As the culprits who stole Furina's cake, Lumine and Paimon enjoyed their last meal in the Palais Mermonia before being swiftly taken to the Fortress of Meropide.
Following the staff inside, they arrived at the registration area.
At this moment, two choices appeared before the player.
A Fortress of Meropide officer, responsible for recording criminal records, looked at the player and asked:
"What crime did you commit?"
A:With Lady Themis' help, we stole the Hydro Archon's little cake, and Furina threw a tantrum.B:Encouraged by Lady Themis, we attempted to assassinate the Hydro Archon Furina.
「Motherly Themis and her spoiled, crying daughter」
「Got it, time to write a new ship fanfic! Inspiration! Endless inspiration!」
「The last one who threw a tantrum like this was Ei… Fontaine's really running the same playbook, huh?」
"This choice is absolutely hilarious!"
Laughing, CatCatEatsNoMedicine picked the first option.
"Report! I stole Furina's little cake under the encouragement of the Regent!"
Hands on their hips, CatCatEatsNoMedicine and Lumine mirrored each other's smug expressions.
Only to be immediately rejected with a face full of "Don't you dare slander our esteemed Regent!"
The response was swift and impassioned:
"What kind of nonsense is this! As if Lady Themis would ever help you steal the Hydro Archon's cake! That's as absurd as saying she helped you assassinate her!"
"Lady Themis has always been utterly loyal to the Hydro Archon!"
"Don't you dare try to sow discord between Lady Themis and Lady Furina!"
The unwavering trust Fontaine's people had in Themis was evident, and their outrage at the player's "lies" was intense.
Getting such a reaction, CatCatEatsNoMedicine burst into laughter.
"Is there even a possibility—just a tiny possibility—that I'm actually telling the truth?"
Scratching their head, they voiced their existential doubt.
「If you pick option B, they'll call you brave for attempting to stir trouble and warn you not to get yourself beaten up by Themis and Furina's die-hard fans in prison.」
「Either way, it's all our fault in the end.」
「As for Themis? Impossible. Absolutely impossible! Her loyalty is unwavering!」
「When will this gag run its course?」
「Fontaine citizens have this mysterious, unshakable confidence in Themis.」
"The way the Hydro Archon is described in the lore… She sounds like Themis' one and only devoted puppy."
"I'd love to see the look on Furina's face if Themis turned out to be a Celestial Overseer all along… Hehehe…"
Just imagining that scene made CatCatEatsNoMedicine feel pure joy.
「Honestly? I'd love to see that too!」
「Anytime, anywhere—praise the Great Harbinger of Joy!」
「Worship the ultimate bliss! Ah-men——!」
Lumine and Paimon sighed, scratching their heads, while the officers indifferently processed their prison paperwork.
Paimon: "But we're telling the truth!"
Lumine: "Well… We did eat the Hydro Archon's cake, that's a fact. But anything beyond that? I guess it's just unthinkable to the people of Fontaine."
Lumine's impression of how Fontaine's citizens viewed Themis rose another level.
To them, the Regent's loyalty to Furina was absolute.
But…
Deep inside, Lumine couldn't shake off a sliver of doubt.
Was Themis truly as she appeared?
Too perfect—almost unreal.
After all, Furina's public persona and private self were vastly different as well.
"Sigh, whatever."
"The priority now is finding Childe and figuring out what he's up to."
Lumine shook her head, refocusing.
First Day in the Fortress of Meropide
Thanks to Themis pulling some strings, Lumine and Paimon had an excuse to explore the Fortress under the guise of a tour while searching for Childe.
They checked the rooms, the sleeping quarters—no sign of him.
After circling the upper levels, they finally spotted him in the lowest level's combat arena.
"Look! It's Childe!"
Paimon pointed at the arena, where Childe was fighting against other prisoners, looking surprisingly cheerful.
"What the—? He's supposed to be a prisoner, but he looks happier than ever."
"Probably because he gets to fight here."
Lumine could only sigh. Yep, classic Childe. No matter where he is, he never stops picking fights.
Up on the stage, Childe swiftly knocked down his opponent with a few punches and kicks, earning cheers and applause from the crowd.
Though he found his opponent rather lackluster, getting to fight at all was enough to keep him entertained.
But when he spotted Lumine and Paimon in the stands, his eyes widened in surprise.
Jumping off the stage, he walked over with curiosity.
"Yo~ Partner! What are you guys doing in the Fortress of Meropide? Don't tell me… you got locked up too?"
"What do you mean too!? Traveler and I are law-abiding citizens!"
Paimon took great offense to Childe's wording.
"Alright, alright, my bad."
Childe shrugged nonchalantly.
"Childe, we came to Meropide to ask you something important about Fontaine."
"Huh? Something important about Fontaine?" Scratching his head, Childe looked confused. "I just got here too. If you need answers, shouldn't you be asking someone else? Like Neuvillette or Themis? They'd know way more than me."
Lumine cut straight to the point: "Why did you plead guilty at the Tribunal and willingly come to Meropide?"
Paimon: "Yeah! Don't tell me you're trying to unseal some ancient god again, like in Liyue!"
Given what happened with Osial, Lumine and Paimon had every reason to be wary of Childe's actions.
It had to be another Fatui scheme, right?
Their conviction was firm, but Childe looked completely baffled.
"Partner… What are you guys talking about?"
"I admit Liyue was part of a plan, but didn't I already tell you why I came to Fontaine?"
"Even if the Fatui had some grand scheme here, wouldn't it be led by the Knave? I have no idea what's going on!"
Childe spread his hands, his dull blue eyes looking clear yet lost.
That… actually threw Lumine and Paimon off.
"You really don't have any secret mission? No ulterior motive?"
So after all that talk with Themis, getting arrested, and spending time in jail…
It was all a misunderstanding!?
Smack. Lumine covered her face in embarrassment.
The bizarre silence between her and Paimon was deafening.
"…I don't know what the Fatui are planning in Fontaine," Childe finally said.
"But I do have my own reasons for being here."
That immediately caught their attention.
Childe: "Remember the Vision I gave you?"
Lumine took out his Vision. "You said it was acting strangely."
"Yeah. After that, I started picking up on some clues."
"The secret behind my Vision's instability is somewhere in the Fortress of Meropide."
"But to get inside, I had to commit a crime. If it was too minor, they'd just give me a fine or a warning. Too major, and I wouldn't get out anytime soon, which would be bad for Snezhnaya's reputation."
"…Not that we have a good one to begin with."
Paimon crossed her arms, unimpressed.
Lumine didn't comment. The Fatui's reputation was a lost cause.
"Ahem. Anyway, that's why I found a way to get into Meropide."
"If you guys aren't busy, I should get back to work. Gotta earn my keep here."
But to his surprise, Lumine and Paimon decided to join him in investigating his Vision's mystery.
Lumine: "It's safer to stick together. Besides, more people means more leads."
Paimon: "Yeah! Since you're not up to anything shady, and we're stuck here anyway, we might as well help."
Seeing they were set on it, Childe didn't object.
After all, he knew just how strong Lumine was.
Meanwhile, back in the Palais Mermonia…
Furina rolled around on her sofa, devastated.
"MY LITTLE CAKE! Why did they have to steal it!?(つ╥﹏╥)つ"
"Wuwuwu, there wasn't much to begin with, and now there's even less!"
"Themis, you must compensate me for my little cake!"
"Otherwise, as the Hydro Archon, I will have you sent to the Fortress of Meropide as an accomplice!"
Faced with Furina's tantrum, Themis simply sat in her chair and covered her face with her hand.
Her voice trembled, carrying a choked sob.
"I deeply apologize, Lady Furina… It was my failure to supervise properly…"
"It's my fault… Please scold me…"
"I have failed your trust…"
"I have failed my duty as the Regent…"
"I shall now resign from my position and turn myself in at the Fortress of Meropide…"
Her shoulders shook uncontrollably—though it wasn't from sorrow, but from barely holding back her laughter.
Themis admitted it—she disgusted even herself with that act.
Furina, who had been rolling around on the sofa crying and fussing, panicked upon seeing Themis like this.
She immediately jumped up and rushed to Themis' side, flustered as she tried to comfort her.
"Themis, I'm not actually mad at you!"
"I just wanted to eat two pieces of cake! I never intended to send you to the Fortress of Meropide!"
As Furina anxiously and sincerely reflected on herself, Themis finally regained her composure, smiling as she went to prepare lunch for the Hydro Archon.
And, of course, a replacement for the limited-edition daily cake that had been eaten.
Focalors watched from the sidelines, feeling a deep sorrow in her heart.
The human self in her thought—wasn't Themis completely controlling the situation?
Focalors: The cunning and devious Themis!
Excellent, the next novel's plot is settled!