Once again, Richard's office served as the meeting ground, though the person sitting across from him had changed.
"Secretary General Richard, you called for me?" Clorinde held her hat in her arms, her long, deep-blue hair cascading down to her waist.
"Miss Clorinde, please have a seat," Richard gestured to the chair opposite him, his tone welcoming.
Clorinde showed no hesitation. She hung her hat on the coat rack beside her and sat opposite Richard.
As she bent down to sit, her shirt around the chest area puffed out, the button there clearly under a lot of strain, with the fabric pulled to its limit.
Fortunately, Richard was a gentleman; he looked once and then politely looked away.
It wasn't going to pop off anyway, so staring wouldn't help.
Clorinde obviously knew the quality of her clothing, too, so she wasn't concerned. She was more curious about why Richard had called her for a private meeting.
To be honest, although Clorinde was Furina's bodyguard and Richard was Furina's secretary general, making them colleagues in a sense, they had exchanged only a few words between them until now.
So this sudden private invitation didn't seem like just a casual chat.
"How have you been finding your workload lately, Miss Clorinde?"
"Just Clorinde is fine. As for work, it's manageable. Thanks to the title of 'Fontaine's Strongest Duelist,' aside from a few bothersome reporters, there aren't many situations where I actually need to act. And since Lady Furina has only been staying around the Court of Fontaine and City Hall lately, both very secure places, there hasn't been much to worry about."
Clorinde explained. This cold-looking woman wasn't actually as unapproachable as she seemed on the surface.
At least, that was Richard's impression, though he had been quite angry back when she had backstabbed him once.
In hindsight, she probably didn't do it on purpose. Still, Richard… wasn't planning to forgive her.
Not doing it on purpose means you should be forgiven?
If "unintentional" excuses were valid, what was the point of the Court of Fontaine?
"I heard you're also helping the Court deal with those old cold cases. Are you managing alright?" Richard asked with feigned concern.
Clorinde wanted to say she was managing fine, but the words caught in her throat.
It might work to fool others, but not herself.
With a soft sigh, the cold beauty's stern face finally showed a hint of another expression.
"I'm getting by. Just cuts into personal time."
In other words: overtime.
What a foreign concept. Richard couldn't even remember the last time he heard that word. Ever since coming to Fontaine, he'd been disconnected from it.
That's one of the reasons Richard was so fond of Fontaine; at least no one worked overtime here!
Don't be fooled by the fact that Fontaine's public servants had a ton of trivial tasks every day. As long as you weren't aiming for promotion, leaving work on time wouldn't get you scolded.
And as a seasoned veteran, Richard found all those little chores to be a breeze. With a bit of networking, he quickly adapted to Fontaine and was promoted to Executive Secretary General.
If Furina hadn't parachuted into her position, Richard would've been in line to become the next Minister of Administration after sending off the current one.
It seemed the reason Fontaine's public servants weren't "busy" was because someone else was carrying the burden for them.
That said, the administrative department wasn't really a critical one in Fontaine. Although closely tied to the citizens' lives, Fontaine was a nation of justice, and only with enough force could absolute justice be upheld.
The Court was the true seat of power. So, working overtime and being constantly busy? Understandable.
City Hall was at best… logistics? Naturally, it would be much more relaxed than the Court.
"Sacrificing rest time… If I may ask bluntly, Clorinde, how long has it been since you got off work at a normal time?"
"Getting off work on time?" Clorinde looked slightly dazed, as if such a thing had nothing to do with her.
Richard rephrased the question: "How do you usually know when your workday is over?"
"When Furina returns to her chambers, my duty as her bodyguard ends. In other words, that's when I get off work," Clorinde answered.
"And that usually happens around…"
"Hard to say. Sometimes it depends on Furina. Sometimes trials go late into the night, maybe around eight or nine. Other times she returns early, like four or five," Clorinde said while trying to recall.
"Ever since she became the Minister of Administration, her return time has been more consistent."
"Definitely after six or seven."
Hearing this, Richard, though an outsider, couldn't help but feel sympathy.
This bodyguard sure had it tough.
But "tough" was good—because the tougher things were, the more likely his next plan would succeed.
If this job were all sunshine and rainbows, how would Richard ever convince Clorinde to consider a new one?
"What about vacations? You do get vacation days, right?" Richard asked with fake concern, as if he really cared.
Clorinde didn't hide anything. These were the kinds of things Richard could easily find out anyway—no point in lying.
"I do get them. Normally, we rotate. As long as Furina's safety is ensured, someone else can take my shift. Usually, it's every half month."
"So, theoretically, you get half a month off?"
Hearing that, Clorinde shook her head. If only it were that easy.
"In theory, yes. But in practice, things rarely go as planned. As you know, I'm a Duelist Champion. Besides dealing with suspects accused of damaging reputations, I also have other responsibilities."
"So your actual time off is…"
"One day?" Clorinde guessed, then waved her hand.
"Anyway, during that period, I can at least finish work on time, around five o'clock. The rest of the time is entirely mine, provided nothing unexpected happens."
Normally, Clorinde wouldn't add that "provided" part unless those unexpected things happened often.
So Richard deliberately asked, "Unexpected?"
"Like the Court lacking personnel, whether for arresting dangerous suspects or filling in emergency shifts. Life's full of surprises. You just get used to it."
Richard: "…"
At this point, Richard strongly suspected that this "cold beauty" wasn't actually cold, just emotionally numbed by years of overwork.
But with all this groundwork laid, Richard finally moved toward the real topic.
"So, Clorinde… ever considered a career change?"