I tried to walk away, but Hestia also noticed Ais and said, "Ah, isn't that Ais? What is she doing here?" She said it a bit too loudly, and Ais turned in our direction. When she saw me, the corner of her lips curved slightly upward.
Tsk!
I clicked my tongue inwardly and smiled at Ais.
"Ais? Oh, her." Haruhime knew Ais, just like everyone else here. As soon as she approached, everyone greeted her, and she nodded politely.
"I didn't expect to run into you here," I said.
"I was taking care of something. I was just about to head home. What about you? Did something special happen?" she asked. Since all the members of the Familia were present, she probably assumed we were celebrating something.
"Yes, that's right. We were heading to the Hostess of Fertility to grab a meal together." I let out a weak laugh and pinched Hestia's arm, noticing she was about to say something. She looked visibly irritated but stayed quiet.
"I see…" Ais said before clearing her throat. Then she added, "I won't keep you then. Oh, and I wanted to give you this. I haven't had the chance to talk to you these past few days, so…"
She handed me a letter. I opened it and skimmed part of it. It was a long piece about Romeo and Juliet—basically an in-depth review of the beginning of the story. "An analysis of the book?" I asked.
"Read it all when you get home. I worked hard on it."
"Of course, I will."
The others glanced at us suspiciously, since none of them knew what exactly was written on the paper.
After saying her goodbyes, Ais walked away.
"Let me see!" Hestia tried to snatch the paper from my hand, but I didn't let her. I raised my hand, then tucked the letter into my inventory.
"Is it really just an analysis of your book? Why won't you let me read it?!"
"I want to be the first one to read it, of course. And yes, it's an analysis of my book."
"I didn't know you were that close to Ais… I'm surprised," Haruhime said.
"We've been friends for some time. And please, don't tell anyone about the wedding. You were about to tell her, weren't you?" I looked at Hestia, and she turned her gaze away. Then, with a forced smile, she said,
"I wasn't going to…" Since I can detect lies, I obviously knew she was lying.
"I don't want her to know about the wedding. Not her, and not the other girls from the Loki Familia."
"Why? Because you don't want them to lose interest in you?" Hestia asked, visibly annoyed.
"…" I decided not to answer and just sighed. "Come on. Since I said we were going to the Hostess of Fertility, we'd better head there. Let's enjoy ourselves a little."
"Hey, answer me! That's the reason, isn't it?!" Hestia kept pressing me, but I didn't respond.
She can be really annoying sometimes.
####
After we ate together at the restaurant, we returned to the mansion, fully satisfied. As soon as we got inside, everyone went to their rooms—except for Hestia, who chose to stay with me in the living room.
We lay down on the sofa together, and then she said, "Let me read that letter… please."
I sighed and pulled the letter out of my inventory. "You can be really stubborn when you want to, you know that?" I smiled and handed her the letter. Smiling, Hestia took it and began to read.
As she read, she nodded along, agreeing with what was written.
"What is this? That woman writes really well."
"She's a smart woman."
"Hm?" Hestia shot me an irritated look.
"Don't be jealous. Give it here, I want to read it too."
"Wait, I'm almost done!"
Hestia kept reading, and when she reached the end of the letter, her eyes widened. Then she crushed the paper in her hand. "You're not reading this. No way." she said, clearly upset.
I was taken aback for a moment, but then I reached over and grabbed the letter from her.
"Wait, don't read it!" Hestia tried to pull it back, but she couldn't. Of course, I was careful not to hurt her or treat her roughly. I simply pushed her aside gently.
"What's written here? You got so upset that now I'm curious." Since she reacted like that, it was definitely more than just a book analysis.
I teleported to my room and uncrumpled the paper. I read the end of the letter to see what she had written.
"Can we meet tomorrow? There's something very important I need to talk to you about.
I'm embarrassed, but I can't hold it back anymore."
"…" Did Ais really write this? That Ais? This is insane.
Am I finally about to complete that mission?!
But what if she confesses? What should I do? If I accept her feelings without telling her about the wedding, she'll eventually find out, and that would break her heart. She might even try to kill me.
If she confesses, should I tell her about the wedding before giving her an answer?
But would she ever accept a polygamous relationship? I doubt she would…
"What a headache…"
Then, Hestia appeared at the door of my room and stepped inside.
"So here you are! Did you read it?" Then, spotting the letter in my hand, she said, "You did… You're not meeting her!"
"Hm? Why not?"
"You know perfectly well why. That woman is completely in love with you. She'll try to steal you away from us!"
"Steal me? Of course not. I'll talk to her, and if she can't accept me being with you all, then I'll turn her down." Even though that would be painful…
"I thought you didn't want more women in your 'harem.' You're such a womanizing idiot!" Hestia stormed out of the room and slammed the door.
Huff~~
I let out a long sigh as I fell back onto the bed.
####
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Next chapters: Chapter 268 – Cookie Clicker. / Chapter 269 - Ais's Cofession? / Chapter 270 - Did I Break Ais's Heart? / Chapter 271 - I wish you luck. +18 / Chapter 272 - Haruhime fainted? +18 / Chapter 273 - All the girls from the Hestia Familia?! / Chapter 274 - Conversation with Ais. (Tiona's POV) / 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