Evera faintly touched her lips as Selicia left her office to go resume taking care of their affairs, her brain distracted as she tried to turn back to the documents piling up on her desk. Her lips…She turned the page to look at the next document. Are so soft…She caught herself drifting off then shook her head, trying to refocus on the pages in front of her.

Come on, you're the head of the Besari Trade Company, you can't be drifting off like this…She signed her signature at the bottom of the document she was looking at, and moved on to reviewing the next. But it was quite nice…She stood up abruptly.

"I need to clear my head," She sighed, and rung the bell on her desk for service.

"Yes mistress?" A junior employee popped their head in to see what she needed.

"Fetch me some drizzleberry tea, and some scones please, I'll be taking my tea break."

"Very well, mistress." The employee ducked out, and Evera sat down in the armchair by the window overlooking the port of Peral, the foremost trading center of the Ferrera Kingdom.

"This is too troublesome…" Evera sighed, tapping the armrests. "I feel like I just want to grab her and run away. When was the last time I ever dared to neglect my duties like this?" She put her hand to her forehead.

She moved her next inner dialogue into her head knowing that some things shouldn't be said out loud no matter how supposedly safe the surroundings.

The gods' amusement in their new pets won't last forever. Our Lady's beginning to make her move on the Lost Continent, and tensions will likely only escalate from there. We've kept our involvement with her pretty secret, but our affiliation with the Beasts is another matter, and anyone looking for targets to vent on, would naturally put us high on their list regardless of any evidence they were able to find.

To be honest, I'm not sure how long we'll be able to keep up this front. If we don't move forwards into a full rebellion, then we might have to begin quietly retreating, or at least withdrawing from beast affairs and making a show of loyalty to retain our assets.

Is the Goddess' move just a front, or is she really planning on moving forwards with conflict against the other gods? I wish I was more in touch with their decision making process…

"My lady," A familiar voice came from the door, and Evera felt her heart beating faster.

"Selicia," Evera turned a little too fast to see her beautiful Verouth aid walking in carrying a tea tray, her tail flicking suggestively behind her. "What brings you here? I thought you had gone to the service department to oversee how today's operations were going?"

"Why? Not happy to see me?"

Ever felt a blush creeping up her neck as she immediately stammered. "N-no, I-I didn't say that…I just…"

Selicia smirked, putting down the tea tray, and sitting down too close to Evera's side. "I came to find you," She poured the tea, her shoulder brushing against Evera's. "Some…peculiar guests came to see us, I thought you might be interested."

With the blood rushing to Evera's head, she found herself staring at the long, exposed neck of her primary aid, her lips slightly quivering with desire as she desperately tried to control herself and listen to the content of her aid's speech and not its suggestive tone.

"G-guests?" She licked her lips, her eyes still fixed on Selicia's neckline.

"Evera?" Selicia turned to Evera, her voice low and dangerous. "You know, if you want something from me," She leaned in to whisper in Evera's ear. "All you have to do is lean in and take it."

Evera lunged for Selicia's lips only for their teeth to clack against one another, sending her recoiling back in pain. "Owww, sorry," Evera buried her face in her hands in shame.

Selicia cackled in amusement. "I see with all her centuries our mistress still doesn't know how to kiss." She leaned in again. "I'll have to make sure…to teach you well."

Evera felt her toes curling in her shoes and she took some deep breaths distancing herself and trying to recompose her frayed nerves before she entirely lost herself in the moment. "You mentioned guests. Who are they?" Her fingers twitched and her face was still flush, but she managed at least a semi-professional tone.

"Two cloaked figures came in asking about our connection with the Beasts, saying they were adventurers who had heard Beasts tended to have it rough and wanted to see if they could do anything for them.

Selicia sighed, looking slightly disappointed, but quickly recovering herself. "The girl on duty thought it was strange, so she brought them into a waiting room and informed me about them. I went in pretending to be a servant with tea and snacks, and they both seem like…not your typical adventurers. Young but with a hint of nobility. Trying to hide their identities, but not doing a particularly good job of it. With a small sense of sorrow or desperation in them alongside a lot of nervousness."

"You think they're nobility?" Evera frowned.

"That's one possibility. But honestly they strike me as too battle-ready and people-nervous for that to be the case. But there is a certain…other group of adventurers we heard crossed the border into Ferrera about a month ago."

Evera immediately set down the tea cup she had just picked up. "Heroes?"

Selicia nodded. "I asked Gregor to confirm, and he told me there was a hint of divinity floating around one of them."

"Just one?" Evera questioned.

"The girl," Selicia nodded. "It might seem odd that it's not both, but maybe the boy's a retainer they picked up somewhere, or maybe he's just better at hiding the aura. Either way, there's not too many people out there with blessings strong enough to give off reactions."

Evera nodded. "Any suggestions for how we deal with them?" Evera stood up, getting ready to leave.

Selicia grinned. "You're the mistress, I dare not impose."

Evera snorted. "Like that ever stopped you in the past," and swept out of the room.

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