Although Ais was naturally airheaded, her intuition was surprisingly sharp in certain areas.
Riveria understood that all too well.
She tucked away her surprise and answered softly.
"That's right. I like Bell Cranel very much too, and my feelings for him are probably far deeper than Ais can imagine."
No beating around the bush.
No need to act coy.
That was simply how Riveria and Ais interacted.
If Riveria wanted to take her relationship with the boy any further, she would have to face many problems. Aside from those unreasonable royal supporters, Lefiya, Ais, and the others were also major obstacles she needed to confront.
The Amazoness sisters were rather open-minded when it came to love. Finn and Gareth had already shown their support. As for Loki, the Familia Goddess, Riveria knew her personality well. At most, Loki would tease her a little, but she would not interfere.
Among the entire familia, the two people Riveria most needed to deal with were Lefiya and Ais.
The former Elf Princess might have been rather inexperienced in matters of love, but she had already weathered far too many storms.
Unlike those coy, tsundere women, Riveria held her feelings firmly in her heart and intended to resolve the matters around her one step at a time.
"Ais, I don't intend to lie to you. I was already planning to find a chance to tell you this, so it's actually just as well that you brought it up yourself. My feelings for Bell Cranel are sincere and unshakable. Ais, you must keep this secret for me."
Riveria calmly stated her resolve.
Her gaze was set far into the future.
Most encounters in this world were fleeting, and love was even more precious because of that.
Riveria had seen far too many regrets.
The [Vanargand] with a tragic past.
The [Ankusha] who had lost her dearest kin.
The girls who had fallen on the path of justice...
An adventurer's life could come to an end at any moment.
On top of that, elves and humans had vastly different lifespans.
To Riveria, this unfamiliar bud of love was something beautiful that she had to protect with everything she had until the very end.
This honesty was one of the ways she chose to protect that love.
"..."
Ais was speechless.
Someone precious to her had fallen for the boy.
Just like her.
It should have been something to be happy about, yet a strange, heavy feeling pressed down on her chest.
Ais felt as if she had returned to the deep water of her childhood, with heavy blocks of steel tied to her feet. She could see the light above, but no matter how desperately she flailed her arms, she could not escape that suffocating feeling.
Why?
Little Ais struggled desperately, trying to dig up the source of that painful emotion.
She thrashed her arms and caught hold of a faint clue within her memories.
Her thoughts soon connected. What little Ais held in her hands was not warm light, but something dark and silent at the bottom of the water.
Why did she feel so awful?
The reason was simple.
Because her own "like" and the "like" Riveria spoke of were completely different...
Ais placed her hand on the hilt of the Desperate Sword, making one final confirmation.
"Riveria, are you also going to be like that thieving cat... and do that thing... with Bell... the thing from the brothel... that makes babies?"
Ais spoke haltingly, clearly fighting against the shame in her heart.
"Who told you about that?"
Riveria's brows knit tightly. She had not expected this naturally innocent girl to think that far.
"I can't say... Answer me, Riveria..."
Ais hid the boy's involvement and urgently demanded an answer.
Depending on that answer, Ais might have no choice but to classify Riveria as an [enemy].
"..."
Riveria saw right through Ais's thoughts.
The moment the blonde girl looked away, Riveria realized it. The one who had told Ais about making babies was undoubtedly Bell Cranel.
Punishing the boy could wait until later. The problem in front of her now was what truly troubled Riveria.
It would be easy enough to lie to Ais and brush it off, but if something really did happen between her and the boy in the future, the backlash for Ais would likely be even stronger.
The blonde girl would surely feel that the two of them had tricked her. She might lose all trust in them, and in the worst case, it could leave an irreparable wound in the relationship between the three of them.
With that in mind, Riveria looked into those wavering golden eyes and answered.
"To be honest, my answer is that I don't know. But I do hope my relationship with Bell Cranel can become that kind of relationship someday."
Resolve rippled through her emerald eyes, bright as gemstones.
In the next instant, the storm descended.
"No..."
Ais squeezed the murmur from between her lips.
If Riveria and Bell's relationship reached that point, what would become of her?
Would she still be able to smile at them?
Would she still be able to feel the boy's warmth?
Most importantly, what was she supposed to call Bell?
The little Ais in her heart raised a wooden sign with a huge X drawn on it.
If young Ais called the emerald elf Mother Riveria, then Bell...
No, no, no, no, no...
She absolutely did not want that!
"I don't want that!!"
Ais slammed her foot into the ground and drew the Desperate Blade.
In a single instant, the sword wrapped in hurricane winds swept upward in a swift reverse diagonal slash. It was only little Ais being selfish. She had not used the full force of her wind, nor did she intend to hurt Riveria.
Two slashes came howling toward her. Riveria held her wand at an angle and met the attack head-on.
"Ais..."
Riveria used her staff techniques to parry Ais's fierce assault.
She knew Ais inside and out. This was not Dungeon hunting. It was only a little girl throwing a tantrum. Riveria could easily predict Ais's movements and block her attacks with her wand.
"No... I don't want to hear it..."
Ais kept swinging the rapier in her hand.
Riveria did not chant any magic. Ais did not know what she was thinking, but every time the boy's face surfaced in her mind, her heart grew unbearably restless.
She did not want to dwell on it. She did not want to think. She was simply rejecting that strange future on instinct.
"Ais, you should understand too. Once a person has known warmth, they cannot easily let it go."
Riveria tried to reason with her.
In her eyes, Ais clearly held some affection for the boy. If they simply traded places, it would be obvious that neither Riveria nor Ais could give up their precious bond with him.
"..."
Ais drove the raging wind forward and swung the blade in her hand.
She pressed her lips together, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Riveria... I won't tell anyone else, and I won't tell Bell either... but I'm sorry..."
Ais looked at the dancing emerald-green hair and strengthened the wind wrapped around her body.
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