A thunderous piece of news that fell on this bright day.
The fact that the commander of the Imperial Palace Knights came all the way here to bind Athena is just absurd. What on earth does this even mean?
‘…Was there a story like this in the original work..?’
I quickly racked my brain, searching my memories, but since Athena’s backstory hadn’t been revealed in the novel yet, there was nothing that could provide a clue for this situation.
If this had happened after the story started, I might have been able to infer something, but there were still two years left before the original began.
“The Imperial Palace is after me?”
Perhaps she couldn’t understand this situation either, Athena wore a stunned expression.
“…..”
The knight who delivered the news seemed at a loss for words, fidgeting anxiously in front of us.
After a moment of thought, Athena turned to the knight and said,
“Alright. Let’s hear what you have to say. Lead the way.”
“Y-Yes!! Th-this way, my lord…!”
The knight, evidently feeling the pressure of the situation, answered without a moment’s hesitation.
With troubled hearts, we followed him until we arrived at the main gate.
There, several horses clad in gold-tinged armor were flapping around, and a few soldiers wearing matching armor stood by, and in front of them was a man who appeared to be the commander. That should be the knight commander.
Their imposing presence exuded a weighty atmosphere, reminiscent of someone who had seen countless battles; it was a heavy atmosphere that made it hard to approach.
“Hah. This is really happening.”
But Athena seemed not to care about their vibe at all, merely clicking her tongue.
“A-Athena… what’s going on…?”
I grabbed Athena’s hand with a trembling voice.
Looking at me, she smiled gently and said,
“It’s alright, Hera. I’ll just go for a moment; can you stay here?”
“N-No… I want to go too…”
Not wanting to send Athena off alone to those people, I pouted.
They said they came to bind her. That was certainly not a good thing.
Given Athena’s personality, this could escalate into a major conflict.
As I looked at Athena with a worried expression, she chuckled softly and patted my head.
“Okay. If you want to come, let’s go together. The little one can stay here.”
Athena glanced at Mari as she spoke.
Mari glared at Athena for a moment before seemingly realizing she didn’t belong, stepping back and answering.
“If mom gets hurt, I won’t forgive you.”
“I feel the same way.”
Leaving Mari behind, Athena and I approached the group, where a middle-aged man who looked like a commander came forward to greet us.
He had somewhat disheveled brown hair, but his large build and the spirit that emanated from him spoke of his not-so-ordinary status.
“Commander Godric of the Imperial Palace Knights. It is an honor to meet the Empire’s Hero.”
The man bowed his head to show respect.
Athena lightly dismissed his greeting and said,
“What the hell is going on here?”
The man, apparently used to Athena’s coldness, simply raised his head and replied nonchalantly.
“It is the Emperor’s decree to bind the Hero to the Empire.”
“Hah.”
“Lady Athena.”
Just before the man could say anything further, Athena wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into her embrace.
“How dare you.”
The moment her words finished, the ground began to tremble, as if shaken by thunder.
The air swirled in the mansion like a storm, and the ground surrounding Athena started to crack.
“Ugh!!”
“Cough!”
“Ugh..!”
All around, including the soldiers of the Imperial Palace, everyone succumbed to the ground, writhing in agony, while Commander Godric stood frozen, sweating profusely.
However, unlike the suffering around me, all I felt from being in Athena’s arms was her warm body temperature.
Athena looked down at Commander Godric and intoned in a low, icy voice.
“Go ahead, speak again with that mouth. Who are you trying to bind?”
“Ugh… Lady Athena, just a moment—”
As Athena glared at him, seemingly realizing he had something to say, she cliched her tongue and waved her hand in the air.
Gradually, the oppressive air around us began to lift.
“Speak.”
As Athena permitted him to speak, Godric approached her and whispered in her ear in a voice too quiet for me to hear.
After a while, once Godric retreated, Athena let out a deep sigh.
“Over something trivial.”
“I apologize.”
Although Athena’s face was still scrunched up, it seemed the conversation had gone well, as the intense hostility she had been radiating had vanished.
“Athena… are you alright..?”
Warily, I asked her.
With a gentle smile, Athena planted a soft kiss on my forehead.
“Hera, are you worried about me?”
Her words made a warm blush creep into my chest, but I still managed to reply.
“Yeah… we’re partners now, after all…”
“……”
Athena stared at me blankly for a moment, her face slightly flushed.
“You really…”
She leaned in, pressing her lips to mine for a short kiss.
“Ugh..”
“Just wait a moment. I’ll be back soon.”
“Uh… where are you going?”
“An old man from the Imperial Palace has something to say to me. I think I should hear him out.”
At that moment, I noticed Godric’s expression twitch slightly.
By the way, ‘the old man of the Imperial Palace’?
Could it be referring to the Emperor?
“Is it… really alright?”
Upon seeing my anxious expression, Athena chuckled softly and patted my head.
“It’s okay, Hera. Just prepare yourself.”
Hearing her reassuring words calmed my troubled heart a bit.
It must all have been a misunderstanding.
Right. Athena could never be bound by the Imperial Palace.
After all, I had done everything to ensure she wouldn’t go down a bad path.
At least, that was true before the Athena from the original appeared.
This Athena was someone completely detached from the mastermind.
There would be no reason for the Imperial Palace to be hostile toward her.
I let out a sigh of relief, pushing the anxious thoughts out of my mind.
But then again,
What did she mean by preparing?
“Wait, what do you mean by preparing…?”
In response to my question, Athena gave a dark smile and leaned in to whisper into my ear with a sultry voice.
“We need to continue what we started last night.”
“Ugh..!”
“I’ll be waiting for you to moan a lot today, honey.”
Like a balloon popping, my face turned bright red in an instant.
If she was referring to what we hadn’t finished last night, it was definitely that.
Ever since becoming lovers, it felt like Athena had gotten bolder.
“Hehe, you’re cute, Hera.”
“…..”
While I didn’t entirely dislike it, I was still a bit overwhelmed…
*
It had already been a few hours since Athena left, and for some reason, I was reading a book in bed with a now-bright-faced Mari.
“Oh right! I’ll get mom some medicine.”
Mari rolled around and smiled at me.
“Uh… again…?”
“Yep.”
That medicine must be the same one from this morning.
The mysterious medicine she had made with her mana.
Thanks to that, I could say I felt exceptionally good today.
“It’s fine. Mom’s already feeling much better thanks to you.”
Given that it was made with Mari’s mana, I hesitated, wondering if it might be harmful to her.
However, the moment I refused, Mari’s expression turned frosty as if made of ice.
“No.”
“Uh…?”
“You have to take it every day from now on. I promised Mari.”
With that, Mari took a few bold steps toward me.
For some reason, each step she took sent a wave of unknown pressure through me.
“Please take it, mom.”
As Mari stretched out her hand, a blue liquid began to form on her palm.
“Ah…”
I didn’t specifically feel like drinking it, but looking at Mari’s eager expression, I felt I had to accept it.
After all, it was her heartfelt gesture as her daughter. As a mother, I couldn’t refuse.
And honestly, I was feeling better.
I smiled lightly and told Mari,
“Hehe… then I’ll gratefully accept it. Just a moment, Mari, I’ll find a cup—”
“I’ll feed you, mom!”
“Uh… huh?”
“Mari’s hands are clean. Open wide—ah~.”
Mari was presenting her palm, filled with the blue liquid, right in front of me.
Seeing her hands stretched out like that made me feel a bit flustered.
“Come on, mom. My hand hurts.”
“Uh… okay, ah~.”
With Mari urging me on, I reluctantly opened my mouth, and her tiny fingers rested on my tongue.
Before long, the sticky liquid began to flow into my mouth again.
“Drink it all, mom.”
“Mmm… hmmm…”
As I gulped down the mana Mari offered, my mind instantly felt clear.
And while it may have been a bit of an exaggeration, I also felt a refreshing sensation as if I was being reborn.
It didn’t take long before I was able to swallow every last drop of the liquid Mari had given me.
“….?”
But for some reason, Mari’s fingers remained on my tongue.
I thought maybe she was giving me more mana, but nothing came down my throat afterward.
“Ma… Mari…?”
Staring at her in confusion, I found Mari gazing down at me with slightly flushed cheeks and a somewhat dazed expression, specifically at the fingers that were in my mouth.
“…..”
“Mari… if I eat them all…”
Since my tongue was so full with her fingers, my words were jumbled.
“…..”
Mari, who had been staring blankly at me, finally…
Sluurp…
Started to move her fingers on my tongue, caressing it with her fingers.
“Ugh?! …Mar… Mari?!”
Her fingers tickled, pulled, and did all sorts of things to my tongue.
In an attempt to push Mari away, my moment of distraction turned her face from dazed to feral in an instant.
“Ugh?!”
“That woman… surely… like this…”
Suddenly, Mari thrust her two fingers deep into my throat.
“Ugh?! .. Ugh… gag!… Koff… yuck…!”
Sluurp~…
The sound of Mari’s fingers being rubbed inside my throat echoed in my ears.
Frozen in this incomprehensible situation, my mind stumbled for a moment.
But when I finally regained my senses, I was overwhelmed with surprise and pushed Mari away.
“Ah.”
She let out a brief groan and fell onto the bed in a heap.
“Ugh… cough… choke…!”
I shot a glare at Mari, trying to suppress the urge to vomit rising from the stimulation.
“Mari! What on earth are you doing to your mom?!”
“Ah… uh…”
After hesitating, Mari quickly apologized to me.
“I’m sorry, mom…”
Yet, I couldn’t even accept her apology, still bewildered by the situation.
That was because Mari’s face seemed to reflect…
“M-Mari?”
As if awakening to something new, she was panting heavily with a sadistic smile on her lips.
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