Kiana closed her eyes, and before Aponia, she truly seemed just like a little child.
She wasn't as steady as usual, nor did she appear all that gentle and quiet.
You might think that since she doesn't seem to do much, she shouldn't be all that tired.
But in reality, when she's making videos, it takes energy—gathering materials and handling all sorts of tasks. At the same time, during this period, she's been relying heavily on the system, keeping a close watch on the future alongside it.
Observing the worldlines made her feel like her eyes were about to go blind.
She kept worrying that while a video was still in progress, the worldline might throw out something new.
If it was already finished, that would be one thing.
But if it wasn't… given her nature, not going back to revise it would just feel wrong.
When energy runs low, rest is needed.
And compared to resting alone, having her nominal wife Aponia keep her company was so much better.
She'd never shortchange herself.
And with a big sister like Aponia, the best part was that she never had to ask—somehow, she just knew what you needed.
If you needed companionship the most, she gave you companionship.
If you needed quiet the most, she gave you quiet.
She was like warm, gentle water, like delicate clouds—not hard to reach, yet if you showed no intention, she never clung too tightly.
When facing little Griseo, or some of the other girls, especially Miss Elysia and the like…
Kiana was usually calm and serene.
But with Aponia, she became softer, stickier—when she acted spoiled, it was like being an adorable piece of chewy taffy.
In Kiana's own words, every time she came to Aponia—yes, she was there to pray.
It felt like just being near Aponia made her whole body relax.
She'd go soft, melt, and forget about everything.
It was like the best kind of healing spot.
Come, stay awhile, and your health bar would refill, your spirit restored.
See? Pretty amazing, right?
Now that you mention it… Aponia was the last to arrive.
But compared to Eden, she ended up much closer to Kiana.
Progress was quick; they just clicked.
That's the charm of a beautiful big sister, isn't it?
She's always gentle and virtuous, knowing just what you need.
With Eden, it couldn't be helped, after all.
Because… Elysia was now constantly hovering around Eden all day.
The Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment and Sesha were practically gazing till their eyes wore out, feeling like Elysia didn't visit them nearly as often as before.
Before, she'd come every day—morning, afternoon, and sometimes even at night.
Now? Maybe once every day or two, and if she'd already visited once that day, she wouldn't come again.
"Sesha, do you think… Elysia has started to dislike me?"
It got to the point where the Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment couldn't help feeling a little insecure.
What she'd grown used to was now—poof—gone, leaving her utterly bewildered.
She even seriously wondered if her own delay in surrendering had gradually made Elysia lose interest in her.
But that didn't make sense either!
Because even though Elysia's visits were less frequent, every time she did come, she was still all smiles, spending time with her just like before, as if nothing had changed.
It was so strange…
"Master, I think you should be more honest," Miss Sesha said earnestly.
But what could she do?
Was the Herrscher of Thunder truly just a tsundere? No, of course not.
The truth was, the more she thought, the more she worried—about what would happen if she went out there.
She… was a Herrscher, after all!
Their enemy!
She'd opposed them so fiercely before.
If she went out now, would everyone bully her?
And…
Perhaps without even realizing it, aside from Sesha, Elysia was her first friend.
The first person who barged into her world without asking.
If she went out, she might meet more people.
But if she stayed here, at least when Elysia came to visit, that time would belong only to the two of them.
No one would take it away.
"You… let me think about it a little more…"
The Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment was still lost in her tangled thoughts.
Hesitant, indecisive.
Nothing like the forceful, decisive, and overbearing figure she'd been at the very beginning.
It made her even more endearing.
Kiana was aware of the situation with the Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment.
But she was happy to watch the drama unfold.
Right now, she even narrowed her eyes slightly—unable to see Aponia's face—yet still murmured all this to Aponia in a sweet, cooing voice.
Just like little girls sharing cute secrets.
Aponia always listened patiently.
Only occasionally would she say a word or two.
Her voice—a little enchanting, a little cool, a little seductive—was honestly hard to describe.
But it was truly wonderful!
Maybe just hearing it was a pleasure in itself~
"Aponia." Suddenly, Kiana called out softly.
"Mmm~" Aponia responded tenderly.
"Can you see the future right now?"
Kiana asked curiously.
"By your side, I can no longer see it…"
Aponia whispered.
But she didn't sound regretful.
You should know, even before undergoing the MANTIS surgery, Aponia could already glimpse vague images.
But those visions weren't very accurate back then.
At most, they were premonitions, or divine hints—still, they inevitably affected her life to some degree.
And indeed, they troubled her.
After the MANTIS surgery, the future she saw became like fixed events—bound to happen no matter what you did. Sometimes, your very actions seemed to trigger them, as if causality had been reversed, like a curse.
That was what truly pained her.
What made her feel truly trapped in the future.
But!
None of that was possible anymore.
Forget the present—even if she were to undergo the MANTIS surgery, as long as Aponia was near Kiana, this ability would surely fail.
She hadn't verified it, but somewhere deep down, she had that premonition.
And for someone like her, such intuitions were to be trusted—they were often accurate, and she believed in them deeply.
So!
It wasn't just that Kiana loved clinging to Aponia.
Aponia loved it too.
Because only then could she find peace, could she be free.
The joy she once felt at gaining power had slowly turned into a sense of constraint, of burden…
Perhaps this was the curse naturally faced by those loved by power.
She would inevitably, instinctively seek a better situation.
Seek what she loved.
That's just human nature, after all.
Maybe precisely because she was human, not a god, she couldn't simply laugh it off.
The more she knew, the more she understood.
The more she wanted to do something…
And then, what did it bring her?
Success? Joy? Or emptiness, loneliness…
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, 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.
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