Felina's subtle shifts in expression, changes in tone, and unspoken implications exerted an unbearable pressure on Aishi. By this point, Aishi understood perfectly that the Archon had discovered her betrayal, and her actions and words now conveyed a silent reprimand and interrogation.
The overwhelming guilt and fear in her heart, combined with the divine presence weighing down upon her, made Aishi feel as though she were being roasted over an open flame; her hands shook uncontrollably as she held the teacup.
But the Archon simply urged her to drink the tea before it grew cold.
Aishi looked down at the cup in her hands, and in that moment, she understood the divine message. The Archon knew of her sins but, out of twelve years of master-servant loyalty, had decided to spare her and her family from disgrace, choosing not to put her on trial.
This tea was her poison. Drinking it would cleanse her sins through death, preserving both her and her family's reputation.
But not everyone has the courage to face death. Her hands trembled violently, her heart pounded wildly.
She feared death. She couldn't bring herself to drink it.
But the Archon's gaze, sharp as a blade, compelled her to.
At last, under the silent pressure from the Archon and for the sake of her family, she brought the cup to her lips with trembling hands and drank it in one gulp.
She closed her eyes, awaiting death. Yet, she waited a long while, and death did not come.
"I... I'm not dead?"
She gasped for air, as if she had nearly drowned, before looking at the Archon with a confused expression, only to see her smile faintly. "How was it? Did it taste good?"
The unrelenting pressure, the terror of life and death—it was all too much for her, an ordinary girl, to bear.
Freed from the terror of death, she crumbled from the torment, rolling off the sofa and collapsing at the Archon's feet. Sobbing, she cried out in despair, "Lady Furina! I am guilty!"
"Hmm?"
The Archon looked at her with feigned confusion. "We were just having a friendly chat. Why suddenly bring up guilt? What crime could you possibly be guilty of?"
"I… I was a spy placed by the Fatui at your side, leaking information about you for years. Even last night, I revealed to them that Miss Clorinde would be escorting the Gnosis to Fortress of Meropide!"
"Lady Furina, I know my crimes are unforgivable, that I deserve death, but I beg you to spare my family!"
"Hmph!"
It was only now that Felina's demeanor finally turned completely cold.
"I remember… Twelve years ago, after your parents died in the countryside, you and your sisters, just eight and five, begged on the streets of Fontaine."
"I took pity on you, brought you into my household, fed you, gave you a place to live, and ensured that you and your family wouldn't starve."
"But you betrayed me, nearly putting the people of Fontaine in grave peril! You have committed an unforgivable crime! You… truly disappoint me!"
After these words, Felina took a deep breath. "I am disappointed, yet, out of twelve years of loyalty, if I were to put you on trial, wouldn't that make me ungrateful?"
With those words, Aishi finally understood Felina's intentions.
"I… I understand."
"Oh?" Felina looked down at the maid on the floor, scrutinizing her.
The maid knelt with her body and spirit trembling. "Tonight… On my way home… I will likely stumble into the water and drown. That way… your reputation will remain untarnished, Lady Furina…"
"But, but… my two younger sisters know nothing of these things. I beg you, Lady Furina, please spare them!"
Weeping, she kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead hitting the ground so hard it began to bleed.
Yet the Archon ignored her pleas, instead leaning forward, reaching toward her with a hand that glowed faintly blue.
From that soft glow, she sensed a killing intent, a fear as if she were plunging into the depths of an ocean, choking with terror.
So, the Archon had chosen not to forgive her after all and would kill her herself.
But just as her heart threatened to burst from terror, the death she expected did not come.
The Archon's hand only rested gently on her shoulder.
She looked up suddenly, shocked, and found the Archon smiling down at her.
"Aishi, I still care for our bond as master and servant."
"Go home and sleep well. Don't throw yourself into the sea. I guarantee peace and safety for you and your family."
At those words, Aishi felt as if she had received a royal pardon, collapsing in relief.
After a long moment, she finally calmed from the overwhelming emotional turmoil.
"Thank you for your mercy, Lady Furina!"
"I am deeply sorry for betraying your trust. I regret it more than I can say and hope that you will take care of yourself from now on."
She knelt down again, offering three sincere kowtows as both apology and gratitude.
Then, she rose to her feet, folded her hands neatly in front of her, and offered a slight bow as she did every evening. "Lady Furina, I will take my leave."
Felina didn't say anything, merely waved her hand, indicating for her to go.
Aishi left, leaving Felina alone in the room.
Leaning back on the sofa, she appeared slightly lonely.
"I thought you would kill her," Furina's voice broke the silence.
"Oh? Did you think she deserved to die?"
"I… I don't know how to explain it. I have mixed feelings about her. I just didn't expect that you, with your decisive nature, would let her go so easily."
"Given your temperament, I wouldn't have expected you to let her off so easily."
A bit perplexed, Furina asked, "Felina, was there a special reason?"
Felina listened, then after a brief silence, responded. "Furina, do you know what it's like to be a person at the very bottom?"
"Hmm? Why do you ask?" Furina looked puzzled.
Felina continued, "Imagine you're a servant to a god, and one day your sister falls ill. You're the sole breadwinner in your family, but your salary isn't enough to cover her medical bills."
"And then someone comes to you, offering to pay your sister's medical expenses in exchange for some minor information about the god—such as favorite foods, or perhaps a preferred color of clothing or type of book. Nothing confidential, nothing that would affect the god. You could obtain this information easily. Would you agree?"
"For my sister's sake, I suppose I would. It doesn't seem like a big deal," Furina answered, a bit uncertainly.
"Exactly. But now it's winter, your family's food stores are low, and your sister has no proper clothing to survive the cold. The person comes again, bringing provisions and warm clothing. This time, the price is a bit more specific: they want to know the god's schedule. What would you choose?"
Furina hesitated. "I... I'm not sure."
"Having accepted their aid once before, you agree again to help your sisters. You select a day when the god's plans seem trivial and pass it on."
"The next time they come, though, they demand classified information about the god. Knowing it's a betrayal, you refuse. But they blackmail you, reminding you that you've already taken their money and shared the god's schedule, which is illegal. If you won't cooperate, they'll report you and you'll be imprisoned. Then who will care for your sisters?"
Felina's words shook Furina deeply.
"So, the moment she accepted that first bit of help, corruption had already set in? Was that why Aishi betrayed me?"
"Precisely." Felina nodded. "That's what it means to be at the bottom, to endure hardship for just a few silvers."
"Even though she served the god of the entire land, she viewed you as her benefactor and didn't want to trouble you with her burdens when hardship struck."
"She's simply someone who, during a moment of difficulty, was tempted into darkness by a scoundrel and found herself too deeply entangled to ever turn back."
Felina shook her head slightly.
In her past life, she had come from humble origins, and even now, despite her godly position, she held deep compassion for those burdened by poverty.
This compassion was why she had chosen to spare Aishi.
But why had she just now put Aishi through such an intense test of emotions?
The reason was that Aishi, having served Furina for twelve years, knew too much. Even if she were dismissed, she knew far more than the average person.
Felina's emotional trial was meant to impress upon her how precious her life was and how unlikely it was that she'd been allowed to keep it.
If forgiveness had come too easily, Aishi wouldn't have valued the mercy she'd received, and in the future, during difficult times, she might once again be tempted to sell Furina's secrets.
Felina could show mercy, but she also needed to ensure that Aishi would never again endanger Furina. That was her way.
Midnight
With Furina fast asleep, Felina took control of her body and got up.
"Someone, come."
She summoned Furina's intelligence officers.
"Go watch over Aishi," she ordered. "Make sure no one sees, and ensure that it looks like she perished in a fire."
"Understood, Lady Furina!"
The intelligence officers quickly left.
That night, flames consumed Aishi's home.
"Why? How could this happen?"
From the distant mountains, Aishi clutched her two sisters' hands, watching their home go up in flames with a look of utter confusion.
Hadn't the Archon forgiven her? Then why was this happening?
"Your naivety is what brought you to this state."
One of the agents sent by Felina approached her, wielding a long blade and stepping forward with calm deliberation.
"Did you think you could walk away so easily?"
"The moment you decided to pass information to the Fatui, you had already stepped into the abyss. Even if the Archon forgave you, do you think you could live peacefully?"
"Don't be foolish. Your information led to the arrest of many Fatui, the closure of Northland Bank, and the expulsion of all Snezhnayan forces."
"Did you think the Fatui would forgive you? Did you think you'd live out your life in peace? No, they would see to it that your family is murdered in your own home by morning."
The intelligence officer threw a bag of Mora at her feet, disgust clear on his face.
"Remember this: as far as anyone knows, you and your family died in those flames tonight."
"Take this money. Get new names, new identities, and a new home."
"This is the Archon's final mercy."
With that, the officer turned and walked away.
Standing atop the mountain, Aishi looked at the charred remains of her home, then down at the bag of Mora at her feet.
Her sins weighed heavily on her heart.
The Archon's mercy left her overwhelmed with shame.
Only now did she understand just how far she had fallen.
Only now did she realize what a gentle goddess she had betrayed.
Only now did she understand the magnitude of trust she had squandered.
Only now did she recognize the enormity of her sin.
Though she hadn't faced judgment in court, perhaps she had received her judgment in another form.
"One misstep, and every step that followed was deeper into ruin. By the time I realized it, there was no going back."
Emotionally shattered, she dropped to her knees and, sobbing, kowtowed in the direction of the Palais Mermonia.
"Forgive me, Lady Furina! Aishi was wrong!"
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