CHAPTER 11

Part Two. This Looks an Awful Lot Like a Green Light

After parting with Kore and returning to the Sea Palace, I was now racking my brain in earnest.

<i>I can’t properly remember the original story of Hades and Leuke!</i>

I’d only just realized this crucial fact.

I was deep in self-reproach, thinking as hard as I could, when the door suddenly opened and someone walked into my bedroom.

“What are you doing?”

Blue, wave-like hair rippled before my eyes.

“Doris unni!”

“Yes, it’s me, you little troublemaker.”

Doris, the magnanimous sea goddess—the fifth of my elder sisters—approached me. She was the one who had successfully married for love, after a romance with Nereus, the eldest son of Pontos, one of the Protogenoi.

“What brings you here?”

“What do you think? I heard you caused trouble again.”

“I didn’t cause any trouble.”

“You did. I heard you coughed up blood and fainted.”

Gulp. I clamped my mouth shut like a clam.

I hadn’t told my sisters because I didn’t want them worrying—so how did she know?

“Phaino is your younger sibling, but she’s mine too.”

Of course. I silently resolved to extend Phaino’s snack ban to teach her to keep her mouth shut. Meanwhile, Doris began inspecting me from head to toe.

“You’re all right now, aren’t you?”

“Totally. Completely fine.”

After confirming there was nothing wrong with me, Doris let out a relieved sigh.

“But more importantly, aren’t you busy? Is it really okay for you to come here?”

“Why would I be busy? Amphitrite is the Queen of the Sea now.”

Right. This unni was technically unemployed.

Doris had once held onto the position of Sea Queen, practically forced on her by Mother, but the moment Amphitrite married Poseidon, she handed it over without a shred of regret.

“I almost wish I were busier. I’m bored to death.”

If Doris—who must once have been crushed under an overwhelming workload—had heard that, she’d have been outraged.

“Bored, my foot. You and brother-in-law are still dripping honey all over each other.”

They were constantly glued together, smooching without shame. It was painful to watch.

Please, have some consideration for single people, you nauseatingly sweet couple.

“Oh my, do you think I do it on purpose? Your brother-in-law likes me so much he won’t let me go.”

“Then why don’t you have one more late-born son while you’re at it?”

“Oh no, I’m done with kids. I’ve had more than enough. Giving birth is hard, but raising them is twice as hard.”

“I raised them all.”

I puffed out my chest proudly, feeling unreasonably smug. Ahem.

“Someone might think we’re irresponsible parents who dumped our children on you. You’re the one who insisted, remember? We told you not to because it’d be hard.”

“…Ahem.”

That hit a little too close to home.

Truthfully, taking care of my nieces and nephews had been entirely my choice.

I’d been frail since childhood, my growth slow. No matter how many miraculous medicines I took, my body remained that of a child.

Then those tiny nieces and nephews were born. The birth of lives even smaller than me!

I was so overjoyed I practically skipped over whenever I had a chance to look after them.

Before I knew it, among humans I’d gained the nickname “the benevolent little goddess.”

Benevolent, fine—but little goddess? What kind of nickname is that? Change it right now!

…was what I shouted, but those damn humans never listened.

“Still, you loved your nieces and nephews that much. How much more would you love your own child, don’t you think?”

“Huh?”

Her voice was unsettlingly gentle.

“What is it, unni? You scare me whenever you talk like that.”

“My little poplar.”

“W-what?”

“I heard you’re getting married soon. Is that true?”

“What?!”

“Nike told me.”

So Nike was the culprit. I should’ve stopped her the moment she mentioned rumors.

<i>But what kind of nonsense is this?</i>

It suddenly struck me—there was no way there’d be news of my marriage that I didn’t know about.

“I knew you weren’t interested in becoming a virgin goddess, but I didn’t think you’d be this desperate to get married. Have you found a husband candidate?”

Nike, instead of repaying the kindness of being raised, is repaying it with enmity now?

“What was it she said? A rabbit-like husband and wolf-like children?”

I buried my face in my palms. If there were a mouse hole nearby, I would’ve dived right in.

“I laughed so hard when I heard that. I’ve used up all my laughter for the year! Puhahaha!”

Doris clutched her stomach and cackled, clearly delighted. She was having the time of her life.

“That’s just a wish—like a dream! Hey, stop laughing!”

When I shouted at her to stop, Doris finally wiped her tears and looked at me.

“You can’t get married by yourself. What marriage, when there’s no man?”

“Really? There’s really no one?”

“Huh?”

“Nike wouldn’t have suddenly brought it up for no reason. You really don’t have a man? Hm? You really don’t?”

“I don’t!”

There is someone I’m interested in, but…

The moment Adis flashed through my mind, I couldn’t hide the awkwardness on my face.

“Oh? Your reaction’s weird. You’re not usually like this.”

Gulp. To hide the pounding of my heart, I wriggled my way under the blanket.

“What do you mean, not usually like this. Forget it, I’m going to sleep.”

“You haven’t even had dinner yet. What do you mean, sleep? You really do have something, don’t you?”

“I said I don’t!”

I yanked the blanket up over my head. But my damn unni didn’t give up and pulled it right back down.

“Last question. You really don’t?”

“I don’t!”

I yelled and covered myself again, plugging my ears and praying the Queen of Meddling would leave.

Then she said something I couldn’t ignore.

“Really? That’s such a shame. I was going to lend you my pearl earrings to wear on dates if you ever met a man.”

At that, I froze.

“If you started dating, do you think I’d be the only one fussing? What about your other sisters? They’d be even worse.”

At that, I threw off the blanket.

“Styx would give you a necklace made of gold grown along her riverbank. Eurynome would make you a lovely chiton together with the Charites.”

Seeing my jaw drop, Doris continued smugly.

“Electra would ask Iris to bring flowers that bloom evergreen through all four seasons. Perseis might even ask Circe for a love potion.”

Doris flashed a triumphant smile.

“So? You really don’t have a man?”

Ugh. I lost.

“…It’s not that there’s no one.”

“I knew it!”

“It’s just that I made one date appointment.”

“Oh my, oh my! When’s the date? Where is it?”

“We’re meeting on the hill of daffodils on Naxos, on the day when asphodel blooms so fully it reaches the surface.”

Doris went completely wild at that.

“Oh heavens! There’s no time, no time! First, we have to call all the sisters to dress you up, then get some nectar so you don’t collapse again—”

“Unni.”

“You just lie down. I’ll give you my special seaweed pack.”

“Unni!”

“Goodness! Why are you suddenly yelling?”

“Unni, listen carefully to me.”

“I am listening.”

“This absolutely cannot become a rumor.”

“Only my sisters can know. Got it?”

Doris yelped as if she’d just been slapped with a snack ban like Phaino.

“How can you say something so horrible? Something this fun—no, this joyful—has to be shared!”

…Damn it, unni.

“If things go wrong and we break up, it’ll be a humiliation for the entire sea!”

“Mm, I guess….”

“Don’t act cute. What do you mean, ‘I guess’?”

Doris looked deeply disappointed, then tilted her head at a word she’d never heard before.

“Act cute? What’s that?”

Right. That word didn’t exist here.

“Ah, pretending to be cute.”

“I’m not pretending. I’m genuinely cute.”

“Blegh! Seriously, what’s wrong with you, you auntie? You’re ruining my appetite!”

“What did you say, punk?”

Doris shot me a sharp look and fired back.

“Your mouth brings misfortune.”

“Is that your self-introduction?”

“Ugh, you little brat.”

In the end, Doris grabbed my cheeks and stretched them out like rice cakes. Ow, my cheeks!

“Mmmph!”

“You’re so cute I can’t even bring myself to hit you.”

“Try it and I’ll go tell brother-in-law.”

“Are you a baby or what?”

“Waaah.”

“Damn it.”

Doris scrunched up her face like she’d just eaten fermented tofu and grumbled,

“My little poplar is only firm when it matters.”

Rubbing my reddened cheeks, I replied,

“If I’m not firm, who knows what kind of rumors will spread. Pheme is terrifying.”

In modern times, there are trash reporters. In this world, there’s Pheme, the goddess of rumor.

If she ever started spreading stories—something she excelled at, turning nothing into an avalanche—there would be no stopping it.

So it was best to shut it down early.