When Leo opened his eyes, he was confused and hadn't yet processed what had happened.
The familiar ceiling… the familiar bed… the familiar quilt. This was his own room in the Palais Mermonia.
He vaguely remembered sitting in a chair beneath the Cardinal of Oratrice—the massive mechanism that sustained Fontaine—thinking about something before everything suddenly went dark.
So why was he back in his room?
Feeling the throbbing pain on his head, Leo instinctively reached up and found a bandage wrapped around it.
I was ambushed!
Realizing the seriousness of the matter, Leo quickly tried to get up. He had to warn Lady Furina—her office was not safe!
Poor Leo didn't even realize, even after waking, that besides Furina herself, no one else could possibly enter that secret chamber.
Just as he was about to rise from the bed, he heard faint voices outside the door.
"Lady Furina, are you certain Leo tripped over his left foot, hit his head on the table leg, and fainted?"
The speaker was unmistakably Neuvillette, his voice filled with disbelief.
He had been reviewing documents as usual when Furina suddenly called for a doctor. When he arrived, Leo was already unconscious.
Neuvillette was bewildered. In the entire Palais Mermonia, who else could possibly have struck Leo down like that?
After Furina's feeble explanation, his curiosity only deepened.
"Yes! When I entered the office, he was lying there on the floor. If I hadn't discovered him in time, my little guard might have died—wuwuwu~"
As she spoke, tears welled in Furina's eyes and she covered her face with her hands.
Leo blinked. Tripped on my left foot and fell? Really?
"Very well. Then I'll return to my duties. Please take care of Leo, Lady Furina."
"Are you sure?" Neuvillette's words carried a note of doubt.
"Of course I'm sure! Absolutely certain!" Furina replied firmly, without the slightest hesitation.
Silence…
At last, Neuvillette sighed.
"Very well. I'll leave him in your care."
As his footsteps faded, it was clear he had gone.
Furina let out a sigh of relief. Her acting skills had been flawless. She had even bribed the doctor beforehand to keep quiet about the truth of Leo's injury.
How could she possibly let Neuvillette know that she had been the one to knock Leo unconscious with a stick? That would have been ridiculous.
Sitting up weakly, Leo hadn't yet recovered from overhearing their conversation when the door to his room creaked open.
Furina slipped inside, closed it quickly behind her, and locked it.
Leo rubbed his eyes. Was he dreaming?
"Ah? Leo, you're awake?" Furina's voice was laced with surprise, nervousness, uncertainty… and something not quite right.
"Uh… it depends, Lady Furina."
After just one look at her, Leo couldn't hold back and immediately blurted out everything he had seen underground.
Furina's expression didn't change. She kept a faint smile on her lips.
"Oh, Leo, you must've had quite the dream. How could there be an underground passage beneath my office?"
"But—"
Before he could finish, Furina clamped her hand over his mouth, still smiling sweetly.
"You're injured. You need rest. Stop letting your imagination run wild."
"Mmphh… mmphh!" Leo tried to protest, humming his guesses through her hand.
"What are you whining about? Do you want the Hydro Archon herself to feed you?"
"Mmmphhh!!" His mouth was firmly covered; not a single word escaped.
When Leo refused to give in, Furina pushed him down onto the bed with surprising strength, pinning him in a rather compromising position.
She glared into his eyes, her hand still sealing his mouth.
"Go to sleep! In the name of the Hydro Archon, I command you!"
Though Leo struggled, he was still wounded and weak. Without his usual strength, he was no match for her persistence.
When she finally pulled her hand away, it was covered with his saliva. Furina grimaced in disgust.
Why is it disgusting now, but not when we kiss or share food?
The thought popped into her mind, but she quickly banished it. She could not allow herself to think such things!
After washing her hands, she returned to find Leo lying obediently in bed again. Relief washed over her.
"At last. You've settled down. That was exhausting."
She sat with the dinner that Melusines had delivered, eating in front of Leo. Occasionally, she picked up a piece of meat and dangled it near his lips—only to pull it back and eat it herself when he opened his mouth.
"Lady Furina, you're bullying me!"
Hearing Leo's aggrieved tone, Furina burst out laughing.
But her laughter came mid-bite, and the food in her mouth sprayed onto Leo's face. To make matters worse, one half-chewed piece landed right in his open mouth.
He chewed it instinctively before realizing what had happened.
"Lady Furina, y-you… You actually fed me something you'd already eaten?!"
Flustered, Furina snatched a napkin, wiped his face clean, then pinched his cheeks and forced him to swallow the piece of meat.
Seeing his expression of despair, she doubled over in laughter again, clutching her stomach.
"Hahaha!"
When she finally calmed down, Furina leaned closer, cupped his face, and began pinching and patting it playfully.
Leo endured it silently, though he couldn't deny that her soft, fragrant hands felt oddly comforting.
"So soft…" he thought, though aloud he only said pitifully:
"Lady Furina, I'm hungry…"
He hadn't eaten since morning, and now it was who-knew-what time. His stomach growled in protest.
Patting his cheek, Furina smirked.
"I'll get you something."
Those words nearly moved Leo to tears.
A while later, Furina returned with a steaming plate of food.
"Lady Furina, what is this?" he asked curiously.
"Macaroni. I made it myself—with tomato sauce."
"…Huh?"
Holding back his tears, Leo looked up at her pitifully.
"You're really just going to feed me this…?"
Placing the dish on the table, Furina removed her hat, smoothed her hair, and replied proudly:
"I made it myself. And you dare complain?"
"I—"
"Eat it or not? If not, I'll eat it myself."
"…Eat," Leo muttered helplessly.
"Humph, that's better." She lifted her fork. "Think about it—how many people in Fontaine can say the Hydro Archon herself cooked for them and fed them by hand? You should feel honored, my little guard."
With that, Furina twirled a forkful of macaroni and leaned it toward his lips.
Leo's expression was priceless—utter disbelief at this bizarre turn of events.
***
Charlie Kirk was murdered today…shot in the neck…never realized you could lose so much blood in seconds
Rip 🙏