Chapter 294: A Twist Of A Date - Part 1
"She\'s still busy with that boy, huh?" Said the angelic version of herself.
"What is she even trying to find?" Said the other, seemingly just as confused.
The clone, standing in a corner, had a much clearer image–and what she was finding was inching her towards an inevitable shock.
\'No fucking way…\' She thought a second before Athenia covered her mouth with surprise but then quickly let it go and burst into laughter.
"AHAHA! Wh-what?! How in the! Ahaha!" Squeezing her hands by her chest, the goddess went into a state of hysterics. Laughing out like a maniac rocking two and fro on her throne, she appeared like a mental patient, but eventually, it eased up a little. "Ohhhh Maria~ Maria~ Maria~ You\'re gonna be so mad when you figure this one out!
Ahaha…"
Watching in confusion as their true body kept snickering to herself, both the angelic and the dark were left oblivious of what was happening. The clone on the other hand, being part of Athenia\'s true self, knew exactly what the goddess saw but held back her laugh as she felt like her mistress deserved to enjoy that moment.
And she wasn\'t the only one enjoying herself as down on the surface, Robin and Tia were playfully wandering the lower city streets. Popping a stick of candy out of his mouth as they made their way to the animal breeder, he quickly offered it to Tia without much thought.
\'W-what? Does he want me to…\' The thought of the candy being in her mouth right after Robin made Tia\'s heart race like a chariot. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, but hiding her shame, she gently rested it on her tongue before closing her mouth around it. A trickle of his saliva melted sweeter in her mouth than the candy itself. Taking it quickly out, however, she offered it back to Robin.
"There!" Yelped the boy leaping in joy for his next step, his hand locked with Tia made her jump with surprise as well.
"Yaaa!" Although in a state of shock, Tia kept up with Robin and only stopped as they reached a walled garden with nets and grills holding all the animals.
Through the net alone, the two could see people interacting with animals that they had never seen before. Her eyes enchamered by the sight, she squeezed Robin\'s hand, all the while the blonde took her towards the entrance to get them both an entry ticket. However, the moment they got to the line, Tia bumped into the side of someone taller than them both.
"I-I\'m sorry!" Not used to being amongst commoners, she felt a rush of anxiety and fear grip her heart. And as she opened her eyes to see the person, her fear only grew further. "A-A de-devil?!"
Moving in front of Tia to separate her from the devil, Robin conjured a whip made of thorny vines. Holding them stretched in front, he made sure that the devil couldn\'t get to Tia, but to her surprise, the horned creature began smiling.
"Everything okay, Liliyana?" A familiar voice came from behind the devil, and as Tia looked over, she instantly recognised who it was.
"A-Amedith, right? The ex-hero?" As she mumbled, Robin\'s tension settled a little.
Turning around, he wanted to ask Tia if she knew him, but before he could do anything, Liliyana put her hand on his head and began patting him like a child.
"No need to be scared, I\'m not scary," blushing at her touch, Robin slowly turned back around and got Liliyana\'s hand off of his head. Even so, leaning forward and smiling, the devil assured the young boy not to worry about her presence. "You two heading inside too? Why don\'t we go together?"
Scoffing at the chaos the two had caused and had gotten everyone\'s attention to them, Amedith motioned everyone to follow him in before any more trouble arose at the scene. Although reluctant at first, both Tia and Robin followed the duo in.
"It\'s been a while since I\'ve seen you, but please don\'t cause another scene…" Amedith whispered to Tia as the group made their way to the first walk-in cage for the exotic animals.
"O-okay…and I\'m sorry again," turning her eyes to Liliyana as they moved forward, Tia couldn\'t help but ask. "Who is this by the way?"
A bit caught off guard by the question, Amedith didn\'t know what to say. Liliyana on the other hand, simply once more before replying to the princess.
"I\'m his L.O.V.E.R~" Covering her mouth as she chuckled, somehow–the devil whose presence was the cause of the distress had managed to calm everything down. "And what about you two? Hmm?"
Looking at each other neither Tia nor Robin were sure about what to say. But going with the obvious answer since their cover was already blown to them, Robin told them as things were.
"I\'m her fiance, Robin."
"Ohhh…" A bit taken back by the revelation, Liliyana stared at Robin and even looked him up and down. Something was off and she knew exactly what–however, whether to ask those questions or not dwell on the details, she was left in a limbo all the while the croaking winged frogs began climbing her legs and arms. "Say, Robin–your family worships which god?"
Ignoring the frogs for now, Robin and Tia were both focused on the devil\'s questioning. In the meantime, Amedith was trying to get those winged croaking creatures out of his shorts and shirts.
"Aphrodite, why do you ask? Everyone worships Aphrodite in Athenia, did you not know cause you\'re a devil?" Hearing Robin\'s response, Liliyana uttered something unintentionally.
"No, I just didn\'t know that Aphrodite allowed women to be wedded to each other."
"What?" Tia muttered, confused by Liliyana\'s words as much as everyone else around her.
\'Oh no…\' Thought Liliyana, realizing that she\'s messed up.