The next day, Lora once again rose early, prepared breakfast for Furina, packed the sweets she was bringing for Focalors, and set off for the Opera Epiclese.
Furina sat on the sofa eating breakfast, her face full of confusion.
"What… is going on with her?"
The third day. The fourth. The fifth.
And many days after that, it was still the same.
Furina simply could not figure out what Lora had been doing lately. Every single morning, without exception, she would get up early and leave Palais Mermonia.
That day, just as Lora was about to head out as usual, Furina suddenly called out, "Wait!"
Lora paused with her hand on the door and turned back to look at her. "What is it? Didn't you like today's breakfast? I made the same things as always… Or did the cooking get worse?"
"It's not the breakfast—it's you!" Furina shook her head and walked over.
"Me? What's wrong with me?" Lora blinked.
Furina circled her once, then narrowed her eyes and stared.
"You've been rushing out like this every morning for over a month now. Be honest—what exactly have you been doing? You're my bodyguard! How can you leave your employer at home every single day and run off on your own? That's completely unprofessional!"
"Oh, so that's what this is about." Lora had thought Furina had found out about Focalors. She smiled and reached out to ruffle Furina's hair.
"Be good. I just have a few things to take care of—it doesn't interfere with protecting you. And besides, isn't Hélie here? She's very capable too."
Standing by the doorway, Hélie nodded firmly. "That's right, Hydro Archon! Hélie is very capable and can protect you properly!"
Furina glanced at Hélie, and Lora took the opportunity to say, "Alright, enough fussing. Hurry up and eat your breakfast."
With that, Lora left the room.
Furina stood there watching her go, stunned for a moment, before the realization slowly sank in.
"…Am I being raised like a child by her?"
Hélie spoke up from the side.
"Yes, Hydro Archon. Lady Lora believes you are a child who needs her care. From Hélie's perspective, the affection she shows you would be called 'maternal love' in human terms."
Furina: "…"
She returned to her seat and finished her breakfast properly, without another word.
…
On the other side, after feeding Focalors, Lora left the Opera Epiclese and headed toward the Court of Fontaine. Along the way, she ran into a Melusine sent by Neuvillette to find her.
"Lady Lora, I've finally found you," the Melusine said, panting slightly. "My name is Lias. Lord Neuvillette sent me to bring you back to the Court of Fontaine."
"Is there something he needs from me?" Lora asked.
Lias replied, "It seems a letter arrived from Liyue. It's addressed to you, so Lord Neuvillette asked me to find you."
"I see. Alright, let's go." Hearing that the letter was from Liyue, Lora immediately understood and followed Lias back to the Court of Fontaine.
Neuvillette was buried in official work in his office, dealing with Fontaine's endless affairs with barely any rest. Lias led Lora inside and reported, "Lord Neuvillette, Lady Lora has arrived."
After delivering the message, Lias left the office and closed the door.
Lora sat down on the sofa. Neuvillette approached and placed the letter in front of her. "This came from Liyue through official channels. It was sent in the name of the Liyue authorities to Palais Mermonia, with instructions that it be handed directly to you."
Lora opened the letter. The handwriting belonged to Zhongli.
The calligraphy of the God of Contracts himself.
If she sold it, how much would it be worth?
After reading the letter, Lora folded it and put it away.
The contents were brief—Zhongli merely informed her that Lumine and Paimon already knew she had returned to Fontaine, and that the Crux Fleet had docked at Liyue Harbor. The two had already made contact with Beidou.
Judging by the timing, by the time this letter reached Fontaine, Lumine and the others had likely already departed for Inazuma.
Neuvillette sat across from her and asked after she finished reading, "This letter… it was written by the Geo Archon, wasn't it? I sensed a very heavy presence from it."
"Yes," Lora nodded. "It was written by him."
Neuvillette continued, "So you'll be leaving Fontaine?"
"It's about time I set out," Lora replied with a nod. She looked at Neuvillette seriously. "While I'm away, I'll have to trouble you to take care of Furina. She's a reckless child, and I don't want anyone in Fontaine to bully her."
"She is the Hydro Archon. The people of Fontaine still hold her in respect," Neuvillette said. "That said, I will look after her properly."
"Also, there are a few things you need to be mindful of."
Lora suddenly remembered something and added,
"The time of the prophecy is drawing closer. The Primordial Sea has already begun to stir. Low-lying areas like the Fortress of Meropide and Poisson must be closely monitored. The current people of Fontaine were created by me using the waters of the Primordial Sea. My creation was imperfect—at their core, they are still Oceanids. They cannot come into contact with the waters of the Primordial Sea."
"So that is the truth behind the prophecy," Neuvillette said quietly. Though he had already suspected as much, hearing it directly from Lora still surprised him. "Is that why the prophecy says the people of Fontaine will dissolve in water?"
"Yes," Lora nodded.
"I understand." Neuvillette nodded as well, committing those locations to memory.
"For now, those are the only two places I know of. There may be other areas in Fontaine where the waters of the Primordial Sea are leaking—you'll need to investigate further…"
As Lora was speaking with Neuvillette, the office door suddenly opened, and Furina strode in.
"Hmph! I knew you'd be here!"
Furina planted her hands on her hips and glared at Lora.
"As my bodyguard, you should be at my side immediately instead of chatting away with other people! Do you even take your employer seriously?"
Neuvillette and Lora exchanged a look, both wearing helpless expressions.
"Lady Furina," Neuvillette said calmly, "Lora will soon be leaving Fontaine for Liyue. Moreover, she is not your exclusive bodyguard. Your safety is the responsibility of Palais Mermonia."