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Neuvillette realized one day that it had formed into a routine. Whether it's the unannounced entrance of the Hydro Archon into his office, accompanied by whichever cakes she fancied that day, or Furina's sudden barging onto his other desk in the corner with an arrangement of books already scattered across the surface, which she brought on days when she was personally interested in trials. To Neuvillette, it wouldn't have made any difference if she had walked up to him and collapsed on the sofa silently. Since it became a routine for him, Neuvillette paid no mind to it.
Despite his repeated dismissal of it as insignificant, the God of Justice's surprising behavior toward him stunned him the first time it occurred. As he worked as the Iudex at Furina's recommendation for the first several weeks, his brows furrowed more and more. Astonished, he turned to Furina and demanded to know why she seemed to appear before him out of nowhere. Nevertheless, Furina never explained, instead using lame excuses such as "Well, you're my Iudex, so of course I need to know about your performance regarding the trial" or "Couldn't I spend more time with my Iudex as we're co-workers in those trials for the Fontaine people?" perhaps every once in a while Furina would just walk by it without saying a word.
It took him a long time to get used to it. He acknowledged that it was challenging. From his perspective as a Hydro Sovereign who had just gained insight into human emotions and relationships via increasing interaction, it could sometimes be fascinating for him to witness such action from the Archon. To him, Furina remained a mystery.
But on such days, he would never once protest at her. As far as he was concerned, she could do as she pleased. The reason was that Furina was always there, right there with him, in the same room. Staying consistent. The norm. Additionally, Neuvillette learned that he never found it bothersome. Such serendipitous events secretly please him.
Subsequently, after spending an excessive amount of time with Fontaine's figureheads side by side, Neuvillette starts to recognize Furina's characteristics and finally learns about them.
Even if Furina suddenly emerged in front of him, slid next to his office chair, and grabbed his hand, requiring him to accompany her on a short walk for the day, Neuvillette would just nod along and follow her. Neuvillette would never say no. Nearly every time Furina asked, the Iudex would comply with her requests, even when he was swamped or had pending cases that required further research for upcoming trials. The lady, Furina, would always grin warmly at him as she was talking about whatever she was thinking about. He noticed this. And he missed her presence sometimes whenever he remembered.
Little did he realize, he subconsciously and intuitively regarded such moments as pivotal. A fluttering feeling could be felt whenever their hands drew near or made even a tiny contact. When it happened, Furina's ears would occasionally be a little more pink than normal, and then the Archon would proceed to speed up herself. And it always came to his attention. He couldn't help but smile, even as he kept telling himself to stop grinning at the ludicrous notion.
Occasionally, during those moonlit evenings, as they leisurely strolled, Neuvillette would attempt to keep up with Furina's walking speed, steal a quick glimpse or two in her direction, observe her closely, and hope quietly. A glimmer of hope to no one. A desire. A self-centered one, that he could always remember those "precious" moments of serenity under the soft rain that poured whenever they were together.
—
When Neuvillette finally came to terms with his feelings for Furina, it was already too late for him, to be honest. Following the realization of the prophecy, the revelation of the sacrifice that Focalors had conspired to carry out, and the final reconstitution of his original power, Neuvillette didn't waste any time tracking down Furina. His mind recalled the events of the last trial and how he dismissed Furina's pleading with a stare when she was simply seeking his reaction. As he recalled those events with such clarity, his heart ached. How painful her eyes were afterward, how those devastated eyes filled with terror, how her head dropped lower as it dawned on her that she had already lost, and she had lost his faith in her. Those memories couldn't escape from his mind. Even for a bit.
Neuvillette cursed inwardly. A man known as Fontaine's judge couldn't see the light of truth; how ignorant and foolish of him! Simultaneously, he discovered that Focalors was a crafty deity who deceived everyone, including the Heavenly Principles and himself. It still took him a single second to realize the gravity of her actions.
Remembering that Furina was still on the ground when the prophecy happened, he rushed to the Opera Epiclese. He had to track her down fast, fill her in on all the details he had, and expose the plot that the Focalors had devised centuries ago and its consequences. Maybe he felt compelled to tell her everything because of his sorrow, the guilt that started to consume him personally. What had occurred was irreversible, so there was no need to try to reverse it, yet he felt compelled to nevertheless.
As he approached his location, which seemed desolate and bleak, with fallen trees and debris scattered everywhere, his gaze scanned the landscape. He looked around for the familiar person he knew. His gaze started to travel over the courtyard, and he saw Furina leaning against the Opera pillar with her back against it. Feeling a wave of relief wash over him, he drew nearer to her, his mind racing with the right things to say. The closer he approached, the more his heart almost stopped as he beheld Furina's present conditions.
Her face was pale, her eyes were red and swollen, and a trail of tears was still apparent. Holding his breath, Neuvillette could not describe the range of emotions seen on Furina's face. Even the glimmer of her eyes, which he secretly favored and which he could never look away from, was almost absent. It was void.
Seeing Furina's expression crushed his heart, and he yearned to draw her into an embrace with all his might. Still, the idea met with his disapproval. He came to a stop before continuing on his journey to get closer to Furina's position.
The weight of his steps was noticeable. Each stride that took him closer to his 'Goddess' seemed heavier as he walked. He could not stop himself from fixating his eyes on Furina's size, and with every step he made, a piece of his heart was broken apart a little more. The Archon—who was no longer there—saw him approaching and glanced up at him expressionlessly. A tear or two may be seen streaking down her cheeks, but he restrained himself from wiping them away.
"Lady Furina," he said. The sound of his voice quivering as he spoke was obvious to him.
Except for an apparent nod of her head, she said nothing in response to him. Her attention remained fixed on him. Like a stringless doll, she seemed exhausted and lifeless. "Neuvillette."
"I apologize for what happened before in the trial—"
"I'm too tired." She abruptly interrupted his words. "I just want to rest," she murmured, the brightness in her eyes still missing.
Standing still, he proceeded to think about Furina's most recent remarks. He resisted the need to grasp Furina and kept his hands clenched. It was clear to him that he was unworthy of it.
"I understood. Please get some rest, Lady Furina. Please allow me to walk you to your room." He extended his hand to her, but she didn't even take it as she walked past him, heading toward Palais Mermonia and leaving him behind.
The Hydro Sovereign was too scared to look back at Furina as her shadow began to fade with the increasing distance between them. Resurfacing with the first hint of rain, his feelings surfaced once again. As soon as Furina dismissed him, Neuvillette knew he'd be filled with sorrow and regret.
For the first time, he felt completely disoriented. He believed there was no other way for him to redeem himself. He had almost reached a point of no return.
—
Neuvillette could not pause and reflect on what had transpired between him and Furina after that day because of his responsibilities as the country's actual ruler. Now that the prophecy had come true, he had to give his entire attention to recovering Fontaine. Handling the public outcry, cleanup, and relief efforts so that Fontaine could resume its independence.
Since he spent almost all of his time in his office, Sedene, the Melusine who had been entrusted with working with him, started making sure that he was alright frequently since she was concerned about him. He thanked Sedene for her help the day after he'd worked nonstop for 72 hours behind the table, despite his attempts to reassure her with a pat on the head and an assurance that everything was fine.
His words may have suggested otherwise, but he was secretly aware that none were fine. It was challenging for him to stay concentrated on his duties in the aftermath of the flood disaster. Perhaps because of exhaustion? Stressful situation or feelings of guilt? It was completely unknown to him. He found that if he wasn't mindful, his thoughts would immediately go back to that day, filling him with nostalgia for what he had seen and the sorrow he felt upon reflection.
Furthermore, two days after 'that' day, Furina went to see him and sought permission to leave Palais Mermonia given that she wasn't the archon anymore, which Neuvillette granted without hesitation. Again, he was too afraid to ask any more questions. Instead, he had the Melusines assist her with packing, and then he told her that he had made arrangements for a temporary residence so that she might get used to the world of humans.
Although Furina's cheeks started to flush again, she seemed less assertive than the usual version of herself that she presented to him. With a subtle nod, she expressed her thanks to him. Little has changed in her eyes since before. Without looking back, she departed from his office after bowing her head and thanking him. Leaving him with unseen scars when he discovered that his office continued to hold all of her possessions. As if she wanted to inflict pain on him by abandoning her possessions, she refrained from touching them again and instead left them with him.
Then he pondered quietly as his hand ran over the teacup sets she kept on the corner table. His thoughts reverted to the wonderful scents that surrounded Furina wherever she went. His fingers stroked the surface of the paper before resting on several titles that Furina had previously enjoyed. Laughing and joking with him as she enthusiastically described the piece she had read that week, Neuvillette sometimes had to learn to keep silent when Furina vented her frustrations over things she had read that she had considered unsatisfactory.
His mind became clouded with melancholy because of all those memories, and he failed to notice that Fontaine was already wet from the heavy rain that day.
He missed her.
—
Upon learning about Furina's first opera performance during a conversation between Sedene and a few Merchausse Phantom officers, Neuvillette wasted no time in making arrangements to secure a ticket. From what he learned, opera was the most beloved form of entertainment in Fontaine, and he also discovered that Furina had a special fondness for such performances. After learning that Furina had become an opera actress, he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, content in the knowledge that Furina was thriving and had adapted to human life. In addition, the fact that she was now pursuing her prior ambition of becoming a performer, which she had previously told him, led his corner lips to curl into a faint smile. For the last five centuries, she has played archons; however, she is also an actor at heart.
For her, it was the most perfect dream. And Neuvillette wanted to congratulate her on her accomplishment. Since Furina had impressed him with her skill from the moment he met her, he felt compelled to get the ticket and attend the performance.
With the performance day drawing near, Neuvillette started thinking about what congratulations presents he should provide Furina. To figure out what kind of gift he could provide, the Iudex decided to go for another nighttime stroll—again, he noted, it had been Furina's habit that had begun to blossom in him recently. And, just like every other night, when his thoughts strayed, his feet almost automatically carried him to a place that had become all too familiar to him over the last several weeks.
As Neuvillette noticed the familiar building, his eyes landed on Furina, who was found standing comfortably on her balcony, staring right into the street. A pink flush spread over her cheeks as Neuvillette gazed at her; she seemed at ease, and her complexion was not as gloomy as he remembered from their last encounter.
Stopping on his way, he could only watch Furina from a distance. As if he were desperate to satisfy the want for Furina's company that he had been experiencing, his eyes kept darting over her. A soft melody, maybe Furina's performance song, started humming, and her expression changed as she moved her hands rhythmically. She danced gracefully under the moonlight that day, and Neuvillette held his breath. Casting a soft glow around Furina, making her seem even more divine, and drawing him into a grasp that had his pulse racing.
He yearned for her too much.
That was the last straw that made him realize how much he missed her. He continued to be enamored with her figure as the epiphany came to him that day. He couldn't tear his gaze away from her, desperately attempting to record every memory he could find.
"I'm glad that you're fine right now, Furina." Whispering to himself, he spun his heel and brought him to the Palais, his tone cracking. Embracing his aching heart, his desire overwhelmed him. Once more.
Oh, Furina, I can't help but wonder when I'll get the chance to once again admire your beautiful smile. Just as in the past, the smile that you used to give me was a privilege I could only have. Your presence next to me, conversing as if we were in the past, brings relief to all of those times.
And do I deserve it, Furina? May I?