Yes, Lady Funina!

Richard was not so much aware of Clementine's little tricks as to see them clearly, but he was certainly very familiar with them.

However, Richard still ate the fish that Clementine offered. If the request wasn't too demanding, he wouldn't mind accepting it.

If the request was too difficult to fulfill, he wouldn't mind teaching the little girl, Clementine, a lesson and showing her what a despicable adult was like.

"Can you tell me now?" Richard spat the fish bone aside.

“Hey, Richard, you’re from Zhidong, right?” Clementine asked with a smile.

“Yes, didn’t we mention that during our self-introductions in class?” Richard looked at Clementine. “Are you saying you weren’t paying attention in class?”

"No, no, how could that be! I listened very attentively in class!" Clementine would never admit to that, shaking her head like a rattle-drum.

"So you know I came from Winter Solstice, what do you want to ask?" Richard knew perfectly well whether Clementine had been slacking off.

She was the laziest girl in the class. If it weren't for Peruvier helping her catch up after class, she probably wouldn't have been able to keep up by now.

This isn't to say that Clementine likes to slack off. According to Richard, Clementine has shown good talent in other subjects, but her performance in martial arts is less than ideal.

However, as the daughter of the current servant Kujavina, Clementine's physical talent is actually quite good. The reason why she is not performing well in martial arts is probably related to her personality and hobbies.

Clementine dislikes fighting and killing.

If she had been educated in a different way, Clementine might have had a better future.

But... Richard thought of Kujavina, and he didn't have a better solution for that.

You can't just snatch her own daughter from her hands, can you?

What kind of major villain?

"Have you ever seen the aurora borealis in winter?" Clementine asked Richard with great anticipation.

“I have seen it.” Richard had spent the longest time in the Seven Kingdoms during the winter, so he had naturally seen the aurora.

"Do you have any photos?" Clementine's eyes lit up.

“Yes,” Richard replied affirmatively.

As an outstanding photographer, how could Richard not leave behind any photos?

Besides the aurora borealis in winter, he also collects photos of natural scenery from various countries. Every single one of them is extremely beautiful, and even if he submits them to Steambird News, they will be included in the publication.

"Can you show it to me and Peruvier?" Crevie revealed her true intentions.

“Of course…” Richard trailed off, “No.”

"Huh? Why?" Clementine was about to cheer, but after hearing Richard's refusal, she felt a little upset. Why wouldn't he let her see it?

“If Peruvéli wants to see it, she can, but not little Clévie,” Richard said, arms crossed.

"You're being unfair!" Clementine exclaimed, "Richard is a bad guy! He even ate my fish!"

"Hmph, it's just a fish. I can return it to you later." Richard was notoriously stubborn and unyielding.

Clementine was extremely aggrieved, her eyes welled up with tears, and just as the little pearl was about to fall, Peruvieri stepped forward.

"why?"

In Peruvier's mind, Richard wasn't the kind of person who liked to deliberately make girls cry, and Clementine's relationship with Richard was clearly closer than her own.

If he can show the photos to himself, why can't he show them to Cleveland?

"Why what?" Richard countered.

"Why can you show it to me, but not to Clementine?" Peruvieri asked seriously.

"Well..." Richard glanced at Clementine, who was about to apply the small pearl, and then stopped keeping her in suspense.

"That's because I like good students, of course."

"Good, good student?" Clementine sniffed. Wasn't she a good student in Richard's eyes?

“Cravie is always distracted in my classes. If it weren’t for you, Peruvieri, tutoring her privately, I think Cravie would have fallen behind by now,” Richard said.

"Hmm..." Clementine seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and immediately felt guilty.

"However, if Clementine also wants to see the photos, I'm not unwilling to give you another chance."

“An opportunity?” Clementine looked up, hope returning to her eyes.

“Yes, as long as Clementine can keep up with the lessons this week without Peruvieri’s help, I will bring you the photos by this time next week. In addition to the aurora borealis at the end of winter, I have been to many other places and taken many photos of natural scenery, and I can give you those photos as well,” Richard coaxed.

"Really?" Clementine's eyes lit up.

"Do you think I, an adult, would lie to a child?" Richard asserted his adult status.

Clementine believed it to be true, while only Peruvieri remained silent. In her eyes, there was no difference between adults and children, and she even said that adults were more likely to lie, just like "mothers."

After finishing the grilled fish, Clay went to find other friends to maintain her relationships. After all, as the most popular little girl in the Hearth House, Clay was very busy, no less so than her executive mother.

Of course, her best friend will always be Pepe.

After Clementine left, only Richard and Perovelli remained in the small garden. After a moment of silence, Perovelli did not let the little spider out to roam, as she had already fed it that morning.

“Can I see the photos?” Peruvieri asked.

"Of course, but are you sure you don't want to wait for your friends?"

It's just a photograph. What harm is there in giving it to Perovelli and the others? Richard isn't like Perovelli and Clementine, who can't leave the fireplace house. He can go wherever he wants.

“…” Peruvieri thought for a moment and decided to check out the goods for her good friend first.

"Then wait here for a moment." Richard said, seeing that Peruvian wanted to see the photos, and went to get them from her room.

Richard was puzzled when he saw Peruvieri silently following behind.

Peruvian pointed to Clementine not far away, who was playing with a girl wearing a bubble orange hair accessory.

"Jealous?"

“No.” Peruvieri gave him a look that said, “How could you think that?”

"It would upset Clementine if she saw this."

As soon as she finished speaking, Peruvier realized she hadn't received a reply from Richard. Looking up, she saw Richard staring at her in surprise, as if he had discovered something amazing.

"What?" Peruvieri's tone was somewhat unfriendly.

“I just didn’t expect you to be so perceptive. I thought you didn’t actually like Clementine,” Richard said deliberately.

“Just… average.” Peruvieri wanted to retort immediately, but the words she spoke changed as soon as they left her mouth.

"Really just average?" Richard looked at Peruvier with amusement.

His strange gaze made Peruvieri somewhat embarrassed and annoyed. Just as she was about to say something, Richard didn't give her a chance to speak directly:

"Then follow me."

“…” Peruvieri pursed her lips, feeling as if she had lost.

Despicable adults.

Arriving at Richard's temporary residence at the Hearth House, Peruvieri entered an adult's room for the first time, and she looked around the room with some curiosity.

I found that it was no different from my own room, except that it was a bit bigger and the bed was a bit bigger, but it was still a standard bed, without any of the special privileges that only adults get.

“Nothing special, right?” Richard asked with a smile as he saw Peruvier looking around his room with curiosity.

“Yes.” Peruvéli nodded honestly.

“Actually, there are some differences.” Richard reached out and took out a photo album.

“What’s different?” Peruvier trusted her observation skills very much. According to her observation, Richard’s room was just an ordinary room, no different from theirs.

“The bed is bigger than yours,” Richard said proudly.

"..." Peruvieri didn't understand what was so proud of.

Childish adults!

“Here, take a look.” Richard handed the photo album to Perovelli.

"Thank you." Peruvier took the photo album and solemnly thanked Richard.

“You’re welcome, it’s just a photo album.” Richard waved his hand casually. “Sooner or later you’ll all go to the Winter Solstice and see the aurora.”

Peruvieri pursed her lips without replying, and then focused all her attention on the photo album.

Turning to the first page, Peruvée didn't see the expected winter aurora, but instead... a fox?

Richard leaned closer to Peruvier and suddenly said, "Cute, isn't she? Cuter than a spider, isn't she?"

Peruvelle pushed Richard away with a hint of disgust. "Go away, don't get so close."

After keeping a certain distance from Richard, Peruvieri turned her attention back to the photo. Although she was reluctant to admit it, the pink fox in the photo was indeed much more attractive than Bambi.

"generally."

Even though she was far stronger, Peruvieri still had to utter those two words of truth.

Richard was clearly used to the girl's insincerity, so he didn't pay any attention and instead gave her a look that said, "Yes, you're right."

It has no offensive power, but it's incredibly sarcastic.

Peruvée pretended not to see it, pointed to the pink fox above, and asked, "Is it yours?"

“It’s mine.” Richard chose his words very carefully.

Peruvée nodded. "It was Richard who raised it."

But if it was Richard's pet, why haven't we seen the little fox? Was it hidden away?

Just like she put Bambi in the enclosure.

Thinking of this, Peruvier examined Richard's room even more carefully, wanting to see if there really was a pink-furred little fox hiding somewhere in the room.

“She’s not here.” Richard knew what Peruvier was looking for and told her not to waste her time.

He himself hadn't seen the little fox for a long time.

“Oh…” Peruvieri silently withdrew her gaze, then, remembering that foxes have different lifespans than humans, asked, “Is it dead?”

Richard choked, looking at Peruvier and finding her face quite calm, as if she were talking about something perfectly normal.

The absurdity of 'death' being uttered so easily and expressionlessly from a little girl's mouth is indescribable.

Fortunately, Richard had seen a lot over the years, and he was well aware of Peruvian's special characteristics, so he recovered in just one breath.

“She’s not dead. She’s a different breed from ordinary foxes. She has a very long lifespan. Even your ‘mother’ would have to call her Great-Grandma when she sees her,” Richard said.

Peruvieri nodded. It's good that he's not dead; that means we'll be able to meet again in the future.

She was quite curious about the feel of the fox, since its fur looked fluffy, and she wondered how it differed from a spider.

As for which one she prefers, Peruvieri still prefers her little spider.

Because spiders cannot be tamed, they won't give you anything in return, and you won't place any extra emotions on them, this kind of relationship is just right for them.

Since she couldn't catch the fox, Peruvieri turned the pages of the photo album, and there she saw the aurora borealis she wanted to see.

In the deep night sky, a pale green band of light stretches across the stars, but upon closer inspection, this static photograph reveals a dynamic beauty.

In Peruvieri's eyes, the pale green band of light gradually spread out, and more colors began to emerge, with purple, pink, and blue intertwining to form a colorful light curtain.

Peruvéli had never seen such a beautiful sky before; even a photograph of it made her forget to breathe.

Richard looked at Peruverie's usually expressionless face, now filled with amazement, and couldn't help but smile. This was how a child should be.

"There's a lot more to come," Richard reminded him.

Richard's words made Peruvier instinctively want to turn the page, but she stopped halfway through.

“Never mind.” Peruvieri spoke as if to Richard, but also as if to herself.

"Forget it? You're not going to watch anymore?" Richard asked in surprise.

“Okay, I’ll look at it with Clementine later.” Peruvieri nodded, closed the album, and handed it back to Richard.

Richard understood. "Good sisters should share things together, right?"

Peruvelli shook her head. "It's an agreement."

We've made a promise to go see the aurora borealis together in winter, so no one can be left out.

Of course, Richard was unaware of this agreement, so he simply took Peruvier's statement as an agreement that they would look at the photos together.

“Okay, I’ll keep the album for you. You can come find me anytime you want to look at it… Of course, if Clementine wants to come, we need to make sure she catches up with the schedule first, on her own initiative,” Richard emphasized.