A Game with the Servant

With the purge of the Fatui forces and the House of the Hearth complete, Fontaine found itself experiencing a rare period of peace.

A few days after these events, the diplomat responsible for Fontaine on behalf of Snezhnaya, also known as the Fatui Harbinger the Servant, Arlecchino, finally rushed back to Fontaine from Snezhnaya.

In Neuvillette's office within the Court of Fontaine.

Felina and Neuvillette were seated together to receive Arlecchino.

The Harbinger was a composed, commanding woman with an undeniably powerful presence.

The three of them sat at a table set with tea and pastries. At first glance, it appeared like a casual gathering among old friends enjoying an afternoon tea; however, this was a diplomatic meeting between two nations, one destined to unfold as a clash of words and diplomatic skirmishes.

"It's been a while, and Miss Furina has certainly changed considerably," Arlecchino remarked, breaking the silence first.

"Oh? Has she?" Felina took a calm bite of her cake.

"Yes." Arlecchino nodded. "Your recent actions have been quite unexpected, quite unlike my previous impression of you. I find myself both astonished and, shall we say, caught off guard."

Felina responded with a slight smile, "From the tone of Miss Arlecchino's words, it seems you know me well—perhaps you've been paying me close attention all this time?"

Clearly, Felina's words held a double meaning, subtly accusing Arlecchino of having stationed spies in her midst.

Yet the Harbinger simply smiled, pretending not to catch the implication. "You jest, Miss Furina."

"The theatrical productions of Fontaine never appealed to me; it's just not in my nature to appreciate that kind of performance. But this time, Miss Furina, you've indeed shown me the art of performance, an art that even the best of our spies could not uncover. I must say, I am genuinely impressed."

She continued with a smirk, "In fact, I should thank you. You've shown me a new dimension of art. Perhaps I'll make an effort to watch Fontaine's theater in the future."

At this point, Neuvillette, observing their exchange, was filled with resignation. Sitting at the pinnacle of authority as the Chief Justice, he had encountered his share of mind games and stratagems, but that didn't mean he enjoyed them. Watching these two masters of manipulation throw polite, veiled barbs at each other only made him feel more uncomfortable.

While he wanted to leave, he couldn't; according to Felina, his presence was needed as strategic intimidation to maintain the weight of Fontaine's authority.

On the other hand, Felina seemed entirely at ease, perhaps even amused.

In response to Arlecchino's jibe, Felina replied with a perfectly courteous smile, "Fontaine's theater is truly renowned; I highly recommend seeing a performance or two. However, with the current reputation of the Fatui in Fontaine, I'm afraid a Harbinger might not be too warmly received by the people."

"Oh, how unfortunate," Arlecchino replied nonchalantly, giving a slight shrug. "But I am curious, Miss Furina: have you played a role for five hundred years just to unveil this plan now and completely eliminate the Fatui presence in Fontaine?"

Felina listened without answering, simply giving Arlecchino a faintly amused look, leaving her to speculate.

Arlecchino's eyes fixed on Felina, trying to read any subtle clues in her expression, but she found none.

Instead, she could only give a smile of her own. "Nevertheless, you've certainly deceived us all."

"I must acknowledge your cunning. You misled the entire House of the Hearth, including myself, and seized the opportunity to set a nearly flawless trap."

Looking steadily at Felina, Arlecchino spoke evenly, "I'm only curious about one thing, Miss Furina: how did you know our goal was the Gnosis?"

At this, Felina maintained her smile. "Apologies, Miss Arlecchino, I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."

"Fontaine has recently encountered the crisis of Primordial Seawaters, and I intended to use the Gnosis to stabilize it. But the Fatui sought the Gnosis for themselves and attempted to seize it. Is this not the truth for all to see?"

Arlecchino laughed politely. "Is that so? Well, Miss Furina, allow me to once more commend your masterful tactics."

Her smile then faded, and she fixed her sharp, unique gaze on Felina, her voice turning cold. "Congratulations, Miss Furina, on successfully expelling the Fatui from Fontaine."

"But I feel it necessary to remind you, the Gnosis is something the Fatui are determined to obtain. With Fontaine's expulsion order, we may be left with no choice but to employ more… forceful means to acquire it."

"While Fontaine's strength is considerable, it is still far outmatched by Snezhnaya's. Thus, I would hope that you carefully reconsider this decision."

The moment she finished, both Felina and Neuvillette's expressions turned cold.

Before Felina could respond, Neuvillette spoke first. "Miss Arlecchino, should we interpret your words as a threat from Snezhnaya against Fontaine?"

Arlecchino put down her teacup, remaining perfectly composed before Neuvillette. "A threat? Perhaps."

"However, I prefer to consider it a friendly word of caution. How you choose to interpret it—as threat or as warning—is entirely up to you."

"I believe we now understand Snezhnaya's position."

Felina crossed her legs and replied, "In that case, I shall respond in my capacity as the Hydro Archon. The Fatui's actions in Fontaine have posed a grave threat to our nation's peace and stability. As such, there will be no compromise on the policies we've enacted."

"Understood. Fontaine's stance is now clear to me."

Arlecchino fell silent for several seconds.

When she spoke again, her composure remained unbroken.

"The diplomatic discussion is now over. So, with that said, allow me to speak from another perspective."

Their conversation continued well into the afternoon. Only then did Arlecchino depart from the Palais Mermonia and move on to her next destination.

The location was Fontaine's prison, a fortress built beneath the sea: the Fortress of Meropide.

"I thank you greatly for your guidance, Mr. Wriothesley," Arlecchino addressed the warden, Wriothesley.

"No thanks necessary." Wriothesley gave a casual shrug. "Since it was requested by Lady Furina and Neuvillette, naturally, I will cooperate."

"But please, make it quick; the situation is delicate."

With that, Wriothesley left.

This was his domain, where he held full control, so he held no concern that Arlecchino might attempt anything disruptive here.

With a long exhale, Arlecchino collected her composure and entered a room.

In prison, forming alliances and factions is strictly forbidden. Thus, when the members of the House of the Hearth were incarcerated at Meropide, they were swiftly separated into different areas to prevent any collusion.

But today, by Wriothesley's arrangement, these scattered members of the House of the Hearth had all been gathered in one place.

Inside the Fortress of Meropide—

"Father!"

The children of the House of the Hearth gasped in shock as they saw Arlecchino enter and hurried toward her.

Facing these children, Arlecchino maintained her usual calm.

"I'm sorry, Father; I was too impulsive!"

Lyney was the first to step forward. During these days of imprisonment, he had finally had the time to reflect on the events that had unfolded. In his detailed review, he'd noticed many suspicious points.

For instance, the Gnosis that had been virtually impossible to locate for years had suddenly been placed out in the open. Why would the mission to transport the Heart to pacify the Primordial Sea be overheard by a mere servant? And why was the timing so deliberately constrained?

Operating from the mindset of "we must have been set up," he reanalyzed everything and finally realized they had indeed been deceived.

For centuries, the Fatui had meticulously laid plans in the six nations to seize each Archon's Gnosis. Just as Neuvillette had said, no nation would willingly allow foreign armies to station within its borders, especially not the Fatui's. Yet, the Fatui had achieved just that in Fontaine, investing enormous resources over hundreds of years.

But now, because of a single act of impulsivity—falling into Felina's trap—Felina now had the pretext to expel the Fatui completely from Fontaine. The centuries of Fatui efforts, the tremendous cost, and their vision for the Gnosis had vanished in an instant, without so much as a glimpse of the Gnosis itself.

The disaster they had wrought this time was beyond measure.

"I'm sorry! This is all my fault; I acted without thought and caused a disaster. Father, please punish me alone and spare my family."

Without a word from Arlecchino, Lyney had already stepped forward, admitting his mistakes and assuming all responsibility.

Arlecchino looked down at the young man before her. Of all her children in the House of the Hearth, she held this one in particular regard—he was the one who would always step forward to protect his family.

Despite his bravery, Lyney and the other children couldn't hide their unease, their hearts pounding with fear. The House of the Hearth was known for its strict discipline and clear rewards and punishments, and their father was renowned for her severity. They could hardly imagine the punishment awaiting them.

But to their utter surprise, the expected punishment never came. Instead, Arlecchino placed a reassuring hand on Lyney's shoulder.

"This wasn't your fault, Lyney."

She spoke calmly. "They baited us with the Gnosis, timed perfectly with the Primordial Sea's disturbance, setting it up as if it would be delivered to the heart of Meropide. And they constrained the timing, leaving us no choice."

"The Gnosis's allure is simply too great. The Fatui's plans have spanned centuries for a chance like this. Such bait—well, even I would have taken the hook."

She continued, "And we must acknowledge Furina. For five hundred years, she has portrayed herself as a carefree and harmless girl, a role that none of us suspected would be used to craft such a trap."

She paused for a moment, her eyes showing a flicker of fatigue. Fontaine's upheaval had placed heavy pressure on her as the Fatui official responsible for Fontaine. But she adjusted her posture, hiding her weariness from the children, and resumed.

"But the situation has already settled. Going over all this again is pointless." She continued, "I am here today to seek a way out for you all."

That way out had been the subject of her earlier conversation with Felina at the Palace of Mesmer.

Back in the meeting room—

"Our diplomatic conversation is over," Arlecchino had said. "Now, I'd like to speak to you as 'Father' and request a way out for the children of the House of the Hearth."

She watched Felina carefully for any reaction. To her surprise, Felina appeared entirely calm, as if she had expected this. It seemed as though Felina had already anticipated Arlecchino's request.

As the "Father," Arlecchino felt deeply protective of her children. Now that they were imprisoned at Meropide, her primary concern was finding a way to free them. But then came the thorny question—if she succeeded, where could they go?

Would they follow her back to Snezhnaya?

The Fatui had spent hundreds of years on these operations, but the House of the Hearth was now facing the consequences. For the failed mission, someone had to bear the blame, and Lyney, who'd led the operation, was first in line.

In Snezhnaya, there would be no sympathy. If these children followed her back, they would face unimaginable punishment, and it was likely that not one would survive.

For the children, Fontaine was their homeland; staying in Fontaine would be the best option.

However, as Fontaine's government saw it, these children were traitors who had sided with the enemy. Even if they were released, they would have no legitimate status and would find it impossible to reintegrate into society.

"Keeping them in Meropide forever would be unacceptable, as no one wants to spend their life in prison. But taking them back to Snezhnaya would likely result in their deaths, or worse—they'd be used as test subjects by the Doctor."

"And allowing them to remain in Fontaine… well, Fontaine's society won't accept them either."

Felina looked at Arlecchino, her lips curling into an amused smile. "So, I'm guessing you intend to use your Flame of the Phial, correct?"

"!!!"

At Felina's words, Arlecchino's expression finally changed.

Arlecchino bore a certain curse, a unique flame within her that could burn away fragments of a person's memories. Known as the "Flame of the Phial," this fire had been separated from Arlecchino herself.

In the game, some members of the House of the Hearth had left to seek their own lives, but each one bore the secrets of the Fatui. To allow them to go freely, Arlecchino used the Flame of the Phial to erase any memories relating to the House of the Hearth, making a deal with Neuvillette to grant each of them new identities as ordinary citizens of Fontaine.

But at this point in the story, Arlecchino had only recently discovered the Flame of the Phial's power.

And yet, here was Felina, seeing through her intentions effortlessly and accurately identifying the existence of the Flame of the Phial!

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