Lilith tossed and turned from the bed. She was unable to sleep.
The incident that happened a few hours ago was still fresh from her mind.
"The collar. Give it to me. That belongs to my lover."
Everytime she closed her eyes to sleep, she would hear William's voice.
She would see William's face.
She would see that smile, that made her heart skip a beat.
Lilith knew that she wasn't in love with William. She was as certain of that as the fact that the sun would rise up from the East when she woke up in the morning.
"There is something wrong with him," Lilith thought as she hugged her pillow. "I am a strong warrior. However, just a few words from him were enough to make me feel fearful. This is unheard of."
Lilith thought long and hard about why she had that reaction to William during that time. She could still remember his eyes. Those clear eyes that stared at her was something she wouldn't forget.
There was power within their depths, and although they were clear and bright, the Amazon could have sworn that she had caught a glimpse of darkness inside them.
After tossing and turning for another hour, she sat upright on the bed, closed her eyes, and meditated.
Several minutes later, she found herself in a place surrounded with glittering treasures. It was a treasure house that held immeasurable wealth that seemed to have no end.
In the center of it all was a golden throne. There sat an ethereal beauty with long blonde hair, and golden eyes that looked back at Lilith in a teasing manner.
"Come, My Daughter," the Goddess raised her hand in a welcoming gesture. "What troubles you, My Dear?"
Lilith didn't give the lady any reply. Instead, she ran towards her and buried her head in the Goddess' bountiful chest.
The blonde beauty chuckled as she patted Lilith's head. She didn't say anything else and simply allowed her daughter to regain her calm.
"Godmother, what do I do?" Lilith asked as she looked up at the Goddess with uncertainty. "I think I made a blunder."
"It's about that boy, William, right?"
"Yes."
Mammon, the Goddess of Wealth, smiled as she lovingly pinched Lilith's cheeks.
"You don't have to worry about him," Mammon said with a smile. "He's a shameless bastard whose greed knows no bounds. If he was born a girl, there is a high chance that he might have been born with the Sin of Greed, and not you."
Lilith pouted. She knew that Mammon was just teasing her, but she still felt an ache in her heart because there was really a high possibility that William might have taken her place if the Half-Elf had been born a girl.
Mammon giggled as she looked at the pouting Amazon in front of her.
"What's wrong? He's just a Half-Elf," Mammon commented. "Don't tell me that my daughter can't even beat him black and blue before dragging him to your bed. You're losing your touch, Lilith."
Lilith frowned. "For some reason, I have a feeling that I can't use force when dealing with him."
"Haven't you always used force to get your way? Why change your tactics now?"
"Because he is different. He's not like the other boys I've met before."
After regaining her calm, Lilith finally understood why she held complicated feelings towards William. It was because the Half-Elf's achievements were so high.
Lilith was the tournament Champion. She should have held the title of the strongest prodigy in the world, but just one Divine Announcement was enough to make all of her efforts become lackluster.
Deep inside, Lilith was unresigned to this kind of treatment. She wanted to be the one who was in control, especially in a relationship. In the past, Lilith had vowed that she would only mate with a person that was stronger than her. Someone who could beat her in a direct confrontation in order to gain her recognition.
However, after experiencing the tournament, her arrogance grew. Although she had met several strong opponents, of them were her match. This feeling of incompleteness made her think that there wasn't a single person who could match her prowess.
That was, until she had met William.
Even so, she didn't love him.
Sure, she had a good impression of him, and could even say that she was attracted to him to a certain extent, but that was all. He was the most ideal partner among the young generation. It was this belief that made Lilith wait for him in the Kraetor Empire.
However, after discovering that several members of the Seven Deadly Sins had a connection with William, she felt that something was extremely unusual. In the history of the continent, there had never been someone that was able to gather more than two members of the Seven Sins to their side.
Among the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed was the most sensitive of all. Lilith had felt the mark of Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, and even one more sin on William's body, which caught her completely by surprise. If she added herself in the equation, there would be Five Sins that were already in William's faction.
"He's a dangerous person," Lilith said while looking up at her Patron God. "He's collecting the Sins of the World."
"You're right. He's a greedy little bastard." Mammon nodded her head in agreement. "This is why I like him. So, what do you plan to do? Are you still going to choose him as your mate? Or will you look for another?"
Lilith sighed. "I think I'm overthinking things. Sloth is just a friend of his. Also, I still don't know if that silver-haired Elf is really a boy or a girl. He's a weirdo, that's for sure."
Mammon giggled. There was a tacit agreement between the Gods of the Deadly Sins. Since all of them were in the same faction, there were times when they could work together to achieve a certain goal.
However, there was still the rule of privacy, and they were not allowed to share the private life of their daughters to others.
Mammon was well aware of Kenneth's circumstance. Even if she loved her own daughter, there were some secrets that she couldn't share with her.
"Lilith, I have a suggestion," Mammon said while patting Lilith's head. "For now, settle your dispute with the Maiden of Lust."
"But, she's annoying," Lilith stated. "She's nothing more than a b*tch in heat, so I decided to teach her a lesson. I just didn't expect that Lord William would interfere."
The corner of Mammon's lips curled up. "Lord William? You're already calling him your Lord?"
"Everyone is calling him Sir or Lord." Lilith shrugged. "I just decided to follow the trend. That way, I will leave a good first impression."
Mammon arched an eyebrow. "And, did you succeed? Did you give him a good impression?"
Lilith quieted down. She wanted to say yes, but the earlier incident made her unsure. Deep inside, she was regretting giving into her impulse and stealing Princess Sidonie's collar. She wasn't expecting that it was very important to the Succubus Princess, to the point that she would attack her like a rabid dog.
Lilith always thought that Princess Sidonie was merely using the collar on her neck as an accessory. Like a trinket that she could toss aside on a whim. While she was aware of the tradition of the Kraetor Royal Family, she thought that it was simply a farce.
Who would want to wear a slave collar? Only fools would do that. Losing your freedom, and having someone have control over your life was a scary thing. Lilith didn't want to be shackled. She didn't want to be tamed, or domesticated.
Her pride and dignity wouldn't allow it.
She wouldn't allow it.
The Amazon Princess closed her eyes to recall the Succubus' expression when William returned the collar to her neck.
As someone who was sensitive to the emotions of other people, she was able to feel Princess Sidonie's relief, happiness and, to a certain extent, her love for William.
For a brief moment, Lilith imagined what it would be like to have Sidonie's collar on her neck. Would she have the same expression on her face?
Lilith didn't know the answer, and she was not interested in becoming William's slave to know the answer. She was an Amazon Warrior.
If she wanted something, there was only one way to get it, and that was to fight for it.
