Yuto looked at the somewhat dazed Charles in front of him, then at Charlotte, who stood beside him, a little at a loss, and gently shook his head before taking a step to leave.
However, when Yuto reached the office door, he suddenly stopped and softly said,
"Oh, and about this floor tile... send the bill to Palais Mermonia, if you want."
"Also, change the black tea in your office; it's not as good as the black tea Charlotte uses to entertain guests."
After saying this, Yuto left the office without looking back.
His expression remained calm, as if the Yuto who had just been in the office, practically threatening, wasn't him.
For Yuto, there was no need to listen to Charles explain anything further, because he had already laid out the options before him.
Either Steambird Newspaper publicly apologizes to me tomorrow, or you prepare to be sued into bankruptcy. These are the only two options; choose whichever you like, it has nothing to do with me.
However, as he was about to leave the office at the end, Yuto realized a problem:
An incompetent president like Charles, who knows nothing but marketing tactics, might really pin all the blame on Charlotte.
So, to protect Charlotte, and also to protect one of the few conscientious reporters in Fontaine, Yuto uttered that last sentence.
On the surface, he was talking about black tea, but in reality, he was warning Charles: if you dare to make trouble for Charlotte because of this, replacing you is as simple as replacing black tea.
Although Steambird Newspaper is a private enterprise, Yuto, from the perspective of Palais Mermonia, that is, from a public standpoint, couldn't do anything to him...
But Lyney really did have a way to deal with these guys.
After all, Lyney had also been written about extensively by this fool, but Lyney was busy with construction all day and didn't have time to bother with him.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Yuto's lips, and then he looked up at the setting sun, gently saying,
"Lady Furina... you shouldn't be treated this way."
"I am your Assistant Administrator; my actions are not only for the benefit of Fontaine but also for your benefit..."
With that, Yuto gently shook his head and, stepping on the afterglow of the setting sun, unhurriedly walked towards Palais Mermonia.
"Come to think of it... was I too hasty when I came out today? Will I scare Furina? Never mind, I'll go back and check..."
...
While Yuto was returning to Palais Mermonia, Charles and Charlotte had also emerged from their state of bewilderment.
Now, Charles sat in his chair, his brown eyes fixed on the broken floor tile, seemingly deep in thought.
Charlotte, on the other hand, had her eyes slightly closed, waiting for the imagined storm of criticism to fall upon her.
But Charles wasn't a fool; he naturally understood the unspoken meaning of Yuto's last words, so now... no matter how angry he was, he didn't dare to vent it on Charlotte.
—If this girl were to tell Yuto about this... his life would be over.
But he also couldn't just keep his anger in, so he decided to take it out on someone else.
With that thought, Charles sighed slightly, then, as if he had aged ten years, said in a hoarse voice,
"Charlotte... go find all the reporters and editors who wrote negative information about Lady Furina in yesterday's newspaper..."
"Also, prepare two drafts: one for apologizing to Lady Furina, and the other for internal posting."
"As for the content... just say that we are strengthening strict title management and no longer allowing 'shocking' type formats."
"Then emphasize the authenticity of interview content and article content, and do not allow excessive speculation about the actions of the parties involved."
At this point, Charles slightly raised his head and looked at Charlotte, asking,
"Do you understand?"
Charlotte blinked at his words, then nodded her small head as she walked out of the president's office.
However, just as she closed the office door and hadn't walked a few steps, she heard crashing and banging sounds coming from inside the office.
Hearing this sound, Charlotte's expression stiffened slightly, then she shook her head helplessly and muttered softly,
"Serves you right... who told you to mess up the journalism industry so much? Finally hit a wall, didn't you?"
As Charlotte said this, she walked into the common office and began her roll call of judgment.
She knew very well that the reporters and editors called away today would have only two outcomes.
Either they would first be scolded by Charles and then collectively fired; or they would first have their monthly bonuses deducted by Charles and then be scolded.
Either way, it wouldn't be pleasant.
....
While Charles was holding his criticism session, Yuto had already returned to Palais Mermonia.
The first thing he did upon returning was to go to Furina's room door, gently knock, and ask,
"Furina? Are you in there?"
"..."
No one answered.
However, Yuto wasn't anxious because of this; he gently shook his head and walked towards his own office.
As the office door was pushed open, a blue figure sat quietly in a chair, her long white hair shimmering in the afterglow of the setting sun.
And in front of the girl—on the dark red office desk—a Little Sanhua lay on her back, seemingly trying to amuse the girl in front of her in this way.
Yuto was slightly surprised at this sight, then chuckled and shook his head.
He wasn't surprised that Furina was here.
After all, they had lived together for nearly five hundred years, and Yuto knew very well where Furina would go and what she would do when she was in a bad mood.
For Furina, who loved cats, nothing could soothe her soul more than an obedient and understanding little cat.
Of course, if Yuto was there... she would still prefer to talk to Yuto for a while.
She always had a feeling that in front of him, she didn't need to put on any pretense.
Perhaps she thought of that blue figure, or perhaps she noticed the sound from the office door hinges, Furina subconsciously turned her head to look at the doorway.
At this moment, Yuto was leaning against the doorframe, quietly watching her, smiling gently.
And in Yuto's eyes, Furina at this moment was gilded by the setting sun's afterglow, adding a touch of gentle grace to her already somewhat girlish aura.
"You're back?"
Furina asked softly.
"Yes, I'm back."
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