Chapter 28

Chapter 28 – Sweet As Hell, Painful As Heaven?

In a corner of the ruined Colosseum.

Atalanta, who couldn’t bring herself to leave due to her anxious heart, was chilled to the bone by the aftermath of Hercules’s final massive explosion.

No other thoughts came to mind, and in the moment of lamenting that she would die like this.

For some reason, what flashed before her eyes was the boy with jet-black hair, Dianes, who had protected her until this morning.

She had asked him. Why do you care so much about me?

Then he smirked and asked her this.

Why did you try to kill me?

At that seemingly reproachful question, Atalanta couldn’t say anything.

He shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t really expect an answer and said so.

‘Just as you didn’t need a reason to either kill me or inflict a fatal wound on me. I don’t really need a reason to save you either.’

Just follow my heart.

She turned her gaze back to the medical book she received from Asclepius, saying he didn’t need to worry too much either.

But for some reason, her head throbbed with a headache, so Atalanta couldn’t argue any further and lay back down.

Even in the midst of hazy memories, there was one thing she could be sure of.

The long years of tormenting nightmares had been replaced by this burning emotion, pointing to that beautiful, dark-haired young hero.

A feeling she had never experienced before.

A desire she had never wished for before.

When she chased after that back from afar, her heart pounded as if she were facing a vast, magnificent landscape, and when she met those obsidian-like eyes, a thrilling shiver ran through her entire body.

What on earth is this feeling?

Feeling so unfamiliar, she ran to her foster mother, Chariclo, and asked. Chariclo smiled tenderly, held her in her arms, and whispered softly.

He brought Eros’s golden arrow and pierced it deep into your heart.

That feeling, sweet as hell and painful as heaven, ugly beyond ugliness yet more beautiful than anything in the world, is love.

At first, she couldn’t believe it.

She was the daughter of Artemis, and once she grew up and left this forest, she would participate in endless hunts on crescent moon nights as an eternal maiden.

And yet she fell for a man, and not just any man, but the one she fought with yesterday, screaming and clashing.

“Oh, Tali. Love is like that. It’s more sudden than any event and more fatal than any accident. But that’s why love is beautiful and peculiar.”

Chariclo kissed her confused forehead and hugged her tightly, as if she were proud of her.

“Dianes, that child told me. The things he did to protect you and the things he did for you actually ended up binding you to the past. But we are proud of you for breaking free from that yoke and standing up on your own like this.”

Atalanta, who had once pointed her blade in all directions with eternal hatred and rejection.

Chariclo was overjoyed to see warmth and affection sparkle in her eyes instead of cold cynicism.

Like a butterfly breaking out of its cold shell and spreading its beautiful wings.

Atalanta, who emerged from her past and regained her true colors, was a treasure more beautiful than anything in the world.

The myriad emotions she faced bare for the first time in a long while might still feel unfamiliar.

But soon, she too would come to know.

The joy of being with a loved one.

The sweetness of affection that warms the heart.

Encouraging her, Chariclo talked all night with her confused daughter after a long time.

About her beautiful achievements before the tragedy struck.

And about the small heroes and young men from nearby villages who fell ill with fever from her smile and courted her.

How cute she was when she first came to the forest.

Truly, it was an embarrassing and shameful story.

But was such a time ever so comforting and warm?

Atalanta fell asleep resting on her mother’s arm, feeling cozy for the first time in a long while.

“What? Wh-what?”

“The slight tan on your skin will return to normal over time, but it looks good on you, showing health and vitality.”

Atalanta, unable to comprehend the situation, was bewildered, but the lady’s actions continued.

“Ornaments... you wouldn’t know, since you called yourself the daughter of that tomboy Artemis.”

“What? How did you know that?!”

“It’s not important right now. Hmmm... Yes, it might be better not to have a necklace or bracelet. Maybe just a light belt? Clothes... like this?”

As the noblewoman gestured busily around her face, shoulders, arms, and hands, her outfit, which was closer to just being draped cloth, changed swiftly.

The first was a purple dress adorned with gold threads.

It was a garment embroidered with apple trees in gold and silver, with a smooth and soft texture like caressing the petals of a flower in full bloom. Wearing it, she looked like a noble princess.

“This is the purple silk the king of Thebes offered last time. But it’s too splendid; it overshadows your charm.”

Not this one.

Once again, with a flick of the goddess’s fingers, her clothes changed completely.

This time, it was a green outfit finely embroidered with lapis lazuli, reminiscent of the fresh green meadows of early spring. It matched her light brown skin, making her look like a forest nymph.

“Hmm, not this either. Unless it’s a banquet. It’s too glamorous to go tend to a fallen lover.”

-Snap!

-Snap! Snap! Snap!

Countless times after that, the noblewoman’s fingers snapped, and after about ten repetitions...

“That’s it! This is the one!”

She cheered with a radiant smile that matched her noble beauty.