Chapter 4

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It was already time for dinner and Joongi was leading Ione, yet again, this time to the dining hall. She was donning a different long gown, much to her displeasure. If it were up to her, she'd wear a different one that was more comfortable, preferably much shorter than the one she was forced to wear. However, no matter how much she dislikes it, it doesn't matter because pleasing the gods is more important.

She dismissed the thought when they finally reached the place and wasn't surprised that they were all loud and rowdy. With seven people, even if they're gods, it was bound to happen. Upon seeing her, some of the gods greeted her while others just stared at her in awe.

 Upon seeing her, some of the gods greeted her while others just stared at her in awe

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Ione sheepishly made her way to the open seat between Namjoon and Seokjin.

"Good evening, Ione. Did you rest well?" The god of wisdom asked. Before she could reply though, the sound of a gong echoed throughout the hall. The gods exchanged confused looks since they were not expecting any guests.

 The gods exchanged confused looks since they were not expecting any guests

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"The Three Zanens of Aerok. Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun." The herald announced.

Everyone stood up to formally greet the three women, but they ignored the men and immediately rushed to Ione, eyeing her like she was some kind of exotic animal.

"Oh my! Is she your bride?" Seohyun asked the gods excitedly, earning her light chuckles and nods.

"And that means," Tiffany gasped as though she realized something, "she'll be the one planning for the upcoming Crystallite Festival!"

The news hit Ione like a bucket of cold water. It's just her first day here and she already has responsibilities? Seeing the reaction of the girl made the gods panic. She wasn't supposed to know about it yet, especially on her first day! They knew that if they told her that now, her response wouldn't be pleasant. As if bonding with them isn't already stressful enough.

"Wait. You didn't tell her yet?" Taeyeon turned to the men who only sank back into their seats. Sighing, she turned back to the poor girl. "Well then, how about we help you plan?" Hearing this, Ione looked up to her as if she was her savior.

Seokjin, however, didn't like the idea. How were they supposed to hang out with Ione now? Call him selfish, but he's the god of love, for goodness sake! It's ironic how he himself can't be with his fated. He was about to object when Yoongi stopped him. He shook his head, telling him to let it go. The taller of the two pursed his lips in displeasure and sank even further into his seat. With his brows furrowed, he could only stare at the ladies introducing themselves to each other.

He wasn't the only one who was against it, though. Namjoon was also opposed to it, but for another reason. He never liked the zanens. He felt as though their kindness wasn't genuine and the fact that he can't seem to read their thoughts was not helping. Despite that, he can't really treat them badly since they've always been there whenever he and his brothers needed any help. The only thing he could do was to be on guard and not trust them too much.

"This year's Crystallite Festival is going to be amazing! I can't wait to start planning!" Tiffany exclaimed excitedly, hugging Ione's arm in the process. The other zanens laughed at their sister.

"How about we start right now?!" Without waiting for anyone's reply, the goddess was swiftly pulled out of the room by the three, leaving the gods dumbfounded.

- - -

"So, Ione," Seohyun started once they arrived at the garden, "first of all, you have to know that festivals here are celebrated in a different way. Everything must be elegant, formal, and sophisticated."

Ione nodded as she tried to absorb this new information. Given that this was an event celebrated by deities and supernatural beings, it's bound to be a little bit different. She better makes sure that the gods are pleased with her work.

"I think instead of 'festival', mortals call it..." Seohyun trailed off, trying to think of the term, but Taeyeon cut her off. "A Ball."

Okay. That can be her basis. She's been to numerous formal gatherings during her time as a slave. Of course, she was not wearing a pretty gown, but her usual servant outfit instead.

"How about a black and white theme?" Tiffany suggested and waved her hand. Holograms of black and white formal dresses and suits appeared in front of the goddess. They continued discussing about this and that and the goddess was glad that they were moving fast. The zanens guided her all the way, telling her things like this color scheme is better and which is more preferred by the deities. She was really thankful for the help. Without them, she must be so lost and most probably making the wrong decisions for the event.

"Phew, I'm exhausted." Seohyun stretched her arms. Ione immediately stood up and offered to serve her refreshments. This action surprised the zanens, confusing her.

"Sweetie, you're not supposed to serve us. You have dimwärs for that." Taeyeon chuckled.

"Stop acting like a servant." Tiffany giggled.

Ione froze. That's right. She's no longer a servant, but she's been serving her entire life that it's practically fixed in her brain. Seohyun noticed the change in Ione's mood and frowned. "Oh my. Could it be that you were a..." Silence filled the room. She stiffly turned to the three, afraid to see how they'd react. "Hang on. Don't mortals only offer noble daughters?"

Their eyes widened in realization. "Then that must mean you weren't the one being offered." She expected them to be disgusted with her, but what happened next surprised her. She felt arms surround her and pull her into a warm hug. "You must have been forced into this, weren't you? You poor thing."

That was the first time somebody told her that. All her life people looked down on her, treating her like dirt. She learned at an early age that a servant was seen as someone disgusting and lowly. In her twenty years of existence, nobody dared to reach out a hand, until now.

Before she realized it, tears rolled down her face and a sob escaped from her lips. All the bottled-up feelings she'd been desperately trying to bury deep within her came pouring out like water behind a broken dam. When they saw this, they looked at each other and turned back to her. "Ione, I need you to be completely honest with me," Taeyeon said slowly. "If you had a choice, would you stay to be their goddess?" Ione was not sure if she wanted to reply, but she did so anyway.

"N-No."

All of a sudden, the room felt so hot, Ione could practically feel beads of sweat rolling down from her forehead down to her chin. She looked at the zanens and found that they weren't as confused as her. Instead, she found them looking at something behind her. She turned around to see for herself and there he stood, his eyes piercing through her.

"Y-Yoongi."



♦ Myarian Dictionary ♦

Zanens - The three sisters who possess the body of an oracle to relay messages of the gods to the mortals.

Disclaimer:

All the images used in this story are NOT MINE.

They belong to their respective owners.


Author's Note:

Dun dun dun duuuuuun~!!! Oh dear. She just had to be overheard by our sweet Yoongi. What to do? ;)

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