The confession that slipped from the luscious lips of the Goddess of Justice that night was not an impulsive act brought about by the emotions of the moment.
In truth, Astraea had long been questioning the strange feelings that always troubled her heart whenever she was near Charlie.
Confused by the turmoil within her own heart, she had secretly taken the time to consult a succession of prominent goddesses such as Demeter, Hephaestus, Hathor, Hestia, and even the Goddess of Beauty, Freya.
The answer she received from all of them turned out to be exactly the same: love.
She had fallen in love!
The verdict from her fellow goddesses had initially shocked Astraea herself.
As a result, she had struggled to accept that reality for quite some time.
After all, Astraea was known as one of the goddesses who held firmly to the concept of purity.
This could be clearly seen in the structure of the former Astraea Familia, whose members had deliberately been limited to female adventurers. One of the main purposes of this rule was to create a truly safe space for the women of Orario, while keeping away the 'lustful atmosphere' that commonly arose within mixed-gender Familias.
Although Astraea was a goddess who guarded her purity, she technically did not belong to the group known as the Three Virgin Goddesses of Heaven, consisting of Hestia, Artemis, and Athena.
For Hestia, Artemis, and Athena, their virginity was a fundamental aspect of their divine nature.
Astraea, on the other hand, was a virgin simply because of her personal choice, having consciously chosen not to engage in sexual relations all this time. By nature, however, she still possessed the full capacity to experience emotional attraction, romance, and even bursts of desire just like any ordinary woman.
And now, after all this time, spring had finally arrived in her life!
Faced with Charlie's sudden announcement that he planned to forcibly send all the gods back to Heaven the following morning, that shocking news ultimately became the final catalyst that drove Astraea to cast aside all her pride and reveal her true feelings of love to the young man before her!
"Mmh..."
Astraea gently clutched her dress, her fingers trembling slightly from the nervousness spreading throughout her body. Her beautiful eyes gazed at Charlie with an unmistakable look of anxiety.
"Then... what do you think of me, Charlie?"
"Do you... like me or not?"
Confronted with the Goddess of Justice's first and perhaps last confession, Charlie abandoned all traces of his usual casual demeanor.
He adjusted his sitting position and looked straight at Astraea with an expression of utmost sincerity and respect.
"You don't need to rely on an overly sexy or provocative appearance to attract attention, Goddess Astraea."
"Because you radiate a beauty that is so pure, elegant, and truly heavenly."
Charlie paused for a moment, offering her a faint, reassuring smile.
"Besides, you are an incredibly compassionate and empathetic person."
"You care for every member of your Familia like a protective mother or older sister. You always make time to listen attentively to every grievance of the children under your care, without ever judging them in the slightest."
Astraea was stunned, listening to every word of Charlie's assessment with bated breath.
"As the Goddess of Justice, you aren't rigid at all either." Charlie continued, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "You have always taught the world that the concept of 'justice' isn't merely a set of black-and-white rules written on paper, but something that must be sought out and determined by each person's own conscience. Your incredibly wise outlook on life has truly inspired me."
Charlie drew a deep breath before continuing with the most touching part of Astraea's past.
"Even though you had to endure the heartbreaking tragedy of having almost your entire Familia brutally slaughtered by the Juggernaut in the past, you never allowed yourself to become evil or consumed by vengeance."
"Instead, you graciously chose to step aside and leave for the sake of Ryu Lion's mental recovery, showing the world just how much love and kindness were embedded deep within your heart."
The more Astraea listened to Charlie's stream of praise, the harder her heart pounded, like a drum being struck over and over.
A deep crimson blush instantly spread across her beautiful cheeks, reaching all the way to the tips of her ears.
Seeing that Charlie still seemed ready to open his mouth and continue praising her, Astraea, no longer able to endure the embarrassment, hurriedly interrupted him.
"E-Enough, Charlie! Stop... that's enough!"
She covered half of her flushed face with both palms.
"I... I already know that you pay very close attention to me and understand me extremely well. So please don't say things like that directly to me anymore. It makes me so embarrassed..."
Seeing this adorable, bashful reaction from Astraea, who normally always carried herself with such dignity and wisdom, Charlie could only chuckle softly to himself. This rare sight that night was truly a delightful breath of fresh air for him.
Meanwhile, Astraea continued to lower her head deeply. She truly did not dare to meet Charlie's gaze directly because the embarrassment was still burning across her face.
「This man is truly incredibly skilled at winning a woman's heart.」
「No wonder that with such eloquence and sensitivity, he can easily build a harem around himself.」
This was the first love of her life.
After living for hundreds of millions of years, she had finally encountered a man who had managed to capture her heart.
The only aspect of Charlie that left Astraea deeply disappointed was the fact that he was a playboy.
What woman in this world would willingly share the man she loved with other women?
Under normal circumstances, every woman would naturally tend to reject polygamy.
And Astraea, as a goddess who upheld justice and purity, was certainly no exception to that natural inclination.
Even so, she found it incredibly difficult to let go of the feelings of love she had experienced for the first time in her entire life.
Especially after learning about the plan to expel the gods the following day, Astraea was afraid that if she rejected Charlie now, she might never be able to meet the young man again in the future.
Simply imagining that terrible possibility was enough to make her chest ache and tighten painfully.
Amid Astraea's continuing inner turmoil as she remained with her head lowered, Charlie slowly leaned forward in his seat. He gazed at Astraea's elegant silhouette with eyes filled with pure sincerity.
"If you asked me to choose between liking you or not liking you, Goddess Astraea..."
"Then, without the slightest hesitation, I would immediately choose the former."
"I like you."
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