Planting the seed of love

"Aha!" Almace, now in her stunning new form, let out a light-hearted giggle and promptly wrapped her arms around Lilith, embracing her wholeheartedly.

Lilith, caught off guard by this sudden display of affection, could only mutter in disbelief, "What the..." She was both amazed and confused by Almace's transformation. "You could do something like this? Then does that mean..."

Before she could finish her thought, Ragnarok interrupted with an outburst, "So this was your plan!"

Harpe's voice followed, expressing a hint of envy, "Eh? That's not fair...!"

Lilith, seeing the mixed reactions from her other companions, spoke up to ease their concerns. "Ah, girls... don't worry, I'm sure you will have a chance to have a human form like Almace...

In that instant, Azriel, materialized in front of Lilith, holding a white towel on his left arm while expertly serving a glass of fancy red wine with his right hand. His movements were smooth and practiced, shadowing that of a seasoned butler from a high-end establishment.

Azriel, observing the transformation and Almace's new demeanor, offered his congratulations. "Congratulations on your evolvement," he said. "Now that you are in your human form, I believe there are new ways to serve our Master."

Almace, caught off guard by Azriel's comment, released Lilith from the embrace and looked visibly hesitant. "Eh...?" She uttered, a mix of confusion and surprise in her voice.

Azriel, with a slight nudge of encouragement, added, "Surely you don't plan on lazing around."

Caught in the moment, Almace let out a forced laugh, "Ah... of course! Of course! Haha...

Lilith's curiosity was piqued as she observed Azriel's and Almace's interactions. She accepted the glass of red wine from Azriel, mistaking it initially for water. However, upon taking a sip, she found herself pleasantly surprised by its rich flavor. 'Has wine always tasted this good?' she wondered, her gaze fixated on the deep, ruby liquid swirling in her glass.

Azriel, noticing Lilith's interest in the wine, quickly approached her, dropping to one knee in a gesture of servitude. "Does it fancy your taste, my lady?" he inquired

'Lilith was momentarily taken aback by Azriel's formal and somewhat dramatic approach. 'What the?' 

She responded, trying to match his tone, "Uh-huh... it's good," while casually swirling the wine in her glass.

Azriel then elaborated with a hint of pride, "To call wine that had been cultivated for centuries with magic, to be only 'good'... For someone as great as my lady, I should only expect this to be average."

Lilith found herself somewhat bewildered by Azriel's weird speech. 'Wut? Huh? What is he talking about? Can wine even be cultivated for that long?' she wondered internally, her thoughts a jumble of confusion. Despite her uncertainty, she decided to maintain her composure. 'No, if I act out and try to compose myself, I'll make a fool of myself.'

Choosing to respond with poise, Lilith remarked, "Next time make sure to bring something more suited to my taste."

Azriel's face lit up with an even brighter expression as he replied, "Of course, my lady!" His eagerness to please Lilith was evident

Internally, Lilith felt a wave of relief wash over her. 'That was quite scary...' she thought, her mind still reeling slightly from the encounter. 'I thought he was going to tell me to enjoy what I have and stop acting like a baby...'

"Well then, let's get back," Lilith announced, signaling the end of their outing.

Lilith and Azriel, with Almace now back in her weapon form, made their way back to Galena's private residence. As they entered, Lilith was immediately struck by an unexpected scene. Sivel appeared visibly annoyed, tossing couch pillows at a seemingly amused Galena.

The sight left Lilith both perplexed and confused. "What..." she muttered, her words trailing off as she tried to make sense of the situation.

Galena, ever the lively one, greeted Lilith with her usual enthusiasm. "Oh, my your grace!" she exclaimed, her face beaming. "Do you want to know what happened to my sweet sister?"

Before Lilith could respond, Sivel interjected vehemently, "No! Don't you dare tell them!" Her tone was almost growlish, almost like an angry chihuahua.

Galena, clearly enjoying the situation, added more context to the chaos with a laugh. "Eldric came all the way here to find my sweet little sister after finding out her guest was taken away by some evil being."

Lilith's mind briefly latched onto the phrase 'evil being,' but she decided to focus on the scene unfolding in front of her instead.

Sivel's frustration reached a boiling point, and she lunged at Galena, roaring, "Argh! Stop! It's not what you think!" as she tackled her sister to the ground.

Galena let out a surprised "Ah!" but quickly regained control of the situation. With an effortless gesture, she summoned thick tree branches that snaked around Sivel's ankle, lifting her off the ground to dangle upside down.

"Release me!" Sivel demanded, struggling against the branches' firm grip.

Galena, slightly indignant at Sivel's outburst, retorted, "Now you are being rude in front of the goddess!" She puffed up with a mix of annoyance.

Lilith, still trying to piece together the situation, asked softly, "So this is about Eldric?"

Galena, unable to contain her amusement, replied with a hint of mischief, "It seems that I had a misunderstanding with my future brother-in-law." She snickered, her hand covering her mouth to stifle her laughter.

Sivel, overwhelmed by embarrassment, groaned loudly, her face flushed as she covered it with her hands.

Lilith, aiming to bring some perspective to the conversation, commented, "Well, I do think it's too early to judge his character simply based on this."

Sivel, still dangling upside down, latched onto Lilith's words with gratitude. "Yes! Thank you! Someone who's finally speaking sense!" she exclaimed.

Galena, however, seemed a bit wistful as she added her own thoughts. "But he seemed pretty worried about Sivel's well-being at that time. Almost as if he was going to lose something special to him," she said with a disappointed sigh, placing a hand on her cheek.

Lilith, seeing a different angle to the situation, mused thoughtfully, "But I do think that this is a great opportunity for her." Her eyes gleamed with a glint.

Galena, instantly picking up on Lilith's line of thinking, moved closer, her own eyes mirroring the same glint as Lilith. "Right?" she said, clearly excited.

Sivel, however, was not amused. Feeling outnumbered and perhaps a bit ganged up on, she expressed her frustration in the only way she could at the moment – by throwing another pillow at both Lilith and her sister. "Don't side with each other!" she yelled.