System's POV

Chapter 1399: My Love Isn’t Cheap [Part 1]

When Zion rejected Eros’ confession...

Stella felt her chest tighten. Even if it wasn’t actually her who confessed, the Goddess of Lust was using her looks when she did it.

In other words, Zion’s answer was directed at her. Even if she replaced Eros right now, his answer would be the same, which made her feel things that she had never felt before.

A part of her felt sad, and another part felt confused.

She’d lost count of occasions when young men born from royalty or influential families had approached her during parties, wanting to get in her good graces.

Not only was Stella talented and beautiful, she was also the daughter of the most powerful Empire in the world of Hestia. Marrying her would mean gaining her family’s influence and protection.

Many tried, but every single one of them failed. After all, the wall blocking their path was her overprotective father.

When purely talking about looks, most of these young men were leagues ahead of Zion. Not only that, but they were also charming and oftentimes soft-spoken.

They weren’t crude, frank, and none of them treated her like some ordinary girl from a common family.

She was Stella.

She was special.

She was meant to be happy in life, treated like the princess that she was.

But there was one person who wasn’t like the rest of her suitors.

He was none other than Zion Leventis, the person who held all the colors that she had lost in her world.

While she was lamenting her rejection, the teenage boy’s words once again reached her ears.

"Why would I make you my girlfriend when you don’t even love me? Besides, you’re not even Stella."

"H-Huh? What are you talking about? I am Stella."

Stella raised her head to look at Zion, her heart starting to beat fast inside her chest.

"No, you’re not. You might fool others, but you won’t fool me. Stella’s breast is one centimeter bigger than yours."

Stella almost choked when she heard his reply. If she could have coughed blood, she would have done it then and there.

Her mother, Belle, lightly patted her back, helping her to calm down. Even she was shocked after hearing Zion’s revelation.

"Zion, I think you’re just tired. I am Stella," Eros insisted.

"Please, let’s stop this farce," Thirteen sighed. "I don’t know who you are, but you’re not Stella. Where did you hide her?"

"But I didn’t hide her?"

"Nevermind. I’ll just take her myself."

Thirteen reached out to the place where the golden thread that was connected to his pinky finger fluttered.

Suddenly, the space where his hand was touching opened up, allowing it to pass through.

Stella and Belle blinked once then twice as a hand appeared in front of them and felt out its surroundings.

Thirteen then pushed his hand deeper and accidentally touched something that he shouldn’t touch, eliciting a gasp of shock from Stella.

The teenage boy blinked once then twice before squeezing that place two more times to confirm his suspicion.

After confirming his suspicion, he moved his hand to the side, finally touching Stella’s arm.

He then held it firmly and pulled her out of Eros’ special domain.

Before Stella could even understand what was happening, she found herself in the embrace of the young man, who now held her in a protective embrace.

"This is the real Stella," Thirteen said with confidence while looking at Eros’ who was looking back at him in disbelief.

"H-How?" Eros had hidden them in her special domain, and the only one who could open it was her.

However, Thirteen ignored her. "Do you know the real reason why I rejected you earlier?"

"Isn’t it because I’m not Stella?" Eros scoffed before returning to her original form. "Tell me. How did you know that I wasn’t her and where the real one is located?"

Thirteen didn’t answer the Goddess’ question, and instead, told her the real reason why he rejected her confession earlier.

"The real reason why I rejected your confession is because my love isn’t cheap," Thirteen replied.

Stella, still in the arms of the young man, didn’t move from her spot and waited for the young man’s next words while listening to his heartbeat.

"Your love isn’t cheap?" Eros frowned. "What do you mean?"

Thirteen stared straight into the Goddess’ eyes and gave his reply. "I’m still starting to understand what love is. But I do know that I care for my family very deeply. I also care for my lovers, and I know that if something happens to them, I would fight anyone, even the Gods, to take revenge."

Thirteen’s words were calm, but it held a firmness that even made the peanut gallery listening to the conversation take his words seriously.

"As someone who doesn’t understand love, I take this matter seriously," Thirteen declared. "This is also why I can tell if someone was lying to me when they say that they love me.

"The gazes of my lovers don’t look that way when they tell me that they love me. There is affection in their gaze that isn’t present from your confession. I don’t need fake love. I only accept genuine ones."

The different Goddesses of Love who were also paying close attention to Zion from the Celestial Realm all nodded in satisfaction.

Eros frowned as the young man gave his explanation. She was the Goddess of Lust. Although she had shown interest in people in the past, it never went past that feeling of interest.

She had never loved someone before nor had she felt the need to love anyone. She simply enjoyed the pleasures of fleeting infatuations and the pleasure derived from such acts.

"I can tell that you have never loved someone before."

Thirteen’s words snapped Eros from her daze, pulling her to focus her attention onto him.

"But that’s fine. For thousands of years, I never understood love. I’ve spent most of my life believing that love is a useless feeling. It’s not practical, and more often than not, it leads to demise. People become stupid because of it, and frankly, I think those who fall in love are fools."

"You do understand!" Eros nodded in agreement. "Those who believe in love are indeed fools."

Suddenly, the Goddess of Lust felt that she had found someone who could relate to her. She had also thought of the same thing about those who fell in love. They had become blinded by love, and had become stupid.

"But that was in the past," Thirteen said softly, lightly patting Stella’s head who was still in his embrace. "Even someone like me is not worthy of being loved by anyone. But despite my belief, people still love me, and I am loved by many people.

"I might still be a novice when it comes to love, but I am willing to learn for their sake. And this is why my love isn’t cheap.

"If someone really loves me, I’ll make sure to do my best to love them back. It may not happen in a day, in a week, or in a year, but I will definitely love them back no matter how long it takes."

Eros sneered. "So you’re fine with being stupid like the rest of those lovestruck fools?"

"Hell no," Thirteen replied. "I won’t become stupid like them. I’m not like some red-headed Half-Elf that falls in love with every beautiful woman he sees."

Somewhere in Kazo Land...

The mascot coughed lightly, while James chuckled beside him.

William’s wives shared a knowing smile with each other before they shifted their attention back to the teenage boy that was holding Stella in a "loving embrace."

"Then let’s go back to the topic," Eros crossed her arms over her chest. "My Goddaughter Stella loves you. Your answer?"

The young lady in Thirteen’s arms flinched after her Godmother decided to toss her to the spotlight.

She didn’t know what she should do in that moment of panic, so she tried to push Zion away.

But Eros was one step faster than her.

She snapped her fingers, and the Key of Lust appeared on Stella’s hand.

The moment she pushed him away, the key pressed over Thirteen’s chest, in the location where his heart was located.

A faint clicking sound was heard as the key turned on his own, opening a lock that had remained tightly closed for thousands of years.