After hearing the staff member's introduction, Sylvia gave a slight nod.
She could pretty much guess what it meant. It was probably that they once worshipped both Preservation and Harmony, but with the IPC's involvement, the mainstream faith had gradually shifted toward Preservation.
Especially among the younger generation—after being exposed to so much IPC influence, they'd unconsciously leaned more toward Preservation.
But as she thought about it, Sylvia suddenly caught on.
"Wait, hold on…"
What had she just said about vows?
Sylvia cautiously glanced sideways at Silver Wolf.
She leaned over, trying to whisper a question into Silver Wolf's ear, only to see Silver Wolf cover her ears, cheeks faintly flushed, staring at Sylvia with an expression of utter disbelief.
"…"
Seeing that reaction, Sylvia knew right away this girl had definitely misunderstood something.
She hurriedly whispered, "I really didn't know! It was an accident!"
"…Hmph."
A classic, succinct reply.
It perfectly conveyed Silver Wolf's mockery and condemnation of Sylvia's 'protesting too much' act.
Silver Wolf glared at Sylvia, pouting.
'Didn't know,' 'an accident'—sure.
And just happened to have earrings ready, made from local Sapphirine, and just happened to pull them out right in front of the statue, huh?
Silver Wolf was itching to summon Prometheus right then and there and give Sylvia's head a good whack!
'Here I am, treating you like a sister, and you're playing mind games with me?'
But considering there were outsiders around, Silver Wolf held back the urge to crack Sylvia's skull open.
Noticing this, Sylvia quickly turned to the beaming staff member and said, "Um… could we not do it in the main hall? We'd prefer somewhere private…"
"Of course. We have private rooms with smaller statues arranged. Please come this way."
So saying, the staff member led Sylvia and Silver Wolf to a room in the corner with a hint of regret. Inside stood a statue of the Aeon of Harmony.
The staff member explained that in recent years, fewer and fewer couples were choosing the Aeon of Harmony for their vows, so there was no rush—they could take their time calming down before proceeding.
With that, the young woman withdrew, closing the door behind her to give the two some space.
Now that they were alone, Sylvia cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Ahem, so… maybe we should just head out in a bit?"
Silver Wolf, who'd been blushing and thinking she'd definitely kick Sylvia if she tried anything, nearly choked hearing that.
"Pfft, you go through all this trouble and chicken out at the last second?"
The blush hadn't even faded from Silver Wolf's face, but now she toyed with the earrings in her hand, giving Sylvia a once-over.
Honestly, she'd been pretty shocked that Sylvia might have ulterior motives.
But seeing Sylvia look both timid and 'eager' like this made it hard for Silver Wolf to feel any real sense of danger.
"So it really was a coincidence!"
"Yeah, yeah, totally!"
Silver Wolf nodded dismissively.
"What a coincidence that you prepared earrings, and what a coincidence they're made from local materials, and what a coincidence you took them out right in front of the statue."
"…"
Sylvia felt her vision darken.
There was no explaining this. Great, her reputation among the Stellaron Hunters was really going to become that of a scheming playgirl, wasn't it?
This really wasn't her fault! Who knew the system's accessories would adapt to local customs?
So traditional, huh.
And the system didn't even give a hint—always gotta keep something up its sleeve.
Watching Sylvia's constipated expression, Silver Wolf's mood improved noticeably.
Clearly, the smile had transferred to her face.
"Here."
Back to her usual self, Silver Wolf raised her hand, holding the earring up to Sylvia.
Sylvia looked at Silver Wolf, then at the earring, carefully taking it before asking, "What's this for…?"
Then she saw Silver Wolf tilt her head, leaning slightly toward Sylvia, brushing aside a few loose strands of hair with her hand.
"Help me put it on? Duh. Isn't this what you prepared?"
"…You're willing to wear it? I thought you were just giving it back."
Sylvia blinked. She'd assumed Silver Wolf was returning it.
Hearing that, Silver Wolf shot her a look.
"What do you take me for? We game together every day—I can at least do you this favor. Hurry up."
As she spoke, a mischievous smile touched Silver Wolf's lips, and she gestured with her hand.
Her tilted head, raised slightly, along with her high ponytail, exposed the fair, delicate curve of her neck plainly to Sylvia's view.
Maybe because she spent so much time indoors, rarely under starlight, Silver Wolf's skin was noticeably fairer than Sylvia's.
Pale as porcelain, yet somehow not sickly at all.
The perfect complexion seemed like a carefully chosen hue, and Silver Wolf was the masterpiece painted with it.
The pretty choker and black straps traced alluring lines across that pristine canvas.
Her delicate collarbone and the faintly visible slope of her shoulders seemed to glow enticingly.
It made one want to touch that fair skin.
Maybe Sylvia was staring too intently—her fixed gaze made Silver Wolf's neck flush slightly pink.
"Are you gonna do it or not?!"
"Yes, yes! Right away."
Jolted by Silver Wolf's sharp tone, Sylvia snapped back to attention, picking up the earring and reaching for Silver Wolf's earlobe.
The slightly cool earlobe was soft.
Sylvia's fingers brushed against it gently, earning a delicate, flustered sound from Silver Wolf.
"Mmm… stop messing around…"
With her head tilted, Silver Wolf could only catch a glimpse of Sylvia's pale arm moving near her ear from the corner of her eye.
Having her earlobe examined and touched so carefully like this was a first.
Silver Wolf realized she might have overestimated her own tolerance.
This spot seemed more sensitive than she'd imagined.
"Ugh… hurry up, Sylvia…"
"Sorry, this is my first time with something like this. Almost done."
"Mhm…"
Silver Wolf felt Sylvia's gentle movements on her ear—tingly, ticklish, almost like flirting.
The strange sensation made her heartbeat quicken.
Darn it, if she called it off now, she'd totally lose!
No way—had to tough it out!!
Silver Wolf trembled slightly, face flushed, but she clenched her teeth and bore it.
Meanwhile, Sylvia was completely absorbed in figuring out how to fasten the earring on Silver Wolf, entirely oblivious to her reaction.
Naturally, Silver Wolf didn't have pierced ears, and the earring, true to the system's adaptive design, was meant to be worn as a clip-on.
But the problem was, its structure was as intricate as some artistic mechanism—clever, yes, but also annoyingly complex.
It was really testing her brain.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.