Cliche Chapter 458-459: Future Presentation

Freya sat in the room, legs crossed and face leaning against her palm. She stifled a yawn with her hand.

Grayfia glanced at her fellow maid. “Do you want to sleep?”

Freya shook her head. “I was up all night trying to find him through the mirror…”

She admitted to being a stalker without hesitation.

“My lord mostly spends nights in another world.”

Freya’s eyes glowed at the mere mention of another world, but she suppressed her curiosity. “My Odr is amazing at ignoring me.”

“You shouldn’t have high hopes for being with my lord.” Grayfia came out with a straightforward answer. “He is relentless in chasing the women he wants.”

Freya’s lips curled up. “I won’t give up.”

Grayfia saw a bit of Asahi’s passion in Freya’s eyes. He used to chase Grayfia with the same desire. Freya was just more passive with her approach, while Asahi remained active until he got Grayfia to accept him.

“Freya, why are you hung up on my lord? You do not even love him.”

“Love? Isn’t that a romantic way of lusting over someone?” Freya said with a laugh. “I’ll have you know… I’m a connoisseur of love and sex… love leads to sex or the opposite. One can’t exist without the other… the only exception is probably familial love.”

“You’re the wise goddess.”

Grayfia didn’t delve deeper into the conversation. Freya’s twisted obsession differed from Grayfia’s affection for Asahi. She had and never will understand Freya’s mindset.

“Don’t hold back on your words, Grayfia. I want to hear your take.”

Grayfia narrowed her eyes. “You couldn’t care less about Asahi’s personality. You want my lord’s approval to mend your wounded pride. Nothing else.”

Grayfia gave Freya her honest take without holding back. Despite living for so long and seeing so much, Grayfia’s words stung Freya.

“You… are right,” Freya admitted. “But it’s merely one side of the truth. The other side is complicated.”

“Complicated because you want it to be,” Grayfia said with a humorless smile. “Am I wrong?”

“True… It’s the first time I have failed in capturing someone’s heart with my charm and beauty. I thought of other methods to captivate him.” Freya smiled fondly as she recited her experience. “It’s… refreshing to think of new ideas, but I lose control before him and say things I don’t want to say… I feel hopeless.”

Grayfia furrowed her brows, finding Freya’s experience similar to her own. She had moments when she became a different person before Asahi. It used to be a frequent occurrence even after Asahi seduced her.

‘It can’t be real.’

She found it hard to believe that Freya genuinely loved Asahi. The goddess lived by her own beliefs.

“You don’t believe me,” Freya said with a wry smile. “It’s only fair for my evil deeds.”

“My belief does not matter in the slightest. It’s important that Asahi believes you… Why am I even advising a goddess of love on love matters?”

(Probably because she is wearing a maid dress,) Klyscha said.

Grayfia couldn’t help but sigh at her easy-to-exploit weakness for maid outfits.

Freya picked up the teacup from the table and took a sip. “You drove the conversation to love. I’m innocent.”

“I’m sorry for that.”

“It was fun exposing my heart to my senior maid,” Freya said with a wide smile. “Miss Grayfia, I was always curious about your race. Can I know more about it?”

Before, she had mistaken Grayfia for a Valkyrie from heaven, which was busted as soon as Asahi revealed his secret. She had seen Grayfia’s wings and tail occasionally, which heightened her curiosity. Now seemed to be a great time to find some answers.

“I’m a devil from the Underworld.”

“Isn’t Underworld Hades’s domain—my bad for mixing my world’s logic with yours…”

“Umm… my world’s Hades lives in Hell, which is beneath the Underworld.”

Freya’s eyes widened before her face lit up with excitement. “Is Hades alone or the whole Greek faction is there?”

Freya’s enthusiasm surprised Grayfia. Everyone in Orario seemed interested in the legends and myths, even deities.

(It stems from a lack of solid entertainment.)

Grayfia nodded. “Greek, Norse, Celtic, Shinto. They all have their own domains.”

“It’s really fascinating how the aspects of our worlds are familiar and different at the same time. While we are on this topic, can you tell me how Asahi received his powers?”

“Freya, back to your stalking habits?”

Freya heard Asahi’s voice and turned to the door, which slowly opened.

“My lord,” Grayfia said as she stood up.

“My lord.” Freya copied her senior maid’s gesture, then bowed. “I’d not be a stalker if you keep gracing my world with your charming presence.”

“Eh, I’ll think about it.” Asahi waved his hand and stepped aside. “Fei, don’t be shy now.”

Freya’s eyes widened in the next instance as Hephaestus strode inside and took a seat beside Grayfia. Astraea remained beside Asahi and watched over her friend.

“Hephaestus…?” Freya muttered, shock on her face. “Your face.”

“It’s not hideous anymore, right?” Hephaestus asked, touching her eye with care. “It’s… normal.”

“Normal? You are above the beauty of elves and goddesses. This isn’t normal,” Freya said with a giggle, and glanced at the man responsible for the miracle. “My lord is truly extraordinary.”

Asahi ignored her compliments and smiled at Grayfia. “What’s my lovely maid doing?”

“Nothing… I’m not allowed to do anything these days.” Grayfia rubbed her belly. “Even though it’s months away.”

Freya pointed at Grayfia’s stomach. “She is—pregnant?!”

“Yup.”

Freya stared at Grayfia in shock before she grabbed Grayfia’s hands. “Congratulations, Senior. You can retire for the time being. Allow me to fill in your shoes as my lord’s diligent maid.”

“No. Rini and Ray already took on my mantle.”

The two worked hard from the very beginning. She wasn’t letting anyone else take that away from those two, especially not the goddess with ulterior motives.

Freya looked down, a gloomy air around her. Grayfia didn’t budge one inch from her decision.

Meanwhile, Hephaestus stared at Grayfia in envy. She had acted as Chiaki’s mother for a while now. The experience made her realize the value of this experience. If she could, she would definitely mother a child. The desire evoked a vivid image in her head—an image of her holding a child. For some odd reason, Asahi was beside her, teasing the newborn with a grin.

‘I’m sinking deeper into the hole he dug for me… sigh, I can’t be a genuine mother.’

Her fantasy deflated as soon as she began thinking with reason. It was impossible for deities to become pregnant in the lower world. Even up in heaven, the children were born by mixing gods’ divine essence rather than the normal method.

Hephaestus sighed, dejected. A light touch on her face put an end to her depressed state. Asahi stroked her face with telekinesis to cheer her up.

‘Don’t be sad. We’ll make a lot of babies in the future.’ Asahi used telepathy to tease her. Well, only half of it was teasing, the other half was the truth. He didn’t mind impregnating Hephaestus, as she had already proven herself as a worthy mother.

Hephaestus blankly stared at Asahi in a daze without uttering a word. He had casually declared his desire to make babies with her, something she and other deities had deemed impossible. She couldn’t let any goddess know about this. They would flock to him should they realize he could impregnate goddesses like mortal women.

‘Babies…’ She gulped down her saliva, feeling tempted to become Asahi’s lover. From his caring nature to his immense help with her marks, she couldn’t find any flaws in him. Even Astraea seemed supportive of this, as if she wasn’t sharing her life partner with her friend.

But where would she start?

She got cold feet at the mere thought of bringing this up before Asahi.

Grayfia noticed the conflict on Hephaestus’s face. It was hard to ignore the sudden changes in her expression—from a frown to a thoughtful look to a flushed face.

(We’ll have another mother in the family soon… when will my day come?)

‘Klyscha-sama, please think of my daughter as your own.’ Grayfia proposed what Saya and others had agreed upon before, then glanced at Asahi. ‘My lord will get there one day… He gets easily distracted.’

(It’s fun to see him like this.)

‘I agree.’

“Where did Loki go?” Asahi asked, oblivious to Hephaestus’s chaotic thoughts and Grayfia’s conversation with Klyscha. “Where is Aimi?”

Grayfia diffused his confusion, explaining that Loki went to prepare her Familia for the long expedition while Aimi returned to the Stardust Garden.

“My lord, can you take my Familia with you?" Freya requested with pleading eyes, her hands joined as if she was praying. “With more power, they would be more useful to my lord.”

Aa a familia head, she took it as her duty to look after her children. This part of her didn’t change even if she became his maid.

“No.” Asahi shook his head. “I won’t train them.”

Freya lowered her head as if she was a child afraid of her parent’s scolding.

Asahi sighed and pinched her cheeks. “I’ll teleport them to deep floors. Ottar can take care of the rest. Deal?”

Freya looked up with a bright face and threw herself at him. “Thank you, my lord!”

Taking advantage of the situation, Freya rubbed her breasts up and down his chest. The goddess of beauty lived up to her reputation with softness, warmth, and natural scent that made his heart race. It was the first time she showed Syr’s cheerful nature to anyone as Freya.

Freya backed away before anyone admonished her. “My lord, I’ll return to gather Ottar and others.”

“Take care.” Asahi waved his hand as Freya exited the scene.

(My love, there is a problem… Saeko and Rini aren’t currently at the Star mansion. Aimi is heading to Ryuu's room.)

Asahi felt confused. Ryuu and Aimi rarely interacted in the mansion. Aimi was probably trying to deepen her relationship with the stoic elf, or she noticed Ryuu’s hunger for power and wanted to help Ryuu.

Regardless of the situation, Ryuu's collar would be exposed. Asahi hadn't invited Ryuu to the beach party to ‘punish’ her. It also gave her time to consider her new identity as his slave. If she was against anything, the collar would be taken off. The chances of her rejection were miniscule.

‘I can’t miss Aimi’s reaction.’

Asahi kissed Astraea on her cheeks before he walked up to Hephaestus and raised her chin. Her crimson hair fell down, covering the right side of her face.

“A-Asahi?”

“Shush.”

Asahi drew closer with his eyes closed. Hephaestus retreated, only to bump into the couch.

‘My first kiss…’

Hephaestus couldn’t bear to reject Asahi. Despite her internal struggle, she didn’t feel repulsed at all. Rather, her heart fluttered in her chest. She shut her eyes tight and focused on committing every feeling of her first kiss to her memory.

Asahi turned her face and pecked her cheeks. “Good night.”

Hephaestus stared at Asahi, something she did a lot today.

“You look disappointed. Did you want one on your lips?” Asahi pinched the tip of her nose and grinned. “You naughty girl.”

Hephaestus glared at him even though she was blushing. “You’re such a scoundrel.”

Asahi laughed off her half-assed curse and kissed Grayfia. This time, he didn’t hold back in the slightest and locked lips with his maid. He gave the goddesses a small demonstration of their future then teleported to Ryuu’s room in stealth.