On the way back to the Twilight House, I couldn't help but think of that mysterious girl.
Evernight...
It was the first time I'd encountered a human girl whose beauty rivaled that of the gods. But that's not always the case... It could be dangerous if some powerful god, like Apollo or Freya, had their eye on you, sending their "children" to capture Evernight...
But somehow, I was sure that this beautiful girl would be fine. Of course, it's a shame she refused to join our family, but then again, the goddess would have pestered her constantly, like she does with Ais, asking her out or trying to grope her discreetly. But in Evernight's case, she would have been even more assertive once she saw her beauty. Yes, I even briefly wanted to touch her, and yet, when I grabbed her hand, I acted impulsively, and at that moment I was afraid I might anger her, but thankfully she took it calmly.
"Riveria!" I heard a voice, breaking my thoughts.
"Captain?" I asked in surprise, looking at the captain.
The captain was quite short, and at first glance one could mistake him for an ordinary child, but certainly not the captain of the family, and anyway...
When did I manage to get home? I was just outside.
"Riveria, are you okay? I followed you for five minutes, and you acted like you didn't hear me? Are you sick? If so, we can postpone the expedition." Finn said, concern in his voice.
I just shook my head.
"I'm fine, it's just... I met a mysterious girl today." I said.
"A mysterious girl?" the captain asked.
"Yes, she looked like an ordinary person, well, except for her beauty, which could rival even the gods. But I also sensed something unfamiliar about her, maybe even her power, or maybe not... I'm not sure." I said, a little hesitantly.
"Did you invite her to our family?" Finn asked.
I nodded.
"Yes, but she declined and said she knew which family she wanted to join." I replied.
"Too bad... Didn't she say what family she chose?" the captain asked.
I could only shake my head; she didn't say, but I didn't ask either.
"Okay, anyway, we have a new addition to the family today." Finn said, to which I raised an eyebrow.
He handed me a piece of paper.
It showed a young man with gray hair, apparently about 14 or 15 years old. Below that, a name was written: Bell Cranel.
"Who, him?" I asked, to which the captain shrugged.
"According to the information I gathered, he's new to the city. I couldn't find out where he's from, but he said he didn't have parents and was raised by his grandfather." Finn said.
"Do we know who his grandfather was?" I asked.
"No, he doesn't know either." the captain replied.
Strange...
"Anyway, we're going to the Hostess of Fertility tonight to celebrate the new addition." Finn said.
"I see," I replied simply.
"By the way, Lefiya was looking for you." Finn said.
"Lefiya? Didn't she say why?" I asked.
"No." the captain replied.
"Okay, then I'll go see her." I replied and headed toward Lefiya's room.
I knocked on the door and spoke.
"Lefiya, it's me. The captain said you were looking for me?" I asked. A rustling sound came from behind the door, followed by footsteps, and soon the door opened.
A beautiful elf with red hair and blue eyes stood in the doorway.
"Vice Captain..."
"Lefiya, I told you to just call me by my first name, no need to be so formal." I said.
"Sorry..." she replied.
"It's okay... Anyway, were you looking for me?" I asked.
"Exactly!" she exclaimed and quickly ran into the room, appearing before me almost immediately, only this time she was holding a small box.
"These are for you." she said, handing me the box.
"What is this?" I asked, taking it from her.
"These are earrings, they match perfectly... your eyes." she said, and even though the last words were spoken quietly, I still heard them.
Why would she give me earrings? And they look expensive...
"How much did you spend? I'll return..." I couldn't finish before she interrupted me.
"No need! They're a gift! I just saw them and they reminded me of your eyes, so I bought them." she said, blushing.
Friends don't usually give such gifts to friends, much less subordinates... So this gift had a different meaning...
I hope the goddess didn't teach Lefiya anything bad... Although, on the other hand, I've lived long enough to understand her motives... But what about me?
I need to think, but for now, she hasn't asked me directly and isn't expecting an answer, so there's still time.
"Thank you." I said smiling, and she simply nodded.
After saying goodbye, I headed toward the goddess, who...
"Well, Ais, let's go on a date, please." the goddess said, clinging to Ais's hand.
I can only sigh. Right now, she's acting less like a goddess and more like a spoiled child who wasn't given candy.
I don't know why our goddess is like this... Trying to create a harem. I certainly don't have anything against it, but to put it bluntly, she's trying to grab several skirts at once and won't get any. Even though she's a girl, she has a boyish appearance, especially around the chest, and her hair was quite short.
And Ais was a blonde swordswoman whose entire family was killed by a black dragon, so she wants to gain strength and get revenge.
"Ais, goddess." I said, to which they both looked at me.
"Riveria, tell Ais to go on a date with me!" Loki exclaimed.
"Goddess, I can't force her; it's her choice." I said, trying to protect myself.
"But..." she didn't finish, as...
"You smell strange." Loki said, letting go of Ais's hands and approaching me.
"Goddess, I took a shower today, I can't smell," I said, a little displeased. I always take care of myself, both how I smell and how I look, so her words offended me a little.
"Yes, that's not what I meant. You smell pleasant...like a girl I don't know." Loki said.
Are you a dog or a goddess?
"Yes, today I met... a beautiful girl..." I said.
"Really? Why didn't you invite her into the family?" the goddess asked.
"She declined and said she had a family she wanted to join," I replied. "That's a shame... Well then, at least tell me what she looks like, and how beautiful is she on a scale of one to ten?" the goddess asked me.
"She has long pink hair, ruby-red eyes, and her face itself is very attractive. She was wearing a combination of white and black. She also had a black flower woven into her hair. She was about your height. I'd give her a 20 out of 10." I said.
"That much?!" the goddess screamed.
"Yes." I replied.
"I absolutely must see her in person. Let's go find her..." the goddess was about to leave, but Ais grabbed her shoulder.
"Goddess, you can't go and pester a girl you don't know. It would be considered harassment." Ais said.
"But..."
"Goddess Ais is right. Anyway, we're going to celebrate the new addition to the family soon. And where did this guy come from anyway?" I asked.
"Well, I brought him. He followed me when I was returning from the dungeon, so I decided to offer the goddess the chance to accept him into the family." Ais said.
I looked at Loki, but she turned away.
"And why did you accept him right away?" I asked.
"Well… Ais asked to accept him." the goddess said, but could only sigh.
By God, if Ais asks her to jump off a cliff, will she do it?
"Anyway, see you tonight." I said, heading to my room.
So, I spent the rest of my time there, after which we all headed to Hostess of Fertility...
Entering the establishment, I paused, a little surprised...
Evernight was sitting at one of the tables, next to the Goddess Hestia, smiling.
So, that's who you chose? I wonder what prompted you to choose the poor goddess, because I'm sure it wasn't just a coincidence.
Looking to my left, I couldn't help but sigh.
As soon as Loki saw the beautiful girl in Evernight, her eyes lit up with adoration, and perhaps... lust?
Sigh...
How troublesome!