It was raining today.
Not as hard as any other day, but rather a light shower. Unlike some days where there are court rulings, such rains were quite uncommon to the nation.
It was as though the nation itself was saying farewell to the poor soul who was unlucky enough to fall beneath the impartial Iudex's judgement.
And somewhere along the banks of the Court of Fontaine, a man can be seen quietly standing with an umbrella, overlooking the waters that were tumultuous in their waves.
His gaze lingered on the chaotic sea that seemed to contain both the power of life and the destructiveness of assimilation.
The unforgiving ancient sea.
In myths of old, the sea was not something to be tamed. Rather, it was something to be feared and respected by the mortals. For the sea swallows all equally, and thus brings judgement to everyone absolutely with pure impartiality.
Perhaps the only one who could tame it is...
A series of footsteps echoed, and soon, another person arrived and approached the man holding the umbrella.
"Why have you asked me here?"
The man that just arrived, with a regal and impartial air of authority, stood not far from the man with the umbrella.
Unlike him, the person that had just arrived brought no umbrella with him. Yet, he wasn't drenched in the slightest; it was as though the raindrops were all avoiding him.
The man with the umbrella lingered for a moment before turning his head, revealing the familiar face of Isaac and his pair of deep amber eyes.
"Ah, Monsieur Neuvillette, you've come." He said with an expectant tone. "I didn't think you'd actually accept my invite, to be honest. Oh, but color me surprised indeed."
Iudex Neuvillette's gaze lingered on Isaac for a while longer, before a subdued sigh escaped his lips.
He walked a bit closer to him, bringing with him his cane.
...Isaac had one too. The cane.
Then, he spoke. "Under normal circumstances, I needn't concern myself with unofficial invitations such as this unless they are of utmost importance, even if they are from high-ranking members of Fontaine's elite society."
"But..." He paused for a bit. "Since you are to receive the title of Lochknight in the foreseeable future, and with the vouching of Lady Furina, I was convinced to make an exception just this once."
"I see, well then, thank you for your kind consideration." Isaac hummed.
Then, his gaze sat on the waters once more. It was as if something was bogging down on his mind that was preoccupying his conversation with, reasonably, the most powerful person in Fontaine currently.
As for that person himself, he seemed to harbor a profound patience, having been able to bear Isaac's silence and vacancy for a while.
Well, perhaps as an impartial judge of the court, Neuvillette's temperament has honed him to always assume this patient and understanding composure.
Still, the slight frown on his face told another story.
The quiet pitter patter of the rain seemed to have slowly gained more momentum as the light shower escalated slightly.
Amidst that increasing tension, Neuvillette was the first to break the silence. "Tell me, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Hearing his inquiry, Isaac's gaze retracted from the raging waters and back to Neuvillette behind him.
Then, with a light shrug, he replied candidly. "It's a bit of a personal and important matter, so... Can I talk to you not as the Iudex but as Monsieur Neuvillette?"
"Apologies. Was I too condescending?" Neuvillette shut his eyes for a moment with a shake of his head.
"No, no, you were alright." Isaac chuckled. "I know that you always have this impartiality of yours to remain fair, but this time, can you listen to my side for just this once?"
Neuvillette regarded Isaac for a moment in silence with that usual stern expression on his face.
Then, he sighed.
"...then what is it that you really want to talk about, Mr. Isaac?"
Isaac met his gaze for a moment as his smile turned more mellow as he heard his tone of voice shifting, no longer that of a tough judge of Fontaine.
Then, with a light nod, he spoke. "Since you are the esteemed Iudex, I won't waste your time no longer and get straight to the point."
Their gazes met each other at the same time, neither leaving and maintaining their stance as the rain around them grew stronger.
Then, with an unusually relaxed tone, Isaac spoke once more, this time posing a question as if to probe Neuvillette's stance.
"What's really your opinion about my relationship with Furina?"
"...what?"
Neuvillette's brows furrowed as his face showed puzzlement over the question posed by Isaac.
Isaac nodded. "You heard me."
Neuvillette lingered in silence for a few moments, before answering him with an indifferent tone. "Why should my opinion matter regarding your relationship?"
Isaac stared at him for a moment. After a while, he laughed.
Not loudly, nor even mockingly, but with the sort of amusement one would have after hearing an answer they had fully expected.
"There it is."
Neuvillette's brows furrowed slightly. "There what is?"
"That thing you do." Isaac waved his hand vaguely in the air. "The thing where you pretend you aren't relevant at all to the matter."
The rain continued to fall between them as Neuvillette remained silent after hearing that.
Isaac then turned back toward the sea once more. "You may not see yourself that way, Monsieur Neuvillette, but I do."
His gaze settled upon the dark waters below. "You have been with her for centuries."
He paused briefly, then added, "Longer than I've even been alive."
The playful undertone in his voice diminished somewhat as he continued his monologue. "I know enough about Furina to understand that there are very few people in this world who can truly claim to know her."
He turned to him once more, and this time, his expression was softer.
"And you're one of them."
The rain continued to heavily tap against the umbrella overhead with each spoken word uttered by Isaac.
He then let out a quiet breath. "You're perhaps even the one who knows her best."
Neuvillette's eyes shifted toward the distant horizon upon hearing that.
His expression did not change, yet Isaac noticed that familiar silence again befitted the impartial Iudex.
It was the silence that wasn't made from indifference, but rather with contemplation.
After a while, Neuvillette's calm and measured voice resounded once more. "You place too much significance upon my relationship with Lady Furina."
"I have watched over Fontaine for many years. But that does not grant me authority over her personal choices."
Isaac nodded lightly. "Maybe it doesn't."
Then, he grinned. "But if I asked Furina's hand in marriage tomorrow and she said yes, I somehow doubt you'd simply nod and say, 'Very well, have a pleasant evening.'"
With that notion provided by Isaac, Neuvillette immediately fell into a deep silence once more. It wasn't just him being silent, no, it was as though the suffocating pressure to the abyss of the sea was surrounding him.
And, feeling this pressure, Isaac still watched him.
A moment later, Neuvillette looked back at him as the rain abruptly became heavier.
"..."
"..."
Isaac slowly looked upward, feeling the heavy downpour weighing down upon his umbrella.
Then he looked back at Neuvillette.
And at that moment, Iudex Neuvillette looked away, prompting Isaac's lips to twitch.
"You know, Monsieur Neuvillette, the weather in Fontaine sure is fascinating, no? At one moment it's a bright sunny day, yet at any given moment, it becomes a sullen rainy day."
The Iudex closed his eyes as a faint sigh escaped him. "I fail to see the relevance in the topic."
Hearing this, Isaac hummed. "The relevance is that it started pouring immediately after I mentioned marriage."
To Isaac, it was clear as day that Neuvillette was obviously in a bad mood. He might appear stoic and reserved on the outside, but ironically, his emotions are best shown outside through the rain.
Perhaps that's just one of the many curses he bears as a Dragon Sovereign who has yet to reclaim his full authority.
Neuvillette soon shifted the blame. "The weather in Fontaine is often unpredictable."
Isaac nodded solemnly. "Of course. An unfortunate coincidence it is, really. Fontaine sure has a volatile climate, huh?"
Neuvillette nodded lightly. "Indeed. Just a complete coincidence."
Isaac stared at him with a small knowing smirk on his face, while Neuvillette stared back.
Then, another clap of rain battered the surrounding waters.
Looks like his mood just got even worse.
"..."
"..."
"Pft..."
At that moment, Isaac could no longer suppress the laugh that escaped him.
For a brief moment, something resembling exasperation crossed Neuvillette's face after hearing his laugh. It was so sudden that it vanished almost immediately.
Still, Isaac caught it.
And somehow, that tiny crack in the ever-impartial facade made him feel far more reassured than any formal answer could have.
His laughter gradually faded.
The amusement in Isaac's eyes remained, though beneath it was a sincerity that neither the rain nor his casual demeanor could conceal.
Then, he turned fully toward Neuvillette.
This time, there was no need for any more teasing, nor any probing remarks. He also didn't attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
This time, he intended to speak with honesty and honesty only.
Looking at Neuvillette, Isaac solemnly declared, "I'm serious about her, you know?"
"So much so that it's almost gut wrenching."
His grip tightened slightly around the umbrella's handle. "But that's just what love is, is it not?"
Isaac's gaze never left Neuvillette's own as he continued to speak. "To give a part of me to her, just to be with her."
The rain grew louder.
The sea below churned.
And amidst the downpour, Isaac asked his question once more.
"So, what's truly your say on this, Monsieur Neuvillette?"
And with a brief clasp of lightning, Neuvillette's expression was illuminated for a brief moment.
With his solemn tone, he replied, "If I gave you the honest answer, will you accept it?"
"Well I'd have to hear it first, of course." Isaac nodded.
Neuvillette remained silent for a moment longer before a heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Very well."
"Five hundred years ago, Lady Furina invited me to the Court of Fontaine to serve as chief justice of her court." He explained. "And ever since then, I have faithfully done my duties to honor our agreement."
He then shook his head. "It would be a lie if I said that, during that time, I did not once develop a close bond with her. It had to be said that, to creatures with long life spans, having a company with the same longevity has its boons, and thus making my time with mortals much more bearable."
"So..." His gaze once more landed in Isaac. "When she proposed to have a relationship with a mortal, I knew full well what it could entail. Pain, separation, and sadness."
"But you don't know that." Isaac replied.
"I know." Neuvillette nodded. "She spoke of it too."
"Perhaps it was foolish of me to interfere with her decision like that. As the Iudex I have overstepped my boundary back then."
"I've already told Lady Furina all the possible outcomes of this relationship with you, and..." He paused. "She still pursued it. Because you showed something to her that she hasn't been able to have for centuries: intimate love."
"...I cannot know that feeling." Neuvillette added.
After his long monologue, there was a brief moment of silence between the two.
And, at the same time, the howling winds around them grew stronger, while the rain had stopped escalating.
Then, with his usual stoic expression, Neuvillette looked back at Isaac.
"Since you are also quite insistent on this matter, then I, as the Iudex, should have no qualms regarding your choices."
He paused.
Then, walking a bit closer to Isaac, he continued. "My only request is that, in this endeavor of you two, you will promise me one thing."
"And that is?" Isaac asked.
Then, at that moment, Neuvillette closed his eyes.
"Give her the life she had always wanted, one not marred by the loneliness of a long life nor wrought by divine duties."
Isaac regarded his request, and, after no less than a second, he nodded with a smile. "Of course."
Neuvillette looked at him in silence then nodded. And with that answer, the rain slowly calmed down and eventually subsided.
"...very well."
Isaac had gained the blessings of the Iudex.