"Freminet, who is she?" Lyney asked sternly.
Freminet hesitated for a moment before finally telling Lyney and Lynette about Clervie.
Lynette didn't seem surprised by Clervie's existence.
"You've met her before?" Luna asked.
Lynette nodded slightly. "I saw her at home. I thought she'd stayed at Hotel Bouffes d'ete, but it turns out Freminet was hiding her here."
Lyney's expression grew increasingly solemn as he listened.
"You're sheltering someone 'Father' is looking for. If 'Father' finds out... the House of the Hearth won't tolerate betrayal."
Unless you were strong enough to earn Arlecchino's approval.
But Freminet clearly wasn't among those.
"I know," Freminet replied, "but I've thought it over. I can't hand her over. She saved our family, waking me in the middle of the night to warn me that someone had been poisoned and needed immediate help—and it was true."
Freminet stood his ground. "She's lived with us, helped us... I can't just hand her over to be dealt with based on vague suspicions. I won't do it."
As Luna listened to Lyney and Freminet's conversation, her thoughts drifted to Clervie.
Clervie, clearly intrigued by Luna, had been studying her intently since they first met.
"You feel somewhat familiar," Clervie remarked.
"Familiar?" Luna replied.
Clervie nodded. "You remind me a bit of Peppy! But there's also a decisive difference."
Peppy? Another unfamiliar name.
Does anyone at home go by that name?
Luna knew the Peppy from the neighboring space station, but it was obviously not the same person.
"Who is this Peppy you're referring to? What's her full name?" Luna asked, intrigued.
"My best friend, of course! Her full name is—Peruere!"
Luna remained utterly confused.
"What are her distinguishing features?"
"Well... her eyes are quite unique! They look icy cold, but she's actually very approachable. She's also Mother's most favored child."
"Mother." The children of the House of the Hearth. The Phantoms.
Luna narrowed her eyes. Ah, I see now!
By this time, Lyney had finished his conversation with Freminet.
As a family, they should naturally share both joys and sorrows, advancing and retreating together. Since Freminet had made up his mind, Lyney believed they should at least uncover the truth before making a final decision.
"Come over here for a moment."
"Hmm?"
Luna beckoned them over to a corner.
Lynette's ears perked up. "Did you figure something out? You looked like you just had an epiphany."
"Really? As expected of the Detective," Lyney exclaimed, impressed.
"It's just a hunch, but we can definitely explore this angle to find answers—"
Freminet interrupted, "Luna, are you on our side too?"
She wouldn't tell on them to "Father"—she would stand on their side.
Freminet had assumed Luna would simply pretend not to notice.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"But if 'Father' finds out..."
Luna smiled faintly. "If I were afraid of that, I wouldn't have fought 'Father' in the first place. Besides, I'm confident I can withstand 'Father's' blade."
"I will defeat her," she declared earnestly.
The three of them fell silent.
Defeating "Father"—such a notion had never even crossed the minds of the children of the House of the Hearth.
The gap was undeniable.
If Arlecchino was heaven, they were the earth—the difference in strength was despair-inducing.
That's why some children, even those who harbored resentment toward the House of the Hearth, would never choose to leave.
Betrayal meant execution.
Execution meant death.
"As expected of you," Lynette could only say.
"So amazing..." Freminet marveled.
Lyney sighed. "Only you would say that. Now, back to the point: what did you discover?"
Luna glanced at Clervie, who stood a short distance away.
"Clervie might be the child of the previous 'Knave.'"
Lynette's eyes widened. "The previous one? That would be before 'Father'..."
"'Mother'... that's what the children used to call her back then, right, Freminet?" Luna confirmed.
Freminet nodded vigorously.
He had joined the House of the Hearth while the previous "Knave" was still in charge. That "Knave" had been anything but gentle, enforcing rules that were brutally harsh.
Then Arlecchino arrived.
She killed the previous Knave, yet, by the Tsaritsa's grace, became the new Harbinger known as "The Knave," taking over the House of the Hearth.
She ultimately transformed it into what it is today.
"But I've never seen her," Freminet said, shaking his head.
"That's not surprising. She was already dead before you joined," Luna explained.
"Dead..." Lyney murmured.
"A ghost? A spirit? Should we contact the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?" Lynette asked.
If they contacted the Director, she'd undoubtedly rush over and ask Clervie, "What kind of funeral would you like, little sister?" or something similar.
Luna shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure if she's truly a ghostly presence. Lynette, you said you've seen her at the House of the Hearth, right?"
"Mm-hmm."
"...I want to conduct a test."
"A test?"
Luna elaborated, "Yes. Could you please take her away from Poisson?"
Lynette looked confused. "Is that the test? It sounds more like testing 'Father's' limits..."
"'Father' won't care."
"...Why?"
"Because she's known all along that Freminet was hiding Clervie."
Freminet's face paled, but Lyney wasn't surprised. "Father" always knew what the children were up to...
It was like a student's subtle misbehavior in class—the Teacher saw everything perfectly clearly. The only question was whether she chose to intervene.
Lynette's expression darkened. "So 'Father' wants to—"
"Perhaps she wants to see how we'll handle this. She could easily eliminate Clervie immediately, but this is also a good opportunity to train us, and also..."
"...to root out internal problems."
Otherwise, there would be no reason to act in a place like Poisson.
Luna smiled faintly. "In any case, we have plenty of time. Let's take things one step at a time. We can determine Clervie's ultimate fate once we've uncovered the full truth."
"Mm..." Freminet nodded heavily, his mind preoccupied.
As expected, no clever tricks work against Father.
Lynette left with Clervie. Soon after, she returned with a peculiar expression.
"How did it go?"
Lynette sighed. "It didn't work. I tried to lead her away, but she stopped in her tracks and just stared at me silently. I tried approaching from different angles, but the result was always the same."
Not unexpected.
Luna nodded. "It seems Clervie is tethered to some kind of core."
"Core?" Lynette asked.
"Yes. You haven't heard of Clervie appearing outside the House of the Hearth before, have you?"
"No."
Luna continued, "Now that she's here and unable to leave Poisson, it's as if she's trapped here—not because she doesn't want to leave, but because she can't."
This core must be mobile, having moved from the House of the Hearth to Poisson.
Could Clervie's "Peppy" refer to...?
It's too early to draw that conclusion.
"...In any case, let's investigate first," Luna said.
Whether it was Clervie's situation or the matter of the previous Knave, they needed to gather enough clues to make an accurate judgment.