Soon after, Lefiya helped Filvis to the other room.

"Phew~ Thank you for helping me. I didn’t think walking would be this hard." Filvis said, sweating and in a much better mood.

"How is the body? Are you sure nothing is—"

"I am sure, Lefiya. This body…" She moved her arm a bit. "Weak as it may be, I am happy with it. I feel comfortable in my own skin again."

"Even if your eyes are different."

"You want to know more about why I chose this, right?"

"Yeah…" Lefiya didn’t know how to go about this.

She was flustered. She didn’t know how to go about this.

"I asked Cirrus when the cloning was first brought up. He said it would be far more difficult, but nevertheless, he and Lord Dionysus worked hard to get me these eyes to match Lord Dionysus’s eyes. I would have asked for both, but Cirrus suggested something that I liked to be a bit closer to you."

"C-closer? You wanted to be closer to me?"

"Yes, an eye to match Lord Dionysus, and my red eye to complement you." She said it flat out. "And with this new body and lease on life, I… I will do what makes me happy."

"And that is?"

Filvis looked at her and, with all of her strength or what little she had, pulled Lefiya in and kissed her.

"!?"

Lefiya was surprised, and Filvis pulling her in caused Lefiya to be on top of her.

"Huff!! Huff!! Huff!!" They both breathed heavily. Their warm breaths on one another’s faces.

"Sorry. But I… I wanted to express myself to you."

"I…" Lefiya didn’t know what to feel. She felt a strong conflict between Filvis and Ais.

Her face was turning blush red.

"Do you… not feel the same?"

"No—I um... just... I-I don’t—"

"Lefiya." Filvis slowly touches her face. "I love you. I just couldn’t express it with that tainted body. I... I waited, and I didn’t want to wait anymore."

"Ah."

Lefiya’s mind raced. Filvis isn’t waiting anymore to show her love, but what about herself? She has pined over Ais ever since she entered the Loki Familia. She went over all of her times with Ais, and she wanted her praise, her attention, her admiration, her... love? Was that what she wanted?

Bell Cranel. He was the first boy that Ais has ever taken an interest in, especially after Olympia. She noticed Ais has been trying to get closer to Bell. The same could be said for Bell. She doesn’t even have pride that she is stronger than him. She has nothing over to be better than him, especially when they finally became a couple.

She didn’t want to admit it, but Bell was the one who stole her first crush and succeeded before she could even take that first step.

It stung Lefiya and hurt far more than any attack.

Tap!

Tap!

Tears dripped on Filvis.

"Lefiya." She gently wiped the tears away. "I am sorry I—"

"It’s not you," she said softly. "I’m just…"

Filvis could see the torrent of emotions on her face.

"Help me up. We can talk about this."

"… Sorry but." Lefiya helps her up. "I... I think I need some time to think."

Lefiya left the room and made a beeline for the exit. She couldn’t hear what Cirrus and Dionysus were saying. She just left as quickly as she could to get fresh air.

 

"Huff!! Huff!! Huff!!" Lefiya was breathing heavily by the entrance.

"Thousand Elf."

She looked to see Ottar, waiting for his goddess to return.

"O-Ottar sir."

"Has something happened?"

"N-no. I just… I needed some air, that's all. Um... Lady Freya is fine." She then took her leave, walking briskly.

Ottar watched as she left.

"Hmm…"

She went into an alleyway and leaned against the wall.

"Fuu~" she breathed out, calming herself. "What to do?" She started to get lost in her thoughts.

She remembered that kiss and that moment. Her heart was beating even now.

She replayed it over and over in her mind. The feeling of her lips against hers, the tone of her voice as she confessed.

‘I don’t know how to feel or should feel. I’m scared and confused. It’s like I’m in a haze where I can’t even see my own hands.’

"So this is where you ran off to."

"!?"

Lefiya turned to see Freya, with Ottar right behind her.

"L-Lady Freya!?"

"Hello, Thousand Elf." Her eyes flickered sliver. "Mind telling me, what got you so flustered?"

 

Freya brought her to a private room where it was just the two of them. She told her what had happened.

"I see… She confessed her love and kissed you." Freya said, resting her head on her arm.

"Y-yes…" Lefiya said, red in the face.

‘I-it’s so hard not to look her in her eyes. I can feel my head getting more lightheaded!!’

Lefiya’s eyes were darting around, trying to find a safe place to let her eyes rest, but she found it impossible.

"Tell me, Thousand Elf, do you have anyone else in your heart?"

"H-huh?"

"I said do—hold on a second. Ottar!"

Ottar entered the room.

"My lady."

"Sulfur."

Ottar reached behind his back and took out a bottle of yellow powder.

"Thank you! That is all!"

"Hm." He then left.

"W-what is that?"

"Sulfur. Helps with not getting enamored." She opened the bottle, and a horrible stench filled the room.

"Ugh!! It smells horrible."

"I know, so breathe through your mouth."

"Fuu~ Fuu~"

"Better?"

"… Yes." Lefiya felt her head get more focused now.

"Good, so tell me, do you have anyone else in your heart?"

"I…"

‘Come on! Tell her! She is a love goddess!! If anyone can help you, it’s her!’

"I, um... yes."

"Is it the Sword Princess?"

"H-how do you know that!?" she said even more red.

"It was just written on your face. It’s similar to Loki’s, but yours runs deeper and purer. A bit confused and unsure, with some anxiety and fear of rejection mixed in. Am I right?"

"Y-yes."

‘She nailed me dead on. She isn’t a love goddess for nothing.’

"Hmm… How very sad she has taken an interest in the White Rabbit."

"!!" Lefiya flinched a bit. "W-what do you know about—"

"A good amount of it. Just a few days ago, they had a little date. They went around eating Sword Princess’s favorite food, those potato snacks."

Lefiya felt her heart was stabbed, and Freya's words were only twisting and plunging it deeper in.

"S-so they are really—"

"I am afraid so."

"Oh…" Lefiya heard about it from Loki, but she refused to believe it, rejecting the idea of her first love being taken.

"I also know that the waitress from the Hostess of Fertility is also with him, Syr."

That hole stopped, and a fit of anger filled her.

"SO HE IS CHEAT—"

"It seems Ais is fine with it. Apparently, she and White Rabbit were influenced by Cirrus. Even his goddess, Hestia, is in it. There were even some more girls around him wanting a piece of him."

Lefiya felt burning jealousy and anger.

"He has Ais, and he STILL ISN’T SATISFIED!?!? I SHOULD GO AND—"

"Now tell me," Freya said with a sterner tone of voice. "Do you love Ais?"

"H-huh!?"

"Do you love Ais, elf?"

"I… Yes. I do!!" She said it proudly. "I will never have another—"

"What is her favorite color?"

"Huh?"

"What is Ais’s favorite color?"

"I-it’s… um…"

"When is her birthday?"

"Um it’s—"

"Favorite animal?"

"U-um—"

"Favorite drink?"

"Um—"

"Favorite spot in the city?"

"I um…"

"Tell me again. Do you love Ais?"

"I…" She even doubted her own feelings. Her anger and jealousy quickly sank into the hole in her heart because of her lack of knowledge of the one she loves so dearly.

"Or is it infatuation?"

"!!" She felt her blood run cold.

‘Love, or infatuation?’

"Which one is it, elf? Love or Infatuation?"

"I… I don’t…"

"You know, don’t you? I can see it in your face."

Her world was crumbling around her with every word that left Freya’s lips, breaking more and more. It felt like this was the end.

"Don’t make such a look. Now that you know what your feelings are, you can move on."

"Move… on?"

"Yes. Move on from this pursuit of love that wouldn’t have panted out from your self-induced fantasy."

"Y-you don’t know that! A-Ais could—"

"But she doesn’t. She does not see you in that light. Trust me, elf. The quicker you understand your love, the faster you can get to find your true love."

"B-but she is—"

"You don’t even know her favorite color or even her birthday? You would say you love her when you know next to nothing about her."

"I-I…"

She was right. She barely knew anything about Ais. The most intimate thing she knew about her was that she had Spirit blood running through her, but what else was there?

‘I… I… My love is... just a mere infatuation?’

"B-but I love her. S-she is my idol! My hero!!"

Freya could only look at her with a neutral expression. She wasn’t surprised by this at all.

"If you see her as your idol and as your hero, then you are not seeing her for who she is. You put her on a pedestal as one would a god. Neither she nor I are perfect."

"!?" Lefiya only dug herself deeper. "… Lady Freya. Why… Why are you doing this?"

"Simple. I felt bad for you. A child so young has love problems so early in their lives. I couldn’t sit by and let you waste your life chasing after a self-made image."

"… D-do you have experience in this?"

"Of course. My whole life in Gekai. I chased after my Odr. My love. I traveled to the edges of the continent. Across deserts and seas. Battlefield and small, peaceful villages. In all that time, not once was I ever rejected by a mortal. Only one has ever done that—rejected my love."

"Who was it?"

"You just saw him in the lab helping that child who professed her love."

"C-Cirrus!? He rejected you!?"

"Yup. He was the one who asked me if my love was genuine or simply just infatuation. Those simple words greatly helped center my life. I learned what I was missing, and from it, I learned how I could satiate this never-ending need for pleasure."

"So… You found your Odr?"

"I did. But that is between you and me." Another flicker of silver could be seen briefly in her eyes.

"Y-yes!!"

"Good. Now I should be—"

"W-wait!? What should I do!? I-I don’t—"

"Give her a shot."

"Eh?"

"It’s called dating for a reason, elf. Give her a chance. I am sure you won’t regret it."

Freya took her leave. She left the bottle of sulfur behind.

"A try, huh?"