Yes, Lady Funina!

This guy is far too petty.

Richard remained calm, not because he was petty, but because he had been bitten by a snake once and was afraid of ropes for ten years.

"Richard, if we really want to achieve the separation of powers you mentioned... aren't there huge obstacles in the way?"

Even though Funina has rarely been actively involved in politics over the past century, her position has broadened her horizons, and she has come to understand that Richard will inevitably face obstacles in achieving his goals.

Richard nodded. "After all, it's about changing a political structure that has been in place for a century. Those nobles, the presidents of the major merchant guilds, and most of the officials of the Mo Mang Palace are actually unwilling to see change happen."

Although change means opening up upward mobility channels, how could those who have already risen to the top be happy to see someone catch up to them?

After all, there are limited positions; when someone moves up, someone else has to move down.

Nobody wants to be that person, but nobody can guarantee that it won't be them.

Therefore, resistance is inevitable.

"But... it's just a futile struggle," Richard said calmly, not taking the potential obstacles seriously at all.

Funina thought Richard's way of speaking was quite cool, and seeing how confident he was, she didn't say anything more.

What more can I say? Just lie still and wait for Richard to make his move.

While Fryna might not be able to carry others to victory, she's a master at being carried herself.

"I just heard you say that Lynette is going to be the executive secretary for Fukalos. What will you do then?" Funina suddenly thought of this question. If that happens, won't Richard be without a secretary?

"Me? I don't care. Besides, when it really comes down to needing people, isn't there still Clarind?"

Claudia thinks this should be considered workplace bullying, right?

After all, she is Funina's personal secretary, not Richard's personal secretary. It's not appropriate for Richard to use someone else's personal secretary, is it?

Even if we're going to use it, we should at least offer some benefits, right?

How can you expect a horse to run without giving it grass?

Clarinde didn't say a single word of these things.

Oh well, let her use it. She's already used to it.

“You’re right,” Funina thought Richard was absolutely right.

Clarin looked at her boss with a wistful expression. "They're using your secretary! Why are you acting so normal, Lady Furina, as if it's perfectly natural?"

Noticing Clorind's resentful gaze, Funina immediately changed her tune, saying, "Well, of course, we'll have to consult Clorind's opinion before using it, and overtime pay is definitely a must."

Is this a matter of overtime pay?

Even if overtime pay is to be given, it won't come out of Richard's pocket; it's all public money being spent!

"And what do you mean, Claurind?" Richard asked.

“I’m fine with either,” Clarinde replied immediately.

"That's good. If you have any questions or difficulties, just let me know. There's no need to be polite between colleagues. Perhaps I can help you in some way?" Richard said with a smile.

Indeed, you are not polite at all when you order me around, Clarin thought to herself.

There are definitely difficulties. Originally, she was just Funina's secretary, but now she has become the secretary of both Funina and Richard. Nobody wants to have an extra job for no reason, right?

Wait a minute… Clorind suddenly realized, didn’t Richard just say he could help her?

The subtext is that she can make some requests?

Some requests that aren't too unreasonable?

Thinking of this, Claudia's heart skipped a beat, and she checked again to see if Richard meant it that way.

Can I make a request?

“Of course.” Richard affirmed. After all, he wasn’t some devil. Making Clarin do two jobs naturally required corresponding compensation.

Overtime pay is provided by the company, and as a leader, Richard naturally has to give some personal recognition for his subordinates' efforts; otherwise, morale will be low and the team will be difficult to manage.

However, these things cannot be said in private; they must be said in front of Furlinda, otherwise who knows what strange requests Clarinde might make to him.

"Then take the picture..."

"Reasonable, in accordance with public order and good morals, and will not affect the needs of others."

"..."

Ultimately, Clarinde chose to temporarily retain the right to make this request, since the Momon Palace had not yet been divided, and before the restructuring was finalized, Lynette was still Richard's secretary.

As for work, it's not her turn to do it for now.

At the end of afternoon tea, Claude suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Richard, Navia wants to invite you to dinner, and she specifically asked me to ask if you're free?"

"take me Out to eat?"

"Yes, they said they wanted to thank you for your earlier reminder, which saved most of the residents of Baisong Town from being dissolved by the seawater."

If Richard hadn't noticed the unusual activity in the amniotic fluid beforehand and had the residents of Baisong Town evacuated in time, Navia didn't even dare to imagine the consequences.

Therefore, after the disaster, Navia wanted to find an opportunity to thank Richard. So, she asked her best friend Clarinde to ask Richard when he would be free so that she could express the residents of Whitesong Town's gratitude to Richard.

"Is that so? There's no need for such a grand ceremony." Richard didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

In his view, the fact that the residents of Baisong Town had shown a significant improvement in their attitude towards the city hall and even Fontaine after the disaster of the seawater flooding was already the best reward.

It should be noted that due to some historical issues, although Baisong Town was under the administration of Fengdanting, a considerable number of residents in Baisong Town did not have a good impression of Fengdanting.

Now that we have this life-saving grace, it is equivalent to indirectly recapturing Baisong Town.

In more concrete terms, Baisong Town's stance towards Fontaine changed from nominal submission to full submission.

Removing the surface means that the decrees issued by Mo Mang Palace can be implemented in Baisong Town better, faster, and more efficiently.

That alone was enough to achieve Richard's goal.

"So, are you going?" Clarinde wanted Richard to give her a straight answer, no, whether she was going or not, so she could go back and give Navia a definite answer.

“If it’s just a meal, then there’s no problem. Besides, we need the support of some reputable organizations in the community regarding the separation of powers.” Richard accepted the invitation to the banquet.

Funina wasn't particularly interested in being treated to meals, but considering that the owner of the Rose of the Thorn Society was quite attractive, Funina couldn't help but take a closer look.

However, she wouldn't say she wanted to go along; that would be too shameless, and Funina couldn't do such a thing.

If I were to go with Richard on all of this, wouldn't that be a clear sign of distrust towards Richard?

She's not jealous of Fu.

Besides, Clarinde was still with them.

Of course, Funina couldn't just do nothing. She decided to treat Richard to a meal, but not the kind of meal at a restaurant. Nothing else could express the sentiment as well as something she made herself.

Throughout her life, she, Funina, was never inferior to anyone, and this should also apply to her hospitality.

“Richard, come to my house for dinner tonight,” Funina said.

Richard slowly typed out a question mark.

However, he still agreed, and after calculating the time, it was indeed time to give Funina her second soul therapy.

The situation on Fukaros's side has stabilized, and Richard's efforts to consolidate it are no longer necessary.

But Funina's situation is different from Fukaros's; hers is a chronic illness that requires gradual treatment.

Therefore, the current situation is basically that Richard is using his power to help Funina sort out her soul while also checking Fukaros's soul.

This is a weekly task.

Soon it was time to leave work, and Fulina didn't try to hide it from anyone. Instead, she openly and brazenly left right on time and took Richard straight upstairs.

After the prophecy of the crisis was resolved, Funina seemed to stop hiding her true feelings. She didn't care what others thought; they could think whatever they wanted. She was no longer the Funina who used to be so cautious and fearful of not being able to reach the other side.

She's already ashore!

"Ta-da! Here comes Funina's curry macaroni!" Funina brought a steaming plate of macaroni to Richard.

And this was their dinner tonight, despite Funina's earlier boast that she would personally cook a big meal for Richard to show her sincerity.

But the ideal is full, the reality is very skinny.

Contrary to expectations, Funina's cooking skills were not as good as she had imagined. After all, Funina rarely cooked for herself, and even when she did go into the kitchen, she could only make some desserts.

Therefore, she spent a long time fiddling around in the kitchen, and in the end, she only made a simple home-style dish that even a baby like Fontaine could make—curry-flavored macaroni.

Simply blanch the macaroni, then add the curry sauce you bought along with the macaroni. After a short heating, pour the curry sauce over the macaroni, and a delicious plate of curry macaroni is ready.

Although this dish looks simple, it is actually not difficult at all.

But what's important isn't the dish itself, but the girlish sentiment conveyed in that macaroni.

Do you understand the meaning behind it? That's what's most precious.

...Well, even Funina herself couldn't keep up the story.

Looking at his masterpiece, before Richard could even pick up his chopsticks, he tried to salvage the situation by saying, "There's no food left in the kitchen at home, just these. How about... I go to the cafeteria and buy some more?"

“No need, this is fine.” Richard could see Funina’s embarrassment, but he didn’t insist on having a nice meal.

Although it was a bit hard to accept that Funina treated everyone to a meal of macaroni, it was at least something Funina had personally cooked.

To be honest, Richard was the first person to eat food cooked by Funina herself, and that alone made the trip worthwhile.

Moreover, while curry pasta is not difficult to make, precisely because it is simple, the taste is unlikely to be bad.

By general standards of food, it could be described as 'delicious'.

Perhaps feeling that the dinner was a bit too perfunctory, Funina quickly finished her pasta and then went into the kitchen to prepare dessert for Richard.

When it comes to desserts, Funina has a lot to say. Let's just say it's her area of ​​expertise. Perhaps she's not good at cooking, but Funina feels she's quite skilled at making desserts.

Actually, Richard wasn't really interested in desserts. He was clearly more interested in Funina, who was dressed in casual clothes and an apron, looking like a cook...

Chapter 172 Funina, Don't Play with Fire

Richard wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but ever since the power was restored, he felt uneasy and had an inexplicable restlessness.

This restlessness is often amplified when spending time with Funina and the others, especially when they are alone together.

Richard chose to send the cat to be the permanent secretary to Fukalos for two reasons: firstly, it was indeed an excellent opportunity, and secondly, he also wanted to have some peace and quiet.

What's wrong with him... Richard had actually realized something, but he just didn't want to think about it.

Richard sat on the sofa, but his eyes kept drifting towards the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, Funina was focused on making desserts. While whipping egg whites with a mixer, some egg liquid inevitably splashed out due to the excessive power.

Fortunately, Funina turned down the power in time, and because she was wearing an apron, her clothes didn't get dirty.

Although she was a little flustered at first, she quickly found her rhythm, and her long, beautiful legs moved back and forth in the kitchen like fluttering butterflies.

It was blindingly white.

Richard had at least squinted, but he soon realized that his actions had gone a bit too far.

Sigh, I've already reached this age?

Richard felt a little melancholy. According to the dragon's age, he should be in his adolescence and indeed of mating age.

Richard had actually had this idea a long time ago, but it was temporarily suppressed due to his own objective problems. Now that the problem has been solved, the more he suppressed it, the stronger the rebound will be...

"Hoo..." Richard slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, suppressing the erotic thoughts in his mind with his willpower, and his eyes became clear again.

However, this is not a long-term solution. As the saying goes, it is better to dredge than to block. Dredging... how come we've come full circle again?

He was probably really hungry.

When Funina came out of the kitchen, she saw Richard staring seriously at the coffee table in front of him, as if there was something special about it.

"Is there something wrong with my coffee table?" Funina came to Richard's side and followed his gaze to the coffee table, but it looked like an ordinary coffee table. If you had to say, it could be considered an antique, as it had been in her house for many years.

Considering that this coffee table was used by a god, it can be considered a divine artifact, right?

But if that's the case, then her clothes must be divine robes, underwear or something...

What am I thinking about?

Funina shook her head, clearing her mind of all the jumbled thoughts.

"I've already put the little cakes I made in the oven, and they'll be ready to eat in a bit."