Yes, Lady Funina!

Speak of the devil and he shall appear; as soon as Clorinde is mentioned, she will come to the door.

"Claurinde, what's the matter?" Richard asked calmly, without changing his expression. There was no sign that he was still discussing how he had schemed against the other party before Clorinde came in.

"There are some things that require your authorization, about the annual most influential selection..." Clorinde tried her best to make her tone sound normal.

But Richard's attention was not on Clorinde's tone, nor did he notice the ambiguity in Clorinde's words. His attention was attracted by what Clorinde was holding in her arms.

"It's that thing. I authorized it, but what you are holding in your arms is..."

"A phonograph. Lady Funina specifically requested it. It will be used at the groundbreaking ceremony in the near future. It is said that Funina intends to record the entire groundbreaking ceremony in full using a video recorder and a phonograph."

"Is that so... That's great. Go ahead. Do you need me to write you a written document regarding the authorization?"

"No, no need. I just came to let you know."

'If we write a written document, given Richard's rigorous personality, he should specify the scope of authorization in detail, which would make it difficult to implement,' thought Clorinde.

Linnett noticed a detail, that is, the small phonograph in Clorinde's hand seemed to be working?

Was it opened intentionally or accidentally?

Linnet narrowed her eyes slightly. Things seemed to be getting interesting. She didn't know if Richard noticed this.

Don't spend all day hunting geese and then let the geese peck your eyes...

Volume 102: Chapter : Capsized in the Ditch

"Claurinde, what are you doing with the phonograph in your hand?" When Fernina looked up, she saw Clorinde walking in with a phonograph in her arms.

After Clorinde placed the phonograph on the empty table, she replied, "This is necessary preparation before the opening ceremony."

"?" Although Funina was not quite sure about the specific procedures of the groundbreaking ceremony, she had participated in similar activities in the past five hundred years.

But it seems that no groundbreaking ceremony uses a phonograph?

"Forget it, let's not worry about that for now. Is Clorinde almost ready for the opening ceremony?" Finina asked about Clorinde's work progress.

"Well, everything is ready, the venue has been arranged, and reporters from all the major newspapers will be there that day. In addition, Miss Charlotte wants to do an exclusive interview with you that day. Do you think you are free?"

"Interview... um, okay, fine, but she has to promise not to ask tricky questions. No, just a promise is not enough, I have to ask her to tell me the questions in advance so that I can prepare early..."

Although the two sides have become friends, Funina is still traumatized by the interview with the journalist, so it is better to be cautious.

"Yes, Lady Furninna." Clorinde agreed, then returned to her desk and prepared to write this down.

Then she saw an envelope on her desk. Clorinde picked up the letter curiously and found that it was sent to Funina, and the sender column was written as Steambird Newspaper.

"Lady Furninna, this seems to be your letter, sent from the Steambird Newspaper." said Clorinde.

"It should be another interview invitation. You can handle it." Finina waved her hand. This kind of invitation basically comes once every once in a while. Just leave it to Clorinde to handle it.

After all, Furninna's personal schedule is basically arranged by Clorinde, so it is natural for her to handle it.

Clorinde opened the envelope and found that the content of the letter was not an interview invitation, but content related to the recent selection.

"Is it the letter for the selection of the most influential person? Really, Steambird Newspaper is becoming more and more unruly. Although I will definitely participate, it would be too rude to ask for my opinion after my name is written on the list this year." Funina took the letter from Clorinde angrily.

After hearing what Funina said, Clorinde asked in confusion: "But I heard from Charlotte that the letter was delivered early in the morning, and your name was filled in after receiving your affirmative reply."

"Really? But I didn't receive it. If I signed it, I would definitely remember it. I shouldn't be so forgetful, right?"

Finina replied while looking at the letter in her hand.

Just when Clorinde was wondering what went wrong, Funina suddenly held the letter and asked, "Claurinde, I remember you should know that there is a problem with the most influential list on the political section, right?"

"Yes, my former colleagues often talked about this. Although I don't participate, I have heard about it more or less." Clorinde has not yet realized that danger is approaching.

"Then can you explain to me why you asked me to agree to be on the list even though you knew there was something wrong with it?" With a kind smile on her face, Furninna turned the letter over. Clorinde's name was clearly visible at the signature, as well as the exclusive seal of Furninna's personal secretary.

"What?! Wait, this is not right? I didn't..." A look of surprise appeared on Clorinde's pretty face. She was about to shout "Your Excellency, this is unfair" when she remembered that Richard seemed to have slipped a document to her before she got off work to go to an appointment.

That day, she had an appointment with Navia to go to the cemetery after get off work to tell Mr. Cares the news that Vash had been brought to justice, so she didn't want to be late. Also, Richard said it was not an important document and only required a signature, so she didn't look at it carefully.

Could it be that time...

After just a few breaths, Clorinde figured everything out. She... had been tricked by Richard again.

But fortunately, this time, she was well prepared.

It was originally just in case, thinking that if Richard was a human being, she wouldn't have to do it.

Now it seems that the guy stopped being a human being a long time ago. How despicable!

"You seem to have remembered something. Clorinde, are you going to explain?"

Clorinde took a deep breath and said to Fernina, facing her unfriendly gaze: "Lady Fernina, I can explain..."

Furninna shrugged helplessly, ready to listen to Clorinde's excuses.

"This was indeed my negligence at work." Clorinde admitted her mistake first. After hearing this, Furninna's expression eased a little. She was not a stingy boss who would not give in even if she was right.

Seeing Clorinde admit her mistake so straightforwardly, her anger subsided a lot. After all, from the look on Clorinde's face, it didn't look like she did it on purpose.

What's more important is that Clorinde was both her personal secretary and her friend, and Clorinde's actions would not bring any benefit at all except offending her. She obviously had no motive to commit the crime, and it must have been just a work mistake.

Thinking of this, Funina said, "Forget it. Things have already come to this. It's too late to say anything. Anyway, you have proposed a solution before, so you can make up for it."

However, just because Furninha did not intend to pursue the matter did not mean that Clorinde was willing to swallow the loss.

"Lady Fininna, there is actually a better solution." Clorinde took a deep breath and said, the button on her chest was bearing pressure that it shouldn't have to bear for a model like this.

"If you want to divert the media's attention, the best way is to attract their attention with another bigger news."

"I know that, but it has nothing to do with me now, right? What's bothering me now is my resume in the newspaper."

"But what if no one cares about your achievements, or it's not that you are incompetent, but that someone is too capable and has done everything you want to do?" Clorinde said tentatively.

"Did everything I wanted to do...Who?" Furninna felt that Clorinde's words were a bit confusing. Who could do everything she wanted to do? It was a joke. She herself didn't even know what she wanted to do.

If he was really that capable, he could have solved the flood crisis directly. Only by solving this problem, Funina felt that she could find what she really wanted to do.

"Lady Fininna, think about it, since you took office, have you ever had a feeling that you seem to have been led by the nose? There is someone in the city hall who is more like an administrative minister than you..." Clorinde was just about to report someone's ID card.

"You mean..." Furninna obviously realized who Clorinde was referring to, but another question came up.

"Even so, I can't possibly let Richard be on that list, right? Even if I wanted to, wouldn't it be okay for Richard to disagree?"

"Then Lady Finina, did you agree to be included on that list?" Clorinde asked in a persuasive manner.

Funina looked upset, as if she really hadn't seen the letter, and someone had already agreed to it on her behalf.

Although she was unhappy, Funina understood what Clorinde meant.

"You mean, if there is someone who has the power to agree to put Richard on the list without Richard's knowledge, just like you, Clorinde, agreed to the letter from the Steambird on my behalf..."

"Well, Lady Finina, I brought you the phonograph you needed. To ensure that it can function properly, I tested it in Secretary General Richard's office beforehand..."

"Test..." Furninna's eyes flickered. What test needed to be conducted in Richard's office? This was clearly a self-serving excuse to record some key evidence in order to ensure the legality of the recording.

Clorinde, I didn't expect you to become a bad person too.

Funina walked to the phonograph, operated it for a while, and found the key recording.

"There are some things that require your authorization, regarding the annual most influential selection..."

"It's that thing. I authorized it, but what you are holding in your arms is..."

Funina thought about it and played it again, but this time she made some slight changes to the pause time.

"There are some things that require your authorization, regarding the annual most influential selection..."

"It's that matter. I authorized it."

Don't take things out of context.

This is the art of editing.

With a click, Funina took off the master tape of the excerpt, held it in her hand and examined it for a while, then suddenly said to Clorinde, "Don't you think it's a bad idea for us to do this? Richard probably doesn't want to be on that list, right?"

"Lady Fininna, I need to remind you that my mistake was not accidental, but the inevitable result under certain conditions."

"You mean someone is plotting against you?"

"No, I'm plotting against you."

Seeing that Fernina was full of disbelief, Clorinde decided to go all out. Since Richard was unkind, she shouldn't blame her for being unjust.

Today she is Funina's most loyal secretary!

"Weren't you advocating the 'saving movement' before? Although you were later tamed by Secretary General Richard with afternoon tea..."

"Wait! What do you mean by tamed?" Furninha shouted with a red face. Your choice of words is too unhealthy, as if she is some kind of little animal.

"Sorry, it was a slip of the tongue. I meant to say 'convince'."

"Not even sleeping clothes!"

Clolinde:?

Why do I feel that your thoughts are much more unreasonable than mine?

"In short, if you had not reached an agreement with Richard at that time and insisted on promoting the 'savings movement', then this selection would have been Richard's backup measure."

"Think about it, why are you so concerned about the reconstruction of the Academy of Sciences recently?"

"Isn't this what you proposed?"

Clorinde thought about it and it really was true. It was bad, Richard had figured her out completely. Fortunately, she was no longer the helpless person she once was.

"Then is it because Lady Finina wants to improve her resume? If you were not on that list, would you care so much about the Academy?"

"Well, you make me sound like an incompetent boss who is just doing nothing." Finina understood what Clorinde meant, but she felt that what she said was weird.

"..."

"You should say something!"

After understanding the situation, Funina returned to her seat and put the master tape into the drawer. Seeing that Clorinde was still looking at her, she asked, "Let's leave it at that for now. You don't have to contact the Steambird Newspaper. I have my own plans."

"You're not angry?"

"Angry... not to that extent. To be honest, I feel both angry and amused." After learning that Richard had schemed against her, Funina's mood was not as bad as she had expected.

If I really have to describe it, it's like a girlfriend being played a prank by her boyfriend. Although she is very angry, she is not really angry.

"Then why do you..." What Clorinde wanted to say was why Funina didn't retaliate, but she felt that the word "revenge" was not appropriate here.

Although they plotted against each other, it was not to the extent of "revenge". To put it bluntly, it was more like "I was teased, so I'll tease you back."

Including this time when Clorinde set a trap for Richard, even if it succeeded, the consequence would only be known in the newspaper.

Originally, not many people paid attention to current affairs in Fontaine. Compared with the entertainment section, the current affairs section was purely a gift that came with buying something. You could take a look at it when you were free, but most of the time it had little presence.

Even if Fontaine's top star Funina is here this year, the audience attracted by the three words "Funina" will probably only focus on Funina, not Richard.

At most, I know that there is a person named Richard, who is a subordinate of Lady Funina.

All in all, if Clorinde's trap was successful, the damage would be basically zero, but the insult would be extremely strong.

It's like capsizing in a ditch.

"Don't you think it's too easy for him to just let him take the newspaper?" Furninna thought.

"Then you mean..."

"Hehe, the hermit has his own clever plan. Just wait and see, Clorinde. This time I will definitely make Richard pay back your share with interest."

"No, no need, Lady Furninda, could you please not take me with you..." Clorinde suddenly felt something was wrong.

"What do you mean? Clorinde, now that things have come to this, do you still want to stay out of it?" Furninna asked with a frown.

"No...Is it okay?"

"Of course... no!"

Fininna smiled and ruthlessly rejected Clorinde's request. She wanted her to be the first to take action while she would hide behind and watch the show. It was so funny. How could it be possible?

Seeing the sadness on Clorinde's face, Funina stood on tiptoe and patted Clorinde's shoulder to comfort her: "Don't worry, I'm here to protect you. Richard will definitely not dare to do anything to you."

Clorinde forced a smile that was uglier than crying and said, "Yes, Lady Funina."

Volume 103: Chapter 4.5 Clorinde, which side are you on? (K+)

The afternoon sun is warm and lazy, gently sprinkling on the busy streets. The fountain in front of Mo Mang Palace reflects dazzling light. A few cats are lying by the fountain terrace. Passers-by come to feed them from time to time. It is so pleasant. Even the cats are enjoying this leisurely time.

However, compared to the cat's freedom, although Clorinde was in the Momang Palace at the moment, she had a sense of being in Mellow Petersburg.

At this moment, the secretary was lowering her head, holding a newspaper in her hand, trying to hide herself with the newspaper. However, this method was obviously another form of covering up the truth. Even if it covered her face, it could not hide her magnificent heart.