"Clorinde, why are you carrying a phonograph?"
Furina looked up and saw Clorinde walk in, holding one in her arms.
Clorinde set it down on the empty desk and answered, "This is a necessary preparation for the groundbreaking ceremony."
"?" Furina tilted her head. She didn't really know the exact steps of a groundbreaking ceremony, but in her five hundred years, she had attended more than a few such events.
Still… she didn't recall any ceremony that involved a phonograph.
"Forget it. Anyway, Clorinde, the preparations for the ceremony should be about ready, right?" Furina asked, changing the subject.
"Yes. Everything is in place, the venue is set up, and the reporters from the major newspapers will all be there. Also, Miss Charlotte would like to conduct an exclusive interview with you that day. Do you have time?"
"An interview…? Uh, fine, but she has to promise not to ask tricky questions. No, wait, just a promise isn't enough. She needs to give me the questions in advance, so I can prepare…"
Even though they were friends now, Furina still carried some trauma from Charlotte's interviews. It was safer to be cautious.
"Yes, Lady Furina," Clorinde agreed, returning to her desk to note it down.
But there, she saw an envelope. Curious, she picked it up, it was addressed to Furina, with the sender listed as The Steambird.
"Lady Furina, this seems to be a letter for you, from The Steambird," Clorinde said.
"Probably just another interview request. Handle it for me." Furina waved a hand. These requests came regularly, and Clorinde usually dealt with them.
After all, Furina's schedule was almost entirely managed by Clorinde; it was only natural to leave it to her.
Clorinde opened the envelope, only to find it wasn't about interviews at all, but about the recent Most Influential Figures ranking.
"So it's that again? Honestly, The Steambird is getting more and more presumptuous. Of course I'll participate, but putting my name on the list before asking for my consent is far too rude." Furina snatched the letter angrily.
Clorinde frowned. "But Miss Charlotte told me the letter was sent long ago. They only added your name after receiving confirmation from you."
"Is that so? But I never saw it. If I'd signed it, I'd remember, I'm not that forgetful yet, am I?"
While Furina was puzzling over the letter, she suddenly looked up and asked, "Clorinde, you do know that the political ranking of the Most Influential Figures list has… issues, right?"
"Yes, my former colleagues often talked about it. I never took part, but I've heard plenty," Clorinde said, still unaware of the trap closing in.
"Then can you explain why, knowing it's problematic, you still signed my consent for it?"
Furina's smile remained pleasant, but she flipped the letter around, showing Clorinde's own signature and her personal secretary's stamp at the bottom.
"What?! That's wrong, I never- " Clorinde's face paled. She was about to cry, "I'm innocent!" when she suddenly remembered.
The other day, just before she left work for an appointment with Navia, Richard had shoved a document at her, saying it wasn't important and only needed a signature.
She hadn't looked closely. She couldn't be late, not when they were going to the graveyard to share with Monsieur Callas the news that Vacher had been brought to justice.
'Could it have been then…?'
In just a few breaths, she pieced it together. She had been tricked, again. By Richard.
But this time, she had prepared a backup.
She had hoped she wouldn't need it if Richard behaved decently. Clearly, that man had given up on decency long ago. Too shameless!
"You seem to have realized something, Clorinde. Care to explain?" Furina asked, eyes sharp.
Clorinde drew a deep breath and faced her directly. "Lady Furina, I can explain…"
Furina leaned back, curious to hear her excuse.
"It was a lapse in my duties," Clorinde admitted first.
That took Furina aback. She hadn't expected such a straightforward confession. Her anger cooled; she wasn't the type to be petty when someone admitted fault.
Besides, Clorinde wasn't just her secretary, but also her friend. She had no motive to sabotage her; it must have been a mistake.
"Fine, what's done is done. You already proposed a solution earlier, so I'll count it as making up for it."
But Clorinde had no intention of swallowing the loss.
"In fact, Lady Furina, there is a better solution." She took a deep breath, the button on her chest straining against the pressure.
"The best way to divert the media's attention is with even bigger news."
"I know that, but that has nothing to do with my resume in the papers."
"What if no one paid attention to your achievements? Not because you were incompetent, but because someone else was so capable they accomplished everything you meant to?" Clorinde tested.
"Someone else? Who could possibly?" Furina started, but Clorinde's meaning was clear.
"You mean Richard," Furina realized.
"But even so, I can't just have him put on that list. If he doesn't consent, it won't happen."
"Lady Furina, did you consent before your name was added?"
Furina froze. Come to think of it… she hadn't.
"…You're suggesting that, just as you 'agreed on my behalf,' someone with authority could agree on his behalf."
"Ahem. About that phonograph you requested, Lady Furina, I tested it in Secretary Richard's office beforehand, to make sure it works properly…"
"Tested…?" Furina's eyes glimmered. No test needed, Richard's office. Clearly, this was about recording certain "authorization" in his own voice.
'Clorinde… I didn't expect you to sink to his level, too.'
Furina fiddled with the phonograph until she found the key part.
'There are some matters that require your authorization, it's about the annual Most Influential Figures ranking…'
'Ah, that matter? You have my authorization.'
Played normally, Richard's words trailed off.
But Furina replayed it, trimming the pauses.
'There are some matters that require your authorization, it's about the annual Most Influential Figures ranking…'
'Ah, that matter? I authorize it.'
Taken out of context, it was perfect.
The art of editing.
Click.
Furina removed the master reel and examined it. "Clorinde, don't you think this is a bit unfair to Richard? He probably doesn't want to be on the list."
"Lady Furina, I must remind you, my mistake was no accident. It was inevitable, under certain… conditions."
"You mean someone tricked you?"
"No. They were tricking you."
Furina looked skeptical, so Clorinde steeled herself. If Richard wouldn't play fair, neither would she. Today, she was Furina's most loyal secretary.
"Didn't you once push for a 'conservation campaign'? Until Richard tamed you with afternoon tea…"
"Wait! What do you mean tamed?!" Furina flushed bright red. "That makes it sound like I'm some kind of pet!"
"Sorry, slip of the tongue, I meant 'convinced.'"
"'Slept-and-convinced' isn't any better!"
Clorinde: "???"
Why did Furina's mind sound dirtier than hers?
"Anyway, if you had insisted on pushing the campaign, this ranking would have been Richard's backup plan."
"…Come to think of it, why have I been so invested in rebuilding the Institute lately?" Furina muttered.
"Because you want to strengthen your resume. If you hadn't been placed on the list, would you really care this much?"
"…You make me sound like a useless boss."
"…"
"Say something, Clorinde!"
Eventually, Furina put the reel into her desk drawer and said, "Leave it for now. Don't contact The Steambird. I'll handle this."
"You're not angry?"
"Angry… maybe a little. But more amused than anything."
She felt like a girlfriend tricked by her mischievous boyfriend, annoyed, yes, but not truly furious.
Clorinde hesitated. 'Why won't she retaliate?'
Of course, it wasn't "retaliation" so much as playful payback. Even if her trap worked, Richard's "punishment" would only be a name in the papers. Political news in Fontaine was practically invisible compared to entertainment.
At worst, people would just know Richard existed as Furina's subordinate.
No real harm. Just maximum embarrassment.
A true case of capsizing in the gutter.
"Don't you think putting him in the paper is too light a punishment?" Furina smirked.
"Then… what do you plan?"
"Heh. Just watch. This time, I'll make Richard repay your debt as well as mine."
"N-no, Lady Furina, please don't drag me into this…"
"What do you mean? After all this, you still want to sit it out?"
"…Is that an option?"
"Of course… not!"
Furina smiled sweetly as she crushed Clorinde's last hope.
Seeing her pained expression, Furina patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"Don't worry. With me covering for you, Richard won't dare do anything."
Clorinde forced out a smile uglier than crying. "Yes, Lady Furina…"
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu