A bustling atmosphere filled the dining room.
The aroma of delicious food blended with the sound of laughter resonating from all around, creating a vibrant scene.
This was one of the most beloved restaurants in Karman.
Athena and I were having dinner together here.
The dishes weren’t as extravagant as those from the mansion, but they certainly looked appetizing.
Juicy meat, steaming hot potatoes, and fragrant soup were all laid out on the table.
While they couldn’t exactly be called healthy, they were definitely meals that lifted one’s spirits.
“Athena, eat slowly. You’ll get indigestion.”
Athena handed me a napkin and said this.
“Thanks…”
I took her napkin and wiped my mouth.
Maybe it was because I was eating in a new place, but it felt refreshing.
Unlike the stuffy mansion, this place gave me a sense of freedom.
“I’m planning to go deeper tomorrow. There were definitely traces of the demon race, so we should be able to find them soon.”
Athena mentioned tomorrow’s itinerary while eating.
“Yeah… But you seemed a bit down today. Is something wrong?”
She had been in a bad mood all day, and it was starting to drag me down too.
Athena looked at me with a cold expression.
“Hera, haven’t you ever heard that you’re a bit oblivious?”
“Huh?”
Her sudden question caught me off guard, and I paused to think.
Oblivious… Am I?
Hmm… I didn’t think so. If anything, given my experience socializing in various places before my possession, I considered myself quite perceptive.
“No? I’m pretty quick-witted!”
“….”
However, Athena had this incredulous look on her face at my proclamation.
Now that I think about it, Lily had once told me I was a bit clueless too.
i “Unnie! I like that you’re clueless!” i
“Uh… why?”
“Even when you do various things, you don’t know at all… Ah, I mean, never mind, hee hee.” i
It had been a silly conversation, but… excluding Lily, I didn’t think anyone had ever called me clueless.
…I wonder how Lily and Unnie are doing.
As I enjoyed my meal amidst the noisy atmosphere, I began to think of them naturally.
The joyful meals spent together, they were genuinely happy times.
They were probably living even more abundantly in the Empire by now. The facilities in the Empire were far superior to Drax’s.
And Lily and Dania had gotten so close that they might have forgotten about someone like me.
Or maybe they had made several friends in the Empire to fill the void I left behind.
‘…I just hope they remember me.’
If they forget me, then the only one who would cherish the warm memories with them would be me.
That realization felt incredibly bittersweet.
In fact, somewhere along the line, the desire to seek them out had faded away.
I didn’t want to show them.
This crumbled version of me. This useless me who couldn’t do anything alone.
I wanted to be remembered as a dependable younger sibling to Dania and a reliable older sister to Lily for all my life.
What would happen if they saw me in such a pitiful state?
Their kind hearts wouldn’t show it, but surely it would come to the surface eventually—gradually revealing their concern for me, gazes filled with pity. One by one, everything would change. Others had done so.
If that were to happen, I don’t think I could endure it.
Those girls… at least for them..
I wanted to remain useful in front of Lily and Dania.
Their absence brought a profound loneliness to my heart.
But didn’t they say time heals everything? Gradually, as time passed, I felt like I was getting better.
I lifted my gaze to the person in front of me.
Her golden eyes gleamed, and her platinum hair shone brilliantly. She exuded an air of elegance.
“?”
She raised an eyebrow, puzzled by my gaze.
This girl who endlessly cherishes and loves my pitiful self.
The one who stays by my side so I won’t feel lonely.
She treats me with such sincerity that I often wonder if I’m worthy of it.
…But now, I don’t hold any resentment.
The grievances I had towards her from my past seem to have disappeared.
Perhaps it all began from that day when she savored my cooking beautifully.
I was so pleased and grateful to her that my feelings of dislike for her had transformed into something much stronger.
‘……Family.’
She had become as precious to me as Lily and Dania. My family.
I watched her as she ate.
Seeing her elegantly cutting her meat even in this bustling restaurant made me smile.
“….What’s up?”
She looked at me with a gaze as if observing a strange person.
I wanted her to know my feelings. I wanted to tell her how I felt about her.
I wanted to let her know that I cherished her as much as Lily and Dania.
So I gave her a playful smile and said,
“Athena.”
“Yeah.”
“Love you.”
Pffft!
Athena spat out the food she had just taken a bite of, causing it to scatter across the dining table.
It was an action completely unimaginable from her dignified demeanor.
Yet she looked at me with a frantic expression, as if she didn’t care about the mess.
“Wha… what did you just say?”
She appeared to be genuinely flustered, which was quite unlike her.
“I said I love you. I don’t hate you anymore. Just as you care for me, I value you too.”
Athena, gripping my hand with shaky eyes, asked,
“…So… does that mean we are now…”
I had never seen her voice tremble this much before. Could it be she was moved?
A warm feeling surged within me at her reaction. This deep emotion from her meant she truly cherished me.
“Yes!”
I held her hand tightly and beamed at her.
“From today, we’re lovers—”
“No, we’re family now.”
“….”
“….”
A moment of silence enveloped us.
By the way, I think Athena had just said something, but it got drowned out by my words, and I couldn’t hear it properly.
“Athena, what did you just say?”
“…Family… I guess?”
Her voice sounded somewhat deflated.
“Yep. Precious family.”
“…..”
Athena stared at me blankly for a while before sighing and resuming her meal.
“…Fine, I’ll just have to be satisfied with this for now…”
She muttered softly under her breath, continuing to eat.
Now that I had conveyed my feelings to her, a sense of relief washed over me.
Until now, my resentment towards Athena and my gratefulness for her had been in constant conflict, but now I could finally solidify my stance.
I would cherish Athena as family from now on.
‘Though… I’m not sure about being a slave…’
Given the deeply rooted history in South Korea, the notion of slavery felt quite foreign to me.
Still, I had started to feel less resistance to it than at first, so maybe one day I would truly become her slave at heart.
Of course, that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon.
I chuckled softly, placing a piece of meat into my mouth.
*
“…What on earth are they talking about!”
The woman observing us from across the restaurant was none other than Sephir, the Succubus Queen, one of the four commanders of the mighty demon army.
Utilizing one of her few talents, transformation magic, she had disguised herself as a human woman.
Well, honestly, her transformation magic only involved hiding her horns, wings, and tail, plus concealing her special demonic mana, meaning her pink hair and eyes still remained.
Yet, being a commander-level transformation magic user, Athena likely wouldn’t easily recognize her.
Sephir was currently waiting for the two of them to part ways.
But rather than separating, their gazes were locked in a gaze filled with deep emotions.
“…Are they… in a romantic relationship?”
I hadn’t heard any rumors about Athena enjoying women, but…
What does it matter? The crucial point is she had developed a weakness. This was a huge opportunity for the Demon King’s forces.
The initial distraction from her was long forgotten.
In her eyes, only the woman with black hair ahead remained.
‘If I could just get them alone for a moment… I could enchant her!’
But the opportunity didn’t come easily. Athena didn’t leave her side, and the woman stuck close to Athena.
“…Now that I think about it.”
That girl is quite beautiful.
Even from a distance, her beauty stood out vividly.
Her fair skin contrasted with her dark hair, resembling a starry sky, and those blood-red eyes emanated a subtle atmosphere.
Had Athena fallen for her appearance?
It would be quite something for a person who never gets attached to others to be captivated. A pang of jealousy surged within me.
‘Hmm… No, well. She’s pretty, but she’s still not in the same league as me!’
With looks often described as those of a cream-colored demon, I was confident that anyone standing next to me would pale in comparison.
As I reassured myself, I focused back on them.
Athena raised her hand to call a server.
Was she thinking of settling the bill?
But it didn’t seem like that; she appeared to be ordering more food.
The waiter took her order to the kitchen.
When he returned, what he brought was…
“….Alcohol?”
Two large mugs of beer.
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