Yes, Lady Funina!

"Okay, please." Actually, Funina wanted to go with him, but since Richard had already said so, she couldn't say anything more. If she insisted on going with him, it would seem a bit deliberate.

Moreover, after get off work, she had a trial to attend at the Opiclie Opera House, so she couldn't find the time.

“I…” Clorind was about to say that she was actually free after get off work, but Lynette spoke first.

"Is Lady Furina going to the Opikley Opera House alone?"

Upon hearing this, Funina thought for a moment and felt a little lonely by herself, so she looked at Clorinde and asked, "Are you free after get off work? How about we go see the trial together, and I'll treat you to a big meal afterwards?"

"Yes, Lady Frinna." Seeing that Frinna had said so, Clarinde had no choice but to agree.

But whether it was Clarinde's imagination or not, she felt that Lynette seemed to be starting to be wary of her.

Of course, Lynette had to be wary of Clorinde. If she wasn't going to start taking precautions, she might as well straighten her hat herself; at least she would look more presentable wearing it.

Moreover, compared to Funina, whose emotions are still in a nascent stage, Clorinde's sense of purpose and drive are quite obvious. Considering factors such as her figure, personality, and temperament, in Lynette's mind, Clorinde has transformed from the harmless agent into an opponent that cannot be ignored.

If Clarinde's danger level was D before, it is now undoubtedly S+.

That cool yet alluring aura, combined with her curvaceous figure, is incredibly captivating to men.

Lynette's own temperament is also on the cool side, but she doesn't have the same lewd figure as Clorinde. Her overall style is that of a pure and lovely girl with a touch of naivety.

With that in mind, Lynette and Richard arrived at the Thousand Orchestra House.

"You're here," Chiori greeted. "Would you like to see the finished product first, or try a sample?"

Lynette gave the choice to Richard, who was more curious about how Lynette would look in the finished product than about his own clothes.

"In that case, Lynette, please come with me first." Chiori nodded and led Lynette into the cubicle.

Richard was a little puzzled. Why did it take two people to change clothes?

If it were just a matter of changing clothes, two people wouldn't be needed. However, the work that Chiori delivered this time not only included those few haute couture outfits, but also came with free gifts.

Chiori went in with her to make sure Lynette wouldn't be able to wear it. Well, the close-fitting clothes she designed were complicated, but they were sure to look good, and they came with multiple attributes, such as increased attack speed and critical hit rate. Richard was guaranteed to be speechless when he saw them.

Of course, besides Lynette, Chiori also designed several outfits for Clarinde, since Clarinde has more options than Lynette...

The reason I didn't give Clarinde the finished product last time was because it wasn't finished yet. Don't be fooled by the small amount of fabric; Chihiro put a lot of effort into it.

Claude's share of the Thousand-Layered Cloth has already been packed. Richard can give it to Claude when he leaves.

Whether or not Claude will show it to Richard is Claude's own business.

“Miss Chiori, you know so much…” Linette looked at the thin piece of fabric in her hand and gave Chiori a complicated look.

Chiori wasn't shy at all. After all, it wasn't her wearing it, so she could just do whatever looked good. Color is a kind of beauty, after all.

Using design to express emotions and evoke feelings is the most basic requirement for a designer. As a top designer, Qianzhi's expertise in this area is undoubtedly unparalleled.

Under Chiori's guidance, Lynette put on her lingerie. While she was putting it on, Chiori thoughtfully pointed out some of the details, such as which parts were detachable, which parts could be lifted up, and which parts could be torn off...

In short, there were more styles than Lynette had imagined, and the effect of wearing them was more revealing than she had expected.

What Linette didn't expect was that there was even an anklet. In Chiori's words, the most beautiful parts of Linette's body were concentrated in her lower body. Whether it was her long, straight, beautiful legs or her delicate bare feet, they were the best of the best, so naturally they should be made good use of them.

"If you're going to wear this for someone, it's best to drink some red wine first. You don't need to get drunk, just enough to make your body feel warm. Alcohol can accelerate blood circulation, making your body rosy and radiant. You're naturally beautiful, and with my design, even an iron tree can bloom."

"Miss Chiori, you..."

After listening to Chiori's words, Lynette's gaze towards Chiori was beyond complicated.

Clearly, compared to Chiori, Lynette's little tricks are just that—little tricks. When it comes to understanding male psychology through clothing, Chiori is the real expert.

"As a fashion designer, it's reasonable for me to have some insights into gender studies, right?"

"……Reasonable."

After changing into her new clothes, Lynette and Chiori walked out of the cubicle. Upon seeing Richard, Lynette thought of the undergarments she was wearing underneath, and Chiori's words seemed to echo in her ears again. Her face flushed, and she secretly cheered herself up.

As for Richard, when he saw Lynette come out in her new clothes, he immediately showed his satisfaction with the outfit by handing over another check.

“Um… Richard, how about we buy dinner outside and bring it to your house?” Lynette said.

Richard was trying on a sample when he heard Lynette's words and agreed without hesitation.

"Hmm, the effect is just as I expected. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" Chiori asked after walking away and examining the area carefully for a while.

“No, the craftsmanship is excellent, and it fits the body perfectly,” Richard replied.

Richard isn't particularly picky about his clothes. In fact, most of his clothes are chosen for him by others. Even after returning from Liyue, he received a lot of clothes from Ningguang, which he still hasn't finished wearing.

The reason I came to Chiori-ya again to order clothes is entirely because Lynette and her friends are all about companionship.

“Since that’s the case, the design is settled. You can go have dinner with Lynette now. As for red wine, I recommend the winery next to the Debord Hotel. They have imported red wine from the Mondstadt Dawn Winery. Dawn Winery’s red wines are fruity and have a moderate acidity, perfect for a glass before bed,” Chiori recommended.

"Red wine?" Richard was puzzled, not understanding why Chiori was suddenly promoting red wine.

Lynette, who knew the inside story, was unusually shy. However, while she was shy, she also remembered the red wine that Chiori recommended. She just didn't know whether the word "sleep" in "before bed" was a verb or a noun.

——————

Meanwhile, Frynn and Claurind had also finished watching the trial, but because Frynn still had something to ask Navelette, they did not leave the Opiclie Opera House immediately.

"Why did Lady Funina suddenly ask about dragons?" Navelette asked, puzzled.

“I’ve heard people mention it before…” Funina said ambiguously, “Just tell me, under normal circumstances, at what age do dragons consider themselves adults.”

Navelette pondered for a moment and said, "There are many dragons. The growth cycle of ordinary dragons is generally between ten and a hundred years, while the growth cycle of higher dragons will be correspondingly longer. The exact length depends on the situation."

"Just like human growth, with sufficient nutrition, development is fast, while with insufficient nutrition, development is slow..."

"Then how long does it usually take for an 'Elemental Dragon King' like you to be considered an adult?" Funina asked.

“The Elemental Dragon Kings are different from ordinary dragons. We are born from heaven and earth, and we are ‘adult’ from the moment we are born, without the growth cycle of ordinary dragons,” Navelette said.

At this moment, Villette had more or less guessed what Funina really wanted to ask.

"If Ms. Funina wants to ask about Mr. Richard's situation, I can only tell you that K is special."

"You know Richard?" Funina looked at Navelette, but she wasn't too surprised. After all, it would be strange if Navelette, as the Water Dragon King, couldn't sense Richard, who was also a dragon.

As a local strongman in Fontainebleau, Richard probably already informed Navelette before he arrived.

“I know, but not much. You may not know that the current Elemental Dragon Kings are not actually in their complete form, and compared to the Elemental Dragon Kings, K’s ‘incompleteness’ is even more pronounced.”

"incomplete?"

“Yes, Mr. Richard may appear no different from a normal human on the surface, but in my opinion, it’s more like a disguise, just like some lizards in nature that change their skin color according to their environment,” Navelette explained.

“What do you mean?” Funina frowned. “Are you saying that Richard has been playing the role of a human all along?”

“Playing a human…I’m more inclined to conceal than to play myself. Richard probably wants to conceal the side of himself that is different from ‘humans’.”

After thinking for a moment, Navelette used herself as an example, "Ms. Furnessa, do you think I'm normal?"

“That’s normal. It feels like you haven’t changed at all in the last five hundred years,” Funina said after looking Navilet up and down.

"How does it compare to a normal human being?"

"Um...that's not normal."

Compared to normal humans, Navelette's emotions are much more detached. It is said that the Supreme Judge Navelette is the most just and impartial person in Fontaine.

In reality, no human being can be truly impartial and selfless, yet Villette has been able to handle every trial impartially for five hundred years, which is clearly not something a human being could do.

This is also Navigette's 'flaw'. Compared to the abundant and rich emotions of humans, Navigette appears dull and wooden, and could even be described as indifferent.

Compared to Navisette, Richard's emotions are much richer. He seems to be just like a normal person, with all the seven emotions and six desires. His perception of emotions can even be described as keen. Isn't that how I was manipulated by him?

“I think that although Richard may seem no different from ordinary people, he probably has some kind of emotional flaw, just like me. It’s just that he acts too naturally, or perhaps this flaw is hidden too deeply for you to notice. You can think carefully about how he differs from normal people in your daily lives,” Navelette said.

What's the difference...? Funina frowned and pondered, racking her brains but couldn't find anything unusual about Richard. He acted exactly like a normal person.

Claude, however, seemed to suddenly realize something and raised her hand, saying, "Perhaps it's too serious?"

“Him? Serious?” Funina blushed just thinking about Richard teasing her. How could he be considered serious?

Claudia, however, had a different opinion on this.

"Lady Funina, do you remember what I looked like in my formal dress?"

"Wasn't that just yesterday? I'm not that forgetful."

"Do you still remember the way those men looked at me at the banquet?"

"I remember it felt like they wanted to execute you on the spot," Funina complained.

Although those gentlemen appeared impeccably dressed, their eyes were actually filled with lust and lecherous desire as they looked at Clarinde.

Clarin blushed slightly upon hearing Frynn's suggestive words, but she continued, "Do you remember the way Richard looked at me?"

Furina was stunned. Only after Clorind's reminder did she belatedly realize that Richard's gaze towards Clorind seemed less lecherous and more like an appreciation of 'beauty'.

His eyes were very pure, not at all offensive or unpleasant to look at, and there was no lust in them.

Funina recalled the time when Richard looked at her while they were dancing, and how pure his gaze had been.

It's not that Frynn is bragging, but in terms of figure, she may not be as good as Clorind, but in terms of the exquisiteness of her appearance, there is probably no woman in all of Teyvat who is more beautiful than her, at most she is about the same.

In terms of looks, Funina is probably the best in Teyvat, the kind of person who appeals to both men and women.

The reason why no one pursued her was partly due to her status, and partly because Funina herself didn't have those kinds of thoughts, and very few people could catch her eye.

If Funina really posts looking for a partner, the line of people would probably stretch from Fontaine to Inazuma.

With such stunning beauty, it's hard to believe that Richard could remain completely unmoved while dancing with her!

Following this line of thought, Funina realized that Richard's 'suspiciousness' was increasing. He faced three beautiful girls in the office every day, yet he didn't have a single dirty thought. Such a person could be called a 'saint', right?

“Yesterday I asked Richard to dance, but he didn’t agree…” Claude muttered to herself.

While Clarinde may have wanted to use Richard to get rid of those suitors who were lustful, could a normal man really refuse an invitation to dance from a beauty like Clarinde?

Furthermore, Clarinde had some information she was too embarrassed to tell Funina: she had previously been lusting after Richard's body and had hinted that they could exchange it for something in return, namely, touching each other's lower abdomens. However, Richard rejected her without hesitation.

Very unreasonable!

Well, Clarinde was carrying some personal resentment here.

However, the logic is the same: as a normal man, Richard's behavior is completely inconsistent with, and even contradicts, that of a normal man.

Normal men are more or less controlled by their lower bodies, but what about Richard?

He was as if he didn't have a lower body! His calmness was terrifying!

Thinking of this, Funina wanted to run straight up to Richard and ask him if he was a man or not, and why he didn't react at all.

But considering the immense risks involved, and the high possibility of getting beaten up, or even... Funina ultimately abandoned this bold idea. After all, it was just speculation at the moment, and there was no concrete evidence to suggest that Richard had any problems in this area.

And even if there really is a problem, what does it have to do with her?

She's just Richard's boss, not his girlfriend...

"Perhaps he's a little slow on the uptake?" After saying that, even she herself felt a little unbelievable, after all, the other party's flirting techniques were truly like an old sow wearing a bra—one set after another.

“Of course, these are all just speculations at the moment. If you’re really curious, I suggest you go directly to the parties involved,” Navelette said.

"That makes sense, but who's going to ask?"

Frynn looked at Clorinde, and Clorinde looked at Frynn.

Clearly, both of them had pinned their hopes on each other, and even Clarinde shook her head rapidly in the face of this situation, refusing to ask Richard about such a thing.

Seeing this, Funina could only say, "Then let's talk about it tomorrow?"

Claude agreed, "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

The next day, Claurind and Furness arrived at the office early in the morning.

They found Lynette there too, but she didn't seem to be in good spirits, looking dazed as if... questioning the meaning of life?

"Linette, what's wrong with you?" Funina asked. In her memory, she rarely saw Linette with such an expression, like a kitten abandoned by its owner.

Lynette lowered her head, made a couple of clenched fists in front of her chest, and said in a complicated and slightly sad tone, "Lady Furina, do I have no womanly qualities at all?"

Funina glanced at Lynette's peach, then looked down at her own date. If Lynette had no femininity at all, then what was she?

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" Funina asked, puzzled. Wasn't Lynette perfectly fine yesterday? How did she suddenly become like this today?

“Sigh…” Lynette didn’t answer, but just let out a long sigh.

Funina:......

She hates guys who stop halfway through a sentence the most!

"Is it because of Richard?" Claude asked after thinking for a moment. After all, Richard should have been with Lynette last night, so she felt that Lynette's condition was probably related to Richard.