While Neuvillette and Traveler were discussing what to do next, Furina had already arrived at the Opera House.
She sat in her usual highest seat in the Opera House, then rested her hand on her face, idly waiting for the performance to begin.
To be honest, she wasn't really in the mood to watch a performance right now, but... she had to maintain her persona after all.
Moreover, watching a performance was essentially a way to distract herself.
By focusing her mind and body on the stage, she could temporarily forget the suspicious glances from the public, and temporarily forget Neuvillette's suspicions.
Then... she would quietly wait for time to pass, waiting for her Mirror Self to resolve everything.
She hadn't lied to Neuvillette; her plan was—"no plan."
Or rather, because of the promise from her Mirror Self, her plan had only one word: "wait."
As for those pieces of information... she truly didn't know them.
To put it bluntly, if she really knew where the root of all these problems lay, she wouldn't be as helpless as she was today.
Just as Furina was contemplating these issues, the curtain on the stage slowly opened, and a standard Fontaine Opera began.
Perhaps because Lord Yuto had personally participated in the Fontaine Opera Arts Festival earlier, playwrights in Fontaine had been creating new Fontaine Operas for some time now.
Lord Yuto's actions seemed to have re-energized a market that had fallen silent; Fontaine Operas, which were once seen less than once a month, were now performed almost daily.
Of course, provided there was no Judgment.
This was naturally a good thing for Furina; whether it was to pass the time or to distract herself... spending time in the Opera House was excellent.
However...
Even here, even though she sat in the highest seat in the entire Opera House, even though the performance before her had thoroughly begun...
She still had to endure those suspicious gazes.
Unless Furina lived in isolation, it was impossible for her not to be scrutinized with such gazes.
But she couldn't just shrink away in Palais Mermonia, completely isolating herself from the outside world, and wait for her Mirror Self to solve the problem.
Because doing so would not bring her peace and tranquility; instead, it would only bring her more trouble.
She merely maintained her usual calm, appearing composed, yet she still suffered so much suspicion, even her own Assistant Administrator doubted her...
She dared not imagine how they would treat her if she truly showed signs of evading the problem.
...
Though she was supposedly watching the Fontaine Opera, Furina's mind was completely elsewhere.
She was still, as she had been last night, quietly pondering what she should do next and how her next performance should be.
Unbeknownst to her, the first act of the Fontaine Opera had ended, and the traditional half-hour intermission had begun.
It was then that Furina overheard a conversation among a few people sitting directly below her.
"Do you think... Lady Furina really has a solution for The Prophecy?"
"She should, right? Otherwise, she wouldn't be sitting here so calmly watching the performance. If Fontaine were to be destroyed, she'd be more anxious than any of us."
"But... Lord Yuto went missing because of her plan, didn't he?"
"Exactly, what you said is truly laughable. She might be more anxious than us, but she can't even save her own Assistant Administrator, so how can she save us?"
"Shh! Aren't you afraid of being arrested by the Special Patrol Team for saying such things?!"
"What's the big deal? Even employees of the Shadowy Court think so, why can't I say it?"
...
Hearing the dispute between the three, Furina gently closed her eyes, then quickly took several deep breaths, as if trying to calm herself down this way.
But the girl's still trembling hands betrayed her true feelings at this moment.
For Furina, these words were like cold, gleaming blades piercing sharply into her heart.
It hurt.
It really hurt.
She had clearly been striving to uncover the truth of The Prophecy, she had clearly been working hard, but... but why...
Why didn't they understand her?
Furina couldn't comprehend it.
She silently lowered her head, sitting in that seemingly lofty seat, appearing to be deep in thought, or perhaps struggling to hold back tears.
After a long silence, the girl finally slowly stood up in the last five minutes of the intermission, picked up her splendor of tranquil waters from beside her seat, and left the Opera House.
She now had a very unrealistic idea.
That was to go to Lord Yuto's office, pick up the Little Sanhua she so adored, and accompany it for an afternoon tea outside, without the usual guest.
...
In the end, Furina still chose not to take Little Sanhua out for afternoon tea.
Firstly, it would be a bit too conspicuous, and secondly... after eating the cake and drinking the black tea personally made and brewed by Lord Yuto, she found other desserts and black teas bland.
Rather than subjecting her body and mind to torment simultaneously, it was better to stay quietly in Lord Yuto's office.
At least this way... Lord Yuto would see her the moment he returned.
Looking at Little Sanhua, who showed no interest in the ball of yarn, Furina blinked in surprise.
"Don't all kittens like balls of yarn?"
Furina said as she stroked Little Sanhua, who then picked up the ball of yarn, and with a gentle leap, landed on the seat where Lord Yuto usually sat.
"?"
Furina looked at Little Sanhua, who gradually began to play with the ball of yarn, with some confusion, as if she suddenly understood something.
"So... you're thinking of him too?"
The girl lowered her head slightly and whispered:
"I miss him too..."
At this moment, Furina did not yet know that a storm, brewing from Palais Mermonia, the Spina di Rosula, the Fatui, and the foreign Traveler... was quietly approaching her.
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