Yes, Lady Funina!

When Furina saw Arecino so 'shamelessly' admit it, her eye twitched involuntarily.

The fools who were arrested and imprisoned in Mero Petersburg could be said to have had problems with their execution, but the one who attacked her last time was you, Arecino, yourself.

Although you were wearing a mask at the time, your silver-white hair with black highlights and your jet-black arms were still very distinctive.

Even with a mask and cloak, it was still possible to tell who the attacker was.

When the woman in front of her attacked her, she probably didn't even think about hiding herself. She just wanted to make sure that she didn't leave any crucial evidence so that the Mo Mang Palace wouldn't have any leverage over her.

Richard watched the unspoken exchange between the two women without making a move to interrupt.

And Clarinde, who likes to interrupt, wasn't there, so as long as Arecino and Frinna didn't fight in front of him, he wouldn't take sides in principle.

Of course, as the secretary-general of Funina, I still have to fulfill my duties.

Would you like me to bring you some more black tea?

"Thank you for your help." Arecino put down her teacup and nodded gently to Richard.

Its docile appearance showed absolutely no trace of the madness of the Fools' Enforcers, reminding Funina of a tamed wild kitten.

Who are you trying to wink at?

Furina instinctively sensed that Arecino's attitude towards Richard was strange, and very strange indeed.

This guy... could he have feelings for Richard?

The moment the thought popped into her head, Funina instantly perked up.

At the same time, the look in his eyes as he looked at Arecino changed from fear and apprehension to wariness and vigilance.

"Give me a cup too." Funina put down her teacup and pushed it toward Richard, cleverly placing it next to the teapot.

Richard only needed to lift the teapot to pour tea for her, getting there before Arecino could!

Arecino didn't mind this little gesture at all, and instead said very generously, "It seems that Ms. Funina is indeed thirsty. Mr. Richard, please pour Ms. Funina some tea first."

Upon hearing this, Funina's face fell. What was her relationship with Richard that required an outsider like her to intervene?

“No need. Ms. Arecino is a guest, and guests should be given priority. After all, I can have a drink anytime, while Ms. Arecino rarely comes to Moman Palace.”

"Then thank you for your kindness, Ms. Funina." Alejandro seemed oblivious to Funina's underlying meaning, and instead smiled and nodded at her.

This made Funina feel like she was punching cotton, a feeling that was quite unpleasant.

Wait a minute, shouldn't you have responded with a subtle jab according to the script? Why did you just accept it like that?

The way you're doing this makes it seem like I'm the one being unreasonable and spoiled.

Something's not right, not even 90% right!

Funina's face was filled with seriousness; she felt that she might have encountered an unprecedented formidable opponent.

She needs help.

Fu Ningna made up her mind that after today's meeting, she would gather the "Iron Triangle" to have a good talk about the relevant issues.

I believe Claudia, Lynette, and the others should... Lynette...

hiss……

Fu Ningna suddenly opened her eyes wide. Her "iron triangle" didn't seem to be as strong as she had imagined.

You should know that Arecino is Lynette's 'father'!

Funina is in big trouble!

While Funina was lost in thought, Arecino was leisurely sipping the black tea that Richard had brewed.

Unbeknownst to her, in the short span of time just now, Funina had already been planning to gather allies to jointly resist her, this extraterrestrial demon.

But even if they knew, they probably wouldn't care. After all, no matter how strict or strict Furina and the others are, can they make Richard lose his worldly desires and always maintain a sage mode?

No one knew Richard's abilities better than her, so she was certain that even if Funina, Lynette, and the others joined forces, or even if they brought Faucilos along, they would still be no match for Richard.

Not to mention that Frynn and Lynette are still just two fledglings.

Arecino, who was already capable of soaring through the air, didn't take them seriously at all.

Thinking of this, Arecino gestured to Richard with her eyes, asking him to pour her another cup of tea.

She hasn't settled the score with Richard yet for using her to hone Funina.

That is to give Richard face. Otherwise, with Furness, Arecino believed that she could easily agree to Furness's proposal, let alone sign an unequal treaty, by using a few tricks and increasing the pressure.

Therefore, Richard must remember this matter.

It's amazing that this guy could come up with the idea of ​​using his own woman to toughen up another woman.

Does she really think that Arecino is emotionally detached and wouldn't get jealous?

Okay, I really don't know how.

After all, Arecino may never have considered Frynn as an emotional rival.

Richard continued to refill Arecino's tea without a care in the world, while also not forgetting Funina.

You must treat everyone equally.

"What did you mean when you said you needed to go back to Fontaine to see a doctor? Are you sick?" Furina suddenly remembered what Arecino had told her earlier.

“You could say it’s an illness, but it’s just some issues with my bloodline that need to be suppressed, and only a certain famous doctor in Fontaine has the means to do so,” Arecino said meaningfully, while waving her smooth, fair arm.

"Like my arm, which was previously tainted by a dark curse, it has now returned to normal. How can that not be considered the work of a renowned doctor?"

"A renowned doctor?" Funina blinked. How come she didn't know that Fontaine had a renowned doctor capable of treating someone as strong as Arecino?

She had seen Arecino's arms before, which were usually pitch black, but now they were so fair and smooth, like white jade, which showed that the doctor was indeed quite skilled.

“Yes, a very knowledgeable doctor. He only needed a few needles to suppress the curse in my body. It was a miracle cure. He was very skilled,” Arecino replied with a smile.

Richard, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but cough twice. Was that a needle? Are there needles that thick?

In other words, he cannot refute her in front of Furina, otherwise he would have to make Arecino understand the difference between a needle and a pestle.

Old Li's family's vajra is used to subdue all kinds of unruly witches.

“Richard, do you know the famous doctor that Ms. Arecino mentioned?” Funina asked curiously.

She was genuinely curious, since she had never heard of Fontaine having a doctor of this caliber. Generally speaking, such renowned doctors were either in Liyue or Sumeru, while Fontaine usually only performed surgery.

Faced with Funina's question, Richard's lips twitched slightly before he managed to answer, "I... I know a little."

Arecino watched the scene with great interest, and, as if to stir up trouble, added, "Speaking of which, it was Mr. Richard who personally introduced me to that doctor."

"Huh? Is that so?" Funina's eyes widened, wondering why Richard hadn't told her about this.

“Lady Funina, you’re not sick, why do you need to see a doctor?” Richard said helplessly.

“You’re right. Then I’ll go see that doctor again when I get sick in the future.” Funina nodded, but she still couldn’t forget the doctor that Arecino had mentioned.

How could we not see such a miraculous doctor in Fontainebleau, the Water Goddess?

"There's a chance, there's definitely a chance." Richard reassured the curious Funina, but in his mind he was thinking, "You've seen the doctor's true form before, you've even handled it yourself."

You just don't realize it.

Richard, seeing that he had finished calming down Fryna, said to Arecino, "Now that Lady Fryna has approved your proposal, I hope that the House of Hearths will strictly fulfill its promises."

“Of course, I always keep my promises,” Arecino replied with a smile, gracefully placing her hands on her ample thighs.

She could tell that the scoundrel was about to lose his temper and was about to kick her out. Considering that she was still in a state of severe wear and tear in a certain area and could not start another conflict in the short term, she needed time to rest and recuperate, so she did not cause any more trouble.

Therefore, Arecino pretended to check the time with her pocket watch and then bid farewell to Funina.

Furina was naturally eager for Arecino to leave, but she pretended to try to persuade her to stay. In the end, Richard ended the bilateral talks by saying that he had other commitments.

According to the secret agreement reached in this negotiation, it will be gradually implemented in the near future. At that time, the forces of the Fools, represented by the Fools' Executors [Servants], will gradually withdraw from Fontaine, and the facilities and personnel they leave behind will be taken over and properly settled by the Momo Palace.

Although they were supposedly properly resettled, not many people actually remained at the Hearth House, and those who did remain were, as Arecino said, "disposed of."

Having had their memories erased, they are no different from ordinary people. In terms of the degree of harm they cause, they may not even be as dangerous as the gang members in Grey River.

However, with the departure of the Fools, there is no doubt that the security situation within Fontaine will improve significantly in the future.

After all, during the evacuation of the House of Hearths, some oversights were inevitable, leaving behind some incriminating evidence.

And coincidentally, this evidence points to many unstable forces within Fontaine, and their transactions with the Fools are meticulously recorded in these documents.

What awaited them next, besides the trial at the Moman Palace, was a huge amount of compensation and permanent residency in Mello Petersburg.

Hopefully, they'll enjoy the scenes where they spend the rest of their lives working odd jobs.

……

Shortly after the meeting, in Funina's office.

"Clorind, do you know any famous doctors in Fontaine?" Funina asked curiously.

"A renowned doctor? Are you ill?" Clarinde looked at Funina with some confusion. With Richard's protection, how could she be sick?

“I’m perfectly healthy, I was just asking.” Furina repeated what Arecino had said to Clorinde.

A strange expression appeared on Clarinde's pretty face, as if she was suppressing something, and she said to Funina, "Lady Funina, you will know in the future."

"What! How come you're just like Richard!" After hearing Clarinde's answer, which was exactly the same as Richard's, Furina puffed up her cheeks and muttered in dissatisfaction.

Clarind pretended not to hear, and she also got a piece of information from Frynn: the Fools' Enforcer, Arecino, was most likely the same kind of people as them.

People of the same kind who share hardships and struggles.

Chapter 231 Unyielding

About two weeks have passed since the talks with the House of the Hearth. The main forces of the House of the Hearth have withdrawn from Fontaine. The remaining scattered intelligence personnel will also withdraw from Fontaine as soon as possible after handling the remaining matters.

Most of the members of the House of Hearth who withdrew from Fontaine will be incorporated into the Winter Plan, while the remaining small number will, according to their own will, consume the "Fire in a Bottle," forget everything about the House of Hearth, and start anew.

These individuals are all registered with the police force. They will be closely monitored during their first year, and if they commit any crimes, they will be severely punished. Conversely, if they perform well during their year, they will not be closely monitored and will be treated as special citizens of Fontainebleau.

After all, even Arecino wasn't sure if her "Fire in a Bottle" could completely erase her memories, and even if it did, there was no guarantee that she hadn't developed any bad habits during her time at the Hearth House.

Skills like stealing, stealth, and murder have become second nature to the members of the Hearth House.

When faced with a certain situation, the body may react even before the brain.

Just like Richard patting Claudia, she knew exactly what pose to adopt.

As the saying goes, "He who possesses a sharp weapon will naturally harbor murderous intent."

Whether for the sake of Funina's own political achievements or for the stability of Fontaine, it is impossible to completely allow these unstable factors to live in the city.

"I never imagined this dessert shop was also owned by the House of Hearths. I quite like their honey milk pudding," Funina exclaimed in amazement as she looked at the latest intelligence report about the House of Hearths sent by the Momang Palace intelligence department.

"Don't worry, Lady Flint, the owner and pastry chef of this dessert shop has been 'filtered' out, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the shop will continue to operate in the future." Clarinde also glanced down at the documents in her hand.

The documents in Clarinde's hands contained far more detailed information than the one Frynn was currently reading.

After all, Frynn only needs to look at the results, but Clarinde, as her subordinate, has many more things to consider.

“There’s really no need for that…” Funina said awkwardly.

Everyone knows this dessert shop has problems, so why would she still go and eat there? She's a fool. Fontaine doesn't only have one dessert shop.

When Clarin heard Frynn say this, she didn't say anything more.

In fact, before receiving this list, Clarinde herself had no idea that the members of the House of Hearths were so diverse, encompassing almost every industry in Fontaine, including some outstanding talents.

The scope of employment is comparable to that of civil engineers.

"Speaking of which, the success rate of Fireplace House is quite high. Do they have some special training methods?" Funina asked with some surprise, looking at the names at the top of the list that she recognized.

It's astonishing that such a small house with fireplaces has so many talented people inside. And these are only those who stayed behind. Funina doesn't even dare to imagine how many more there are.

After thinking for a moment, Claude replied:

"It must be because of the different environment, right?"

"Could there be something wrong with our system?" Fu Ningna couldn't help but start to reflect.

"No, Lady Funina, is there any possibility that citizens of Fontaine could survive even if they lack the abilities?"

Funina: ...Oh, so that's how the success rate is increased. If you don't succeed, you succeed. There's great terror in life and death; if you don't succeed, who will? Graduate school entrance exam!

“You’re right, this approach isn’t really suitable for Fontaine.” Funina didn’t consider herself to be that cruel.

“Actually, the teaching progress at the Fontaine Academy has been quite encouraging recently,” Clarin said to Frinna with a smile.