I didn’t hear any proper explanation from Damian. Now that it’s come to this, to put it bluntly, I really thought of going to Terra and looking for the ring myself. I was a bit worried about how painful it would be if I were to be inflicted with divine power, but I was left with no other choice.
Hiding the tension I was feeling while keeping a firm expression, I looked back at the commanders.
“Milady, didn’t Damian say anything yesterday?” Endymion asked.
“Huh?”
“No, I mean, how could I have? I got attacked as soon as I got there,” Damian retorted.
“Miss Lily, a delegation from Terra will be visiting soon. They have the ring you’ve been looking for,” Ares said.
“…Really?”
“Yes. The one who’ll bring it here will be the Pope. And I’m not sure, but it seems that your grandmother and the Pope had a connection in the past, Miss Lily.”
I felt the tension in my body coming loose. The delegation, the pope, my grandmother… I was confused by the sudden outpour of stories, but I listened, believing that they were not lying to me this time.
“Milady,” Endymion said. “Do you remember what I said before? There might be an enchantment on that ring.”
“Yes, I remember.”
Instead of Endymion, Ares answered this time. “It’s just a guess, but if you think about it like Eddy said, it all fits perfectly. The Pope said he wants to meet the woman who had the ring. I think he meant you and your grandmother.”
“…You didn’t say anything yesterday, Damian. You said you didn’t want to tell me!”
“I meant to talk to you the second time I visited! But you just…”
Damian, who continued to speak as if he had been wronged, suddenly blushed. Thanks to that, I also remembered what happened yesterday. I was relieved to think that if it were just the two of us, I would have said it casually. I don’t know if it’s right to think that I should be relieved.
Perhaps everyone had guessed from his subtle demeanor, they didn’t bother to ask.
“It’s funny to say this now, but I’m sorry, okay?” Damian said. “I’m not saying this to ask for forgiveness. It’s not something I say to put my mind at ease. I didn’t mean to deceive you… I wanted to tell you.”
“…….”
Endymion chimed in as well. “Milady, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
And Ares soon followed. “I didn’t want you to leave, Miss Lily. But I knew that none of us could be enough to make you stay due to a lingering attachment, that’s why we resorted to such means. You can hit me, you can kick me, you can step on me, you can slap me. If it still doesn’t work out, you can do whatever you want…”
“Why are you saying the same thing as Damian, Endymion?”
“Yes, it’s making me feel like sh*t. I did it first, yeah? Don’t copy me, Hyung.”
“…I’m just being earnest. To be honest, Miss Lily, all I could wish for is for your forgiveness. I don’t want to be hated by the person I like.”
Endymion smiled as he said that, and his hands trembled nervously. I couldn’t see him who was relaxed in any situation. I came with a strong determination, but I didn’t expect this.
“What a relief.”
It was a relief though, really. Being able to find the ring was one, but more than anything.
“Even when I hear these words, I don’t feel relieved at all. You’re saying you’re sorry? But why did you do something to be sorry in the first place?”
It seems like I’ve been hurt more than I thought. It might be more like that because I had no intention of accepting their feelings in the first place. And besides, to say that they like me in this situation.
“I wanted to believe there was another reason. If you like me, you shouldn’t have thought about hiding the ring—you should have thought about changing my mind.”
All of them had sad and gloomy faces. I’m the one who was deceived, so why were they making such a face? I lowered my head, and my loosely tied hair flowed down.
I wanted to become a normal person and return home as soon as possible. It was a relationship that would only last until the ring was found. It’s been three years— three whole years. By no means was that a short period of time. I was endlessly thinking about how long I should live like this. Like I said to Grandmother, I’m afraid that if I continue like this, I’ll fall to pleasure.
“If it weren’t for this situation, I might have favored you, Commanders. If only we met normally.”
It was a messed up relationship from the start, so I didn’t intentionally think about it that way. I spoke slowly.
“Thank you for helping me find the ring. But I can’t understand why you all have acted in such a way…”
“What? You don’t understand? Then I can do as I please now?!”
“But now I do. I understand. Yes, I understand.”
“…Huh?”
The moment I heard a voice full of excitement, I was saying that without realizing it.
A cold sweat broke out on my back. It was because I completely forgot the promise I made with Lilith. Right… I told her that if I couldn’t understand the commanders, then she could do whatever she wanted…
Ares was the first to react to my sudden change. Then a nervous voice came into my head.
“Lily, what are you talking about? You said you couldn’t understand.”
“No! I understand the commanders more than anyone else! If you like someone, you can do as much!”
“M-Milady?”
“Then what have you been saying so far, what are these dark feelings?”
“That, that… It’s, it’s like push and pull. Anyway, I understand. So because they like me, so!”
“Miss Lily…?”
“Hey, what is wrong with you all of a sudden?”
“Do not lie. Are you doing it on purpose just because I was going to do it my way?! You promised yesterday! You’re so bad!”
“No, I promised that, but… I thought I could really understand. But what can I do to get angry after hearing the story!”
“That means you didn’t understand!”
I feel remorseful towards Lilith. I know, but I wasn’t sure if she was going to do something even worse than what she had done to Damian the day before, when I was changing the body.
I’m really stupid. I shouldn’t make promises like that!
And suddenly, my body started to falter. I never felt like this before, but I knew it. This was Lilith trying to take over my body. I gritted my teeth.
“Stop it, Lilith! I really, really! I really don’t like doing it with someone’s behind, or doing something like that with many people together!”
I screamed desperately, but my vision soon turned black. And I couldn’t help but close my eyes, and little by little, I felt my body flinching.