Neri's Hidden Feelings
While Dianes was struggling with a strange, unfamiliar sensation and emotions he had never felt in his previous life, Nesneria was also quite shocked by her own unfamiliar behavior.
Having grown up in the vast Greek seas with a personality that knew no bounds—a girl who roamed freely with no one to stop her—she had developed as smoothly and naturally as the waves on a beach.
It was only natural. Nesneria was so favored by Poseidon that he allowed her to ride in his chariot of tidal waves and earthquakes, a privilege no one else in Greece, not even his consort Amphitrite, had ever been granted. She had been doted upon and cherished by the giant of the deep sea—whom even Zeus and Poseidon feared—and by her sisters under the command of Tethys, the goddess of the clearest water droplets. In a life where she roamed the seas to her heart's content, there was no one who could ever give her cause for dissatisfaction.
Greed? Greed was a gift from Eris that arrived only when one needed to fill a void. She had never lacked for anything, so she had never needed to fill a void. The wealth of the mortal world could not dare compare to hers. The beautiful villa built for her, separate from her eldest sister's palace, was overflowing with jewels and treasures that even goddesses would covet. If by any chance Dianes were ever strapped for cash or struggling financially, the economic center of Greece would shift from Athens to wherever she chose to open her purse.
Was she emotionally lonely? Not at all. From her numerous sisters, who were always her closest friends and advisors, to her older sister and brother-in-law, who cherished her enough to seat her in the highest place of honor—she was always supported by a family that scolded her when necessary but loved her boundlessly when it mattered.
And yet.
For the past ten years, Nesneria’s life, which had been as calm as a coastal beach at noon, had become as chaotic as if it had been struck by a violent storm.
The irritation and jealousy toward the land-dwelling wildcat, Atalanta. The wariness and hostility toward an unidentified rival goddess. And beyond both of those, the longing, impulse, and desire for her lover, Dianes.
Like a sailboat caught in a gale, Neri’s emotions were rising and falling, leaving her soul completely adrift.
'Huuu...'
Just look at today.
In the middle of a marketplace, right in front of others—not just ordinary humans, but her own cousins, the Laestrygonians and demigods—she had tasted Dianes with a stickiness that would put a hetaira seducing a man to shame, and that wasn't even just a simple kiss.
'Am I, am I crazy...!'
Even if she had shed her childish appearance and sublimated into the beautiful goddess she was now, having awakened to greater mental maturity and deeper desires, her core remained the same: the apple of the sea's eye. She was an innocent, naive maiden who knew no man but Dianes.
'Wait, am I not a maiden anymore...?'
The memories of her life in the villa over the past month flashed through her mind, but now was not the time for that.
"....."
"....."
Even the snow-white horse that resembled her, a gift from Poseidon, seemed to read the atmosphere and moved its hooves quietly. Neri began to feel anxious at the sight of Dianes, who was pulling the reins without a word.
'Hing... I must have really lost my mind...'
As if possessed by something, Nesneria had been biting Dianes's finger in her mouth without even realizing it. She was like a young puppy lunging at a bone dangling before its eyes.
If it had stopped there, it could have been passed off as lighthearted play between lovers. However, any stimulation is unfamiliar at first, but both gods and humans alike inevitably grow accustomed to it and begin seeking something different. Her newlywed life with Dianes was no exception.
'When we were together, this much was just light affection...'
...Was it affection?
'A...ah, it wasn't, was it?!'
No, this wasn't even affection. To be precise, there was no need to seduce him like this; when they lived together in her villa, there was no need to spend time seducing him so intensely.
If Nesneria hungered for his lips, Dianes, who had been holding her, would smile and bow his head. If Dianes felt bored with his hands empty and rested his chin on his palm, her hand would reach out, brush his chin, and tightly entwine with his. And when their eyes met, without anyone needing to say a word, they would begin to explore each other right there.
'It used to be like that...'
Ever since she heard the intelligence that Dianes was heading to Olympia, she had been burning with affection and thirst for him.
The pleasure and happiness of that moment when she was intertwined as one with her most precious lover. The dark, damp joy of the moment she begged and surrendered while pinned beneath the lover she loved most. And the ecstasy of wanting someone so much, of craving them, and the knowledge that someone desired and craved her just as much—the rapture of them binding each other.
How could she not wait to be held in the arms of the lover who had liberated her from the love she had abandoned due to the original sin she carried from birth, the lover who had taught her happiness and joy she had never known?
'It used to be like that...'
But the Dianes she met after such a long time was preoccupied with other things, despite her active seduction. She had even followed the advice of Tinga, pretending to be drunk, and clung to him to go out together even when he had to leave for some reason...
'It used to be like that!!'
Despite all her efforts, Dianes remained steadfast, focusing only on his own work.
"...H-Hmph!"
'It's not my fault!'
It was Dianes's fault. He ignored her no matter how much she seduced him, sticking only to his work. And in the meantime, he was cheating with some goddess she didn't even know, who had come running to him behind her back.
"Hmph!"
...Though she said that, Neri wasn't entirely unaware of Dianes's situation. An opportunity had arrived that was worth more than a thousand pieces of gold—the chance to become a god, perhaps even the successor to Hera. How could a hero resist that? As for his philandering with other goddesses, even her eldest sister and Hera couldn't stop it, so she could only watch for now.
'He said it was... for me and our child.'
Whenever she recalled those words, it felt as if Eros's golden arrow pierced her heart and Himeros's golden roses sweetly filled her mind. The calm confession of a man who whispered that he would love her and their future child alone, without caring about the existence of a prophesied child who would surpass him—a child that any hero or god would fear—had instantly turned her frozen, winter-like goddess heart into a warm spring day.
It felt a bit foolish even to her, but because of those words, it didn't matter what Dianes did.
The result of combining about 70% impulse, jealousy, and desire with 30% self-restraint and tolerance was that subtle finger-biting just now. It was a warning to the unidentified rival, and a playful revenge on the lover who had kept her suppressed and waiting.
And above all, it was the manifestation of a craving and impulse she could no longer endure.
"Hey... Dia?"
"...."
"Where are we going...?"
The noise of the marketplace, which had regained its vitality earlier, was slowly fading, and Dianes, holding the reins, was gradually entering a secluded alleyway.
"I, I'm scared..."
"...."
'Oh no.'
Dia—no, Dianes was truly angry. Neri could only manage a stiff smile at the back of Dianes, who was silently urging the horse forward despite her calling out to him. No matter how mischievous she was, Dianes, who had always accepted her with a good-natured smile like her brother-in-law Poseidon, hadn't even looked back at her charms.
'What do I do?'
The relationship between Dia and Neri was one where, no matter how much Neri acted out or threw a tantrum, everything was resolved with Dia's wry smile. Because it was the first time Dianes had been this angry, Neri felt as if her mind were turning completely blank.
'In, in times like this... Ah, right!'
Sister Galatea had taught her the secret to making up instantly after she had a big fight with Acis over the confrontation with Polyphemus. That was definitely...
"Hey, Dia. Do you want to touch my breasts?"
-Hing?
The horse carrying her also widened its eyes in surprise at the sight of Dianes, who had come to a dead stop the moment Neri spoke in a sweet voice.
"...Dia?"
Neri also called out cautiously, feeling nervous at his unfamiliar reaction.
"...Huu."
Dianes let out a heavy sigh and urged the horse forward again, resuming their journey.
'Hing... Sister Galatea, you idiot!'
What breasts? Breasts! What kind of man is Dianes? He wouldn't be swayed by mere breasts!
Neri pouted her lips, thinking of her sister, who was probably spending a sticky, sweet time with Acis in the Sparta district, completely unaware of her youngest sister's ordeal.
"...We're here."
"Huh? Huh?"
Neri snapped her head up at Dianes's voice, which had suddenly stopped the horse and turned blunt and stiff.
"This is...?"
As she looked up, she saw a small, tidy-looking insula. Dianes was naturally opening the door as if it were his own home and gesturing for Neri to follow.