11 10~Fake Love

"Red Tiger, how are you enjoying the food?" Big Tiger leans over the table with his hands laced under his chin. The brawny man had ordered his hunters to kill and prepare the best meats for me to taste.

I set down a splintered pair of chopsticks, glaring at the mortal. With two fingers, I push away the plates of hog and duck. As a sophisticated goddess, I cannot eat whatever these lowly human criminals eat!

Despite this, I smile pleasantly. I push the plates over to the eager man watching me and I enriched the act by urging him to eat. I was aware that he has been watching me since his chef presented a large number of dishes.

"Red Tiger," he breathes with a longing look in his eyes. He must have felt touched as he bows until his forehead touches the table. "I will enjoy the food!"

"What an inbred!" The fox spirit snickers behind the human chief. Full of glee, he mocked the mortal with a nasal voice. "Red Tiger, oh, Red Tiger! I love you so so much although we've only met yesterday. Please, marry a brute like me and let's make strong babies. Bahaha!"

I press my thumb against the old chopstick until the wooden stick broke in half. I watch the top part fall to rest on the table. I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to glare at the annoying spirit.

"Red Tiger," Big Tiger says with chunks of meat in between his teeth. The mortal leans forward. "I know that I am a scary man but I will be willing to do anything for you. Please marry me and be the mother of my children!"

I have had enough of this foolery! I grab both parts of the broken chopstick and jam the items into his hands. For extra measures, I slap him as hard as I could. When I was done, I blew a stray strand of hair away from my eyes.

"Keep begging me and you can kiss your fantasies to the netherworld. Red Tiger, I am not going to put up with your antics for any longer!" I tap his injured hands, grinning when I see that I have struck a nerve. I meant it literally.

I push the table away from me, "I suggest you call Old Raven to fix your hand. I will show you once that I am capable of doing more than housework and childbearing."

"What type of woman are you?" Big Tiger hisses from the table. Clutching his injured hand, he hobbles over to me with a look that might be intimidating. The human chief yanks my arm, unknowingly striking a chord. The beefy human wheezes into my ear. "Do you think I care about your abilities? I asked you nicely and you do this to me?"

The mortal thrust his bloody hands into my face, grabbing my waist with his unscathed hand. "I gave you shelter, food, protection! What, you do not wish to pay me for my great efforts? Should I let you go wander in the wilderness? I was polite when I asked."

"What you mor-" I clear my throat, catching myself before I plowed on. "What you men do not understand is that politeness does not guarantee you will get what you want. You asked me kindly for a criminal but underlying your words is the desire to use me as an object. I am a woman and I object to becoming your woman."

"What is this woman saying?" The man asks the air, clearly agitated. His maimed hands waved before my face. "Even if you do not like me, women should not be so bold. I was attracted to your confidence and pride, but this is too much for someone wearing a dress! At least pretend to love me!"

I crack my neck, bothered by the hot breath fanning my neck. I find faking love disgusting and as a love goddess, I will never feign my affections. Ah, as a Love Messenger. I have forgotten my current status. "I am not the right one for you. I will help you find your Fated One."

Of course, the human is confused. "What are you talking about, Red Tiger?"

"I am talking about helping you find the right woman for you." I grab his hand, removing them from my body as I turned around. I can see the fox spirit looming over Big Tiger and taunting me by puckering his lips. "Do you know the myths of the red strings of fate? You think they are childish, am I correct?"

"Red Tiger, do you believe a measly thread that we cannot see leads us to our Fated Ones? You are a crazy fish but I reeled you in -so I'll keep you." Big Tiger brushes past me to leave his house, barely caring for his hand. The human left a trail of blood and I spat in the nearest drop.

"Red Tiger, Red Tiger, he loves calling you by that title!" The fox spirit holds his abdomen, doubling over from laughter. The spirit shook his head and wipes tears from his face. "You have gone too far to reach the Heavens, what are you going to do from now on? Help the burly man find his soulmate? I think this task is impossible."

"I do not care a bit about what you think." I swallow my words, recalling my missions. Unfortunately, I have to care about what the sly fox thinks! "To be clear, I am gracing you with my presence because of my missions. After I find your goddess, we part ways, understood?"

I separate my hands, making one veer to the left while the other shot to the right. Like a fork in the road, I hope to go in a different direction after I find the spirit's lost lover. "My goal is North Demon Lord. My North is out there."

"My North is out there," the fox held a hand to his chest and placed a forlorn look on his face. He snickers as nine tails bloomed from his rump. "How pathetic, you are only helping because of a Demon? How can you be the goddess of love?"

I grit my teeth, kicking the table full of food. I grabbed the spirit by his neck. "You truly know how to make my blood boil. Remember that I am no longer a goddess! I am a mere Love Messenger, a servant to pests! You benefit from my services but I can also destroy you."

The spirit was barely affected by my grip, even daring to flash a big grin! He lifted his eyebrows as a challenge. "If you destroy me, that is one task left unfinished. You'll never see that Demon because of one task. That is also the reason you are helping Big Tiger."

I release his neck, pushing him back to show I am displeased. I am so tempted to pull my hair because the damn fox was right. I cannot act high and mighty down here. Down here, I am no one.

I am living with criminals and outcasts. I am being pursued by a disgusting man who does not realize women are separate beings. Ah, I am on Earth, the lowest of the low. I should not expect its inhabitants to be better than immortals.

Those damn immortals too! How I wish they will lose their arrogance to sign a tiny treaty paper with the Demons. It was because of the two race's pride that trespassers are immediately executed. I drop to a squatting position, bubbling inside.

"He shouldn't have died -he did nothing wrong!" I reached out to touch the dirty floor, falling into a trance. I wrinkle my nose after seeing a coat of dust on my fingers. "Perhaps I should live as a lowly human. I will sweep this filthy floor, cook those dishes and give up my body every night!"

"Wait, why are you doing this?" The spirit stops me before I can continue. He squats before me, stroking his tails. "Are you considering those things?"

I glared at him, turning my back to him. "You've been mocking me and that mortal. It'll be quite the show for you if I marry that human. You have nothing to lose so don't feign concern!"

"I'm not concerned, not at all!" The fox shuffles behind me. "I'd like to see you fall so low to become a human's wife. Seeing people suffer is my entertainment."

"Then, I will kill your goddess when I bring you back together! My mission is to find an individual's Fated One and my job ends there." I place a hand under my chin. I rose from the floor, shaking my numb legs. "I'm going to find Big Tiger and accept his proposal. This is going to be interesting."