Heith's figure gradually disappeared into the distance. Warm sunlight fell across the streets, illuminating the prosperity of the Labyrinth City.
Amid the steady flow of carriages, a somewhat shabby carriage passed by Laurier.
She paid it no special attention and continued toward the meeting place.
The person inside the carriage, however, caught a glimpse of the blonde Elf's face.
"Astraea-sama, are you concerned about that woman just now?"
Cecil, the aqua-blue-haired Captain, asked softly.
"Mm. After all, she is also that young man's... Bell's lover..."
Astraea smoothed her soft walnut-brown hair, and her starry, beautiful eyes seemed to carry all kinds of emotions.
Was she a Goddess looking forward to a reunion with her Familia member? Or a pure young maiden longing to meet her lover?
"Ugh..."
Cecil looked out the window, her thoughts drifting.
She did not know the answer. The only thing she was grateful for was that this journey had been kept rather secret, with only one member brought along.
Otherwise, if the others saw the Goddess's expression right now, it would surely stir up a storm.
Once upon a time, Cecil had stood among them. Yet before she had even noticed it, she, who had once sent condemnation toward Ryuu and Bell, was now looking forward to meeting the young man.
"To think you would make such a lovestruck maiden's face. How surprising."
Astraea wore a gentle smile.
"H-how could that be?! I'm only grateful that Bell Cranel saved Astraea-sama. I absolutely have no improper thoughts!"
Cecil replied in a panic.
She had wanted to say, "Isn't your expression right now the one that looks like a lovestruck maiden?" But because of their positions, Cecil did not say anything so rude.
"I didn't say anything that specific. You confessed everything on your own."
As a Goddess, Astraea naturally understood that her Familia member's words contained lies.
Travel nurtured daydreams and longing.
When they were in the Sword Smithing City, Cecil could hide her true feelings in front of the others, but as the journey continued, that anticipation and longing became impossible to conceal.
Astraea felt that she was probably the same in that regard.
Leaving heart marks on his armor, drawing playful hearts in her letters, she had done all of those things freely, following the stirring in her heart.
After all, Astraea and the young man had been separated by thousands of miles. Exchanges at that level could only be considered little amusements between lovers, nothing that would bring too much shame.
But now that the two were about to reunite, all of her past whims had turned into boomerangs of embarrassment, striking the Goddess straight in the heart.
"I should go to the tavern first and see Ryuu..."
Even Astraea herself was a little surprised when those words left her mouth.
There was clearly no need to worry about anything. That pure young man would never take advantage of their long-awaited reunion to do anything improper. Their love had a [Pledge] between them, so nothing would happen in matters of romance either.
Yet Astraea still chose to run away.
She wanted to see the young man, yet she also worried whether her current state was somewhat unbecoming. After all, after her, that beautiful and captivating Goddess of the Moon had also become the young man's lover.
And judging from all kinds of signs, the relationship between Artemis and Bell was different from the twisted promise of the Goddess of Justice. It seemed more like a beautiful romance from a fairy tale.
With these conflicting feelings in mind, Astraea decided to go to the tavern first and put her appearance and thoughts in order.
"Understood..."
Cecil looked at the Goddess's face and seemed to understand the answer to her earlier question.
Astraea was both a Goddess trapped by tragedy and a girl yearning for salvation.
Cecil said nothing more. After giving instructions to the member driving the carriage, she quietly immersed herself in the longing stirred by the journey.
...
The girls' laughter echoed beneath the warm sun.
A boy and a Goddess walked out of the dessert shop and chatted in front of an empty alley.
"Half a day passed so quickly..."
Hestia looked up at the sky, feeling a little wistful.
When she was working, every moment felt like a year. Yet in what seemed like the blink of an eye, she had already spent half a day playing with Bell.
"Goddess-sama, although we agreed to spend the whole day together, there's still a tea party waiting for you this afternoon."
Bell reminded her.
"I know. I definitely won't be late. Bell, go pick up Astraea."
Hestia thought of her divine friend and pouted in complaint.
"Huh? I thought Goddess-sama would try to get out of it. That's very impressive."
Bell deliberately acted like an elder and patted the Goddess on the head.
"I'm an extremely understanding Goddess, so don't treat me like a child!"
Hestia replied with puffed cheeks.
If it were an ordinary tea party, she would have refused without hesitation. That had been the Goddess's plan at first.
But the other party was a friend she had not seen in a long time, and also Bell's lover. On top of that, Artemis and Hephaestus would be there too, so Hestia really had no way to refuse.
That said, her heart was filled with mixed feelings.
Her friends were all noble Goddesses who had nothing to do with romance, so why had things become like this?
If they had formed forbidden romances with other children, Hestia could still stand aside as an observer, admire the changes in her friends, and sigh over that distant love between mortals and Gods.
But the one who had formed those bonds with Astraea and the others was Bell...
Of all people, it was the young man she liked...
What kind of face was she supposed to make when she saw them...?
She really did not want to go...
The moment Hestia thought that, her steps grew much heavier.
She parted ways with Bell, then headed to the agreed tea party location under the escort, or rather surveillance, of Cassandra and the others.
...
Inside the tavern, the hall that had once been noisy and lively was now completely empty.
Because of the incident with Syr's lunch box, Mia had made an exception and given everyone a day off.
"Chloe-san, are you feeling all right?"
Bell walked through the door and looked toward the catgirl, who was holding dried fish in her mouth, humming as she cleaned.
"Don't worry, nya. Cats have nine lives, nya."
Chloe swallowed the dried fish, then lightly licked her lips.
"I was planning to bring a gift when I came to visit, but I was short on time."
Bell had only just learned that Astraea had come to the tavern first. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Chloe-san, if you like dried fish, you can come to Hestia Familia's mansion anytime. I'll prepare plenty for you then."
"Really, nya? Then I'll happily accept that gift, nya~"
Chloe understood that dried fish stored in a food bag tasted a little worse than dried fish kept in other ways. The young man had surely considered that when he offered this gift.
More than the dried fish, what Chloe valued most was the chance to visit the mansion where the young man lived.
"Mm. May I ask where Astraea-sama is?"
Because of the scheduled time, Bell did not continue chatting.
"The Goddess is upstairs, nya."
Chloe blinked, then smiled and said,
"Keep quiet, nya. I'll take you up, nya~"
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