Yes, Furina-sama!

Charlotte's situation was just a minor interlude for Richard. After that, he returned to the dessert… discussion room, ordered the staff to clear away all the desserts on the table, and replaced them with piles of documents, making the whole room actually look like a proper discussion chamber.

Once everything was set, Richard even made time to finish off another serving of Miss Brownie, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, rinsed with black tea, and then headed back into the banquet hall.

The first thing Furina did when she saw Richard was glance straight at the corner of his mouth. Unfortunately for her, there was nothing to see; she'd secretly hoped Richard, like her, might have forgotten to wipe his mouth after indulging in sweets.

Then she could have taken the chance to "remind" him and score a little win for herself.

Obviously, Furina's wish didn't come true. Richard had taken care of every trace so thoroughly that he hadn't left even the tiniest shred of "evidence."

He didn't even spare the gaps between his teeth!

"Lady Furina, is there something on my face?" Richard asked politely.

"No, it's nothing. I was just looking. Your collar's a bit crooked, that's all." Furina, determined to find some fault, finally spotted this tiny imperfection.

Richard raised a brow. "Is that so? Then could I trouble you to fix it for me? There's no mirror around here."

Furina froze for a second. Had she misheard? Was Richard actually ordering her to do something?

How dare he!

She was his boss, the Hydro Archon Furina herself! For her to straighten his collar, how absurd! If anything, it should be the other way around!

Not to mention all the guests watching them, what would they think?

Furina resolved then and there: not only would she not help Richard fix his collar, she'd use this chance to remind him who was in charge, to show him the true majesty of the Hydro Archon!

"On my way back, I ran into a reporter. Do you remember, Lady Furina? Right outside the discussion room door." Richard said lightly.

"A r-reporter? Outside the discussion room door…" Furina flinched. Without realizing it, her hands reached out to straighten Richard's collar for him.

'Ahem. Caring for subordinates was also part of an Archon's duties, wasn't it? Perfectly proper.'

"So, do you remember?" Richard asked with a smile that made Furina feel uncomfortably cornered, it was as if his eyes were saying, "Got you now, didn't I?"

But now was not the time to argue. Furina racked her brain, trying to remember if she'd seen anyone when she left the dessert room…

A sudden image popped into her mind: a young woman in a white evening gown, with soft pink hair so smooth you'd wonder what brand of shampoo she used.

Furina mentally zoomed in and finally recognized the face.

'That trainee reporter!'

Furina had never imagined that even after coming all the way to Mondstadt, she'd run into Charlotte. She'd personally checked the list of reporters in the delegation, that girl wasn't on it at all!

The next moment, Furina thought of something far worse, 'Could Charlotte have come here specifically for me?'

And then she remembered she hadn't wiped her mouth properly back then, 'Had Charlotte seen it?'

'Maybe she'd even snapped a photo!' The more Furina thought about it, the more panicked she got. 'If that photo got published, what a scandal that would be!'

'Who cares if she was wearing an evening gown? She might have hidden a camera under her skirt! Anything's possible!'

"Did she see anything? Did she leave behind any evidence? You… you can handle this, right?" Furina's voice was tight and urgent as she stared at Richard.

Richard didn't answer directly. Instead, he glanced around the banquet hall. Furina followed his eyes and suddenly realized how suspiciously she'd been acting. She cleared her throat, stood up straighter, and her face settled back into its usual calm composure, as if nothing had happened at all.

Richard privately thought Furina really was a born politician; her ability to recover on the spot was something even seasoned officials might envy.

Yet under Furina's intense, persistent stare, Richard finally gave her the answer she was longing for: "Yes, Lady Furina."

At those familiar words, Furina felt an inexplicable sense of relief wash over her; it was like she'd been trained into a reflex. No matter how dire things got, the moment she heard Richard say this, her heart would settle right down.

A conditioned response, if ever there was one.

"However, I'll need your authorization, Lady Furina… After all, you are the head of this delegation."

Since this was a diplomatic visit, the delegation included not just Ministry officials but representatives from other departments too.

Even though Richard was the Executive Secretary General of the Ministry and second only to Furina on this trip, that didn't mean he could freely command everyone. To mobilize any delegation resources, he needed Furina's approval, one of the ways she kept him in check.

But right now, Richard was clearly seizing the chance to bypass that safeguard, making himself the true decision-maker for this Fontaine delegation.

Clearly, he'd planned this in advance. Otherwise, he'd never have let Furina pull off something as absurd as using a whole room just to secretly gorge on desserts.

Even without Charlotte, he'd have found some Marlotte, Winlotte, Melotte… Anyone could have been a "Charlotte," so long as it made Furina panic enough to hand over her authority.

Yet Furina's next words left Richard half-amused, half-exasperated.

"So I'm the one in charge? Really?"

Furina clearly had no sense of what being in charge meant. To her, this visit to Mondstadt was no different from any other social event she'd attended, except it was abroad. She saw herself more as a figurehead mascot than a leader.

But hearing Richard say this made her suddenly suspicious. Was this guy playing her from the start just to get her authority?

"Richard, do you think Charlotte showing up at just the right time is a coincidence? What if someone's trying to frame me, to force me into making certain concessions?" Furina suddenly asked.

"I doubt it."

"Really? Because I feel like I've been completely set up!" Furina's bright eyes locked on Richard's face.

Despite the height difference, in that moment, Furina's presence felt like it towered over Richard's.

"How could you think such wild things?" Richard didn't flinch, answering with his usual poker face.

"Wild thoughts? Richard, you really think he wouldn't try to frame me?" Furina asked, eyes burning holes into him.

"Who?" For the first time, Richard's game plan had been seen through, and even he felt slightly cornered.

"Monsieur Macaron and Miss Brownie!" Furina declared.

"Ah, yes… Monsieur Macaron and Miss Brownie…"

"Sweet-talking snakes, honey-tongued backstabbers, absolute first-class schemers! They can't be trusted at all!" Furina spat out, clearly cursing someone in disguise.

"Yes, real snakes indeed."

"One snake?"

"Two snakes. Should I have them dragged before the Court?"

"No need for that. But Richard, I do think it's necessary to delegate more authority. After all, I can't handle everything alone. With you helping me, things will run so much smoother."

"So I approve your authorization request from earlier. Don't disappoint me, Secretary General Richard." Furina said loftily, tapping Richard twice on the chest for emphasis.

"Yes, Lady Furina."