"My apologies, Lord Apollo. I prefer women, not men."
Alice's expression was perfectly calm, her tone utterly even as she spoke words that shocked everyone present.
Much like Apollo's own public declaration, where he used his divine status to apply pressure and profess his love, Alice's current action was exceptionally rare, something you'd hardly ever see.
In Orario, adventurers followed their own hearts.
Love between members of the same sex wasn't uncommon, but to state one's preference so openly in front of everyone… it was undoubtedly throwing herself into the eye of the storm.
For instance, the look in Lefiya's eyes as she stared at Alice was practically sparkling, and Loki was much the same.
After hearing Alice's words, Apollo's smile became strained, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"Miss Alice, even if you wish to reject me, there's no need to use the rest of your life as the price of your defiance. Though, I suppose it makes little difference."
Apollo's expression grew haughty and cold.
"Hyakinthos." He turned to the young man at his side, his manner suggesting he was preparing to move against Alice.
And then, Alice spoke again.
"No, Lord Apollo, I'm being quite serious. After all, you rather enjoy the company of your own sex as well, don't you?"
Alice let out a soft laugh, a bewitching expression blooming on her face.
That radiant smile of hers momentarily stunned even Apollo. And it wasn't just him; every single deity present found themselves captivated by Alice's smile in that moment.
Yet, the one most shocked by Alice's smile wasn't Apollo, nor Loki, nor any of the other gods. It was the Goddess of Beauty, Freya.
Freya gazed at Alice with intoxicated eyes, her lips feeling somewhat dry. She unconsciously moistened them with her tongue.
But gods were still gods.
Though captivated, they regained their composure quickly. Apollo's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Alice and asked, "Miss Alice, what is it that you want?"
Hearing his question, the smile on Alice's face deepened.
"Although this is Orario, relationships between the same sex are still ultimately frowned upon. So, my situation is quite similar to your own, Lord Apollo."
Apollo couldn't help but frown, a bad feeling rising within him.
In a corner of the room, Cassandra, standing beside Bell, looked at Alice with a trace of fear in her eyes.
"It's beginning... the smile of the sorceress, the light of the Seven Luminaries, is about to bloom..."
Cassandra gently bit her lip, tugged on Bell's sleeve, leaned close to his ear, and whispered something to him softly.
Meanwhile, in the center of the hall.
Alice's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly towards Asfi, who stood near Hermes. Seeing Asfi give a slight, nearly invisible nod, Alice's smile grew even more brilliant.
"So, Lord Apollo, since you and I share a similar predicament, it would indeed be a rather fitting outcome if I were to accept you."
"However, I am no ordinary woman. Winning me is not something that can be achieved with mere words."
Apollo's eyebrow arched. "Oh? So you intend to cast yourself as the princess, like in the heroic tales, and demand some form of trial to win your hand?"
"Precisely." Alice's smile didn't waver. "So, Lord Apollo, are you willing to bear the consequences—the potential destruction of your familia, your expulsion from Orario, even your forcible return to Heaven—to participate in my trial?"
With every word Alice spoke, Apollo's face grew darker and more unpleasant.
Hyakinthos had fought Alice before. Though he was soundly defeated, he had also learned her fighting style and, crucially, her weaknesses.
While Hyakinthos alone would most likely still lose against her, with the combined strength of the entire Apollo Familia, perhaps they could defeat her.
Apollo's goal at this banquet was simple: shamelessly profess his love to Alice. If she accepted, all the better.
If she refused, then Hyakinthos would play the villain, creating a confrontation and proposing a 'punitive' measure, akin to a Familia War.
Through such means, Apollo could obtain Alice.
But he never expected that Alice would employ a tactic of neither acceptance nor refusal, instead proposing a trial.
One could easily foresee it.
Alice's trial would undoubtedly be extremely difficult. They had investigated her, and clearly, she had investigated them in turn.
Any trial she devised would be tailor-made to target their weaknesses.
As a god, he could clearly perceive whether a mortal child was lying to him.
It wasn't just Apollo; everyone present could clearly sense the ring of truth in Alice's words.
Alice's trial genuinely held the potential to disband the Apollo Familia and send Apollo back to Heaven.
Therefore, the gods, who were already eagerly anticipating the situation developing in an interesting direction, grew even more excited.
Deicide.
Such a thing did not happen in the lower world; it was an absolute taboo. Unless you lured a god into the Dungeon and let a monster do the deed, if you were discovered killing a god, you would be hunted down by every deity in Orario.
To send a god back, you had to take their life, and you absolutely could not let the slain god know who was responsible.
But now, Alice had stated it outright in front of everyone.
And the gods could discern the truth in her words.
Now, every deity present was intensely curious about Alice's methods.
And so, the gods all began to egg him on.
"Hey, Apollo! The princess has invited you to accept her trial! Show some of that gusto you had when proposing to everyone in Heaven and accept it!"
"That's right, that's right! If you're a man, don't back down now!"
"So what if you get sent back? Don't be scared!"
"Go for it, Apollo!"
Hearing the taunts of the other gods, Apollo's face turned truly foul.
"Lord Apollo." Hyakinthos spoke up. Unlike Apollo, he remained remarkably calm. "Your will is our command. Though I despise this sorceress, if you decide to proceed, I will see your will carried through to the end. The rest of the familia feels the same."
"Hah... Thank you, Hyakinthos."
Hyakinthos's words helped Apollo regain his composure. The smile returned to his face, brimming with confidence once more, as he looked at Alice.
"I am utterly determined to have you, Miss Alice. So, whatever trial you have in store, bring it on."
Hearing Apollo's reply.
A smirk curled upon Alice's lips.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.