Chapter 12: Furina: "Themis, I Know You Covet My Body"

"Furina, why did you flee?" Themis asked. She closed the book that had been accidentally slammed on the table earlier and turned to look at Furina, now perched cautiously on the chair.

As Themis gazed into Furina's innocent and watery eyes, she felt a twinge of conscience—and yet, she hadn't done anything, had she?

With a long sigh, Themis stood up.

"Y-you, I the Hydro Archon command you—not to come any closer!"

The limited space on the chair left little room for maneuver; Furina could foresee that if Themis tried anything now, escape would be impossible.

Thus, Lady Furina committed the most discourteous act in five hundred years.

Watching Furina crawl onto the table using her hands and feet, then suddenly leap and shrink beneath it, Themis was utterly baffled.

Oh no, it seems the earlier incident really struck deep. Now Furina's resorting to such extremes to avoid me.

Themis rested her forehead on her hand, feeling conflicted.

Fine, the Cat's on high alert now. Drawing from years of cat-raising experience, I know that with these adorable little ones, a gentle call at mealtime followed by a shake of the snack bag will let me pat their heads without resistance.

For cats, it's cat food and freeze-dried treats. But to placate Furina, I'll need to calculate how many sweets it takes to smooth things over after stealing the Hydro Archon's first kiss.

"Since you're so unwilling to see me, Lady Furina, I'll take my leave. Do remember not to stay secluded here too long—you wouldn't want to miss the magicians performance, would you?"

Maintaining her smile, Themis's voice remained calm as ever, with no discernible trace of the disappointment felt by Furina's wariness.

In truth, regardless of how one looked at it, Themis had come out victorious by managing to kiss Furina.

"I understand now!" Furina exclaimed, waving her off. "Go ahead and tend to your duties! This Hydro Archon will keep track of the time herself!"

Lifting the tablecloth, a small white ahoge peeked out from beneath, as Furina cautiously observed her surroundings.

Their gazes met briefly, each filled with amusement.

The blue-white cat recoiled instantly, overwhelmed by sheer astonishment.

Furina patted her racing heart, realizing that her retreat had been executed at a speed just slightly slower than her all-time record set while chasing after desserts!

Hidden in the darkness under the table, Furina could clearly hear Themis's soft laughter.

Feeling somewhat miffed, Furina wondered what was so funny. Clearly, this was her blunder!

How come I never noticed Themis's dark sense of humor before?!

Twirling a strand of her curly hair around a finger, Furina furrowed her brow, meticulously recalling past interactions with Themis.

But she was always so proper, wasn't she? Aside from occasionally enjoying cuddles and picking me up high, Themis never displayed any inappropriate behavior!

Could it be that Themis was corrupted behind my back by someone else?!

Her eyes widened, Furina adopting an expression that screamed, I see through everything now!

Then, her demeanor deflated like a punctured balloon, a hint of dejection creeping into her voice, "If Themis truly wanted to go astray, would I, as the Hydro Archon, be utterly powerless to stop her?"

It was indeed a melancholic thought.

After all, she was supposed to be Themis's superior!

I'm the boss here, she fumed silently, so why am I being forced to kiss my own subordinate?!

But Furina would never admit that she couldn't control her underling!

"I am the Hydro Archon of Fontaine!" she muttered inwardly, her psyche a battlefield of conflicting emotions. "A mere Themis—" she continued, her voice filled with determination, "would do well to remember who's in charge!"

"Careful, I might just impeach you from your position as Regent!"

Though reality had shown Themis in control, it did little to dampen Furina's mental fantasies.

In her mind's eye, she saw the now weak and helpless Regent Themis—a vision straight out of a melodrama—now reduced to tearful pleas, her face a blotchy mess as she begged Furina not to remove her from office!

Yes, that's right! That's how it should've been all along! Furina chuckled, her lips splitting into a goofy grin, utterly failing to consider that after impeaching Themis, it would be she who would find herself in the role of tearful supplicant.

Standing before the table, Themis shook her head helplessly. Hiding under there and calling it 'happy' now? the thought crossed Furina's mind as she observed Themis diving beneath the table with a resigned sigh.

Furina's occasional bursts of laughter were, truth be told, somewhat comical.

However, a competent regent should not embarrass their superior.

Themis had honed her skills to perfection on how to bail out her weak yet seemingly authoritative boss.

Opening the door, Themis stepped out of the room.

Noticing their attendants who had accompanied them to the opera house, Themis admonished, "Lady Furina is handling state affairs. No one unrelated to her should approach. When the magic show begins, remind Lady Furina it's time."

The attendant guarding the door looked impressed. "As expected of Lady Furina, even amid such festivities, she finds time for governance. It must be so stressful."

"Yes, indeed," Themis agreed. "Maintaining a serene environment for Lady Furina is crucial. I trust you all for this arduous task."

"Hard work? Not at all! You can rely on us, Lady Themis. We will safeguard this place diligently, ensuring no one disturbs Lady Furina!" the attendant responded resolutely.

"Right, right. Lady Themis, please attend to your own affairs."

"Many thanks. You truly live up to being a trusted individual selected through rigorous scrutiny."

Themis didn't bother explaining further to her attendants. Instead, she offered them a few words of praise before turning to leave, surprising them with her unexpected kindness.

After all, I can't possibly tell them that their great and mighty archon of justice is currently pretending to be dead under a table.

Underneath this table, Furina sneezed.

Listening intently with pointed ears, she waited until Themis's footsteps grew increasingly distant. Only then did she cautiously emerge from her hiding spot.

She pressed her ear against the door, fearing that Themis might make a sudden return.

"Phew... she's finally gone."

After triple-checking that Themis wasn't about to make an abrupt comeback, Furina dramatically wiped her brow and collapsed into a chair.

"What was that all about? It's not like I'm scared of her. I just think my charm is overwhelming, so maybe it's better to keep some distance."

"No, no, I'm definitely not afraid of her!" Furina insisted.

Furina puffed out half of her face, resembling a small river pufferfish inflating.

"Haha..."

A melody of laughter filled the air, this time audible to the human ear.

In the corner of the room, a full-length mirror began to shimmer with a soft light. Then, Furina's reflection materialized within it.

Within the mirror, long snow-white hair cascaded down the back of a figure clad in a flowing white dress. Furina's reflection chuckled, struggling to hold back a grin.

Upon hearing the laughter, Furina swiftly turned her head towards the full-length mirror in the corner.

"Oh, my reflection, how long it's been!" Furina exclaimed as she flitted over to the mirror, seeing her familiar yet alien self, and feeling somewhat wronged.

"It's been a while, Furina."

Focalors, observing Furina's dejected expression, just shy of tears, spoke gently through the mirror, "How have you been?"

This simple question sent a tingling warmth to Furina's nose, and her eyes prickled with unshed tears.

She took a deep breath, determined not to reveal her vulnerability before her mirrored self.

After all, even the self in the mirror had it rough, so she couldn't allow herself to continue worrying about Furina. She couldn't let her affairs distract this version of herself.

"I'm, I'm alright, I suppose. Everyone believes I'm the true Hydro Archon, and so far, no one's seen through me."

Furina kept her head down. In front of her mirrored self, she always felt inexplicably emotional, unable to maintain the composure she displayed to the public.

"Um, ah, that's not what I wanted to discuss, Furina."

Focalors shrugged and bypassed this closely guarded secret, jumping straight to Themis.

"How are you getting along with Themis?"

The mention of Themis's name by the self in the mirror made Furina, who had been keeping her head down, finally lift it.

"Very well, actually."

Despite the fact that Themis was bullying me just moments ago, Furina thought, but those words never made it past her lips.

Although this was the first time in five hundred years that the self in the mirror had asked about Themis, Furina, with some confusion, still answered without hesitation. After all, Furina wanted to impress this special version of herself with her achievements as a Regent.

Focalors was silent. With her keen eyes, she could see that Furina placed an overly trusting reliance on Themis.

But for these past five centuries, every move Themis made had been watched over by Furina.

In Furina's darkest moments of confusion and helplessness, Themis was always by her side.

Perhaps for Furina, Themis was the only person she could truly rely on throughout these five long centuries.

After all, keeping secrets can be a source of great pain.

On days when she couldn't share her burdens with anyone else, Furina felt compelled to maintain a distance from others.

And on nights when she could finally let go of her true self and cry, only to find comfort in Themis's embrace—those moments were undoubtedly the blessings amidst the weariness of her five-hundred-year ordeal.

The weight of Focalors' silence fell upon Furina, stirring unease within her.

She feared that Focalors might harbor some discontent towards Themis. Desperate to see them both at peace, Furina hastily began to plead with Focalors, recounting all the ways in which Themis had proven herself worthy.

"Themis is an extraordinary person, possessing a wealth of knowledge and skills."

"Whether it's handling state affairs, drafting laws, guiding research at the academy, or even creating exquisite pastries—she excels in everything!"

"Whenever I'm on the brink of breaking down, she's always there to offer solace."

"Whenever I can't refuse the people's ideas, Themis helps me stand firm and reject them."

"Now, I no longer worry about being pressured into doing things I don't want by some strange request."

"The me in the mirror, you can trust Themis!"

"I pledge my trust based on five centuries of companionship; she is undoubtedly a good person."

Furina thumped her chest, her eyes burning as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

When speaking these words, Furina's eyes sparkled with absolute confidence.

Focalors hissed softly. Although she knew Themis held a high status in Furina's heart, to have reached such a level of absolute trust was truly rare.

After all, even the Hydro Dragon Sovereign invited by Furina still struggled to exchange more than a few words with her during their meetings.

Observing Furina's innocent expression, Focalors smiled warmly. Under her nervous gaze, she remarked, "But just moments ago, you were so upset you hid under the table, trembling like a leaf."

Furina froze, her cheeks flushing crimson as her confident demeanor instantly reverted to that of a shy yet adorable girl.

"Wait! How on earth do you know that?!" Her voice betrayed both surprise and embarrassment.

"Huh? If you ask why I know... Well, perhaps it's because I've been in this room since the beginning?" Focalors tilted her head curiously.

"...Since the beginning?!" Furina's figure wavered as she swayed unsteadily.

"That's right, from the moment you and Themis entered, including when you jumped onto the chair, climbed onto the table, and finally scurried under it..."

"Wait a minute! Don't describe such things so clearly! Consider how the person involved might feel!"

Having been caught in such an embarrassing spectacle by her mirror self, Furina felt like she might want to die of sheer mortification!

"Cough, forget it. Let's change the topic," Focalors said, noticing Furina's overwhelming embarrassment. Her expression gradually grew serious, her gaze sharp enough to make Furina wonder if she had done something wrong.

"Sorry, me in the mirror," Furina hurriedly tried to apologize, "I know I was wrong..."

"Furina," Focalors interjected, "have you ever felt that Themis might have sinister intentions toward you?"

Both Furina and Focalors spoke at the same time, leaving them momentarily confused by each other's words.

What was she just saying? Is there something wrong with my hearing? they both thought.