Most of Fontaine's infrastructure had been repaired, and Fontainians were out airing their bedding and furniture on the streets.
As Fidelle emerged from a corner, she was spotted by a couple with their daughter. They approached, greeting her with a respectful "Lady Fidelle."
During the five centuries of Furina's ordeal, Fidelle's care for her had been like a beacon of light. Having accompanied Furina through her final decade, she had earned the respect of the Fontainians.
Fidelle concealed her right arm, fearing it might frighten the child.
After politely dealing with the family, she took a deep breath and headed toward Furina's home.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Coming, coming!"
Furina's voice echoed from behind the door. It swung open, revealing her small head peeking out—a habit she had always had, craning her neck to observe others.
"Fidelle!"
Furina's face lit up with a delighted smile at the sight of Fidelle.
She reached out to pull Fidelle inside, who extended her left hand, and together they entered the house.
Outside, Lumine waved. "Fidelle, we'll be off now."
Fidelle turned back, and Furina stopped in her tracks.
"Eh? You're not staying?" Furina asked.
"We still have things to do," Lumine replied. "We'll visit again next time."
"Mm-hmm, we'll come back soon!" Paimon chimed in.
Fidelle's cooking was incredibly delicious. Even if their only goal was to get a free meal, Lumine and Paimon would find any excuse to visit.
"Traveler, Paimon, you're always welcome here," Fidelle said. "Come find me anytime if you need anything."
After Lumine and Paimon left, Furina pulled Fidelle onto the sofa.
"Focalors, come quick! Fidelle's back!"
From the kitchen, Focalors emerged, a soup ladle in hand and a white apron tied around her waist.
"Welcome home, Fidelle."
Fidelle stared in astonishment. Lady Focalors was actually cooking...
"Th-This... Lady Focalors, please leave these tasks to me. You should go rest."
Fidelle hastily stood up, reaching for the ladle in Focalors' hand. As she reached, her right hand was fully exposed to Furina and Focalors.
Furina teleported in front of Fidelle and seized her right hand.
"What's wrong, Fidelle? What happened to your hand?!"
Furina's voice was louder than usual, laced with unmistakable urgency.
Furina's gaze burned into the hand—
From the wrist down, the skin had an unnatural, slightly pale texture—smooth yet lacking the warm, lifelike suppleness of living flesh. There was a subtle but unmistakable line separating it from the skin of the upper arm.
Even the movement of the finger joints carried a barely perceptible, inhuman stiffness.
Fidelle instinctively tried to hide her hand behind her back, but Furina held it firmly, preventing her from pulling away.
She lowered her gaze, her eyelashes fluttering nervously. Her voice was barely a whisper:
"Some... some accidents happened in Sumeru, but it's... it's already been taken care of, truly."
"Taken care of? Is this what you call 'taken care of'?!"
Furina's voice now carried a clear edge of anger, though it was mostly fear and heartache: "How could you even think of keeping something this important from us?!"
Her beautiful, wide eyes were already misting over. Furina was furious at Fidelle for shouldering this burden alone, for always choosing silence.
The ever-silent Focalors gently set down her soup spoon and slowly approached.
Her gaze fell on the delicate yet glaring "repair" mark. A complex light flickered in her deep eyes—concern, pity, and a tightly restrained hint of disapproval.
Unlike Furina's urgent questioning, she gently lifted Fidelle's right hand with a touch lighter than a feather.
"Does it hurt?" she asked softly, her voice calm yet more unnerving than any scolding. "Do you feel any discomfort or energy stagnation?"
Sensing that divine concern, hearing Furina's still-labored breathing and Focalors' almost sighing inquiry, Fidelle's heart felt as if it were being tightly clenched by something.
She obediently submitted to the examination, lowering her head even further, her voice filled with remorse and submission.
"I'm sorry... Lady Furina, Lady Focalors."
"It really doesn't hurt anymore, and it's functioning smoothly... I just didn't want you to worry about me again. I promise I'll never hide anything from you again."
Seeing Fidelle in such a state, all of Furina's anger instantly dissolved, leaving only overwhelming tenderness.
She released Fidelle's hand and instead gently poked her forehead, her tone finally softening:
"You idiot! How could we not worry...? Next time, you must tell us immediately, understand?"
Focalors stood on tiptoe and gently patted Fidelle's head, her gaze both tender and resolute.
"Remember, Fidelle, we're family. Come sit down quickly, the soup's getting cold."
Focalors took a ladle and headed into the kitchen, while Furina pulled Fidelle down onto the sofa.
"Fidelle, what exactly happened in Sumeru? Why were you so badly injured?"
Just moments ago, Fidelle had sworn to Furina that she wouldn't keep any secrets. Now, faced with such a direct question, she glanced at Furina and replied, "Lady Furina, I'll explain everything once Lady Focalors joins us. For now... I should go change my clothes first."
"Alright."
Furina watched Fidelle climb the stairs, but quickly snapped to her senses, huffing, "Fidelle, I told you not to call us 'Lady' anymore! Just use our names! Hey, did you even hear me, you rascal?!"
A few minutes later, Fidelle returned downstairs, changed. Finding Furina gone from the sofa, she instead caught a whiff of something burning.
Fidelle's speed suddenly increased severalfold as she darted into the kitchen like a bolt of lightning.
Inside, flames roared beneath a pot on the stove.
Focalors, holding a bowl of water, was about to pour it into the pot.
Fidelle raced over, grabbed the lid, and slammed it down, instantly extinguishing the fire.
"Cough, cough~"
Focalors scratched her head awkwardly. Fidelle sighed inwardly, thinking, She looks so professional in her attire...
Furina: "See? I told you only Fidelle could pull off that kind of stir-fry."
As Furina explained, Fidelle finally understood what had happened.
It turned out Focalors had been trying to replicate Fidelle's stir-fry technique, as described by Furina. In the process, the open flame accidentally ignited the cooking oil, causing the fire to erupt.
"Let me take over," Fidelle said, ushering the two blue cupcakes out of the kitchen. Noticing a pot of soup simmering nearby, she leaned in for a sniff and found it smelled quite promising.
So Lady Focalors' culinary skills really are quite impressive. The fire must have been just an accident, Fidelle thought.