I thought Sinclair had returned for something he forgot.
But it wasn’t so.
The person who entered this office…
No, it wasn’t a person.
It was a God.
In fact, it was Artemis, wearing an expression like a girlfriend who had just heard that her boyfriend had cheated on her.
“Why are you so tense?”
She didn’t seem to think my frozen stance was strange,
Rather, it felt as though she was asking if I had done something to warrant tension or if I had committed some fault.
Before long, I felt a creeping chill and goosebumps rose on my arms.
“Uh? No, it’s just that Sinclair and I just finished talking, and here you come again without a break. This is a first.”
“Was I interrupting something, then?”
“Huh? Interrupting? What do you mean by that?”
“…Never mind. Anyways, what’s this ticket about?”
Artemis brushed aside my probing question as though it were inconsequential,
And immediately turned aggressive, questioning me like a prosecutor interrogating a criminal.
Her brazen and relentless questioning left me speechless.
I have committed no sin.
I have done nothing wrong.
So why can’t I find the courage to explain?
“Why aren’t you answering? The Goddess is asking!”
As time passed, Artemis’s irritation seemed to rise exponentially.
The longer I remained silent, the more certain she seemed that I was hiding something.
They say that before a volcano erupts, the surrounding area experiences earthquakes and hot smoke rises from the ground.
And thus, I suddenly realized I was standing on the very ground where a volcano might soon form.
To calm the volcano, I first needed to ease this stiff atmosphere.
With an exaggerated smile, I spun dramatically using the Marseille Turn to face her.
“Ahahaha~ our Artemis, the cutest in the world. Shall we have a slow talk?”
“What are you talking about right now? We’re about to depart for Athens. Maya and the priests have already loaded the carriages full of gifts.”
This wasn’t a simple trip.
It was a celebration to honor Athena’s victory and the return of our mother.
With a considerable number of items to carry, we had already requested five carriages from the Coachman’s Guild.
I was looking forward to this trip where we could sit comfortably thanks to the hired coachmen,
But my argument with Artemis was stretching on,
Meaning we were bound to be late this way.
“Artemis, let’s get on the carriage and talk there.”
I attempted to turn her around and guide her out of the office, grabbing her shoulders with both hands.
But did she think I was trying to sweep things under the rug?
Artemis became even more upset, biting her lower lip with her top teeth as she brushed my arm away.
“Hey, why are you trying to hide?”
“No, I’m not hiding anything. I told you I’d explain. Look! The ticket is right here.”
“…Move aside.”
The interest Artemis had in the ticket seemed to fade as she pushed me to the side.
Walking to the center of the office, she glanced around, thinking about where to start looking.
First, the sofa.
She approached it, thoroughly checking behind the cushions, under the sofa, behind the backrest—leaving no spot unchecked.
As I watched her back, imagining what a jealous wife might look like in such a situation,
She suddenly froze, as if struck by a jolt of electricity.
“Hmm?”
Her eyes moved rapidly as she retrieved something from under the sofa, her expression furrowing.
She slowly pulled out her hand to reveal a thin strand of hair.
“Hair? Judging by the length, it’s not yours, Ark.”
“…It’s obviously Maya’s hair. The color matches. Besides, we work together in this office.”
“Maya never misses a day of cleaning. And yet, there’s hair under the sofa?”
“The cleaning happens after the workday ends in the evening. It’s only 1 PM now.”
“Is that so? Let’s say it is for now.”
“…”
The last sentence Artemis muttered was so cynical.
The breath I swallowed felt like it turned into a thorn bush, tightening around me.
‘Say it is for now.’
It was clear from the start that she had no intention of believing any explanation I offered.
Only her own judgment could dispel her suspicions. If there were a hundred doubts, she would need a hundred explanations to pass through her eyes.
But even if the fog of a hundred doubts cleared away, surely the 101st doubt would cloud her vision once again.
“Because of Sinclair?”
“…”
Her silence in response to my question.
She must have encountered Sinclair in the hallway just moments ago.
She probably wove a web of assumptions connecting the tickets and Sinclair, giving rise to some suspicion.
But she seemed aware of her past mistakes and refused to acknowledge that this was caused by Sinclair.
“She came for soda-related matters. All the cider barrels were delivered for the Victory Celebration, and we had a bit of small talk.”
“…”
Artemis continued to search the office, seemingly oblivious to my words.
Clearly, some switch had been flipped in her mind.
It was as if inserting a keycard at a hotel’s room door to power the entire space.
The keycard that was Sinclair had slid into the keyhole, triggering endless conjecture.
“Hey! Whose comb is this?!”
Artemis discovered the yellow comb resting in the middle of an empty bookshelf.
She raised it high, her anger blazing like Hera’s, shoving it right in my face.
“Ow! That’s Maya’s too!”
Fearing she might stab my eyes out, I quickly pushed her hand aside,
But I realized I might have used a bit too much force. I was surprised at myself inwardly.
Had her relentless suspicion and questioning finally started to irritate me?
“Hmph! That’s why you wanted to share an office with Maya, isn’t it?”
“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with having my secretary work here?”
“Acting innocent! Don’t you see? It’d make it easier for other women to come and go while using Maya’s name, right?”
“U… Oh… Wow! Are you serious? I knew you were dense, but I didn’t know your imagination could run this wild!”
“Imagination? So it’s not the truth, then?!”
“Ah, I’m about to go crazy with frustration!!”
It feels like I’m talking to a wall.
She was convinced, without a doubt, that my balance had shifted just a bit in such a direction, even if it wasn’t infidelity.
No amount of explanation was going to sway her.
The matter started with the ticket, expanded with the hair, and now escalated to the comb.
On the other hand, it’s not entirely her fault.
In the past, incidents like these were fueled by Aphrodite’s meddling,
But this one seemed to stem from what Artemis had seen and heard with her own eyes and ears.
The fact that Sinclair handed me a ticket and then suddenly rushed off is undeniable.
There’s clearly a seed of suspicion.
But I’ve reached my limit of patience.
There are contradictions and injustices I’ve felt for a long time that I need to address.
“Hey, Artemis.”
“…What?”
My low, dangerous tone seemed to alert her to the danger, as her eyes narrowed and she began to read the sudden shift in my demeanor.
Still, unable to understand my intentions, she frowned and relaxed her expression repeatedly.
“Isn’t it a bit brazen of you to act this way?”
“Brazen? Me? Why?”
“We’re going to meet Lady Athena soon, so what are you doing right now? Why are you suddenly searching my room?”
“…What?”
“Honestly, I don’t understand what emotions or thoughts are driving you to do this.”
“I don’t understand either. Why revive the soda process that can be easily handled by our followers?”
“Haa~ let’s go back to basics this time since we’re here. Let’s talk fundamentals.”
“Fine, go on.”
Artemis folded her arms with a stance to challenge me, leaning one shoulder against the bookshelf.
Her eyes shot daggers, challenging me as though to say, “Did you really think I’d be taken aback?”
“I am going through these Twelve Labors because I want to date you officially. Artemis, you dislike this, so you impose these trials on me.”
“And?”
“I believe you see Ark as just a casual admirer, not someone you genuinely love. It’s like ‘like’ instead of ‘love.'”
“Drop the unnecessary English. So? Keep going. You seem so determined.”
“Alright. I’ll get straight to it, though what I’ll say next is hypothetical.”
“Hn?”
“If I were to like or date another woman, wouldn’t that solve everything for Artemis?”
“Whaaaat?”
Artemis couldn’t close her mouth at the absurd suggestion.
It might be too harsh an example.
But think about this without any emotions.
The reason I’ve endured and accomplished these labors is simple.
Because I want to date Artemis, whom I genuinely love.
My feelings haven’t changed even now.
But from Artemis’s perspective, is it the same?
She surely cares for me.
However, that care isn’t romantic.
I believe what she feels for me is comradeship.
The sort of attachment one has for a cherished priest.
In her insistence that we don’t date, she’s giving me tasks that seem impossible in order to ensure I fail.
Yet, isn’t there a simpler solution?
If Ark were to lose his affection for Artemis or start dating someone else…
There wouldn’t be any need for these Sisyphean tasks.
She could uphold her Oath of the River Styx and grant my other wishes effortlessly.
If Artemis doesn’t have any feelings of romantic love for me now or in the future,
Then connecting me with Sinclair could be the ‘strategic’ right move.
But she didn’t do that.
Instead, she’s driving me with a fiery jealousy-like emotion.
What is jealousy, really?
I believe it’s a right.
What kind of right?
The right to dislike it when your boyfriend or girlfriend shows interest in someone else.
Without a romantic relationship, in order to possess that ‘jealousy’ right, one must have romantic feelings.
Yet look at Artemis now.
Seeing the two tickets Sinclair gave me, she suspects and becomes jealous, thinking it might be a date.
And yet, she doesn’t want to date me.
No, she doesn’t love me.
This is…
A paradox.
Absolutely not her style, the type of God who can’t stand to see me succeed!
“If I succeed in this labor, it would mean I’ve succeeded halfway.”
“…”
“This time, I want to hear it. Artemis, has there been any change in how you feel? Is it because you’ve started to develop even the slightest liking for me that you’re showing this jealousy and guarding against other women?”
“…”
“If your feelings have evolved, I can tolerate this obsession and jealousy from you.”
Gathering my courage, I confessed my inner thoughts while glaring at her, but Artemis merely closed her eyes firmly in stark contrast.
