Chapter 539 - 539: Quirks

Phosphorescent light spilled across the passage as a faint breeze stirred Riveria's emerald-green hair.

After Lefiya left, Riveria took the initiative to move closer to Bell. Like some rough country girl, she casually sat down on the ground.

Leaning against the wall, Riveria patted the spot beside her.

Bell played along and sat down next to the Elf princess.

"Riveria, Lefiya-san isn't as slow on the uptake as Ryuu-san. She's probably figured out most of what you've been doing."

Bell could not think of a better way to put it, so he settled on the vague phrase "slow on the uptake" to describe the Elf girl.

In his opinion, Ryuu had probably noticed a few clues as well. She was simply fooling herself, unwilling to accept the truth about the Elf princess.

"Mm... I let her notice on purpose."

As Riveria spoke, she leaned slightly toward the boy.

"You really are mean..."

Bell muttered softly.

If the Amazoness sisters found out about all this, they would probably be shocked at first, then quickly accept the fact that the two of them were lovers. No matter how embarrassing Riveria's actions were, even if she did them right in front of Tiona and Tione, the sisters would still happily give them their blessing.

The other girls were a different matter entirely. Everything Riveria did would inevitably influence Lefiya and the others in subtle ways.

"This is part of the training too. It's meant to help Lefiya and the others grow accustomed to embarrassment and stop looking at things so blindly."

Riveria explained her reasoning.

Under her influence, how long would it take Lefiya to cast aside her tsundere attitude and openly embrace her feelings?

Would Alicia, beneath that unwavering loyalty of hers, gradually come to realize that Riveria also wanted to be like an ordinary girl and talk with her friends about the person she loved?

When would Ais shed some of her natural innocence and truly close the distance between herself and the boy?

And what about Ryuu, who fought for justice? How would she react once she learned what the Elf princess was really like?

Riveria was curious about all of it.

She looked forward to the day when she could truly become one of them.

Just like with Aina, princess and attendant were only identities on the surface. In reality, everyone would be close friends who could talk about anything, all bound together as one large group through Bell Cranel.

"Riveria, I understand what you're aiming for. But what about the real reason?"

Bell had already understood the Elf princess's wish.

Even without Riveria resorting to such bold behavior, time would eventually do the work. As the girls matured, they would naturally come to understand what she wanted.

Riveria's intimate actions were also mixed with desires of her own.

"Hehe. Everything you said earlier was true."

Riveria admitted it without hesitation.

Back on the 59th Floor, she had already made up her mind to follow a path of love that belonged to her alone.

Even Riveria herself had never expected that this unknown path, filled with the thrill of almost being discovered, would awaken such excitement within her.

"What a willful princess..."

Bell sighed softly.

Everyone had their own peculiar preferences. Even Gods were no exception. There was nothing shameful about that. If anything, it added another layer of genuine humanity to Riveria's already rich personality.

"I was surprised too. It wasn't until the 59th Floor, when I dragged you into the shadows and did something rather embarrassing, that I realized this is the kind of Elf I am..."

Riveria looked up at the ceiling and continued gently,

"Back when I lived in Alf's Royal Forest, I was always slipping around the rules and restrictions. Sometimes I'd secretly sneak off to hunt. Other times I'd buy things from the outside world behind everyone's backs... Thinking about it now, perhaps it wasn't only curiosity about the unknown. Maybe there was also a rebellious desire for excitement."

From the day she was born, the Elf princess had lived in a stifling environment.

Those suffocating days had continued for more than seventy years.

Even after Riveria eventually escaped the forest and spent over twenty years living freely, those earlier experiences had already shaped her personality.

Riveria did not have some particular fetish for exposing herself. What she enjoyed was the feeling of almost being discovered.

That was why, whenever she acted on those impulses, the people around her would never be someone as perceptive as Finn, nor the open-minded Amazoness sisters.

Only girls like Ryuu and Alicia, who viewed Riveria through a special lens, would become the targets of her "pranks."

"Honestly, I like this side of Riveria too."

Bell glanced at the Elf princess leaning against his shoulder and continued,

"My grandfather once told me that the longer someone lives under pressure, the more drastic the change can be once circumstances finally shift. To give an extreme example, if you fell in love with a virgin Goddess, she might completely devour you within a few days."

Like rain finally falling after a long drought.

The longer the dry spell lasted, the more deeply the rain would soak into both body and soul when it finally came.

Riveria's past was nowhere near as long as that of a God, but it had lasted long enough for such a drastic contrast to change her.

From an outsider's perspective, some relationships might seem to develop too quickly.

But what truly determined the pace of a relationship was how the people involved approached their feelings.

"You sound surprisingly experienced. Did Goddess Artemis do something to you?"

Riveria's lips curled slightly.

There was not the slightest trace of a lie in the boy's words.

Even though Riveria's willful way of loving might bring Bell all kinds of troublesome harem situations, he still liked and accepted this unusual side of her.

Filled with affection, Riveria quietly committed the information about Artemis to memory.

From now on, she would have to keep an eye on that virgin Goddess.

"I'm not going to reveal anything about Artemis. But I could do the same thing to Riveria that I do with her."

Bell spoke with an air of mystery.

"I-I don't want to do anything like that... Do you think I'd answer as foolishly as Lefiya?"

Riveria imitated the golden-haired Elf's shy tone.

Then she lifted her head from the boy's shoulder.

"Judging by that expression, you're planning to do something dangerous again, aren't you?"

Before Bell could answer, Riveria grabbed his arm.

"..."

Bell did not resist and allowed himself to fall onto Riveria's lap.

A delicate fragrance and soft warmth surrounded him at once. It felt as though he were resting on a flawless white cloud.

"Since I'm such a willful person, it doesn't matter what the Moon Goddess has done. I'll only do what I want."

Riveria reached out and gently stroked the white hair she found so captivating.

"What if someone sees us?"

Bell asked quietly.

"Hehe. I told Alicia to guard the entrance. I said I had something important to discuss, so no one is allowed inside, and no one is allowed to peek."

Riveria answered with a smug little smile.

"So you were already planning to do this before you came in..."

A slender finger suddenly pressed against Bell's lips.

Riveria stopped the boy from finishing his sentence, unwilling to let him see just how hot her cheeks had become.

"I-I get embarrassed too, so don't say any more... Bell, I don't know what you're planning to do, but I'll stay with you no matter what."

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