Yes, Lady Funina!

She's almost on par with Yae no Miko, who is a fox spirit, while Clarinde is just an ordinary person with the Eye of God.

So Fontainebleau is really good for you? (by Si Guoyi)

"May I ask how you usually take care of yourself?"

Skin care is a perennial topic of conversation among women of all ages.

“My method is rather unique and difficult to replicate…” Clarinde hesitated for a moment, after all, Inashiro Hotaru’s appearance might not meet Richard’s requirements, it would be more like her own master.

"Is that so? What a pity..." Inashiro Hotaru was a little disappointed, but she quickly adjusted her mindset.

Lynette looked at Cloned thoughtfully. She had been focused on her work and hadn't paid much attention to Cloned earlier.

Looking back now, Lynette was surprised to find that Clarinde's temperament seemed to have changed.

She has become less unapproachable than before. Although her glacial coldness is still there, there is a hint of spring mixed in with the cold wind.

In layman's terms, she has become more feminine.

It's not just that she's become more feminine; you could say she's exuding a mature charm that's almost overflowing.

Perhaps Clarinde herself was unaware of this, but Lynette, as an observer with a keen eye, could clearly sense the changes in her.

This kind of mature charm is usually only seen in married women, but Claude... wait!

Lynette discovered the blind spot: Clorinde should still be a virgin, right?

If not, then who could it be...?

Lynette recalled the changes in Richard. The aggressive, fiery aura he once exuded had softened overnight, becoming as calm and serene as a sage.

One night... She should have expected this!

Lynette took a deep breath, staring at the philandering cat in front of her, momentarily at a loss for words.

Lady Fulina probably never imagined that her secretary would actually cheat on her!

“Clorind…”

"what happened?"

"No, it's nothing." Lynette took a deep breath. All of the above were just speculations at the moment, and she couldn't wrong anyone before it was completely confirmed.

Besides, there are outsiders present; it's not a good time to speak...

Although it hasn't been confirmed yet, Lynette's intuition tells her that her guess is probably pretty close to the truth. After all, the changes in Clorinde can't be a second growth spurt, right?

But if that's really the case... Lynette pursed her lips. Although she still felt a little bitter, it wasn't unacceptable. At least it wasn't bad news. After all, it showed that Richard was a physiologically normal man, didn't it?

If it's Clorind's turn today, it could be mine tomorrow, but...

Lynette glared fiercely at Clorind's two enormous, wicked mounds of fat. Were those two lumps of fat really that attractive?

Claurind stared at Lynette, whose expression was constantly changing, and she was a little confused. What was wrong with Lynette?

However, she didn't think too much about it. Cats' feelings are hard to fathom, especially since the other party was female.

Clorinde still had a lot to do. After arranging the tasks for Inazuma, she still had to go to the venue to take charge of the overall situation.

As Funina's personal secretary, she essentially represented Funina herself when Funina was busy.

For example, right now, Funina and Fukaros are responsible for receiving distinguished guests from Inazuma, and she, as the secretary, has to arrange these behind-the-scenes tasks.

Logically speaking, this should have been the job of the Executive Secretary, but the current situation is special. Those who know the inside story know that the two distinguished guests from Inazuma were not there for the friendship between Fontaine and Inazuma. They were there for our Executive Secretary of the City Hall, and the friendship was just a side thing.

Therefore, Richard had to stay at the Mo Mang Palace to prevent the talks from falling apart and to intervene in time to salvage the situation.

Well, you could also say it was to put out a fire in his own harem.

'Sigh, I wonder when Lady Funina and the others will succeed. Even Lord Narukami or Yae no Kami would be fine...'

'Perhaps I should offer them some small assistance?'

'But only I could do something like this, cheating on myself, right?' Clarin thought.

On the other side, Richard sat calmly in his office reading the Steambird newspaper, seemingly unconcerned about his backyard going to catch fire.

Based on his understanding of Funina and the others, he knew they were unlikely to fight, and there would likely be very little verbal exchange.

The most likely scenario is that the two sides greet each other, then begin to discuss national affairs, and after finishing the national affairs, they inquire about each other's information about themselves.

Fryna and Fukaros talked about Richard's recent affairs, while Shadow and Yae no Miko talked about Richard's past, achieving mutual understanding and a win-win situation.

In short, nothing serious will happen. He just needs to stay in the office and wait for them to finish their discussion before they go to catch up.

Richard understood this very well, and could be described as incredibly shrewd.

So here's the question: if everything goes as Richard predicted, how many times can he win in total?

A: The traveler touched the electric gate—and was paralyzed by the glow (or the electric shock).

However, Richard's smugness didn't last long before there was a knock on his office door, followed by four banquet invitations on his desk. Behind these four invitations were none other than the four most dazzling female protagonists at tonight's banquet.

Fryna, Fukaros, Yae no Miko, and Rai movies.

Now, the question of whether she wins or loses can be put aside for the time being. The current dilemma is which of the four men's invitations she should accept to become his date at tonight's dinner party.

Pay attention to the question; this is no longer a multiple-choice question. A slight mistake could turn it into a fatal one, because no matter which one you choose, the other three will be dissatisfied.

There's no need to even think about such a difficult problem; it must be Yae no Miko who's been egging me on from behind. Only she would come up with such a way to make things difficult for herself.

Hmm, maybe they even got Fucarus's support?

Fortunately, Richard made his decision the moment he saw the four invitations...

Chapter 189 Are you a girl or a woman?

Richard can't please everyone, but he can make everyone unhappy.

Faced with four invitations, Richard did not intend to accept any of them. In fact, the so-called dinner party did not have any male or female companions. Even if you went alone, no one would laugh at you.

In fact, it is normal for people to be alone at this exchange dinner between the two countries. After all, the guests today are not nobles, but officials from the two countries. The officials from Fontaine have their families with them, but the families of the officials from Inazuma are still in Inazuma.

After all, who would bring their family on a business trip?

Richard gathered the four invitations together, but when he touched them, the four letters underwent some strange changes.

Is it Yae no Miko's magic?

The yokai of Inazuma often possess many special abilities, and fox spirits are among the best, with countless spells at their disposal. What is happening now is nothing more than a minor matter.

With no other option, Richard had to read the four invitations again. Actually, he could have chosen not to read them; that way, whatever Yae no Kamiko might be up to, he could simply say he didn't know and that would be the end of it.

However, based on his years of experience in the struggle, he knew that while this might allow him to escape for a while, it wouldn't work forever. The pink-haired little fox had plenty of ways to torment him.

As Richard pondered this, he unfolded the letter, only to find that the address had changed from "male companion" to "dance partner."

In other words, these four invitations turned into dance invitations.

According to Fontaine's custom, a dance is usually held during a dinner party, during which men can invite women they like to join them on the dance floor.

Richard was presented with the opportunity to dance with four stunning beauties, but he was not happy about the chance to get close to them.

After all, for him, let alone kissing any of these four women, he had already kissed each of them several times and even stuck out his tongue!

What lay before him was not an opportunity to get close to a woman, but a deadly trap, just like the invitation from his female companion earlier.

In a daze, Richard seemed to see the pink-haired witch smiling sweetly at him, saying, "Since you don't want to choose one of us as your partner, how about dancing?"

No problem? There's a huge problem!

As the saying goes, it is not scarcity that is a concern, but inequality. It is already difficult to carry water for two people, let alone four.

If it were just Fukaros and Funina, neither of them would be able to accept the other's choice, and they would even defer to each other.

This same logic applies to Yae no Miko and Kage... Oh no, because if you choose Yae no Miko, that's fine, but if you choose Kage, then Miko definitely won't agree.

It's not that Yae no Miko is jealous, but she would definitely take the opportunity to ask him for favors, under the guise of making up for the psychological damage caused to her by Richard's favoritism.

Even if she chooses Yae no Miko, she will still seek justice for Kage afterward.

If it were a choice between four options, the result would be predictable: if Funina and her group were chosen, Shadow would inevitably suffer.

As for choosing the shadow, Funina might not say anything on the surface, but secretly hide under the covers and play with her little pearls after the banquet.

Hehe, how about we just skip the dinner tonight? Or we can cancel the ball, which is completely unnecessary and a relic of the aristocratic era.

Now that the Noble Alliance has collapsed, it's time to discard these outdated ideas.

Richard expressionlessly gathered the four invitations aside, but ultimately did not call Clarinde to revise the schedule of tonight's ball.

The afternoon passed quickly, and soon it was time for the dinner.

The event was held in the main hall of the Mo Mang Palace. The originally spacious hall had been set up with two long tables that spanned the hall. The tables were covered with a tablecloth with an intricate pattern, and various Fontaine delicacies were served on exquisite tableware. In addition, considering the Inazuma people's tastes, there were also many Inazuma-style specialties.

This banquet is of a very high standard, at the level of a state banquet. The guests are all important officials from both countries. In addition, deities from both countries will also be present at the banquet. Therefore, compared to the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere of the banquet, it is more like a government meeting report with a buffet.

Regardless of gender, the guests present wore only formal, friendly smiles, and their overall behavior was very serious, with all the topics of conversation being business-related.

Even the delicious dishes were rarely touched; at most, people would ask the waiter for a glass of champagne or red wine to hold as a way to blend into the atmosphere.

This was to demonstrate that they were having a banquet, not a government report meeting.

This situation continued until Funina and her three companions entered the banquet hall hand in hand. As soon as they stepped into the banquet hall, everyone in the venue consciously quieted down.

"This is a banquet, not a place to talk about work. I think what you should do now is enjoy this dinner, make more friends, and find a suitable dance partner for the upcoming ball," said Funina, dressed in a dark blue evening gown, standing in the center of the hall.

As she finished speaking, the hall became lively, and everyone realized that this was not a banquet with political purposes, but a real dinner to warm up and get to know each other.

"Has Richard not arrived yet? Or is he not planning to come?" Yae no Miko looked at Funina, who had become the focus of everyone's attention as soon as she appeared, and said to Kage beside her without turning her head.

When Ying heard Yae no Miko's words, he was speechless. Didn't he know why the other party wasn't coming?

Given Richard's tendency to be accommodating and difficult, it would be a miracle if he even showed up when faced with such a life-or-death choice.

No matter which option he chooses, he will offend the other three people. But if he doesn't come, although it might seem like he's avoiding the issue, at least it's acceptable for everyone's face. And afterwards, they are unlikely to hold a grudge against Richard over this.

Ying put herself in Richard's shoes and thought that if she were Richard, she would probably make the same choice in the face of such a dilemma.

The difference is that she might want to have a good talk with Yae no Miko afterward.

"That's his own fault," Yae no Miko sneered with a smile. He thought, "Wanting to enjoy the blessings of having multiple wives? It's not that easy."

Besides, this is nothing. If they run away like this, what will happen if they have a conflict in the future?

If you want to eat everything, you have to think about whether you have that much appetite!

Kage knew that Yae no Miko was still somewhat angry about Richard's philandering behavior and wanted to teach Richard a lesson.

After all, she was the first one to arrive in the Divine Child's life. She had finally managed to convince herself to accept the Shadow, but now there are even more like Funina and the others, and there may be even more in the future.

Although no one said anything about the Divine Child's proposal, the fact that it was passed already speaks volumes...

It seems everyone wants to teach Richard a lesson, though it's also possible they're curious about which one he'll choose.

Just when Ying thought Richard wouldn't come, a tall and imposing figure appeared at the banquet.

Richard has arrived without a doubt.

The moment he arrived at the venue, everyone—Frinina, Fukaros, Ray Film, and Yae no Miko—unanimously turned their attention to him.

Richard himself seemed completely oblivious to the stares, calmly taking some snacks from the table and asking a waiter for a glass of champagne, as if he were simply there for a meal.

Since Richard didn't have an invitation from any of the four women, he couldn't be sure who he would choose as his first dance partner tonight.

However, there is no doubt that Richard's arrival means that the other party has already made a choice.

Even Fukalos, who was least concerned about the matter and thought the chances of receiving an invitation were the lowest, couldn't help but feel a sense of tension.

To ensure that they wouldn't be won over by Richard one by one, Yae no Miko smiled and pulled the other three heroines to her side.

Fukaros even helped patch things up, having Frynn pull out Clorin, whose secretary attire clashed with the banquet, while he himself called Lynette to his side.

This completely thwarted Richard's plan to invite a fifth party.

Richard had already noticed Yae no Miko's actions, and when he saw Fukaros and Frinna take the initiative to pull Clarinde and Linne to their side, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

It seems there are bad people among the crowd.

Richard quietly made a note in his notebook for both Furnessa and Fucarus, knowing that they would definitely be held accountable later.

As for Yae no Miko... hehe, Richard wrote a separate book just for her.

In the not-too-distant future, the divine child will personally swallow the bitter fruit she has sown today.

Of course, this wasn't Richard expressing dissatisfaction or seeking revenge; it was purely an excuse for his own selfish desires.