show you around Fontaine!"
Gu Chen suddenly remembered something.
"Didn't you say you'd treat me to cake?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"Let's go!"
They took the elevator back to the first floor.
Work couldn't stop people's love of gossip.
The discussion about Furina being a Past Life heroine was clearly too interesting.
Furina wasn't prepared for this at all.
Meanwhile, Gu Chen always walked slowly when he had no urgent matters.
Embarrassed by the atmosphere, Furina simply grabbed his hand.
"Let's go quickly!"
"If we're late there won't be any cake left!"
After the two left, the staff suddenly realized something.
"I think whether Lady Furina becomes a Past Life heroine doesn't matter anymore."
"If things develop naturally…"
"We might already be side characters in a Past Life episode."
"Wait—so…"
"Could Lady Furina become Mr. Gu Chen's first girlfriend in reality?"
"Hard to say."
"That depends on Lady Furina's efforts."
"I hope my ship becomes real."
"Lady Focalors bless it!"
Outside the palace, Furina finally let go of his hand.
Her expression was a little awkward.
"Don't take that to heart…"
"Take what to heart?" Gu Chen crossed his arms, smiling teasingly.
"Well… that…"
Furina struggled to explain.
Then she changed the topic.
"Come this way!"
"The cakes here are really good!"
They entered a dessert shop.
The owner personally welcomed them and brought them to a quiet second floor.
Soon a beautifully decorated cake was served.
"Thank you!" Furina said.
The owner left.
"This shop has several flavors I really love," Furina said excitedly.
"Try it!"
She handed Gu Chen a spoon.
Before he even started eating, she sat across from him with her chin resting in her hands—watching him closely.
When their eyes met, she quickly looked away and pretended to focus on her own cake.
Most girls liked sweets.
Like Raiden Ei, Paimon, and now Furina.
The cake looked extremely delicate, decorated with fruits.
Gu Chen took a bite.
"…Not bad."
"Right?!"
Furina nodded eagerly.
"Eat slowly."
"This is just a snack."
"Later I'll show you more places."
"Sounds good."
Furina sipped her tea while secretly glancing at him several times.
Seeing that he genuinely liked it made her extremely happy.
If he liked desserts too…
Then that meant they had something in common.
A very good start.
After a while, Gu Chen finished eating.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Done?"
"I already reserved dinner at Debord Hotel."
"We'll go later."
"I'll follow your arrangements," Gu Chen replied.
"Then let's walk around first!"
Furina stood up.
When they went to pay, the owner refused.
"Lady Furina, please accept it as my small gesture."
"You'll always be welcome here for free."
Furina was touched—but she shook her head firmly.
"This is your business."
"I appreciate the gesture."
"But please take the Mora."
Thanks to Lady Navia's financial management and her upcoming retirement pension, Furina was quite generous.
After finally convincing the owner, they left.
It was already evening.
They walked side by side through Fontaine's streets as the sunset painted Furina's face red.
Suddenly she ran off.
Moments later she returned happily carrying two bottles of Fonta with straws.
"Here!"
"This is Fontaine's specialty drink!"
Gu Chen opened the bottle and took a sip.
The bright liquid swirled inside.
"How is it?" Furina asked expectantly.
"Pretty good."
"No wonder it sells so well."
"Hehe!"
"It was invented by the Fontaine Research Institute!"
They continued strolling through the city.
Furina enthusiastically introduced shops she thought were worth visiting.
Eventually night fell.
They headed toward Debord Hotel.
About a hundred meters away, they encountered a tall white-haired woman with black highlights.
The Fatui Harbinger — Arlecchino.
"What a pleasant coincidence," Arlecchino said with a smile.
"Meeting Miss Furina and Mr. Gu Chen."
Gu Chen simply smiled.
Furina nodded politely.
"Hello."
In the Past Life videos, Furina had been somewhat afraid of this Harbinger.
But now that everything had been exposed, she wasn't afraid anymore.
After all—
Arlecchino had no reason to treat her harshly now.
And besides…
She had a very powerful person beside her.
Looking at Furina lifting her chin slightly, Arlecchino couldn't help finding it amusing.
She could clearly sense Furina's change in mentality.
If she had to describe it—
Furina looked like a defeated little puppy that suddenly gained a powerful owner backing it up, acting a bit bold because of it.
"Thank you, Mr. Gu Chen, for resolving Fontaine's crisis," Arlecchino said with a slight bow.
She stepped aside.
"You two must be heading to dinner."
"I won't disturb you."
After she left, Gu Chen asked calmly:
"Are you afraid of her?"
"Huh?"
Furina quickly shook her head.
"Not exactly afraid…"
"It's just…"
"Her aura is really strong."
Gu Chen didn't deny it.
As a Fatui Harbinger, Arlecchino's presence was indeed powerful.
"Forget about that," Furina said.
"Let's eat something delicious!"
They entered the grand restaurant.
The manager personally led them to a top-floor private room.
After the maid finished serving the dishes, Gu Chen still hadn't said anything.
Then—
The candles on the table were lit.
The lights in the room were dimmed.
Gu Chen paused and looked at Furina.
"Just eat… eat," Furina said, avoiding his gaze.
Her face was already starting to turn red again. 🕯️🍰
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