Court of Fontaine, Quartier Narbonnais, Hôtel Bouffes d'été
Staring at the closed door before him, Lu Li remained silent for a long while before finally, with some nervousness, raising his hand to knock.
Soon, a majestic female voice, devoid of any discernible emotion, rang out.
"Enter."
Lu Li slowly pushed the door open, stepped cautiously inside, and closed it behind him.
He was in a fully furnished, impeccably clean room. A beautiful silver-haired woman in a black, grey, and white uniform sat calmly at her desk, watching him with a placid expression.
She wore light makeup, but the most striking feature on her face was her crimson, X-shaped pupils. The slender hands extending from her sleeves were not the color of normal skin but a cursed, lacquer-black hue, her nails adorned with stark red polish, creating a beauty that was both terrifying and brilliant.
This was the "Father" that all the children of the House of the Hearth both feared and relied on: the Fourth Fatui Harbinger, "The Knave," Arlecchino.
"My apologies, Father. The mission was a success, but I failed to bring back my companion..." Lu Li knelt on one knee, his voice filled with complex emotions.
In his line of sight, he saw a pair of sharp, black, high-heeled shoes—shoes that looked sharp enough to pierce a person—begin to slowly pace towards him.
"The intelligence team made a significant error, causing your mission to end in failure. The fact that you overcame this and brought back the intel was a truly difficult matter in itself," Arlecchino said softly, looking down at him.
"However, what you should have done was realize the situation had taken an unexpected turn, led your team to retreat immediately, and then returned to report. You should not have stubbornly continued the mission."
Lu Li fell silent.
"Your recklessness got your companion killed, Lu Li. I am very disappointed," Arlecchino said lightly. "Also, what's with the burn marks? The guard Meka don't have flamethrowers."
"Reporting to Father, this is a power I suddenly grasped in a desperate situation. I don't know why, but even without a Vision, I can now wield the power of fire," Lu Li quickly explained.
Arlecchino seemed thoughtful. "Tomorrow, you will demonstrate this new power to me. As for now... it is time for your punishment. Come, do you want the gentle way, or the harsh one?"
Lu Li was suddenly plunged into an awkward silence.
He had secretly asked other children about their punishments. Including Lyney, their answers were always the same: a whipping. Lu Li had been trained to detect lies, and he was certain they weren't lying.
This meant that he was special—the only child who was given a choice between two forms of punishment.
But in essence, if he could, Lu Li wouldn't choose either of them.
The harsh punishment was efficient. He would be bare-chested, turn his back to "Father," and be brutally flogged with her Whip of Balemorn. Aside from Lyney's younger siblings, Lynette and Freminet, every other child, even the most reliable and mature Lyney, had been subjected to it. Depending on the severity of the transgression, it could be as many as twenty lashes or as few as five. No one, unless they took pleasure in pain, would ever want to experience the agony of having their flesh torn open.
The "gentle" punishment, however, was a method reserved exclusively for Lu Li. It involved no severe corporal punishment, no torture... but it ground his dignity into the dust.
Seeing the struggle on Lu Li's face, Arlecchino knew he was hesitating, unable to make a decision. A small, cruel smile touched the corner of her lips, but she didn't rush him. Watching him squirm gave her the same thrill as toying with prey.
Finally, torn between physical pain and the loss of dignity, Lu Li shamefully chose the latter. "I... I choose the gentle way, Father."
"Hmph. Useless boy."
Arlecchino let out a cold laugh, took a few steps back, and elegantly kicked off her high-heeled shoes, which were sharp enough to pierce the floor. Otherwise, during the punishment to come, a single forceful move from her could easily pierce Lu Li's tongue and mouth.
The mere thought of the humiliation he was about to endure made Lu Li clench his teeth. But the master-servant relationship that had been ingrained in him, combined with the absolute gap in their strength, prevented him from even entertaining the idea of resistance.
At least, not right now.
He could only lie down powerlessly, looking up at Arlecchino, who stared at him as if he were trash. He closed his eyes in shame.
The next moment, just like every other punishment, a foreign object landed rudely on his tongue, bringing with it the faint taste of sweat. It pressed down on the bridge of his nose, tormenting him for a while, before Arlecchino ordered him back to a kneeling position.
Like a puppy seeking affection, he began to meticulously cleanse each and every one of them. The ten pearls, painted with red polish, were like ten small crystal balls imbued with a curse.
As Arlecchino picked up a glass and began to pour water, Lu Li, steeped in humiliation, could only obey her sadistic whims.
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