Freya's question was like a sharpened blade, stabbing straight into Genichi's ears.
His brows immediately furrowed.
His thoughts tangled together, and a trace of coldness flashed through his eyes.
He didn't like being questioned.
He didn't like being interrogated as though he belonged to someone.
And he especially didn't like being spoken to in that condescending tone.
Not even if the one doing it was a Goddess of Beauty.
Not even if she was Freya.
Not even if she had just helped him.
"What kind of relationship Loki and I have isn't something I need to explain to you, Goddess Freya."
His voice was calm but distant, like a winter wind, cold and biting without the slightest warmth.
He looked at Freya without fear, without flattery, and without yielding in the slightest.
Those words were like a bucket of ice water dumped over Freya's head.
In Genichi's eyes, she saw rejection.
She saw distance.
She saw that he would never bow his head simply because of who she was.
That gaze made her furious.
It also made something ache faintly inside her.
Freya's expression immediately darkened.
Her fingers clenched around the hem of her dress until her knuckles turned white, and the anger in those gray-blue eyes grew even stronger.
She took a deep breath and tried to force herself to calm down, but her hands still trembled slightly.
She wanted to say something.
She wanted to snap back.
She wanted to use her authority and power to suppress this arrogant young man who didn't seem to know his place.
But her lips moved without producing a sound.
She suddenly realized something.
Genichi wasn't one of those people who could be dazzled by her beauty.
He wasn't one of those people who would lower their heads before her.
And he certainly wasn't someone who would obediently do whatever she wanted.
Just as the atmosphere was on the verge of exploding, Demeter hurried forward.
She walked to Freya's side with a gentle smile, her eyes filled with helplessness.
Then she reached out and lightly took Freya's hand.
The gesture was natural and gentle, like one close friend comforting another.
"Freya."
Her voice was soft, carrying a warmth that was difficult to reject.
"There is something between Genichi and Loki, but it's not as serious as you're imagining. And by now, you should have a pretty good idea what Genichi is like."
"He's the kind of person who responds to softness, not force. The harder you push him, the less willing he is to bow his head. You questioned him pretty aggressively just now, so naturally his tone wasn't going to be pleasant."
"So don't take it personally. He wasn't targeting you. He simply doesn't like being questioned that way."
Freya looked at Demeter, and a complicated emotion flashed through her gray eyes.
Demeter's words did manage to extinguish some of the anger burning inside her.
Demeter was right.
That was simply the kind of person Genichi was.
He responded to softness, not force.
The harder someone tried to pressure him, the more stubbornly he would refuse to bend.
She really had been too impulsive just now.
Too forceful.
Too much like a jealous woman.
That wasn't how she should have behaved.
Freya took a deep breath, gradually forcing herself to calm down.
Her fingers lightly rubbed against the back of Demeter's hand, as if responding to her comfort, or perhaps confirming something for herself.
Demeter secretly let out a sigh of relief.
When she'd seen the flames of anger rising in Freya's eyes just now, her heart had nearly jumped into her throat.
She knew Freya far too well.
That Goddess of Beauty usually appeared aloof and noble, as though nothing in the world could truly interest her.
But once she genuinely lost her temper, there was no telling what she might do.
They had only just finished dealing with Ishtar.
If another conflict erupted now, things would become troublesome all over again.
Demeter then turned toward Genichi, a hint of pleading in her eyes.
"No matter how you look at it, Freya did help this time. Don't hold something this small against her."
Genichi looked at Demeter, and a trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes.
Of course he understood what she was worried about.
She was afraid he and Freya would completely fall out.
Afraid they would become enemies.
Afraid the situation would spiral into something much bigger.
So he nodded.
"Fine."
It really wasn't that serious.
Genichi had simply disliked the way Freya had spoken to him.
He had no intention of making an enemy of her over something so trivial.
He had never been the kind of person to obsess over petty grievances.
Freya looked at him, a complicated glimmer passing through her gray-blue eyes.
After a moment of silence, she spoke again.
Her voice was soft, yet sharp as a knife.
"I want to know exactly what kind of relationship exists between you and Loki. Loki said she kissed you. Is that true?"
"It's true."
Genichi nodded.
Those words exploded inside Freya's heart like a bomb.
Her expression instantly turned ugly, as though she'd swallowed something revolting.
Disgust.
Anger.
Disbelief.
She had thought Loki might have been lying.
She had thought Loki might have been exaggerating.
She had even thought Loki might have said it purely to provoke her.
But Genichi had admitted it himself.
"So that's the kind of woman you're interested in? Looks like I really overestimated your taste."
After saying that, Freya let out a cold snort, stood up, and walked toward the door.
Her figure beneath the sunlight looked especially distant, especially proud, and especially cold.
Her footsteps echoed across the stone floor.
One step.
Then another.
Then a third.
Soon, she disappeared into the distance.
Loki's expression darkened considerably.
She stared in the direction Freya had left, her narrowed eyes nearly blazing with fury.
Of course she understood exactly what Freya had meant.
Freya had been mocking her.
Mocking her as someone beneath notice.
Mocking Genichi's taste for being so poor that he would choose her.
Mocking the kiss between them as nothing more than some insignificant accident.
"Freya, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
Loki forced the words through clenched teeth, her voice full of anger.
She abruptly stood up.
She wanted to chase after Freya.
She wanted to confront her.
She wanted to make it very clear that Loki was not someone she could insult so casually.
Genichi reached out and stopped her.
"She's angry right now. Chasing after her will only make things worse."
Loki looked at him, her eyes filled with irritation and unwillingness.
"But..."
"I know."
Genichi cut her off.
"If you chase after her now, she'll only get even angrier. She'll probably think you're feeling guilty too. You don't want that, do you?"
Loki gritted her teeth.
In the end, she sat back down.
Her fingers tightened around the armrest until her knuckles turned white.
Her usually smiling eyes were now filled with anger.
She knew Genichi was right.
She didn't want Freya thinking she was guilty.
She didn't want that woman to think she'd been caught pretending.
She just couldn't swallow the insult.
"Genichi, why did you admit it?"
There was a note of accusation in Loki's voice.
"You could've denied it. You could've said I was joking. You could've said I was talking nonsense. Why did you admit it?"
Genichi looked at her, a trace of helplessness in his eyes.
"Because it's true."
(End of Chapter)
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