章 20: Negotiation and Price
When the term "Flame of the Phial" left Felina's mouth, Arlecchino's eyes flashed with surprise. The fact that Felina could identify the "Flame of the Phial" meant she had anticipated Arlecchino's intentions long before this conversation. More than that, it revealed that Felina had been waiting for Arlecchino to raise the matter of the children in the House of the Hearth.
But did this also mean Arlecchino had, once again, fallen into Felina's calculations?
"Before I came here," Arlecchino admitted, "I thought I had already afforded you the highest level of regard. But clearly, I still underestimated you."
"Miss Furina, I must say, your ability to gather intelligence has left me feeling quite uneasy," Arlecchino said with a hint of respect now showing in her gaze.
"Still," she continued, "since you already know my intentions and the existence of the 'Flame of the Phial,' this conversation will be a lot simpler."
"After all," she admitted, "for a diplomat to be outmaneuvered is quite a disgrace, yet I can't deny that you've read my intentions accurately."
"Under my authority as a Fatui Harbinger, I acknowledge that Lyney and the other children did indeed make a grave mistake," she continued, "but as their 'Father,' I can't bear the thought of them spending their lives confined in the Fortress of Meropide."
"But as you said, Fontaine's interests were indeed threatened by our recent actions. Responsibility must be taken, and the children of the House of the Hearth must bear that burden. To take them back to Snezhnaya would be to send them to their deaths."
"Fontaine is the Land of Water," she went on. "If Fontaine's society is like a body of clear water, then the children of the House of the Hearth are water tainted with ink, unable to blend back into society."
Arlecchino exhaled deeply, her gaze resting on Furina.
"So, as you have said, I intend to use the 'Flame of the Phial' to burn away all of the children's memories of the Fatui and the House of the Hearth, purging them of that 'ink' and turning them back into pure water so they can reenter Fontaine's society."
"But even if I'm willing to do this, Fontaine's master of these waters, the Hydro Archon herself, Miss Furina, must agree to accept these purified children. Otherwise, my efforts will be in vain."
"So, Miss Furina," Arlecchino implored, "I am asking for your help. Please grant these children a legitimate place in Fontaine, where they can live ordinary, happy lives."
Arlecchino's eyes held steady as she awaited Furina's response.
Felina listened with an amused smile.
"I certainly could help you," she replied. "But, Miss Arlecchino, you must understand that this is a game of strategy, and in this game, you lost. I have no obligation to help you."
Arlecchino caught her meaning clearly.
To test Furina, Arlecchino had ordered the children of the House of the Hearth to provoke Vacher into kidnapping Furina, even bribing and threatening a maid close to Furina to act as a Fatui informant.
Felina, in turn, dealt with Vacher and then leveraged the events surrounding the Primordial Sea to lay a counter-trap using the Gnosis as bait.
Thus went the strategic game between Felina and the Fatui. The Fatui had made their move, only for Felina to answer with a trap of her own.
In a game like this, the loser always paid a price.
Like two players facing off in a wager, had the Fatui won, Furina's life would have been in jeopardy. Since Felina had won, however, the children of the House of the Hearth were in jeopardy, and the Fatui would pay the price.
"Just as you say," Arlecchino acknowledged. "This was a game of strategy. And in this game, the children of the House of the Hearth are now the spoils of your victory. To lose in such a game is to accept the consequences—I have no objections to that."
"Still," she added, "it is a parent's duty to protect their children. So, in order to regain the children from your hands, I am prepared to pay a price."
Felina chuckled at that.
"I can certainly grant your request," she replied. "However, Miss Arlecchino, it is one thing to release over a hundred children from the Fortress of Meropide. It's another matter entirely to provide them with legitimate identities."
"And let me warn you," Felina continued, "the cost of fulfilling both requests will not be small."
"Quite right," Arlecchino nodded.
"Then I accept," Felina replied. "But for now, Miss Arlecchino, you have nothing I need. Let's just say that you owe me."
"Very well," Arlecchino said. "So long as it does not violate my principles, you may name your price whenever you wish."
"If that's all," Arlecchino said, rising to leave, "then I thank you both for your understanding. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go see the children."
But just as she turned to leave, Felina called after her.
"Wait!"
Arlecchino paused, turning back to Felina. "Miss Furina, is there something more?"
"Yes, there is," Felina replied, her face suddenly solemn. "Don't you think you owe me an apology for what you've done?"
This brought a stunned silence to the room, leaving not only Arlecchino but also Neuvillette taken aback.
Throughout their conversation, Felina had projected the image of someone shrewd, resilient, and highly strategic.
When Arlecchino had requested a path for the children's release, Felina had spoken of victory spoils and debts to be paid. Her manner had radiated the shrewdness of a calculating stateswoman, giving the impression that she was solely focused on state interests and political gains.
But now, in the next breath, she was demanding that Arlecchino apologize for her prior offenses.
It was like watching two children fight—where the winner insists that the loser apologize despite their mutual agreement to accept the game's outcome.
While Felina had won this match, such a demand struck Neuvillette as a bit petty, and even a bit childish.
And yet, despite the surprise of both Neuvillette and Arlecchino, Felina was dead serious.
To her, she was herself, and Furina was Furina.
All of the schemes, hardships, and confrontations could be hers to handle.
But Furina was special. To Felina, Furina's innocence, cheerfulness, and kindness were among the most beautiful things in the world.
Everything Felina did was to protect Furina's pure-hearted nature. All she wanted was for Furina to be safe and happy.
But Arlecchino's actions had endangered Furina, and her use of a spy had hurt Furina's trust.
So, when Felina plotted against the Fatui and now clashed with Arlecchino, it wasn't really about political gains at all. She simply wanted justice for Furina.
The gains were merely a side benefit; what Felina truly wanted was for Arlecchino to bow her head and apologize.
Call it childish or stubborn, but that was the depth of her devotion.
Arlecchino looked at Felina, holding her gaze for a long ten seconds.
In that moment, Arlecchino recognized the expression on Felina's face.
In the House of the Hearth, it was common for sisters to be taken in together. When trouble arose, a protective older sister would step forward, demand an apology for her younger sibling, and shield her with a fierce look in her eyes.
Felina now wore the same look as those older sisters.
"When Miss Furina shows yet another side to herself," Arlecchino said, her gaze steady on Felina, "if my apology can secure better treatment for the children of the House of the Hearth in the future…"
In the office, Arlecchino stood straight, one hand behind her back and the other placed respectfully on her chest. She bent in a deep bow toward Felina.
"Miss Furina, I offer my sincere apologies for the offenses I committed against you."
At the Fortress of Meropide
Arlecchino explained her decision to the children of the House of the Hearth. Her words caused an immediate uproar.
"Father, you can't do this!"
"This disaster needs someone to bear the consequences. If we all forget the past and begin new lives, you alone will shoulder the blame for everything that happened!"
"The fault was mine! I won't let Father take responsibility on my behalf!"
The one who reacted most passionately was Lyney.
Arlecchino smiled faintly at her boldness and loyalty to her family, traits she admired in him. Usually, she masked her emotions to preserve her authority, shrouding herself in a veil of mystery. But today, she smiled in front of the children—for today was their farewell, and there was no longer any need for pretense.
"Lyney, what I admire most about you is your willingness to stand up for your family."
"You have a kindness about you," she said thoughtfully, "and sometimes I think that if you weren't involved with the Fatui, you'd have made a wonderful father."
"To think that vision has come true in this way—fate truly is strange."
"Protecting children is the duty of a parent," she added firmly. "There's no need to worry about me—I am far from the point where I need my children to worry for me."
"Father!" Lyney exclaimed, on the verge of saying something more, but Arlecchino suddenly struck him in the stomach, knocking him unconscious. Being the most influential among the children, his silence put an end to the protests.
Under Arlecchino's supervision, each child took the "Flame of the Phial." As the flames burned, they fell into slumber; by the time the flames faded, they would awaken to new lives, their memories of the Fatui and House of the Hearth gone.
In the quiet of the Fortress of Meropide, Arlecchino cast a long, final look at the children as they lay sleeping. After a time, she sighed deeply. This was the last thing she could do for them as their "Father."
Without further delay, she turned and left the fortress. She didn't bring the children with her; from this moment forward, they would be ordinary citizens of Fontaine, with no ties to her or the Fatui. Fontaine's officials would see to their departure and new lives.
After leaving the Fortress of Meropide, Arlecchino returned to the House of the Hearth.
She didn't enter the building but leaped to the highest rooftop, where she gazed over the place that held so many memories for her.
Once filled with warmth, this home had fallen silent, left desolate by Fontaine's decree. The House of the Hearth held memories of her time with the children, as well as memories of a former friend.
Once, she had been neither a Harbinger nor known as "the Knave." Her name then was Peruere.
The House of the Hearth was a Fatui intelligence agency devoted to taking in orphans from all corners of the world. The exact method of raising these orphans, however, depended on the overseer of the House.
Before her, the Knave had been her predecessor, a woman named Crucabena, who served as the "Mother" to these orphans. She created a beautiful world cloaked in fairy tales, yet the true House of the Hearth was nothing short of a living hell.
The former Knave taught these children combat skills, then forced them to fight each other to the death, all to determine which child was the strongest—her chosen "King."
The number of casualties from these battles was staggering. The dead were left by the wayside, and the injured were sent to undergo experiments for the Harbinger "Dottore," or were assigned to perilous missions as expendable tools.
Back then, Peruere—who would later be known as Arlecchino—was one of these children and the one Crucabena favored most, believing she had the best chance of becoming the King.
Not long after, a new member joined the House of the Hearth. This new child was Crucabena's biological daughter, a girl named Clervie.
In contrast to Peruere's quiet and cold-blooded nature, Clervie was cheerful and innocent. She enjoyed her days in the fabricated fairy tale world of the House of the Hearth until she discovered the terrible truth.
She tried to plead with her mother, only to learn the bitter reality—her mother had never seen her as a true daughter. Bringing her to the House of the Hearth was merely a display of "fairness" to the other children.
Her pleas fell on deaf ears, and Crucabena even punished her for her defiance. Clervie tried to share the truth with the other children, but they were too deep in Crucabena's fabricated dreams to believe her words.
Peruere, however, saw through Crucabena's tricks with ease.
As the only two in the House who knew the truth, Peruere and Clervie naturally became friends. Together, they attempted to persuade the other children to aim for ties in the battles rather than outright victories, reducing casualties somewhat, though it was a superficial solution.
Again and again, they attempted to escape, rebel, and incite change, but every effort ended in brutal failure, leaving Clervie bloodied and battered.
Yet despite it all, Clervie never stopped resisting.
Whenever Peruere bandaged her wounds, Clervie would share her dreams of freedom. At night, she'd open the window, pouring out her longing for freedom to the moon. She told Peruere her greatest wish—to build a true "home," a place where everyone could live together in harmony and happiness.
Over time, as Peruere and Clervie grew older, Clervie's innocence faded, replaced by a despair that dulled her once-bright smile.
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