Kiara made her way towards Jared's room.
Irritated, yes, but she still needed to see him since he had already requested her.
It wasn't just that.
Why was everyone suddenly all about Jared?
On the short walk through the village to find Jared, she could have sworn she heard about four people talking about Jared.
It was almost as if he were the main topic in the village.
Confused and annoyed, Kiara felt everything at once.
What could have possibly happened in the short time she was gone? Was Jared... different now?
Standing in front of the entrance, she knocked on the door.
"Ja-Lord Jared, I have come as you asked."
As she said this, she looked to the side to see some kids hiding and peeking.
"Oh, Kiara, it's you."
Showing up at the door was Ria, her face sticking out.
Having a good look at her face, Kiara could have sworn Ria looked different a few months ago. Now it felt as if she were standing in front of a rich princess.
"Lady Ria..." she called out.
"My brother is currently working on something, so pardon him if he doesn't give his full attention."
Ria left the door open as she walked in.
Kiara followed and closed the door behind her.
When she walked in, she was met with Jared sitting on the ground with a large sheet of paper in front of him that he seemed to be drawing on.
[Kiara has come to seek an audience.]
[The goddess of trade is excited.]
Jared paused, lifting the ink from the paper.
As he tilted his head to the side to have a good look at her, he noticed Kiara was already seated next to him, eyes locked on the paper.
"What are you drawing?" she asked.
"It's probably something you can't understand, so I won't bother explaining," Jared responded. "How are you feeling now? I hope the bath and sleep were able to calm you down."
Puffing her cheeks, she replied, "For the most part, yes."
"That's good. Sorry I took too long to get you out of there. Any wrong move, and you could have been dead, or worse."
Jared continued his drawing, every bit of him focused.
Kiara caught a glimpse of Ria lying on the bed and wiggling her legs while reading another paper.
She could have sworn Ria was never in Jared's room, at least not this relaxed.
Sigh!
"What is going on?" Kiara muttered out loud, her fingers digging into her hair while staring at the ground.
She desperately wanted to understand.
For some reason, the fact that Jared was chosen by the goddess wasn't enough for her.
So, she thought of something.
She suddenly leaned forward, her hand grabbing Jared by the neck before she pulled him closer.
And then...
She kissed him on the forehead, long enough for Ria to take notice.
Once she was done, Kiara pulled away, obviously flustered, though she covered the lower half of her face with her hand.
"T-that was i-intense, r-right?!" she stammered. "Ar...e you going to... run off now? L...ike you always do?"
She wasn't wrong.
Any time she teased Jared, however little it was, he would always run away embarrassed, sometimes fainting from the shock.
This was how she got him to do whatever she wanted—a trick she had used for years.
It should be no different now, she thought.
Without saying a single word, Jared grabbed her by the chin, and he too leaned closer.
Except, rather than kissing her on the forehead, he went directly for her lips, sucking on them while his tongue danced inside her mouth.
Ria, watching from the side of the room, covered her eyes while peeking through her fingers.
Kiara, on the other hand, was frozen in shock. Jared was kissing her? On the lips? When did he get so bold? And why was her heart racing so much?
Coming to her senses, Kiara pulled herself away, her backside pushing against the ground until she was a bit farther away.
Breathing heavily, her face was as red as a tomato, her lips pink and succulent after being kissed.
Thump! Thump!
Her heart almost skipped a beat from her chest. Her fingers rubbed against her lower lip as she gawked at Jared with confusion written all over her face.
[The god of loyalty is flustered and shaking his legs in excitement.]
[The goddess of trade covers her eyes in jealousy.]
[The god of information is well entertained.]
[You have been gifted 1200sp.]
"Y... y-you... kissed me..." she managed to let out after a while, her voice cracking with every word.
"Brother, how bold of you... kissing a woman without her permission. For shame..." Ria added, though she was betrayed by the lustful smile on her face.
Something about her brother acting sexual was exciting to witness.
As if nothing had happened, Jared went back to drawing on his paper.
Then he gave a response:
"Are you convinced now? I am not the same man you think I am. If you are less convinced, then my sister can excuse us while I make you a woman with my own hands."
He said all this without once shifting his attention.
"M-make me a woman?! W-what do you mean by that?!" Kiara moved back even more, her face still beet red.
"Bad, bad brother, hehe..." Ria laughed, enjoying every bit of what was happening.
"Right now, you can still feel my lips on yours. Isn't that proof enough that I am not the same person?" Jared now looked at her, his expression a bit warmer.
Feeling too embarrassed, Kiara stood up.
"Please excuse me!"
She ran out of the room, only to stand outside, her back resting on the wall.
Just as Jared had told her, she could indeed still feel his lips on hers.
The Jared she knew before would never have had the courage to do something like that.
"Honestly..." she grabbed her chest. "Why is my chest still beating this hard? It's just a stupid kiss."
She rubbed her lips one more time. "Just... a kiss."