I didn't know what I should say. If I told her that Luan was the reason for this, what would she do? Loki already doesn't like Luan very much. It's better if I don't say anything. She'll know if I'm lying. I wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes and replied,
"Nothing too serious happened, it's fine. I'm just a little upset, but I'll get better soon."
I tried to walk past her and head upstairs, but Loki stopped me.
"Tell me what happened," she said, looking coldly at me.
"I already told you it's fine, Goddess. You don't need to worry about me."
"Just tell me what happened." She's getting more and more irritated. What should I do? Should I tell her? The news about Luan's marriage hasn't spread through the city yet. If I tell her, it will definitely spread.
…
I stayed silent for a while and then let out a long sigh. Well, if this information spreads… does it really matter?
"I was at the Hestia Familia's home, talking with Luan."
"So it was that bastard who made you like this!" Loki snapped. Her irritation was palpable.
"It's fine, he didn't do anything… It's just that I…"
"What did you do?"
"I found out that he's getting married, and that…"
When she heard my words, the Goddess looked a little confused. She must have been thinking, Why are you so upset after finding out he's getting married? But after a moment, she seemed to come to a conclusion.
"Don't tell me you like that piece of trash…"
The Goddess was incredulous.
I stared at her and didn't answer.
"You must be joking. You should be celebrating that he's getting married. Maybe then he'll finally stay away from all of you!"
"But…"
"Tiona!"
"..."
"Forget that man, I mean it," Loki said, her tone deadly serious. She was furious—this was the first time I'd ever seen her like that. "Stay away from him, or he'll only cause you pain. A pain worse than what you're feeling now."
"..."
"That man is despicable. You have no idea."
"Yes, I know…"
Loki's eyes widened. She was about to say something else, but gave up.
Before leaving me alone in the room, she said, "Stay away from that man. It's for your own good. I told Ais the same thing, and I hope she listens."
She talked to Ais? What did Ais say to her?
I went upstairs and headed toward Ais's room.
####
When I arrived, I knocked on her door a few times and called her name, but she didn't answer. "Is she home?" It was still early—maybe she was still asleep. But normally she woke up early.
So I tried opening the door.
To my surprise, it wasn't locked.
"Oops…" I stepped inside carefully, trying not to make noise. The curtains were closed, so the room was quite dark. But I could still see well enough. "She's not here…" I murmured.
I approached the bed.
The blanket was neatly folded. Her bed was perfectly made.
"She didn't sleep here last night? No, she definitely wouldn't stay out. She must've already gone out." Could she have gone to the dungeon alone? No, definitely not. She had never gone alone.
At least, I couldn't remember her ever doing so.
I sighed and walked toward the door. But as soon as I opened it, I ran into her.
"Tiona?" Ais looked surprised to see me.
"I'm sorry for coming into your room without permission. I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Talk? At this hour? Did you at least have breakfast?"
"Yes, I already ate. I woke up earlier than usual today and went out."
"That's unusual. Where did you go?" Ais asked as she walked into the room. She pulled open the curtains, flooding the room with light.
"I went to the Hestia Familia's house," I said.
As soon as she heard that, Ais turned to look at me. She stared for a few seconds before asking, "What were you doing there? Don't tell me you actually went to talk to Luan."
"Yes, I went there to talk to him."
"Tiona!"
"But I didn't go there just to talk about you."
"What do you mean by that?" Ais asked, visibly unsettled.
After debating whether I should really say it, I finally spoke. "I like him too," I admitted, looking directly at her. I tried to keep my tone firm and confident, but my hands were trembling slightly.
"What do you mean by that?" Ais asked, still unable to believe what she'd heard. She slowly walked toward me. I stayed where I was.
When she was right in front of me, I said, "I like Luan, just like you do." My voice nearly cracked. I felt like I could throw up at any moment—my nerves were overwhelming me.
"..." Ais continued to stare at me, still in disbelief.
After an awkward silence that stretched for almost a full minute, she finally asked, "Since when?"
"Hm?"
"Since when have you liked him?"
"I've liked him for a long time. I can't help it. For some reason, he drives me crazy whenever I look at him."
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Ais turned and walked over to her bed. Once she sat down, she continued, "Why didn't you tell me before that you liked him too? If you had told me…"
"You would've given up on him? I'm sure you wouldn't."
"..." Ais stayed silent for a while, then sighed. "What did he say?"
"Hm?"
"You went to talk to him, didn't you? You confessed to him too, didn't you? What did he say?"
"He told me the same thing he told you. That he's getting married, but that he'd accept me by his side."
"I see…" Ais's expression shifted.
She was deeply shaken by what she'd just heard.
She realized that no matter what she did, Luan wasn't going to give up that marriage—and he would keep "collecting" more women by his side.
Just like me, she knew she would never be the only one in his heart.
The only choice left was to accept it.
That goes for me too… What should I do?
####
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Next chapters: Chapter 275 - Being part of a harem. / Chapter 276 - Crazy Theory. / Chapter 277 - Why does Loki hate Luan so much? / Chapter 278 - I almost peed myself. (Loki's POV) / Chapter 279 - Loki is very excited. / Chapter 280 - I'll make you feel really good, Loki. You can use my cock +18 / Chapter 281 - Make Loki cum 50 times! +18 / Chapter 282 - Loki's pussy is great. +18 / Chapter 283 - Get me out of here, Luan! (Loki's POV) / Chapter 284 - Can Ais and Tiona convince Luan? / Chapter 285 - I want to speed up Hestia's pregnancy. / Chapter 286 - Do you promise? / Chapter 287 - Dinner with Tiona and Ais. Will they both agree to stay by my side? / Chapter 288 - Ais and Tiona are now mine.