TGS - Chapter 102
Chapter 102: I've Lost My Senses
Alyuin rarely spoke in such a vulnerable, honeyed tone, except when she was trying to be endearing.
But at this moment, not only was her voice laced with honey, but golden honey also seemed to fill those upward-slanting eyes. She met Lotus's gaze through a clear, transparent mist, as if her eyes were speaking on their own.
"Please... help me..."
Her slightly parted lips and half-open eyes murmured in unison. It sounded like a plea, but it was, in fact, an enticement.
Lotus actually paused. When she realized she was hesitating involuntarily, a sense of absurdity washed over her.
What are you thinking—?
With no time to sort through her emotions, Lotus withdrew the hand cushioning the back of the Princess's head. It felt wrong no matter where she placed it, so it hovered awkwardly between them, stiffly half-curled.
In as calm a voice as she could muster, Lotus admonished, "Stop this. You're not thinking straight."
"No, I'm fine, just... very hot... It's uncomfortable." Alyuin managed a few scattered words, then added, "Cool."
As she spoke, her arms wound around Lotus's neck, crossing behind it and tightening their hold.
Lotus was almost scalded by the heat radiating from her skin.
She's in this state, and she says she's fine?
She can't even form a complete sentence, her hands are wandering, she clearly has no idea what she's doing!
Lotus failed to notice that her own breathing had also grown a little ragged.
The lamps in the room had not yet been lit. The curtains were half-drawn, and bright moonlight streamed through the gap, perfectly illuminating the Princess's crimson-flushed face while leaving the other corners shrouded in darkness.
The incense from the Queen's chambers had long since dissipated during the journey, leaving only Alyuin's own scent in the air.
It was like a rose—a precious courtly variety, yet one that grew in some unknown, wild place—sharp, untamed, and richly fragrant.
The dim bedroom, the unique stuffiness of an indoor summer night, their close contact, the breathing that had at some point lost its rhythm...
Often, the environment could influence one's mind, and even a deity was no exception.
Just then, the Princess suddenly grabbed Lotus's hand.
It was the hand that had just absorbed the impact for her, its knuckles still tinged with a bruised red. Alyuin pressed it to the side of her face, nuzzling it like a cat.
Another jolt of heat.
She could feel the sheen of sweat and the damp black hair clinging to the side of her face.
Lotus felt her lips go dry. She pressed them together and swallowed unconsciously. She should have pulled away at once, but she remained still.
It was only a moment's hesitation, but in that instant, she felt a soft, wet sensation against the inside of her knuckles.
Lotus froze, then realized what it was.
Something exploded in her chest, and her heartbeat fell into disarray.
A hunted white deer raced across the plains, the rhythm of its hooves like a drumbeat.
Perhaps guided by the gentle pull of Alyuin's hands still clasped behind her neck, or perhaps because her body had a will of its own, Lotus slowly lowered herself.
Closer and closer.
Alyuin's eyes were half-open, her consciousness seemingly clouded, yet the corners of her mouth held the faint trace of a smile.
Her upper body remained perfectly still, but one of her legs quietly bent at the knee.
In the small patch of floor illuminated by the moonlight, Lotus had one hand braced by the Princess's ear and the other cupping her face. Leaning over her, pressing down, she seemed to have the complete upper hand.
But in the shadows, the goddess was half-kneeling, her own knees parted and pinned in place by Alyuin's raised, slender leg.
The light and shadow were sharply divided.
The distance between them was less than half a finger's breadth.
As if seared by the hot breath escaping Alyuin's lips, Lotus stopped abruptly.
She seemed to snap back to her senses. A look of dazed astonishment froze on her face for a mere instant before quickly morphing into vexation and self-doubt.
The next moment, Lotus broke free of the Princess's grasp and decisively snapped her fingers in mid-air.
Above them, a sphere of water the size of a washbasin materialized and, without hesitation, dumped its contents straight down.
Splash—
Any and all heated thoughts were doused, chilled to the core.
Alyuin's pupils contracted in shock at this sudden development, but her expression remained unchanged. The latent heat in her body receded for only a moment before flaring up again.
Logically, she could have continued the pretense.
But Lotus gave her no such chance. She decisively scooped her up, one hand supporting her shoulder blades and the other forearm beneath the crook of her knees. For once abandoning her usual unhurried, graceful pace, she strode directly toward the back of the room.
Alyuin's slender legs lifted, kicking out in a confused, tentative manner.
"Still hot? Just a moment."
Lotus's own breathing was still unsteady, but her tone carried a distinct note of reassurance.
Passing through the room and a small doorway, the view suddenly opened up to reveal a shimmering pool under the moonlit sky. It was fed by a spring, and the water was crystal clear.
Lotus leaned forward and gently released her, allowing the Princess to slide slowly into the pool. As Alyuin sat against the side, the water rose just past her collarbones, lapping gently.
Alyuin: "..."
She turned her head with some difficulty and gazed deeply at Lotus.
"Feeling a little more clear-headed now?"
The Princess nodded wordlessly.
"Good. Stay here until you feel better, then go back and rest. Remember to wash with warm water afterward so you don't catch a chill."
Lotus spoke rather quickly. As soon as she finished, she walked away with a composed stride, though her steps were also a bit too quick.
It wasn't until she had left Alyuin's room and was standing in the corridor that the reality of what she had just done tonight finally sank in for Lotus.
The scorching heat still lingered on her palm, and her heartbeat had yet to fully return to normal.
In her mind's ear, she could still hear the Princess's low, slightly hoarse voice—"Lotus."
The final syllable required her lips to close slightly, the tip of her tongue pressing against her teeth to release a soft hiss of air, after which the corners of her mouth would lift, as if in a small smile.
Lotus shook her head.
A curtain of water suddenly appeared over her head, crashing down like a sudden squall. It showed no mercy just because she was the River Goddess, falling even harder than a true downpour.
"She wasn't thinking straight, but were you?"
Lotus chastised herself.
That's Alyu.
—The girl you've watched grow up.
She is a princess, a believer, your charge, family, the object of admiration and reverence you once held from across time and space.
The disorienting feeling brought on by these multiple, overlapping roles was dizzying.
The downpour ceased as abruptly as it had begun, the curtain of water vanishing.
Droplets of water continued to fall from the ends of her hair. Lotus did not use her divine power to dry the moisture, simply pushing aside the wet strands that blocked her view.
She was soaked to the bone, a disheveled sight, yet her expression and posture seemed to have reverted to how they were before anything had happened—still serene and composed.
Lotus pressed a hand to her temple, a faint, self-mocking smile touching her lips.
She was mocking the person she had been just moments before.
I've only been a god for a few years, and I almost lost all restraint.
Having calmed her emotions, Lotus, of course, would not simply leave the Princess to her own devices.
She concealed herself nearby and waited patiently. After some time, she saw Alyuin return from the pool, draped in a thin cloth.
With all signs of her earlier state gone, the Princess's face was placid; her expression revealed nothing of her thoughts.
The color of her lips seemed less vibrant than usual. It made sense. After such an ordeal and soaking in cool water for so long, it was a test of one's physical constitution.
This won't do. I should at least prepare some hot tea or something—
She watched as the Princess tossed aside the thin cloth, picked up a towel to give her hair a cursory wipe—which was about as effective as not wiping it at all—and prepared to remove her soaked clothes and go to sleep.
Lotus: "..."
The corner of the Yilu River Goddess's eye twitched. From her hiding place in the shadows, she dried the Princess's hair, then used her divine power to summon a cup of milk, heat it, and place it squarely on the small bedside table.
As she set it down, she deliberately made a soft thump to ensure the steaming milk wouldn't be ignored and left to grow cold.
Having done all this, Lotus silently departed.
She needed to return to her room for some quiet contemplation.
Alyuin withdrew her gaze from where it had been searching the doorway. She ran her fingers through her hair, which was now dry, smooth, and slightly fluffy, combing it back from her face.
She picked up the ceramic cup and took a sip. It was warm.
A soft sigh escaped the Princess's throat.
It was not a sigh of frustration, but one tinged with pleasure.
Only Alyuin herself knew what she had seen when Lotus leaned over, silhouetted against the moonlight.
In the depths of those pale eyes, something had shattered. It was like a round stone dropped through a hole chiseled in ice, sending up a violent splash, its faint ripples spreading outward in ever-widening, trembling circles.
It was something akin to the emotion in her own eyes.
By taking advantage of Horst's scheme and feigning a clouded mind, Alyuin had already prepared herself for the possibility that Lotus would simply dismiss whatever she did.
If that had been the case, she would have ceased all improper actions and reactions, temporarily retreating to her original position.
But if Lotus had wavered, or if something more had happened, the Princess would have naturally gone with the flow—though that was impossible, of course. Neither she nor Lotus would have allowed themselves to lose control under such circumstances.
For Alyuin, it was an opportunity too good to pass up, as well as a slightly mad deception.
Oh, goddess, the goddess who watched over her, the River Goddess who could not perceive the thoughts in her heart—would she detect the hidden intentions behind this act?
Apparently not.
The goddess probably hadn't even considered whether the "unthinking" way the Princess had called her name was a result of the drug's influence or a heartfelt confession of love.
Alyuin finished the milk sip by sip before unhurriedly beginning to undo the clasps of her clothing, the smile on her lips never once fading.
A successful attempt.
That was the Princess's assessment of her bold move.
It felt like it wouldn't be long before she could start searching for beautiful, large petals on which to write her flower letters.
Early the next morning.
Alyuin sat primly across from Lotus, her hands resting obediently on her knees.
"...and that is what happened."
After recounting the events of the previous night at the Queen's palace, Alyuin lowered her gaze. "I should have left the moment I sensed something was amiss in the room. But I stayed, hoping to bait Katisi into revealing more. It was my mistake."
Lotus calmly averted her gaze. "Enough. You don't need to confess your mistakes to me."
Alyuin said, "Oh."
Even if it happened again, I wouldn't do anything differently.
First, there was the peculiar fragrance on Balun that attracted animals, and now Katisi's room, thick with incense. Both incidents were related to scents.
One could call it a coincidence, but when factoring in the former queen's frequent headaches, such a coincidence became highly suspicious. The air one breathed and the food one ate were always the easiest things to tamper with over a long period.
Lotus unconsciously turned the bracelet on her wrist.
She recalled the legends from later ages about the reason for the ancient Princess of Solancia's downfall.
She had returned to the royal city having achieved glorious military victories, only to have her success snatched away at the last moment by a single cup of poisoned wine.
Given the Princess's caution—setting aside her recent gamble with Katisi—Lotus found it hard to believe that any ordinary method could have tricked her into drinking poisoned wine.
Besides, the tales from later ages were just that—tales. There were no concrete records, and even if there had been, there was no guarantee of their authenticity.
The only thing that could be confirmed was...
The Alyu of that other world had died by treachery.
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