Yes, Furina-sama! [Genshin Impact]

Lady Furina, the Hydro Archon, and Acting Grand Master Jean Gunnhildr of the Knights of Favonius had a warm and friendly informal discussion in the Knights' conference room.

According to staff who witnessed it, when the two walked out of the meeting room, both wore satisfied smiles.

Especially Lady Furina, she practically strutted out with unstoppable confidence!

She seemed to pay no mind at all to the Stormterror, a dragon capable of leveling cities, her eyes were already dazzled by the glory that felt within her grasp.

She even asked Jean whether, once the Stormterror was dealt with, the Knights of Favonius could grant her an honorary knight title too.

This left Jean completely speechless for a good while before she managed to explain that the Knights had no authority to grant a title to a god.

After all, it's usually the gods who bestow honor on mortals, not the other way around.

Furina expressed her regret, but Richard stepped in with a solution just in time.

If they couldn't grant the Hydro Archon Furina an honorary knighthood, what about granting mortal Furina an honorary knighthood instead?

Jean thought Richard was joking. 'A god turning into a mortal? How could that be possible?'

But when she saw Furina's lack of protest, she reluctantly agreed. 'If Lady Furina ever truly became mortal, the Knights of Favonius would gladly grant her an honorary knighthood, no, a lifelong honorary knighthood.'

'Such a title would be a fitting reward for a hero who ended the dragon calamity.'

'Of course, a god is a god, how could one possibly become just an ordinary mortal?'

Little did she know that at that moment, Furina's silence wasn't indifference, it was because she was too nervous to speak.

'What did Richard mean by that? What was he implying? Did he know something?'

If someone looked closely, they'd see a fine layer of sweat on the Hydro Archon's forehead.

And it certainly wasn't because of an excess of Hydro energy, it was pure, cold sweat.

With just one casual line, Richard had turned Furina's excitement into dread, to the point she couldn't even remember when they'd arrived back at the banquet hall.

Her mind kept racing: 'Did Richard find out something?'

Then she'd immediately find reasons to deny it.

After all, she believed her act was flawless; she'd never let anything slip in front of Richard. Even if she admitted that Richard's wit far surpassed hers, he wasn't an oracle, surely he couldn't suspect a god who'd reigned for over five centuries without any evidence… right?

"Big brother Richard!"

A crisp child's voice suddenly interrupted Furina's swirl of anxious thoughts.

She looked up to see a cute little elf girl wearing a red beret decorated with feathers and a four-leaf clover pattern. Arms open wide, her tiny legs carried her in a joyful dash straight toward Richard, and like a fledgling bird returning to its nest, she leapt right into his arms.

Klee's arrival drew everyone's attention in the hall.

The Mondstadters immediately recognized her and smiled kindly.

The guests from Fontaine were puzzled at first, then, noticing Klee and Richard's matching elf ears, they also smiled knowingly.

"I never would have guessed, Lord Richard looks so young, yet he already has a daughter. I was about to introduce my niece to him, too…"

"Why not think bigger? Even if Lord Richard has a daughter, you could still introduce your niece to him!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? That's not Lord Richard's daughter, it's his sister! Besides, Lord Richard's an elf, if we're counting by age, he's probably old enough to be your ancestor."

The speaker was the eldest member of the Fontaine delegation, the Department of Finance's Secretary, third in command of the entire group.

Given his standing, his words carried more weight, so the Fontaine guests all respectfully raised their glasses of apple juice to him, hoping for more juicy gossip.

But after that line, the old man only gave them a cryptic smile and refused to say another word, no matter how much they pleaded.

Not because he had an exceptional sense of discretion or respect for Richard's privacy, but because that was all the gossip he knew. If he said any more, he'd only reveal his ignorance!

Putting aside the guests' whispered chatter, let's return to Richard and Klee.

When Jean saw Klee recklessly fling herself into Richard's arms in front of so many people, a little tick mark appeared on her forehead.

Etiquette aside, safety was another matter. What if Klee tripped or bumped her head while rushing over?

Jean's brows knitted together, she was just about to scold Klee when Klee, who knew Jean's expressions all too well, beat her to it.

Klee knew exactly what Jean's furrowed brows meant; it meant the Acting Grand Master was about to lecture her.

So she quickly turned to Richard and said, "Big brother Richard! Klee missed you so much~ You've been away so long, I thought you'd forgotten about me!"

"How could I ever forget Klee? I even brought you a present from Fontaine this time. Once the banquet's over, I'll go get it for you. I promise you'll love it!" Richard assured her sincerely.

Klee's eyes sparkled. She leaned in and whispered in Richard's ear, "Is it a new type of fish-blasting tool?"

Richard almost laughed out loud, but before Jean could explode, he quickly corrected her: "It's a remote-controlled toy boat, not a fish-blasting tool."

'Well… it could be converted into a fish-blasting boat, as long as you added a hatch underneath to hold the bombs…'

Of course, Richard would never dare say that in front of Jean, if he did, he'd end up in detention right alongside Klee.

Not that Klee needed any coaching. Her little mind was already whirring away, imagining all the "alternative uses" for her new toy boat. Eyes shining, she beamed at Richard: "Thank you, big brother! Klee loves your gift! I have something for you, too!"

"Oh? What is it?" Richard asked curiously.

"It's a letter! I saw lots of grown-ups writing letters to Acting Grand Master Jean, but she turned them all down. I asked her why, and she said they were love letters, and only if two people really, really like each other can they send each other those letters."

"So Klee thought, you like me, and I like you too, so the conditions fit! So I copied one of the love letters written to Jean and made one for you! It's in my bag!"

As she spoke, Klee began heaving her bag around to dig out her letter for Richard.

"Klee! You sneaked into my office again!" Jean scolded.

"No, I didn't! I found the letter on the floor outside your office, so I thought no one wanted it, so I picked it up! I didn't sneak into your office!" Klee protested earnestly.

In the end, this little scene ended with Jean, her face dark, confiscating both Klee's "love letter" and the original template she'd copied. But Klee's innocent antics filled the entire hall with warm laughter.

Only Klee herself was left utterly confused. She didn't understand why Acting Grand Master Jean was so angry, angrier, even, than the time she'd been caught blasting fish at Starfell Lake!

With a puzzled look, Klee turned to Richard and asked, "Big brother Richard… did I do something wrong again?"