"I....."
But in the next moment, a warm flame rose within his chest.
Like a radiant light that left no place for darkness or filth to hide, it instantly dispelled all improper thoughts and cleared the confusion in his mind, pulling his awareness back to reality.
The Sixth Incarnation, Flame.
It was the manifestation of Hestia's divinity.
Its function was to remove all negative states and restore a person to purity.
The power of the Goddess of Love?!
Fuck!!
Lorne broke free from the haze, his expression immediately changing as he reached out and pushed Aphrodite away.
Caught off guard, the Goddess of Love stumbled and fell.
Frost instantly covered her beautiful face.
She had already offered herself, yet he still rejected her?
Feeling humiliated and wronged, Aphrodite glared angrily at this ungrateful man.
"You..."
"You have disappointed me greatly, Goddess Aphrodite!"
However, the moment she spoke, a deep reprimand came from the other side.
"The reason I traveled thousands of miles to Cyprus to deliver this medicine was, on one hand, to help my friend Asclepius fulfill his promise.
On the other hand, I wanted to witness the love he described, the kind that dares to break through worldly boundaries and risk everything!"
Upon hearing this, Aphrodite looked at the messenger before her, who appeared heartbroken, and confusion flickered across her face.
"You mean... us?"
"Exactly! For the sake of pursuing the one you love, you disregarded the difference in status and insisted on being together.
To protect this relationship, you did not hesitate to become enemies with the God of War.
Even after your lover died, you remained steadfast by his side, trying every possible way to bring him back to life! It was after hearing these stories that I was willing to make this journey for Asclepius. I wanted to contribute even a small effort to this moving love story. And yet..."
Lorne stopped speaking at that point.
His words came to an abrupt halt, and then he pointed toward the flower bed with a serious expression.
"So, do you really intend to degrade yourself like this here, in front of Prince Adonis?"
Listening to the sharp and forceful reprimand, Aphrodite immediately felt a strong sense of shame rising in her heart.
Her face gradually turned pale, and she even felt somewhat unable to face anyone as she pressed her rosy lips together, and muttered softly.
"I... I was just..."
"I understand. You were doing this to save Prince Adonis' life."
Lorne sighed, his tone softening as he spoke. "Since you want to know so badly, it would not hurt to tell you. Earlier, while I was at sea, I encountered my grand teacher, the Goddess of the Underworld Moon, Hecate.
She said that Thanatos, the God of Death, has disappeared, and quite a few disturbances have been happening in the Underworld recently..."
As he spoke, he bent down and picked up the thin veil from the ground, then gently draped it over the body of the Goddess of Love.
"Th... thank you..."
Aphrodite hurriedly took the clothes she had removed earlier, as if she had regained the chastity she had lost.
After tightly covering the spring-like beauty flowing from her body, and her embarrassed yet grateful eyes looked toward the messenger before her.
This is a good person.
And also... a good man...
She had actually thought of using such dirty seduction to stain such a noble soul.
Meanwhile, glancing sideways at Aphrodite who had finally calmed down, Lorne also let out a sigh of relief.
'That was close. I almost gave control to little Lorne and ended up committing adultery right in front of the husband.'
This Vixen.
Damn it...her charm is too damn strong.
Fortunately he had already spent three days and nights, filling the vixens, no less charming...
Fortunately, he had pulled back at the last moment and did not board that 'public bus.'
Otherwise, if the little head had taken control of the big head and his mind got heated, who knows what things he might have blurted out, whether they should be said or not.
After a rustling sound of clothing, Aphrodite, who had retreated to the corner, put on her veil again.
She restrained her seductive posture and regained a bit more of a goddess' dignity.
Then she looked toward the kind messenger and spoke hesitantly.
"You said earlier that the Underworld is in chaos?"
"Yes, this might be an opportunity..."
Lorne nodded, his eyes flickering slightly.
As her mind cooled down and her intelligence returned to the forefront, Aphrodite quickly understood and her eyes lit up.
"You mean going to the Underworld and rescuing my Adonis while the chaos is happening?"
"But doing that carries great risk.
If the gods of the Underworld discover it, the situation for you and Prince Adonis may not end well."
Lorne gave the reminder "kindly," his tone extremely sincere.
If only Adonis escaped, then based on Aphrodite's previous influence and connections, paying a certain price should be enough to settle the matter.
But what if the entire Underworld were to riot and a large number of souls escaped?
A certain messenger who appeared righteous on the surface but was actually dark-hearted and unscrupulous inside secretly muttered to himself.
There was no helping it.
If he wanted to take the blame for the future God of Medicine Asclepius and the abuse of the elixir of immortality, one Sisyphus kidnapping the God of Death was not quite enough.
If he added one Olympian god and one divine being, then the size and scale should be just right.
When the time came, as long as the water was muddied during the rescue of Adonis and "accidentally" a few more undead spirits were released back into the world, he could take advantage of the chaos to protect Asclepius' life.
Aphrodite and Adonis, who would be completely kept in the dark, would even voluntarily help cover for them.
However, if he wanted to pull Adonis, the meat shield that would attract all the firepower, out of the Underworld, Aphrodite would still face some problems.
"But the reason Adonis' body can remain uncorrupted is because I constantly use my divine power to maintain the vitality within his body.
If I leave..."
The Goddess of Love pressed her lips together, looking troubled.
Aside from that, the attitudes of her former lover Ares and her husband Hephaestus were also problems.
The two of them had long wanted to remove this thorn in their eye and flesh.
Without her protection, Ares and Hephaestus might very well come to the island of Cyprus and completely destroy Adonis' body once and for all.
Just as Aphrodite was frowning in worry, Lorne, who had been silent for a while, seemed to have gone through deep thought and slowly raised his head.
"How about letting me do it..."
"You?"
Aphrodite looked at this young and kind subordinate god, feeling warm inside her heart, and then shook her head.
"No, it is too dangerous. The Underworld is not that simple.
Even I cannot guarantee that I could enter and leave it easily."
"Do not worry. The Underworld Moon Goddess Hecate is my grand teacher, and Hestia is my patron goddess. Even if a small accident happens, Hades probably will not make things too difficult for me."
"But..."
"Goddess Aphrodite, helping you take this risk is not something I ask for nothing."
Seeing that the groundwork had been laid almost perfectly, Lorne changed the direction of the conversation and spoke seriously.
Hearing this, Aphrodite instead felt relieved.
The free things are always the most expensive.
Although this messenger understood her well and had shown great kindness, if he helped with such a big matter for no reason at all, she would inevitably feel worried.
But if he wanted something in return, that would be better.
Because it proved that the messenger truly intended to help.
Thinking about it, Goddess of Love calmed her emotions and spoke with firm confidence.
"Just tell me your request! As long as I have it, I can give it to you!"
Lorne hesitated for a moment and spoke somewhat awkwardly.
"Actually, like you, I am also troubled by love."
When Aphrodite heard this, she seemed to think of something and asked in a low voice.
"You mean... Hestia?"
Lorne nodded slightly with difficulty, his face filled with melancholy and sorrow.
"You understand that kind of feeling that cannot be spoken out loud, right? That is why I admire your courage to break through all restraints."
The Goddess of Love nodded fiercely and looked at the messenger before her with great enthusiasm, as if she had seen someone of the same kind who pursued love.
At this moment, her gaze was full of warmth.
Of course she understood.
She understood it too well.
(End of the Chapter)