Furina nibbled on her little cake, stealing cautious glances at Themis.
Themis looked as composed as ever, a complete contrast to the delicate, tearful act from before—though, to be fair, Furina hadn't actually witnessed her crying.
But Themis must have felt so wronged, right?
Furina absentmindedly bit down on her fork, not even realizing she had already finished the cake.
Her brows furrowed deeply as she reflected on her childish behavior.
"How could I say that to Themis?"
"She's so kind, so fragile, just an ordinary person with slightly better physical strength."
"And that Traveler… they've literally fought gods before…"
"She must have worked so hard to protect my little cake."
"This is definitely the fault of that cunning outsider!"
"And yet, I blamed her… She must be so disappointed in me…"
The more Furina thought about it, the worse she felt.
A dull ache spread in her chest as guilt and self-reproach filled her heart.
In the end, all her chaotic thoughts condensed into a single sentence.
I'm such an idiot.
Themis briefly lifted her head from her documents and found Furina clutching her chest with one hand while aggressively biting down on the fork still in her mouth.
What's wrong with Furina?
Tilting her head, the regent was oblivious to how her momentary act had sent Furina—a sensitive and delicate girl—spiraling into guilt.
But even if she didn't fully understand, Themis could tell that Furina was feeling down.
Resting her chin on her hand, Themis let out a sigh.
Furina was just like a little kitten at home, always full of changing moods.
But Themis didn't see this as troublesome. After all, Furina at least had the ability to express herself—unlike a certain blonde Traveler who had seemingly lost the ability to speak and relied on an external vocal organ.
"Lady Furina, what are you thinking about?"
Themis stood up and sat beside Furina, instinctively reaching out to pat her head—a habit she had developed over the past 500 years.
Whenever she saw Furina, petting her head just felt right. It made both of them happy, so why not?
They had made a promise long ago—whenever Furina felt wronged, she would speak up. When she was angry, she would say it. When she was happy, she would share it.
As Furina's regent, Themis had to understand the thoughts of the Hydro Archon. Otherwise, how could she do her job?
The reason was logical, though Furina had been hesitant at first.
Back then, Themis had reassured her:
"Lady Furina, as a newly born god, you are like a young sapling. Before you grow into a towering tree, you need care and nurturing."
"So, please don't feel embarrassed."
"Growth is something everyone—every living being—must experience."
"Expressing your true thoughts to me, your aide, is nothing to be ashamed of."
Since then, despite some initial stumbles, Furina had rarely hidden anything from Themis.
She had no choice—Themis was someone she could trust completely.
And now, even though she was filled with sadness, when Themis asked, Furina could only lower her head, voice filled with guilt, and confess:
"I was too willful today. I blamed you for no reason."
"My cake… it wasn't even anything precious."
"But I…"
She lifted her gaze and found Themis looking at her with a gentle and understanding expression.
Furina's eyes welled up again.
Turning to the side, she grabbed Themis's hand tightly.
"I'm sorry, Themis. Over a single cake, I blamed someone who is so important to me—someone irreplaceable."
"It was all my fault. So please, don't be mad at me."
Themis blinked at the sight of Furina's voice growing softer and softer, her head drooping, looking utterly remorseful and on the verge of tears.
She found it… amusing.
This was the reason for all her distress?
With a sigh, Themis pulled Furina into a hug, wiping away her unshed tears and nuzzling against her soft cheeks.
"How could I ever be mad at you, Lady Furina?"
"I don't even have enough time to love you."
The more she looked at Furina, the more Themis was convinced—her god was the most adorable, purest, and kindest being in the world.
"Do you remember what I said before?"
"I want you to always be happy. So please, don't feel guilty anymore."
"You're not mad at me?"
Furina's chin was gently lifted, and her watery heterochromatic eyes sparkled.
"I was never mad in the first place. If anything, I feel happy hearing what you said."
"'The irreplaceable me'…" Themis' smile deepened. "Ha, what a beautiful phrase."
"You know, if you said that to someone else, they'd probably fall in love with you."
Furina's face turned bright red.
"T-That's impossible! I wouldn't say that to anyone else!"
She had lived in Fontaine for 500 years, and Themis was the only citizen she had ever truly been close to.
But for Furina, just one Themis was enough. She didn't need anyone else.
"Then I shall gladly accept this exclusive favor from my god. Surely, the other citizens will be jealous~"
With that, Themis placed a soft kiss at the corner of Furina's eye and tightened her arms around her waist.
Meanwhile, CatCatEatsNoMedicine stared at the scene unfolding in Palais Mermonia, completely dumbfounded.
"Wait, hold on. I got thrown into Meropide's dungeons…"
"And you two lovebirds are just here whispering sweet nothings to each other?!"
["It's absolutely perfect!"]
["Perfect beyond words!"]
["The Themis x Furina ship is victorious!"]
["Oh no… Our Traveler x Regent ship is in danger!"]
"Themis! How could you do this to us?! No—how could you do this to ME?!"
From Furina's dramatic sobbing to her turning into a clingy, whimpering little jellyfish in Themis' embrace…
"Wuwuwu… I can't take it anymore!"
Clutching their face in despair, CatCatEatsNoMedicine let out a long, anguished cry, their heart utterly shattered.
["Oh no, the streamer has officially lost it."]
["Correction: the streamer is now a defeated cat."]
["LMAO, let me laugh at this properly!"]
"Who understands?! I got thrown into prison thinking I'd come back and get a kiss from my regent!"
Complete mental collapse.
Good job, Mihoyo. You've sent the streamer straight to heaven.
For a moment, they couldn't even tell if they were excited about the canon romance or heartbroken over their lost destiny.
"No! I refuse to give up!"
"Themis! Believe me! I'm not here to break you two up!"
"I'm here to JOIN THE FAMILY—!"
CatCatEatsNoMedicine practically leaped from their chair, making the legs screech loudly against the floor.
["Whoa, why are you yelling so loud?!"]
["All rise! Celebrate the birth of a new canon ship!"]
["I might be fake, but my love for the ship is real!"]
[Mihoyo, well done! All the happiness for them, while I'm the only one getting thrown in jail!]
[Two white-haired girls appeared, and it should've been a joyful event—so how did everything end up like this?]
"That's right! Why did it turn out like this?!"
"Very good! This is making me ascend on the spot!"
"Anyway, adding me won't make a difference, and leaving me out won't matter either, so just let me lie in bed with you all!"
This was CatCatEatsNoMedicine's final compromise. However, judging by her eager expression, she might actually be quite excited inside.
"Hehehe, thinking about it this way, I'm actually looking forward to it."
"The Hydro Archon cries so much—there must be a lot of water!"
This is a 3P situation. Skipping right past a duo and heading straight into an indulgent frenzy—it's truly thrilling.
[To borrow a Trailblazer's words: Flaming Lance! Forward!]
[This streamer is completely broken now!]
Themis gently kissed the little kitten who was feeling down, until she shyly curled up in her embrace, unmoving.
Though she wanted to keep kissing her, there was still half a stack of documents to finish today—what a pity.
Why couldn't this beautiful moment last a little longer?
Covering her face, which had just been kissed, Furina picked up her fork and knife. But her heart wasn't on the little cake she always loved.
Poking at the cream on the cake with her utensils, Furina giggled foolishly.
It was such a relief that Themis wasn't mad.
But then again, did that mean her dignity as the Hydro Archon was fading?
Tilting her head, Furina pondered this serious issue. She straightened her back instinctively.
After all, no god would curl up and cry in their subordinate's embrace!
Her ahoge twitched, then swayed left and right, betraying the internal struggle in her mind.
In the end, Furina gave up on thinking.
After all, there were no rules stating that a god had to be dignified.
Besides, she had taken on this form to fulfill the people's wishes.
Yet, in front of Themis, her natural self seemed to be Themis' favorite anyway.
So Furina decided—dignity or not, it didn't matter. As long as Themis liked her the way she was, that was enough.
After all, this was who she truly was, and there was no need for pretense in front of Themis.
And besides, Themis had never once exposed this vulnerable side of hers to anyone.
Just thinking about how Themis had been keeping her secret all along, never letting anyone see her embarrassing moments, filled Furina's heart with a sweetness akin to eating a little cake.
Feeling secretly delighted, she glanced at Themis, who was hard at work, her face unconsciously breaking into a smile she hadn't even noticed herself.