As their conversation progressed, Madam Fumizuki grew increasingly fond of Jeanne as she listened to her recount little Tal's recent experiences.
Despite knowing that the complexity of this child's identity rivaled that of her own Talulah, Fumizuki believed that Jeanne did not harbor the ulterior motives Wei Yenwu feared. Specifically, the fear that Jeanne intended to control their child and use her unique status to play the three major powers against each other for profit.
She couldn't blame Wei Yenwu for being suspicious; suspicion was ingrained in his character and was the very foundation of how he had maintained his footing here for so many years.
But the current situation left him with no choice but to overthink. Setting aside Talulah's connections to Lungmen and Ursus, her ties to Victoria alone could stir up a storm. Given that Victoria currently lacked a new Lion King, leading to constant internal strife, Talulah's identity was a prime stepping stone. Even the Sarkaz of Kazdel had such thoughts, flirting with various factions despite having no direct link to Victoria.
"So, what are your plans for the future? You can't stay in the snowy realms forever and never come out again, can you?"
Fumizuki felt a flicker of worry for their future. She knew the snowy regions well; they were simply no place for ordinary people to live. As an elder, she didn't want to see Talulah and the others spend the rest of their lives there, repeating the same tasks day after day and wasting their lives away.
Since Fumizuki didn't yet know what her niece was actually doing, she naturally couldn't imagine that Talulah was running an Infected resistance organization in that frozen wasteland. In most people's eyes, anyone out on those snow plains was likely so impoverished they were practically eating dirt—what could they possibly achieve?
Fumizuki's thought was that even if the child wasn't ready to see them yet, they could provide the funds for her to live elsewhere. Colombia, for instance—a place where as long as you had enough money, even the Infected could have a decent living space or even their own estate. Opening a factory or a farm there while treating her Oripathy—wouldn't that be wonderful?
"We... will stay in the snow plains for a while longer. Talulah said she wants to help the Infected there. As you know, the attitude toward the Infected in that place is... brutal."
Jeanne calling the Ursus attitude "brutal" was actually a compliment. If they weren't afraid of contracting Oripathy themselves, those Ursusians would likely be dipping their bread in Infected blood. While their current actions weren't far off from literal blood-drinking, the Ursusians wouldn't mind a change in the flavor of their military rations if conditions allowed.
Nevertheless, Jeanne had no intention of telling the other woman about Reunion. It was a sensitive organization; the fewer people who knew, the better. An Infected organization, by its very nature, would be classified as a hostile faction by any ruler the moment it appeared.
"As for a few years down the line, we plan to enter other cities to look for development opportunities. I imagine by then, you and Talulah will be able to meet."
Hearing this, Fumizuki nodded slightly. It seemed they had a proper plan for their future, so she didn't need to intervene. However, she likely didn't realize what kind of scene it would be when she finally met Talulah again.
"Then I can rest easy. Just let us know when you decide where to go; we'll see which local friends can help you out."
To Fumizuki, Jeanne's mention of "other cities" implied seeking development in other countries, and she figured they could lend a hand when that time came. The conversation inside the room was warm and cozy, suggesting that the worst-case scenarios envisioned by Lord Wei wouldn't come to pass.
At least, that's what the ninja Shirayuki thought as she observed from a distant corner. Her hiding spot was quite a distance from the villa, and because it was so well-concealed, no one without high-level counter-reconnaissance skills could have spotted her.
Originally, Shirayuki had planned to hide closer to the villa to intervene if anything went wrong and protect the Princess. But the problem was twofold: first, the Princess had ordered her to stay back; second, she knew just how freakish Jeanne's situational awareness was. Even at this distance, Shirayuki tried to keep her emotions as calm as a still lake, fearing that any internal shift might catch Jeanne's attention.
That intuition of hers was simply an unfair ability. For a ninja hidden in the shadows, it was like being under a spotlight; there was simply no way to hide. Shirayuki even had a nagging feeling that Jeanne already knew she was there, as the girl had glanced toward her position several times.
"What's the situation inside?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind Shirayuki, making the ninja jump. She hadn't detected anyone approaching her at all. She spun around to see Wei Yenwu appearing in the small, cramped space, forced to hunch over to speak.
His eyes still held a look of worry. Although Fumizuki had told him not to overthink, those thoughts crawled out like tiny insects the moment he was alone. He had intended not to dwell on it, but when he was idle, he couldn't help but fantasize—it was better to come here and see for himself.
Besides, his eyelid had been twitching all evening, giving him a premonition that something bad was about to happen. His hunches were usually spot-on; something was bound to go wrong today!
As for why he didn't just go inside... his wife had said it would just be the two of them meeting, and he didn't want to make her angry over something like this. This was the maturity of a successful man! Yes, maturity—definitely not a fear of his wife!
"Lord Wei, there are no accidents inside. Though if you want to talk about 'events'... Miss Jeanne seems to have found something near the armrest of the seat."
Shirayuki watched Jeanne, who looked puzzled inside the room, holding a small, square object that had suddenly appeared in her hand. It looked like a card.
"The armrest? A card? Wait, let me see!"
Wei Yenwu seemed to remember something. He rushed to the window to check the situation. Inside, the two women were staring at each other in surprise over the sudden appearance of a strange object.
"I'm screwed!"
The only thought in Wei Yenwu's mind was to find a time machine, go back to the past, and rewrite history before any of this happened. He couldn't understand—he had hidden it so well! How on earth was it discovered?
"Madam... what is... the situation here?"
Jeanne looked at the card she had pulled out from the armrest, feeling like she was about to be dragged into a bloody storm once again. Why was she so meddlesome? If she felt something strange, why couldn't she just leave it alone?
Displayed before them was, undeniably, a bank card! But who in their right mind hides a bank card inside the armrest of a chair?
Just now, while chatting, Jeanne had accidentally felt something in the spot she was leaning against. While they talked, she had absentmindedly poked and prodded at it to pass the time. But somehow, after a bit of prodding, the thing had suddenly popped out. How was she supposed to explain this?
"It's nothing. Someone probably just put it there and forgot to take it out. How did you find it?"
Madam Fumizuki's eyebrows twitched visibly, but she tried to cover for her husband. After all, this qualified as a "family scandal," and it was better not to let it air out.
Fine, I was wondering how he had the money to buy all those things! I didn't realize he had the time to hide such a clever little private stash at home!
"How did I find it? I just felt it here, pushed it a few times, and it came out."
Looking at Fumizuki's expression, Jeanne's intuition told her one thing: she had just caused a major disaster.