"?"
Furina looked up at Yuto, who was calmly reviewing documents across from her, feeling a bit confused.
Was it her imagination?
Why did she feel... that Yuto had just been angry?
After a moment of thought, Furina dismissed the idea.
After all, that unpleasant feeling had only appeared for an instant, and it might also be due to her being annoyed by the rumors these past two days.
Thinking of this, Furina gently shook her head and continued to play with Little Sanhua, who was curled up on her lap.
Time flowed by, little by little, amidst the rustling sound of the quill scratching across paper.
Perhaps because her inner turmoil and anxiety had been soothed by Yuto, Furina gently placed the kitten back in its usual curled-up spot.
She then rested her face on one hand, quietly watching Yuto, who was engrossed in reviewing documents.
For Furina, whenever she wasn't feeling well, she just needed to come to Yuto.
Even without her saying a word, he could keenly and accurately detect her emotional changes, and then use simple but effective methods to comfort her.
Just like that cake joke earlier.
And such scenarios had been a common occurrence over the past four hundred years; it was just that the frequency had increased in recent years due to the sudden surge in pressure.
"Ah… it's a good thing I have Yuto by my side, otherwise, at a time like this, I'd probably be hiding in my room, crying secretly, wouldn't I?"
As this thought crossed her mind, a faint smile appeared on Furina's face, and she quietly continued to watch Yuto.
For her, this was one of her rare moments of "leisure."
And so, bathed in the setting sun, she quietly watched him work diligently, a happy smile gracing her face.
Furina was very grateful.
"It's truly wonderful… to have you by my side for these five hundred years."
...
After an unknown period, Yuto finally put down his quill, then stretched lazily, and nodded slightly as he looked at the darkening sky outside.
"Perfect timing, let's pack up and get off work."
Yuto said, putting away his quill, and then subconsciously asked:
"Furina, you…"
Before Yuto could finish, he noticed the little blue cake, who had fallen asleep, curled up on the other end of his desk at some point.
Looking at the crooked top hat that was about to fall to the ground, Yuto was momentarily at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"She actually fell asleep like that… It seems the events of this period have been quite a headache for her…"
Yuto muttered to himself as he gently walked behind Furina and slowly embraced her from behind.
—Judging by his practiced movements… this was not the first time Yuto had done this.
The bright moonlight streamed into the room through the office window, allowing Yuto to clearly see the girl's beautiful and serene sleeping face.
Though he didn't know if Furina was as peaceful when she slept alone as she was now, at least with him, she could find a moment of tranquility.
Just like that, Yuto, with practiced ease, carried the little blue cake out of the office and placed her on the small bed in her room.
After simply tucking Furina's blanket, Yuto did not immediately leave her room.
He used the faint moonlight to gently brush away the strands of hair that clung to her cheeks from sweat, then softly spoke a sentence:
"May you have a dream as brilliant as the stars tonight, my God."
With that, Yuto quietly left Furina's room.
As the wooden door softly closed and Yuto's footsteps faded, Furina's previously steady breathing suddenly became a little hurried.
She slowly opened her beautiful heterochromatic eyes, and under the moonlight, a clear blush appeared on her fair cheeks.
Furina slowly sat up from her bed, then buried her small head in the covers, just like a little ostrich encountering a difficulty.
"Who is 'your God'?"
Furina mumbled softly from under the covers.
Although there were no happy words in that sentence, Furina had indeed said it with a smile.
...
Having accepted Miss Navia's invitation, Yuto practically climbed out of bed at the first hint of dawn.
After a quick tidy-up of his appearance, he hurriedly left Palais Mermonia.
He was not the golden-haired Traveler; he couldn't use those ancient 'Teleport Waypoints,' so to attend the memorial service in Bai Song Town… he had to rely on more traditional means of transportation.
Such as a boat, or his own two legs.
However, just as Yuto stepped out of the Palais Mermonia gates, he saw Miles standing on the street directly opposite the palace entrance.
Miles seemed to notice Yuto's appearance, and the elegant old butler bowed slightly towards Yuto, then softly said:
"Lord Yuto, Miss Navia arranged for me to pick you up and take you to Bai Song Town."
Hearing this, Yuto was first taken aback, then smiled and nodded, remarking:
"Navia's growth… is truly becoming more and more astonishing. She used to be a somewhat reckless young girl, but now… she can stand alone as a President."
Miles nodded gently at this, a heartfelt smile appearing on his slightly weathered face.
He had long regarded Navia as his own child. And what parent wouldn't be happy to hear someone praise their child?
"And it's also thanks to your support, Lord Yuto."
"I'm ashamed to say that Navia's growth has very little to do with me personally. If it weren't for your constant support behind her, Cares might not have had his name cleared."
Yuto shrugged, speaking with considerable emotion.
"But you also gave Miss Navia enough help and encouragement, and even those organizations and merchant guilds that had originally cut ties with Spina di Rosula personally came to apologize yesterday."
"Without your presence, it would probably take at least two or three more years to achieve that, waiting until Spina di Rosula had recovered a bit."
Hearing this, Yuto no longer offered further rebuttals but accepted it all with a clear conscience.
Thus, a Deputy Administrator of Fontaine and the butler of Spina di Rosula chatted idly as they boarded the boat, heading towards Bai Song Town, not far from Fontaine.
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