Yes, Lady Funina!

"Lady Funina, the water goddess! Is she a deity like Lord Barbatos?" Klee's cute doe eyes widened.

“That’s right, I am the Queen of all waters, all directions, all peoples, and all laws, the Water Goddess Funina de Fontaine. How about that? Impressive, isn’t it!”

Despite her impressive title, the dialogue, the fact that Frynn is crouching on the ground with her eyes level with Klee, her back straight, and her hands on her hips, makes it impossible to tell that she is a deity.

Instead, she resembled a girl next door making a little girl happy; she looked both approachable and possessed an indescribable charm.

"Amazing! No wonder she's a god, knowing so many things Klee doesn't. Sister Fryna must have written a lot of love letters, right?"

Klee is, after all, a child. Fryna had previously said that those who write love letters are adorable people who are emotionally rich and good at expressing themselves, and Klee thinks Fryna is such a person too.

Therefore, by working backward from the formula, we can conclude that Funina was very good at writing love letters and had written many love letters.

In some ways, Klee is indeed a smart child.

However, upon hearing Klee's words, Furnessa's smile faltered, and she couldn't help but think that Klee and Richard were indeed siblings.

These two siblings' witty remarks clearly come from the same school, just with slightly different styles.

Richard is the kind of cunning and calculating person who can easily shut someone up; he's the type to use proactive tactics.

Klee, on the other hand, is the kind of innocent, childlike, and bluntly sarcastic person who can be quite witty; this is a passive skill.

But no matter which method it is, Funina is finding it difficult to cope.

Being countered by the heavens is a valid trait.

At that very moment, after finishing dealing with the 'love letters' and instructing the staff not to let these strange letters appear on her desk again, Jean returned and happened to overhear Klee and Frynn's conversation.

Qin, who had just started to recover her mood, felt her vision go black again after hearing the conversation.

Fortunately, Richard stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, "Claire, the Water God is usually very busy. Where would she find the time to write love letters? Sometimes knowing something doesn't mean you'll actually do it. In fact, there are plenty of people like that who only talk the talk..."

Richard realized something was off after he said it, and seeing that Funina's expression was off, he quickly tried to smooth things over:

“Uh, of course I wasn’t talking about you, Lady Funina.”

“I know! You don’t need to explain!” Funina was clearly exasperated, and like a sulking girlfriend, she patted Richard’s shoulder reproachfully.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Qin figured that the Water God wasn't angry, just that his gaze was a little strange.

After all, the interaction between Richard and Funina didn't feel like that of a ruler and his subject; rather, it felt more like the way friends interacted, even with a strange sense of harmony, like...

Qin didn't continue thinking about it, perhaps because she thought it was too far-fetched, or perhaps because deep down she didn't want it to be that way.

Who knows?

With Klee's cheerful interruption, Frynn temporarily forgot about Richard's earlier mention of 'Frynn's mortalism,' especially since Richard hadn't shown any inclination towards it in their subsequent conversation.

Therefore, Furina felt that Richard's previous words were simply unintentional, suggesting a possible path to becoming a Knight of Honor.

After the banquet, Funina went ahead to the embassy in Fontainebleau to rest and recharge, preparing to bask in the glory when Richard took her the next day.

Richard, however, used the excuse that he wanted to spend more time with his sister and make necessary preparations for tomorrow's operations, to say that he wouldn't be returning to the embassy that night.

However, Richard did have his own residence in Mondstadt, so whether or not he returned to the hotel provided by the embassy was obviously not important, as long as Frynn had no objections.

Funina was hoping Richard would reward her for his services, so how could she possibly refuse such a small wish from her trusted advisor?

With a wave of his hand, he declared, "Not only do you not want to come back tonight, but you can stay away tomorrow night, the night after, or even for the entire duration of your mission!"

Just as Richard was carrying the sleepy Claire, who was rubbing her eyes, to Qin's residence, he heard Claire suddenly whisper to him: 8

"Brother Richard, I feel like Sister Funina seems very sad."

Volume 1: Chapter 48 Good Sister Barbara 0

"She seems very sad?" Richard's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "Why does Keli think that?"

"Klee doesn't know either... I just feel like Sister Fryna is smiling, but it also feels like she's crying... Maybe... this is what Captain Jean was talking about... the master's... worries......" Klee yawned widely, and the rest of her words were a bit blurry because she was too sleepy.

After saying that, Claire fell asleep peacefully in Richard's arms, just like a serene little princess.

I guess the only time we'll see Klee looking this cute is when she's sleeping, right?

However, Richard took Claire's words to heart. Children are very sensitive to emotions and can often detect emotions that adults cannot.

Moreover, after Keli said that, Richard couldn't help but think of the scene in the office where Funina was laughing and crying.

At the time, we were fooled by her superb acting skills and abundant water elements. But now, looking back at Klee's words, it's hard not to feel a chill when we think about it. Just how painful must it be for someone to cry while laughing?

Richard wasn't sure, so he put the thought aside for the time being, naturally took out the key to the door of the Qin family's house, opened the door, and prepared to put the already sleeping Keli into her small bed.

Just then, the room lights were turned on, and a beautiful girl with light blonde hair in pajamas walked out of a guest room. She was holding onto the door frame with one hand and gently rubbing her sleepy eyes with the other.

Her voice was a little groggy as she said, "Sister...you're back?"

“Jin has some matters to attend to at the Knights, so she asked me to bring Klee back first,” Richard replied softly.

"Oh... um?" Barbara responded subconsciously, then realized her voice was off.

Why does it sound like a male voice?

Barbara jolted awake and quickly looked towards the source of the sound, only to breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing Richard.

"Oh... Mr. Richard, you're back?" Barbara was about to exclaim when she saw Richard nod towards Claire, who was fast asleep and clutching his collar. She immediately lowered her voice and whispered.

"Yes, I came back with the Fontaine delegation this time, and I estimate I will stay in Mondstadt for about five days."

Richard answered softly as he gently placed Keli on her crib, covered her with a blanket, and tucked the Dudu from the bedside table into her arms. After doing all this, he quietly slipped out of the room.

The entire process demonstrated textbook-level nanny skills, without disturbing the sleeping Klee at all.

Barbara watched all of this and couldn't help but exclaim, "Mr. Richard is such a gentle person."

"Not really. I only treat people I consider important like that. I don't have a heart that desires to help everyone in the world," Richard replied, shaking his head.

"To be able to do this much for someone important is already quite remarkable! Moreover, Mr. Richard speaks to everyone in a kind and gentle manner, and his behavior is very gentlemanly. He would never do anything to embarrass others. In my heart, you have always been a very gentle and reliable senior!" Barbara said earnestly, clenching her little fist.

Richard thought of Funina, who had repeatedly humiliated him, and couldn't help but chuckle. "I didn't expect you to think of me like this. But Barbara, you trust me way too much. At least button up the top buttons, okay?"

Richard tapped his chest twice, signaling Barbara to button up her pajamas, concealing her delicate collarbones and shallow cleavage; he could even see the color of the camisole.

Pure white, which suits Barbara's personality.

"Oh!" Barbara blushed and hurriedly fastened all the buttons on her chest.

It was clear she was in a hurry; several times she buttoned the bottom button to the top and then hurriedly unbuttoned it and put it back in the correct position. This back and forth gave Richard quite a glimpse of her.

By the time everything was finished, Barbara's ears were bright red.

All that could be heard was the girl muttering softly, "Mr. Richard can be quite wicked at times."

Barbara clearly noticed that some people were staring intently at her as she buttoned her clothes.

"I just think that a flustered young girl is a beautiful sight, and it would be a shame to miss it," Richard said honestly.

Barbara looked at Richard, whose eyes were clear, sincere, and his words earnest, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Call him a lecher, but his eyes are clear; he never had any impure thoughts and was genuinely looking at her with an eye for beauty.

If you say he's not a pervert, this guy was clearly looking very intently, without even blinking!

"You, you stop talking!" Barbara had no choice but to change the subject.

"Mr. Richard, is your return this time because of the delegation from Fontainebleau?"

"Yes."

"I heard that Lady Funina, the Water Goddess, has also come to Fontaine. Is that true?"

"It's true. Lady Funina is my direct superior. She was just talking to your sister Qin at the banquet."

"Then... could you help me ask about the secret to 'how to become popular'? And if possible, could you also get me an autograph... Ah, I'm sorry, am I asking for too much?" Barbara pleaded, but worried that she might be making things difficult for Richard by asking too many requests, she quickly apologized.

Richard then remembered that, thanks to his aunt, the beautiful nun in front of him was someone who aspired to become an 'idol'.

And the famous star 'Furina', who enjoys a great reputation in Fontaine and even the entire Teyvat continent, is obviously the person she should learn from.

“No problem, but wouldn’t it be better if you asked her yourself instead of me asking?” Richard said with a smile.

“Mr. Richard, you mean…” Barbara’s eyes widened as she looked at Richard, seemingly surprised by his words.

"I believe Lady Funina would be very willing to discuss singing techniques, stage movements, and other related professional knowledge with you. How about tomorrow morning?"

“Lady Funina is going to visit the West Wind Cathedral tomorrow morning, and I will introduce you to her then,” Richard said with a smile.

"Really?!" Barbara was almost overwhelmed by this unexpected joy.

She came to see her sister tonight hoping to see the Water God, or perhaps ask her sister to get her an autograph or something.

I never expected to run into Richard, who was bringing Keli back to bed, and I never expected him to be willing to introduce me to the big star Furness. I'm so lucky!

The girl's joy was palpable. She smiled as she saw Richard off, even refusing his offer to hand her the house key so she could return it to Qin.

She then said that her sister was busy with official duties every day, and she would probably have to ask Richard to take Claire home to sleep for the next few days, so it would be more convenient for Richard to keep the key.

The girl probably felt that Richard was trustworthy, and she felt at ease entrusting her sister's house key to him.

Moreover, the fact that her own sister was willing to hand over the key to a man already speaks volumes.

As the younger sister, it's best not to interfere unnecessarily.

P.S.: Please continue reading!

Volume 1: Chapter 49 An Encounter, Ying and Paimon

After leaving Jean's house, Richard headed back to his residence in Mondstadt.

As Richard passed the deer hunters, he noticed a blonde foreign girl with... a flying pet?

It's quite a strange combination. I suppose they must be the honorary knights that Qin mentioned who were just awarded the title?

Of course, Richard's attention was not drawn to the honorary knight, but rather to Charlotte, who was sitting in front of them, interviewing them with a pen in hand.

Keep in mind that he still has leverage over this girl, yet instead of waiting at his door to await his fate, he even has the nerve to conduct an interview. Is this a genuine love for his profession, or just an incredibly thick-skinned person?

Regardless of the reason, it was undoubtedly confirmed that the other party was the person he was looking for, since ordinary reporters wouldn't dare to go with them to cause trouble for the Wind Demon Dragon.

Charlotte, who was interviewing the Knight of Honor and her flight partner at that moment, also saw Richard standing not far away.

The pink-haired girl's expression tightened, as if she had remembered her purpose in coming to the vicinity of the Deer Hunter tonight: to go to Richard's residence to await his judgment.

Having failed to sneak into the diplomatic banquet, he arrived early near Richard's residence to stake out the area, hoping to glean some information about Richard from the surrounding people.

However, they didn't gather much intelligence. Instead, they encountered this newly promoted honorary knight of Mondstadt along the way, and their hidden 'interview instinct' kicked in, causing their legs and mouth to move involuntarily.

Then I successfully struck up a conversation with Ying and Paimon, and the interviews have continued from dinner until now, yielding a lot of useful information.

Of course, Ying didn't just agree to Charlotte's interview casually; she also asked Charlotte to post a missing person notice in the Steambird newspaper.

Such a request was no problem for Charlotte at all. She had a good relationship with the editor-in-chief of Steambird Newspaper, and with the exclusive interview with the Knight of Honor, posting a missing person notice was a piece of cake.

"Charlotte, what are you looking at?" Paimon followed the gaze and spotted Richard looking at them from a distance.

"That person...do you know him?"

“Yes, I originally came to this area to find him, but I didn’t expect to run into you guys first,” Charlotte said frankly, waving to Richard as a… polite greeting.

There was nothing to hide; in fact, she wanted to tell Ying and Paimon about it so that she would have a lawyer in case Richard really intended to harm her.

This is considered the most basic preventative measure for frontline reporters.

"Wow, that guy has such a strong presence. Although he looks gentle and refined, when I look him in the eye, I feel like he can read my mind." Paimon saw Richard walking towards them and instinctively hid behind Ying.

"He seems like a very important person," Ying commented.

“Mr. Richard is indeed a very important person. He is the second-in-command of the Fontainebleau diplomatic mission. Apart from Lord Water God, he holds the highest position and is also Lord Water God’s closest subordinate,” Charlotte replied.

“I never expected that Charlotte, an intern reporter, would know such an important person. Your connections are really extensive! I’m starting to believe that you can have a say in your newspaper,” Paimon said, arms crossed.

Actually, she didn't have much hope at first that Charlotte would help Firefly post missing person notices in the Steambird newspaper.

After all, Charlotte herself is still just an intern reporter, and the Steambird newspaper's pages are incredibly valuable, with the editor-in-chief having the final say on layout. How could an intern reporter who hasn't even established herself yet have any say?

Ying agreed to the interview simply to increase her exposure, hoping her brother might happen to see it.

As for the conditions she set for Charlotte, she would do her best to meet them, but wouldn't force it if she couldn't...

"Ha, haha..." Charlotte forced a couple of laughs and quickly moved on from the topic.

If she could, she really wouldn't want to have such connections...

"Anyway, I'll head over now. I'll try to interview you again if I have the chance later... I'll also do my best to help with your brother's matter. Wait for my good news!" Charlotte said quickly, then packed up her notebook and jogged towards Richard.

It seemed that he intended to take Richard to his home or another quiet place to have a proper talk about how to handle 'criminal evidence'.

Unfortunately, the initiative is now in Richard's hands, and he clearly has his own plans. He gestures for Charlotte to stay put while he speaks with Luminous and Paimon.