Chapter Text
Iaune was absolutely done with Fontaine’s bureaucracy. After the long and tedious process of expensing a keycap for his typewriter, he believed he deserved to rest. However, being the ever-dutiful worker, Iaune, in fact, did not rest and continued his filing of endless reports. He would soon come to regret not taking that break.
One prophecy flood and the resignation of the archon later, Iaune now carried a towering stack of papers towards the Chief Justice’s office. Don’t get him wrong, Iaune was very grateful that he did not drown and dissolve into the waters of the long-foretold calamitous flood. However, the piles and piles of reconstruction paperwork and bureaucratic procedural changes due to Lady Furina’s departure made him question if not dissolving was worth it.
He was about to knock on the Iudex’s door when Champion Duelist Clorinde abruptly exited the room. She seemed not to notice him, a mix of annoyance and exasperation on her face. Iaune wondered what could’ve warranted the reaction from talking to the fair and honorable Chief Justice nonetheless, but it was none of his business.
He stepped into the office, prepared to quickly summarize his report on aquabus repairs so as to not waste the Iudex’s time. Halfway through his brief, however, he noticed the Chief Justice’s lack of attention.
“Monsieur Neuvillette, are you feeling well?” The Iudex was not one for blatant breaches of etiquette hence Iaune’s worry.
“Apologies for my lack of focus, the aquabuses merely bring up some past memories. It reminded me of how Furina loved watching the sunrise from our private aquabus as we rode to the Opera Epiclese for morning trials.” With a slight cough, the Iudex got back on topic. “I apologize. Please continue, you were discussing the repairs needed at the Lumidouce Harbor line, correct?”
Unsure of how to respond to the Iudex’s comment, Iaune merely continued his report. He was prepared to dismiss this peculiar interaction as a one-off thing, perhaps the Iudex was just stressed with the huge addition of duties after the prophecy. However, he quickly realized after each report that the random musings about Lady Furina were there to stay—perhaps indefinitely.
Look, he, along with the rest of Fontaine, deeply respected and looked up to Iudex Neuvillette. The Iudex was the pillar of Fontainian society, the very symbol of impartiality and justice itself. But Iaune’s sanity was already hanging on a thread; he did not need to know Lady Furina’s favorite flowers or her opinion on blubberbeasts.
Iaune was definitely using his hard-earned vacation days soon.
***
Navia’s days following the prophecy were exhausting—there was a lot of paperwork regarding Poisson’s rebuilding, people to comfort, and the ever-present issue of finances to deal with. Her baking sessions with Furina helped her forget about the stress for a few hours though.
It was weird thinking about the archon— former archon— as simply Furina and not Lady Furina, the star who shone so brightly under the lights of the Opera Epiclese. Navia once attended one of her shows, the dazzling performance making her think the archon was more suited for the stage than archonhood. It was eerie how accurate that thought was now that she knew the whole truth.
Navia wished she got to meet this side of Furina sooner though. Today, the two had made conch madeleines, a first for both of them but she thought they did a pretty good job. They sat on the couch, the sweet scent of the pastries wafting in the air as the madeleines cooled on the baking rack.
“Consomme would pair nicely with these pastries,” Furina said absently. “Neuvillette always made the best consomme.”
Here we go again, Furina mentioning Neuvillette unprompted. How have the two not realized their feelings for the other yet? She was half tempted to shove them into a room until the two confessed.
“So the Iudex and Chief Justice of Fontaine has cooked meals for our dear Lady Furina, has he?” Navia thought it terribly domestic. She couldn’t even imagine Monsieur Neuvillette in a kitchen—the thought of the Iudex in anything else than his judge’s robes much less an apron was inconceivable.
“Don’t mention him!” Furina blurted, then flushed at her outburst. Then, in a poorly disguised attempt to change the subject, she pivoted towards Navia. “And how has your dearest Clorinde been?”
Navia laughed. The next time she met with Clorinde, she was definitely discussing how to get the oblivious pair together.
***
Staelle had no idea how she was going to follow up the success of her debut novel—she never expected it to grow so popular. Glancing at the calendar at her desk, she let out a groan. She had a meeting with her publisher about her ideas for her next novel tomorrow. But it was as if all the words had left her, the tragic tale of the Capulet and Montague heirs sucking her creativity dry.
Shoving her journal in her bag, Staelle decided to go to Cafe Lutece for a brainstorming session—she loved the drinks and pastries there. The cafe was nearly filled by the time she arrived but she managed to snag a seat in the corner.
Leaning back in the chair, Staelle lost herself in the confines of her imagination. An academiya romance between two roommates maybe? Perhaps an unlikely courtship between a privateer and the leader of a country? Lost in her thoughts, it took a few minutes to realize that one, her coffee had been delivered, and two, the whispers filling the cafe.
“Is that–”
“Look, Iudex Neuvillette!”
“Is he buying flowers ?”
Staelle sipped her coffee as she glanced out towards the street. The whispers were correct—the Chief Justice stood outside a nearby flower store, lost in thought. She watched curiously as he purchased a bouquet of lakelight lilies without much fanfare and continued his walk. With a sigh, Staelle redirected her attention back to her still-blank page. She needed to stop being distracted or her editor would actually kill her.
It wasn’t until Staelle arrived home and saw the copy of the Steambird that was delivered that she thought back to the Iudex’s purchase—the newspaper had often speculated about the relationship between Monsieur Neuvillette and Lady Furina. At that moment, all the dots connected as endless sentences formed in the depths of her mind.
The Iudex.
Flowers.
Lady Furina.
Five centuries together, co-ruling a nation.
It must have been due to her stressed-riddled state that she did not think of this earlier. She has so many ideas for her novel now—the arcs almost wrote themselves. A yearning that spanned decades, both hesitant to confess due to the nature of their roles. An accidental confession as the depths of their feelings blossomed. A hidden romance from the public for centuries until calamity hit and the two separated. And finally, the two finding their way back to each other, tied by a red string of fate. Now… how was she to write this into a novel without making it obvious it was about the Iudex and Lady Furina?
***
In the weeks following the flood, Wriothesley did not have the time to visit the overworld. The primordial waters under Meropide were no longer dangerous, but there were many residents to reassure and tedious paperwork to fill out. There was also the issue of what to do with the huge flying ship now back in the Fortress.
Striding towards the nearest table at the cafeteria, he overheard a few snippets of the prisoners’ conversation—today’s topic of gossip being the Iudex. Neuvillette was a constant source of conversation in the Fortress. Contrary to popular belief, most of the inmates did not harbor any ill feelings towards the Chief Justice who sentenced them here. Instead, the Iudex was admired for his sense of duty and honorable nature. Some harbored more… romantic admiration for the Chief Justice though. He shuddered, thinking back to that one inmate’s disturbingly obsessive behavior.
“Y-your Grace.” One of the inmates greeted nervously as Wriothesley sat down.
“Monsieur Beniot, I am just here for some conversation. Relax.” Beniot was recently convicted in a petty thievery case if Wriothesley remembered correctly. “I heard the gossip for today was our Honorable Chief Justice. What warrants the whispers?”
There was a silence as he posed the question. Wriothesley internally sighed, the conversation always stopped when he joined tables. Perhaps they thought they would be reported to the Iudex if they said anything. He started to reassure them that Neuvillette would not be hearing of any of this—the other man was not one for gossip anyway—until Beniot spoke.
“We were discussing my trial actually, Your Grace.” Benoit paused. “It’s just… well… the Chief Justice never stumbles in trials. But the Iudex kept pausing in between sentences as if lost in thought and blankly staring up. It was simply peculiar to me, that’s all.”
Another inmate jumped in, Monsieur Adrien. “I think it’s because our Chief Justice misses Lady Furina during trials. Glancing up? Well clearly, he was glancing up towards Lady Furina’s former seat. They spent five centuries co-ruling Fontaine, they must have developed feelings for each other somewhere in that time.”
The conversation then quickly delved into the numerous speculations about the relationship between Monsieur Neuvillette and Lady Furina. Wriothesley wasn’t one to follow all the newspapers' speculations about the two’s relationship… when he could instead, witness it firsthand. He respected Neuvillette—everyone did, really—but he didn’t know how to feel about the fact that he could name Lady Furina’s favorite teas and pastries or her thoughts about otters. Neuvillette really needed to stop going on random tangents about Lady Furina.
To his knowledge, Neuvillette and Furina were not in a relationship. He even had a bet with Clorinde about when the two of them would get together and as the weeks passed, it was getting more and more likely she would win. Perhaps he misplaced his faith in Neuvillette confessing his poorly hidden feelings.
Hmm… perhaps he needed to break his promise and tease Neuvillette about the inmates’ conversation. Nothing said he couldn’t rig the odds in his favor—Wriothesley hated losing bets after all.
***
Sedene knew that many of her sisters were jealous of the amount of time she spent with Monsieur Neuvillette. However, her sisters did not know what she had to deal with on a daily basis. She was, of course, talking about the lovesick pining from both Neuvillette and Furina.
For all the times Sedene had barged into Neuvillette’s office and seen them having tea parties together or conversing gently with smiles, the two had still not confessed to each other. As a Melusine, she wasn’t the best at human emotions but it was clear to all the mutual love between the two.
It was bad enough that the two of them were so oblivious that neither noticed their affections were returned in the past five centuries—Neuvillette’s pining somehow got worse after the prophecy. It wasn’t even particularly subtle. The day Lady Furina left the Palais, a rainstorm engulfed Fontaine, an almost second-coming of the prophecy. Sedene herself also had orders to let Lady Furina into his office immediately if she ever decided to return to the Palais.
Sedene missed Lady Furina—she would always give the Melusine cheerful greetings and sneak her pastries during her work shifts—and hoped she would come to visit the Palais. Maybe seeing her after so long would be the push Monsieur Neuvillette needed to confess his feelings.
It should be about time, Sedene thought. She glanced towards the door on her left and like clockwork, Monsieur Neuvillette strode out of his office with his usual warm smile toward her. “Sedene, I will be heading out now. Please inform any visitors of my location.”
Well, at least there was one positive, Sedene mused as she stared at his retreating robes. Monsieur Neuvillette was finally taking his well-deserved breaks. (Sedene knew it was so he could watch the streets below for when Lady Furina left her apartment, but if that was what it took for him to take a break, she would not call him out on it.)
***
Clorinde may have bet with Wriothesley that Furina and Neuvillette would never confess their feelings, but if there was a bet she wanted to lose, it would be this one. She, for one, was sick of being a messenger between the two—both worrying about the wellbeing of the other, but too stubborn to talk to each other.
“Ah, Clorinde! I had just boiled the tea.” Furina greeted as she opened the door. Then she noticed the groceries the champion duelist was carrying and sighed. “I told you that you don’t need to bring groceries over every time you visit. Or did Neuvillette put you up to this?”
The universe must have been testing Clorinde’s patience for this was a new record. Not even a minute in and Furina had already mentioned the Iudex. “Nothing of the sort, the grocery store was simply on the way here and I thought I should pick up some things for you.”
As Furina blurted out sheepish apologies, the champion duelist sat on the couch and crossed her legs. “Speaking of Neuvillette, Furina, have you talked to him yet?” Clorinde knew the answer, but she couldn’t help teasing the former archon nonetheless.
“O-of course not!” Furina almost shrieked. “I am still mad at him, Clorinde. Five centuries and he thought he could just put me on trial like that?”
Clorinde let out a noncommittal hum, giving the other woman an unamused stare. Sure, Furina, sure. If “mad at someone” means fretting over whether the other was taking breaks from their paperwork. But it seemed Furina wasn’t done with her ardent defense.
“And besides, what reason do I have to visit our revered Iudex? I am an ordinary citizen now. One can not simply barge into the Iudex’s office without an appointment.”
The champion duelist leaned back as she watched as Furina threw herself onto the opposing couch, a slight blush on her cheek. “Did you know? There’s an unspoken rule in the Palais Mermonia: don’t mention Lady Furina in front of the Iudex.” Before Furina could say it was because the Chief Justice hated her, Clorinde continued. “It’s because every time someone does so, Monsieur Neuvillette goes on a long tangent about you—about how much he misses you, Furina.”
The other woman let out a long, dramatic laugh and Clorinde wondered how she would misinterpret the Chief Justice’s actions this time. For two who spent five centuries with each other, they were surprisingly dense when it came to their feelings.
Archons, the next time she met with Navia, they were definitely plotting how to get the two together. She had enough of the lovesick pining.
***
Lumine hummed as she teleported to the streets of Fontaine. She’d gone back to Mondstadt for a quick visit after the flood. Though she loved each nation she traveled to, Mondstadt would always feel like home, being the first nation she visited. She figured she should check in on how the rebuilding process was going and on two certain individuals in particular.
She supposed she would start with Neuvillette who was likely in his office. “Neuvillette! How has the rebuilding been going?”
The dragon seemed a little disappointed about Lumine barging in but greeted her nonetheless and proceeded to summarize Fontaine’s reconstruction. Okay… maybe she zoned out a little, but sometimes there was just too much dialogue. She did notice a vase of lakelight lilies on his shelf though and wondered if that meant he had reconciled with Furina.
“-mine?” Oops, better pay attention now. “Could I trouble you to visit Lady Furina and check on how she is doing?”
Nevermind. It would seem like the two have still not talked. She hummed in assent, never mind the fact that she already planned to visit Furina next.
Her conversation with Furina did not go any differently—by that, the traveler meant that Neuvillette was also mentioned in every other sentence. Lumine had asked Furina how she was doing, not how the dragon sovereign was doing. The two really did act like an old married couple which begged the question: why haven’t the two confessed their feelings and gotten together yet?
She waved goodbye to Furina and after her quick visits to the rest of her friends in Fontaine, Lumine knew what she had to do. The people of Fontaine may have put up with the intense yearning of their Iudex and former archon—probably because it was blasphemous to call out their beloved public figures— but Lumine had no such reservations. The traveler had fought dragons and staged a revolution against a corrupt government. How hard could getting Furina and Neuvillette together be?
Teleporting quickly, she marched decisively into the Sanctuary of Surasthana, the guards allowing the famed traveler inside without further questioning.
“Hey, Nahida?” The archon in question looked at Lumine with a canny gaze as if she knew exactly what the traveler was going to ask her. “You know, the Akasha System? I know you shut it down, but is there any way I could use it to connect all the people of Fontaine?”
Nahida looked deep in thought so Lumine quickly added, “It’s for the greater good, I promise.”
“No, it’s not that. I know exactly what you’re using it for. Furina deserves the best and if Monsieur Neuvillette makes her happy… well I’m all for the plan.” The archon smiled. “It’s just… the Akasha was powered by the gnosis. Please give me a few days and I’ll have it ready.”
This was great—Nahida didn’t even need any convincing. Maybe she should get all the other archons involved in her plan too. She knew they all admired Furina and thought of her as part of the archons.
Nahida was true to her word and a few days later, Lumine held the newly improved system in her hands. She had to get Neuvillette to connect it to the consciousness of the people but she figured she'd just say she wanted to ask for information about her brother. Neuvillette would be too kind to refuse her request. Probably.
Sorry Aether, you’re going to have to wait a little longer. I have a pining Iudex and an oblivious former archon to get together first.
***
People of Fontaine, this is Lumine, the traveler. Please don’t be shocked, but our consciousnesses are now connected for this one moment. I am here with Champion Duelist Clorinde, Spina di Rosula’s president Navia, and even the mysterious Duke of Meropide Wriothesley himself. These past weeks, I’m sure you’ve all witnessed the blatant pining between Iudex Neuvillette and Lady Furina. Thus, the four of us coined Operation Neuvifuri: get Lady Furina and Monsieur Neuvillette together, at all costs. If you would like to join our efforts, please meet us at Hotel Debord on the second floor at noon tomorrow. I’m sure you would all agree this is for the greater good of this nation.