“Ye Xun, even with this seal, it’s far from enough.” Arlecchino looked grave, her tone cold as frost.
“When that old bastard throws away his shame, he leaves none behind.” “I never pinned my hopes on him either,” Ye Xun replied calmly.
Hearing this, Arlecchino narrowed her eyes slightly.
“So your plan isn’t just using public opinion to abolish human experimentation.” “Correct,” Ye Xun admitted freely.
“No matter how loud public outrage grows, if no one responds, it will eventually fade with time.” Arlecchino folded her hands on the desk and studied him with interest.
“Then what is your real plan?” Ye Xun merely smiled and did not answer.
Arlecchino’s expression instantly chilled.
“If you refuse to say, then the House of the Hearth’s cooperation with you ends here!” “I can reveal my true plan,” Ye Xun said without hurry, his posture composed.
“On one condition—let me join the House of the Hearth.” Hearing this, Arlecchino fell into deep thought.
Back then, she had rejected him because she saw through the deep-seated hatred buried in his bones.
That hatred would shatter the peace of the House of the Hearth.
But now things were different.
The remarkable talents he had shown recently were enough to sway her.
What was more, she was equally desperate to abolish human experimentation.
After weighing the options for a long time, she finally spoke: “From now on, call me ‘Father’.” To her surprise, however, Ye Xun shook his head.
“Lady Arlecchino, I no longer wish to be your child.” Arlecchino’s brows knit slightly.
“Then what do you want to be?” “Naturally, your—” Ye Xun raised his eyes, meeting her black-and-red gaze directly with a look that bordered on brazen offense.
In an instant, a wave of coldness swept through the room.
Arlecchino’s aura flared wildly, like an awakening abyss.
Ye Xun felt a weight like a mountain pressing down on his shoulders, making even breathing heavy and difficult.
The woman before him was terrifyingly dangerous.
He made a split-second decision and added the second half of his sentence: “…younger brother.” The moment the words left his mouth, the overwhelming pressure vanished.
The suffocating weight evaporated, and his breathing returned to normal.
Arlecchino stared at him expressionlessly for a long while before speaking flatly.
“I still think being your ‘Father’ is more fitting.” “That was in the past,” Ye Xun smiled faintly.
“Things are different now.” She gave him a long, searching look, choosing not to press the issue, and brought the conversation back on track.
“Speak then.
What is your actual plan?” Ye Xun stopped playing secretive and laid out his entire plan in detail.
Arlecchino listened silently, the astonishment in her eyes deepening step by step, followed by an unmistakable surge of admiration and awe.
The youth who had once knelt before her wanting to care for her in her old age had grown into someone like this.
Still…
he was perhaps a little too audacious.
Before long, Ye Xun finished explaining everything and took his leave.
On his way back, a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind: [Arlecchino Favorability +10] [Arlecchino Favorability -10] Ye Xun paused briefly.
What on earth…
did that mean?
…………
Fontaine, top-floor suite of Palais Mermonia.
Golden morning sunlight streamed through high windows, bathing the entire room in a soft, warm glow.
Furina lay lazily on her soft, large bed, eyes half-closed.
Her butterfly-wing lashes fluttered gently with her steady breathing, as if she were lost in a sweet dream.
Suddenly, a soft chime of the doorbell woke her from her slumber.
She let out a long yawn, got up sleepily, walked barefoot to the door, and pulled it open gently.
Standing outside was her Melusine butler, Sedene.
In her small, furry hands, she held a silver tray steadily, set with an exquisite breakfast and a newly delivered issue of *The Steambird*.
“Lady Furina, here is your breakfast and today’s issue of *The Steambird*.” “Thank you!” Furina accepted the tray groggily, turned toward the dining table, and set it down.
Afterward, she stepped into the bathroom to freshen up.
Warm water trickled over her translucent white skin, washing away the last lingering traces of sleepiness.
Once finished, she sat at her vanity, meticulously adjusting her makeup and hair accessories in the mirror.
As Fontaine’s most highly anticipated star, she cared deeply about her image.
After confirming she was still radiant, Furina elegantly took a seat at the table, enjoying breakfast while flipping open the newspaper.
Suddenly, a headline caught her eye: *She Who Vanished*.
Her interest immediately piqued.
Tapping her fingers lightly on the page, she began reading the mystery novel.
After reading just a few lines, she became entirely absorbed.
When she reached the line where “the wife informs the husband that they never had a daughter,” Furina’s pupils contracted slightly, and her iconic white cowlick sprouted upright uncontrollably!
Breakfast was completely forgotten.
At this moment, she only wanted to know the truth.
As the plot unfolded layer by layer, her expression shifted constantly—now frowning in deep thought, now looking alarmed, her fingertips unconsciously gripping the edges of the newspaper tightly.
The instant the truth was unveiled, a flush of excitement colored her pretty face, and she couldn’t help but marvel aloud: “A completely unexpected twist!
Brilliant, simply brilliant!” The story did not end there; at the very bottom was a shocking “fact”: “According to incomplete statistics, over fifteen hundred children have gone missing in the Winter Capital over the past year…” Furina froze.
The excitement in her eyes gradually settled into profound respect and shock.
The author of this story had not merely told a compelling tale—they had used it to turn the public’s eyes toward these missing children.
Waves of emotion swirled inside her for a long time.
She stood up, pacing back and forth in the room, until she finally made up her mind: she had to do something.
After much deliberation, Furina picked up a pen and wrote a letter, hoping Snezhnaya would pay attention to these children.
Naturally, it was anonymous.
Those Fatui folks looked far too dangerous to provoke directly.
Besides her, many Fontaine readers moved by the novel wrote letters expressing the same hope.
Most of them were relatively restrained and gentle.
But the citizens of the Winter Capital were a completely different story…