Three days later, with Bell's full cooperation, Freya completed a detailed examination of the innermost depths of his soul. In the end, she confirmed that a fragmented soul had indeed once existed there—but now, it had vanished completely.
Although this required Bell to stay by Freya's side for three full days, she didn't mind at all. If not for the others monitoring her closely, she would have happily extended the "treatment" even longer.
Unfortunately, she had monopolized far too much time, and under the mounting pressure from the others, Freya had no choice but to let him go.
On the morning of the fourth day, Bell woke up in Freya's room.
The moment he stirred, Freya awakened at almost the exact same time.
Shielding her eyes from the sunlight streaming in, she blinked lazily, slowly adjusting to the morning brightness.
Then her gaze met Bell's open eyes.
"Bell…"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Before Freya could do anything, someone pounded fiercely on the door. Judging from the sound, the person outside held quite a grudge against that poor door.
Who in the world is doing this so early in the morning!?
A trace of irritation appeared on Freya's face. She and Bell had just woken up, only to be interrupted already.
Just like that, the rare good mood she felt from opening her eyes to see Bell was shattered.
"Judging by how hard they're knocking… it's probably Artemis."
"That girl really is insatiable."
"At her age, it seems like she's starting to turn into a cranky old woman."
Freya didn't bother lowering her voice, but thankfully this room had been built with soundproofing as its top priority.
Bell always prioritized confidentiality. Even in their isolated home, he prepared several rooms specifically for private discussions.
As for why the bedrooms were soundproofed… Bell had simply thought it would give him more freedom when doing secret work.
He never imagined that soundproofing originally meant for covert operations would end up suppressing domestic conflict instead.
Bell could only smile helplessly as he listened to Freya grumble.
"I think Artemis is angry because your examination took three days."
"I know."
Freya lifted her nose slightly with an amused expression. Of course she understood what Artemis was thinking.
And since she had monopolized Bell for three days, she figured she should at least pave the way for that stubborn girl.
"Bell, Artemis clearly can't wait anymore. For her to come knocking this early, she probably wants to use every minute of the morning."
"…I can guess as much."
Truthfully, Bell didn't need Freya to spell it out. Artemis from the Type-Moon side was straightforward to a fault. Many of her thoughts and actions were easy to predict even without being voiced.
"Honestly, I do like Artemis too. It's just…"
"Because she's sharing a body with this world's Artemis, she also needs to gain this world's Artemis's affection first?"
Freya really did find Bell's emotional complications troublesome.
But the problem wasn't Bell—it was this world's Artemis.
Bell's attitude was already obvious, yet this world's Artemis kept burying her head in the sand every time feelings were involved.
Relaxing in Bell's warm embrace, Freya traced idle circles on his chest with her finger.
"And to top it off, you've met an Artemis just as troublesome as you. Trouble colliding with trouble."
"That old maiden also likes you, but with Hestia in the picture, she won't muster up the courage until she works through it."
That old maiden Artemis was just too stubborn. If she were a bit more flexible, Loki wouldn't even be part of the equation.
Bell felt a little embarrassed.
"It's partly my fault too. I should've made more time to talk with Artemis."
He was often busy, but finding some time wasn't impossible. Yet he hadn't once taken the initiative to spend time with her.
"Mhm, you do share some responsibility. If you like Artemis, you need to be more proactive."
As Freya said this, she noticed Bell staring at her intently.
"What is it?"
"No, I just thought you'd be angry."
Freya shot him a glare.
"Of course I'm angry. It's such a shame—such a huge shame—that I didn't meet you the moment you arrived in Orario. Otherwise, I would've never let you get close to any other woman."
Heaven and earth aside, Freya's possessiveness was unquestionably the greatest.
She was never the generous type—selfish, fiercely possessive, and entirely unapologetic about it.
Unfortunately, in matters of love, she came late.
Especially with Hestia and Hephaestus already ahead of her.
If Bell were someone she could snatch away, perhaps Freya wouldn't even consider trying. But because Bell wasn't someone she could steal, she had no choice—she could only join rather than monopolize.
"It's such a pity I'm the latecomer. What a pity."
Propping herself up, Freya shifted higher and leaned over him, looking down from above.
"So since I can't take you for myself, I can only follow the rules of love. A latecomer can only join, not monopolize."
With that, Freya lowered her head and placed a soft kiss on Bell's cheek, her expression blossoming into a bright, adorable smile.
"So today, your time belongs to Artemis. Go out with her, take a walk. And try to pull that coward out from hiding—otherwise, he'll keep worrying about Hestia."
"As for Hestia, don't worry too much about her getting angry over Artemis. They actually get along quite well. When it comes to Artemis, she'll probably react the same way she does with Hephaestus."
"She'll get jealous, but she won't cut ties with you or with Artemis. So use that to your advantage and do your best."
Freya began getting out of bed. The pounding at the door—Bang, bang, bang—was growing increasingly rude. But just before she stood, she suddenly remembered something and leaned down again.
"And one more thing—if Artemis, who's so good at taking the initiative, is already prepared anytime… did you really think Hestia never made any preparations herself?"
"Take the initiative properly, my dear Bell."