Yes, Lady Funina!

After hearing Richard's words, Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the worst situation had not occurred.

Wait, I have the right to refuse...so no matter what he says, I might as well just refuse!

Anyway, the other party will not have any concrete evidence in their hands by then. In the absence of evidence, even if you are a powerful secretary-general, you cannot slander her as an honest citizen without any basis, right?

Moreover, he really had no intention of obtaining any confidential information, so he could be said to be quite innocent.

Humph, Lord Richard, even a big shot like you can make mistakes sometimes!

After all, you underestimated my sharp thinking as a reporter!

As if he had seen through Charlotte's thoughts, Richard pointed at the note in Charlotte's hand and raised the notebook in his own hand.

Then the scheming secretary general said slowly, "There was indeed no solid evidence before, but now..."

"It's hard to say."

Volume 43: Chapter I always feel like someone is framing me

Charlotte's incident was just a small episode for Richard. He returned to the dessert...discussion room and asked the staff to remove all the desserts on the table. He then filled the table with documents to make the whole room look like a discussion room.

After arranging all this, Richard even took the time to eat a Ms. Brownie. After wiping the corners of his lips with a napkin and rinsing his mouth with black tea, he returned to the auditorium.

The first thing that Funina did when she saw Richard was to look at the corner of his lips, but unfortunately she didn't see what she wanted. She also thought that Richard would be like her and not wipe the corner of his lips after eating dessert.

Then, through her own reminder, she noticed this and was able to make a comeback.

Obviously, Funina's wish was dashed. Richard handled the whole thing very cleanly, leaving no evidence of the crime.

Even the gaps between teeth were not spared!

"Lady Furninna, is there something on my face?"

"No, it's okay. I was just taking a look. Your collar is a little crooked." Funina was nitpicking and finally found a mistake that was not really a mistake.

Richard raised his eyebrows, "Really? Then could you help me tidy it up? There is no mirror around."

Funina was stunned, as if she thought she had heard wrongly. Was Richard asking her to do something?

How dare he!

I am his superior, Lady Funina, the water goddess of Fontaine! It's almost like a role reversal to let me be his leader!

Not to mention there are so many guests watching around, how disgraceful!

Finina made up her mind that not only would she not help Richard to straighten his collar, she would also take this opportunity to teach him a lesson and let him know the majesty of the God of Water!

"I just met a reporter on the road. Do you have any impression of him, Lady Funina? He was right at the door of the discussion room."

"Reporter? At the door of the discussion room..." Furniture was startled and her hands unconsciously helped Richard straighten his collar.

Well, being considerate to subordinates is also part of the work of the Water God, and it is something that must be done.

"Yes, do you have any impression?" Richard looked at Funina with a smile. The smiling look made Funina feel very uncomfortable.

It's like saying, 'You little brat, can't I control you? '

But this was obviously not the time to worry about this. Funina was trying to recall if she had run into anyone when she left the dessert room...

Then a beautiful figure appeared in her mind. The woman was wearing a white evening dress and had pink hair that looked very smooth. She didn't know what brand of shampoo she used.

Well, zooming in a little bit, Furninna could finally see the other person's face clearly.

It's that trainee reporter! (screaming)

Finina never thought that she would meet Charlotte when she came to Mond. She had clearly seen the list of accompanying reporters before coming, and there was no such person at all!

The next second, Furninna thought of a very serious problem - could it be that Charlotte was coming for her?

Thinking back to the fact that he had not wiped the corners of his mouth clean before, he wondered if Charlotte had seen this scene.

Maybe someone might take a photo of her! The more Furninna thought about it, the more anxious she became. If someone took a photo of her and published it, she would be in big trouble!

As for where the camera came from when she was wearing an evening gown, Furninna felt that anything was possible. Maybe it was hidden under her skirt.

"Did she see anything? Did she leave any evidence? You... can handle it, right?" Funina looked at Richard nervously and asked in a small and hurried voice.

Richard did not answer the question directly, but looked up and around. After noticing this action, Furniture realized that they were still in the auditorium.

Her performance just now was obviously a bit eye-catching, so she coughed lightly, stood up straight as if nothing had happened, and her face regained its calmness and composure, as if nothing had happened.

Li Cha felt that Funina was a natural politician. Her ability to self-regulate on the spot was something that even officials who had been in politics for many years could not do.

However, under the constant urging of Fernina's eyes, Richard finally said the answer that Fernina wanted most at the moment: "Yes, Lady Fernina."

As the familiar lines came to an end, Furninna felt relieved for no reason, as if she had developed a certain habit.

No matter how critical the situation is, as long as you hear Richard say this, you will feel extremely peaceful in your heart.

The conditioned reflex belongs to yes.

"But I need your authorization, Lady Funina... After all, you are the one in charge of this visit."

Because it was a visit abroad, the delegation included not only officials from the city hall, but also officials from other departments.

Although Richard is the executive secretary general of the City Hall and his status in this visit is second only to Funina, this does not mean that he can mobilize members of the delegation at will.

If he wants to use the resources of the Fontaine Mission, he can't get around Funina. This can be regarded as a means for Funina to check and balance Richard.

Now Richard wants to take this opportunity to bypass this mechanism and become the real decision-maker of this Fontaine mission.

It was obvious that he had planned this in advance, otherwise he would not have allowed Funina to make such an outrageous decision as asking for a room to secretly eat dessert.

Even if there is no Charlotte, there will probably be a Malotti, Donlotti, Melodi... In short, anyone can be Charlotte, as long as she can make Funina feel a sense of crisis and transfer the right to speak to herself.

However, Fernina's next words made Richard feel a little amused and helpless.

"So I am the one in charge?"

Apparently, Funina had no sense of being the person in charge. In her opinion, this trip to Mond was no different from the social events she had attended before, except that she was going abroad. She was just here to act as a mascot.

However, after hearing what Richard said, she suddenly realized a problem. Did Richard have this planned all along just for the right to speak in her hands?

"Richard, you said that Charlotte's appearance was such a coincidence. Could it be that someone was deliberately framing me? Forcing me to make concessions in some aspects?" Finina suddenly asked.

"No way?"

"Really, I feel like I've been fooled!" Funina stared straight into Richard's eyes with her almond-shaped eyes.

Despite the height difference, at this moment, Finina's aura was already superior to Richard's.

"How could you have such wild thoughts?" Richard answered without dodging his gaze and changing his expression.

"Imaginations? Richard, won't he frame me?" Furniture looked at her secretary general with a determined look.

"Who?" This was the first time that Richard's trick was discovered by Fu Ninna, and even he felt it was a bit tricky.

"Mr. Macaroon and Ms. Brownie!" replied Furninna.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Macaroon and Ms. Brownie..." 4

"He's a treacherous villain who smiles but hides a knife in his heart, speaks sweet words but actually betrays his heart. He's absolutely untrustworthy." Funina made a veiled criticism.

"Yes, he is such a mean person."3

"One?" Two

"They are really two villains. Do we need to let them go to the dock in the court?"

"That's not necessary, but Richard, I think it is necessary to delegate some power. After all, I am always too busy to handle it alone. It would be great to have you to help me."

"So I agree to your authorization application just now. Don't let me down, Secretary General Richard." Fu Nina nodded to Richard twice in a reserved manner.

"Yes, Lady Funina."

Volume 44: Chapter : Jyn Gunnhild

Although the conversation between Finina and Richard just now was full of tension, to outsiders, the two of them looked like a king and his subject getting along well.

The guests present had no idea that in just such a short period of time, a transfer of power and a successful indirect criticism had been completed.

"You seem to be having a very happy chat. It seems that the matter has been resolved."

At this time, Jyn Gunhild, acting leader of the Knights of Favonius, joined the conversation.

"Yes, Captain Qin. The problem was solved perfectly." While responding, Funina glanced at Richard, and the information about Captain Qin that Richard had told her before coming here appeared in her mind.

Because half a year ago, Falga led the elite Knights of Favonius to leave Mond again and embark on an expedition.

As Falga's deputy, Jyn naturally became the acting leader of the Knights of Favonius, filling the power vacuum left by Falga's expedition.

In fact, Jean did an excellent job, and many people in Mondstadt have forgotten that there is a "Grand Commander" above her.

However, she herself has never cared about such things. The status and title in the Knights Templar will not affect her principles of action at all. She is not a person like Richard who likes to hold power in his hands.

Qin didn't care whether she got promoted or not. If she had to choose between promotion and Mondstadt's prosperity, she would definitely choose the latter without hesitation.

As outstanding as his governing ability is the acting head of the group's appearance.

The naturally curly long golden hair and the simple ponytail style highlight her capable temperament.

Qin has a beautiful face, deep and charming gray-purple eyes, a straight nose and slightly upturned lips, showing a confident and friendly charm.

In the auditorium, she did not wear a luxurious and fine evening dress like ordinary noble women, but a neutral dress with white as the main color and gold patterns. She had a black leather swallowtail cape on her back and sides of her waist, hanging down to her knees.

This simple yet dignified outfit not only shows her elegance and nobility, but also highlights her strength and determination.

It is obvious that this acting head of the group is not a weak puppet pushed to the front, but a real person in power.

It is precisely because of this heroic spirit that Jean is the object of admiration of many girls in Mondstadt, and she also has many suitors among the nobles.

However, Qin is obviously not interested in love between men and women. She has never responded to anyone's love, and her interactions with the opposite sex are limited. She does not give people unnecessary fantasies, allowing others to feel a clear and definite sense of boundaries.

Jean has always been focused on her duties, not to mention that the Knights of Favonius and even the entire Mondstadt are now facing a huge threat - the dragon plague.

Added to this is the diplomatic pressure from the Fatui, who have been putting pressure on Mondstadt lately, acting more like adversaries than allies.

The arrival of the Fontaine delegation this time surprised Qin, but also made her feel a little relieved. She couldn't help but wonder why Fontaine chose to get involved at this time.

After all, according to Fontaine's previous foreign policy, it would not just stand aside and watch...

However, when she saw the name 'Richard' on the visitor list, Qin seemed to understand something.

The other party did it for her? Obviously impossible. Although she knew Richard and they were friends, Qin was not stupid enough to think that she was so important in Richard's heart.

Moreover, Richard was not the kind of guy who coveted her beauty. In Qin's impression, Richard was obviously a gentleman with proper manners. His eyes when he looked at her were very clear, without any other meaning. His conversation was also quite decent, which made people who talked with him feel happy.

Then the result is obvious. The reason why Richard pushed Fontaine to take action and even invited the Lord of Water of Fontaine was entirely because of his sister, Klee, the Spark Knight of the Knights of Favonius.

Because of his work, Richard, like Claire's mother, lives abroad all year round, so at the request of Ms. Alice, the role of guardian fell on Jean.

However, this does not mean that Richard does not value his sister. On the contrary, Jean feels that no one cares about Claire more than Richard. As long as Richard is free, he will come back to accompany Claire, even if it is just a quick meeting.

According to some old immortals in Mondstadt, Klee's mischievousness is exactly like Richard's back then.

The only difference is that one likes electric fishing, and the other likes deep-frying fish…

And it is obvious that Claire also likes her brother Richard very much. According to Jean's understanding of Claire, she likes Richard even more than herself.

This is understandable. Children in ordinary families are usually more likely to like a kind father than a strict mother.

For the healthy growth of Klee, Jean played the role of a "strict mother" a lot.

"Lady Water Goddess Funina, please allow me to once again formally express my sincere gratitude for your assistance this time." Qin Xiuli's face was full of sincerity.

Whether it is the sheltering of Mond refugees who stranded in Fontaine, or the current diplomatic support for the Knights of Favonius, it can be said to be a timely help for Mond today.

In particular, the water goddess Furninna came to Mond in person. The visit of a god was like a shot in the arm for the people of Mond who were worried about the dragon's invasion again.

The morale of the city was greatly boosted. As the news of the water god Fucaros' arrival in Mond spread throughout the city, the sorrow on the faces of the residents of Mond was alleviated, and they could occasionally smile.

"It's nothing, it's just that my executive secretary tried every means to get me to Mond. If you really want to thank someone, thank him." Finina did not take the credit, but instead shifted the blame to Richard.

Although Fernina and Richard would scheme against each other in the workplace, that was all. When they were outside, the kind-hearted Lady Fernina would usually give face to her subordinates.

After all, no matter what, Richard did help her a lot, so it was only natural for her to return the favor.

Funina is not an ungrateful person. Perhaps because she has suffered so much, she remembers better than anyone else who treats her well.

"We will always remember Mr. Richard's kindness. I promise that no matter what happens in the future, both of you and Fontaine will be Mond's most reliable and closest allies. If you need anything in the future, Mond will definitely help you."

In response to Fontaine's help, Qin also gave corresponding rewards. It can be foreseen that when the dragon disaster crisis is resolved, Fontaine will have a close ally.

This kind of ally is not a "superficial brother" like other countries, but a "real brother" who will really help when something happens!

In addition to the covenant that has not yet been implemented, Mond will also give some other practical benefits in return, such as some concessions on tariffs, exports, imports, etc. in trade between the two places.

And these are exactly what Qin will discuss with Funina next...