Chapter 123
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Just Pretty
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Just pretty.
The men prepare before heading to the battlefield.
They sharpen their swords, polish their shields, hammer their armor, and raise their helmet plumes.
They march to the battlefield, cut down the enemy, fill their wagons with spoils of war, and return to their lovers or wives.
The women, too, prepare before heading to the battlefield.
They warm their bodies with hot water, anoint themselves with the most fragrant oils, and arm themselves with alluring clothes and jewelry to heighten their charms.
They remove the returned husband's armor, cut the straps of his helmet, wash his body, and make him forget his fatigue and wounds.
If a man's battlefield is the mountains and plains, then a woman's is the quiet bedchamber.
For the first time, Nesneria approached the battlefield with the meticulous mindset of a rookie, preparing for battle down to the smallest detail.
This place, where everything had been prepared solely for her beautiful first night.
Her sisters would gather and chatter endlessly about clothes, cosmetics, and perfumes, and Nesneria had always listened intently, preparing for the day that would someday come.
Even without the help of maids or her sisters, there surely wouldn't be any problems.
She had thought that once.
"Hiii?! Wh-what is this? How do you even put this on?!"
Warming her body in the bath had gone well enough.
She had spilled a generous amount of the rose-scented oil Aphrodite had gifted her, but she managed to make her hair moist and fragrant somehow.
But the clothes were the problem.
She had charged in boldly, thinking they're just clothes, after all, but now she had no idea how to wear them—sometimes wondering if they even were clothes—and Nesneria's head was spinning.
"Th-this is weird...? Were there clothes this complicated?"
She wasn't entirely without basis for her confidence. Back in the sea, she had maids to attend her, and she was perfectly capable of dressing herself in simple activewear.
But the so-called "women's armor"—dresses and evening gowns—turned out to have surprisingly intricate methods of wear.
They hung so neatly on the rack, but the moment she thought this is it! and tried to drape one over herself, it collapsed into a heap of fabric. She had already discarded more than five outfits.
"Th-the next one should be fine!"
The sixth one.
From her forty-third sister or maybe her thirty-second—she couldn't quite remember which.
"What was the name...?"
She didn't remember clearly, but she recalled intricate patterns that unfolded over the skin and a fluttering shoulder wrap that looked stunning.
And unlike the others, it was a one-piece dress she could just slip on easily.
"Alright! Challenge accepted!"
Doing everything from bathing to dressing without a maid or her sisters was no small feat for the petite Nesneria.
She was a princess so precious that nothing in the vast ocean dared trouble her. Successes far outnumbered failures, and those who shunned her were far fewer than those who longed to be near.
Even this simple task felt tediously complicated to her.
Yet now, despite the hassle of every little thing—from dressing to bathing—her heart was filled to bursting with love and happiness.
Once upon a time.
At a banquet in her brother-in-law's palace, amid the gathered gods, she had asked the goddess of beauty, who was chatting amiably with Hera.
What is love? What is it that makes its overseeing goddess so beautiful?
The goddess of beauty had smiled radiantly, pulled her into an embrace, met her eyes, and whispered:
And so it was.
Imagining his wide-eyed stare when she appeared all dolled up made this cumbersome ordeal feel like a bitter appetizer before the feast.
After this, there would surely be an abundance of things she loved.
"Ehehe, ehehehe..."
Dianes probably didn't know.
A nymph's appearance doesn't follow the passage of time but the inclinations of her heart.
Because of the heavy prophecy she bore from birth, she couldn't dare seduce him or advance beyond lover.
What if, by some chance, he accepted her affections, she bore his child, and only then learned of the prophecy tied to her fate? She couldn't bear to imagine the look in his eyes then—her heart tore at the thought.
She, who had watched him the longest by his side, had glimpsed what writhed within him. She knew.
If he left this small island of Pasos, he would surely become a great being.
And great beings, as history showed, never tolerated a child threatening their throne.
Mighty Uranus, powerful Cronus, even proud Zeus—how they fretted over prophecies of children surpassing them, and what horrors they committed.
The fate of great sires threatened by great sons was attested by ancient history.
Yet even so, Nesneria couldn't let him go. She wished desperately for this time to last a little longer.
Like when she slumbered on his arm on Pasos's warm sands.
Like when the new moon rose over the forest night, his melodies tickling her ears.
Such desperate wishes manifested in her form, letting her monopolize his side.
But as that fulfilling time stretched on, the approaching moment of truth weighed heavier on her heart.
When she confessed her prophecy to her beloved in her favorite place.
All she could think was that everything would end.
With each word of truth, despair advanced a step.
Each utterance felt like it sliced her heart anew.
And then.
When all truths lay bare.
His words—"You're making such a big deal out of this?"—sent her heart pounding with indescribable passion.
Even as he laughed off her fear that the prophecy was a curse rather than a gift, did he know how joyful she was?
In the swamp of despair where she was drowning, her hero had, as always, parted the darkness and pulled her from the mire.
If Nesneria was the myth of Dianes.
Then Dianes was Nesneria's hero.
The hero among heroes who always protected her, always saved her, always stayed by her side.
"Now it's my turn to repay him!"
Time for Nesneria to return his great love, his great affection.
And to get sweet revenge on her darling lover who always teased her for being small and young.
"Hng...! Cha!"
-Plop!
After another fierce ten-minute battle, she finally got her arms and head in the right places.
The dress, tailored for when she fully matured, still draped loosely, but since she'd decided to shed her childlike appearance, it was no issue.
"He'll never laugh at me for being small or young again...!"
Surely, once she shed her youthful look and took on the appearance of his peer, she'd transform into the world's most beautiful goddess.
Her lover, who kept teasing her for being small and young, wouldn't be able to shut his mouth.
"There! All done!"
Now, all that remained was for her to shift into her adult form, and preparations would be complete.
Time to transform into a beautiful figure that would let him feel her surging heart, her love, with his whole body.
Soon, her body would respond to her heart, growing tall and swift, reborn as the stunning sea goddess this dress would perfectly suit.
"..."
Reborn...
"...?"
She was supposed to be reborn?
"Huh...?"
At first, he was overwhelmed by the suddenly appearing massive bed. Then startled when Neri popped away. Then shocked that the door wouldn't open no matter how hard he tried.
Was this that kind of room?
The kind that doesn't open unless you do XX? Something like that?
Truth be told, he could smash it down if he tried, but since this was Neri's palace, destroying it felt wrong.
"Sigh..."
So he gave up on escaping and decided to just look around the room.
"It screams 'built for a couple's time' at first glance..."
A massive bed occupying two-thirds of the spacious room.
Enormous curtains evoking opera silver screens draped over it, and a huge floor-to-ceiling window revealing the deep sea vista.
Where Neri had gone was probably the bathroom. Beyond that, a small storeroom full of wine and beer, a little garden connected to spiral stairs in the corner, and a kitchen packed with ingredients.
It was less a room and more a mini house.
"Whoa... She really went all out."
Put nicely, a cozy living space in a annex palace.
But with the giant bed as the centerpiece and a door that only opened for the palace owner, his suspicions solidified.
"Yep, definitely can't leave without doing the deed."
...What now?
Neri had a stubborn streak like a whale's tendon—once she set her mind, she never backed down.
She'd gone into the dressing room without a word, so it seemed like more than a whim. Could he talk her out of it like usual?
No, why worry? Just close your eyes and do it once... Nah, that's not it...
Honestly, this is a no-go.
Even the devil and angel(?) in his head shook their heads at Neri.
It wasn't about her being pretty, beautiful, or sexy.
Given his size and her stature, even as a spiritual body, doing the deed would 100% seriously injure Neri.
No, it would injure her 100%.
"Gotta grit my teeth and hold firm that it's absolutely not happening."
This concerned Neri's health above all, and with intimacy involved, he resolved to firmly tell her off and waited for her to emerge.
But she was taking suspiciously long?
"Neri? Everything okay?"
What if she'd slipped while dressing and hit her head?
As that worry crept in and he moved to knock lightly,
[Eeeeng?!]
"Neri?!"
Neri's scream echoed from beyond the door, and he yanked it open in a panic.
"Di-Dia..."
"Uh..."
What met his eyes was Neri, her wave-white hair splotched pink from some dye disaster, draped in an oversized dress that didn't fit, wearing a tearful pout.
Clothes—or fabric?—scattered everywhere from her repeated trials.
...Reminds me of when I caught the handmaidens having a fashion show in my wardrobe during my outing.
When he'd burst in on the giggling bunch, they'd paled instantly...
He'd tidied up to avoid scaring the kids, given them candy each, and shooed them out quietly.
"Dia... Hng..."
"What happened here?"
"Well..."
After hearing the full story, it was inevitable that he burst out laughing.
"Puhahaha!"
"D-don't laugh~! Wh-what do you take a woman's resolve for?!"
"Kh... Sorry. Puhuhu. Khkhkhkhkh!"
Everything she did was unbearably cute.
But knowing her heart was all for him, how could he just laugh it off?
"Sniif... Why won't it work? Big Sis clearly said I could transform if I just set my mind to it..."
"Puh... Whew.~ Neri?"
"Wait! Just a sec! Something's gonna... Nah, not gonna..."
He watched the floundering princess for a bit, then scooped up her tiny body.
"Let's get you cleaned up first."
"Eh?"
Was he dating a lover or a little sister? He got confused sometimes.
She'd never been swayed by anyone, yet she swayed him like this—such a fresh feeling.
But since I don't mind, I can only call her pretty.
Yes, pretty.
Now that he'd consciously reflected on the feelings and thoughts Neri stirred in him, he finally understood a little.