“Goddess, let me officially introduce myself.” He said calmly as we walked through the open corridor we had traversed earlier.

He kneeled in front of me and said, “I am Sebastian, the second son of House Valezart.”

“Oh? So, you’re a noble. What kind of status does your family hold?”

“We are a long line of Marquesses in Csilla, the region assigned to you, goddess.”

“Is that so? Let me visit your estate when we go there. By the way, you can call me Astrid; it’s making me uncomfortable hearing you say goddess all the time.”

“We’ll be spending a lot of time together now. I don’t know anyone here- you’re the first person I’ve seen since I arrived in this world- so it’s best that we treat each other as friends. It would be lonely if I didn’t have anyone I could talk to comfortably.” I made an obviously gloomy face as I looked at him.

“Okay, … A-str-id.” he replied with an embarrassed expression.

I laughed and gave him a big smile, “I’ll be in your care from now on.”

…

The next day, a banquet was held for the guardians. Nobles from all three regions attended the event to see and meet us.

The maids dressed me up in a periwinkle off-shoulder long gown with a lace cape and adorned my hair with gem-studded clips shaped like stars while I wore my hair down.

“Goddess, you look stunning!” they said, all of them gazing at me with hearts in their eyes.

I smiled and said, “Thank you; you all did an excellent job making me look pretty. I hardly recognize myself in this dress.”

“We really enjoyed dressing you up. It’s too bad you’ll departing right after the banquet.”

At that moment, I was standing in front of a mirror. I glanced at my reflection and realized I looked dejected. I had hoped to be home by now, but instead, I was being transported to a different place again.

I sighed.

…

I was escorted to a different room where I would wait to be called inside the banquet.

On the way, my hands were sweating, and my stomach ached from nervousness.

Soon, we reached the waiting room. Inside was a beautiful young lady sitting on a couch on the left side of the room. She had a bob-cut, black hair with braids framing her face, and gray eyes. She was poised like a typical noble lady. On the opposite side of the room was a cheerful boy with golden hair that matched his gold-like eyes.

The boy immediately approached me and introduced himself.

“Hi! My name is Eli. I don’t have a family name since I am a commoner, but I am the heir of the ‘god of the sun’.”

“Hello Eli, I’m Astrid Quinn.” I replied brightly.

“‘Quinn’? I’ve never heard of that house before.” The young lady interjected.

“Sorry for being rude. I am Charina from House Guddard, the heir of the moon goddess.” she added.

I quickly thought, ‘It seems they don't know where I came from. I guess the emperor, butler, and Sebastian are the only ones who know I’m not from here. It’s best not to give away too much information to other people for the time being.’

I chose to lie about my origin and told her that I was from a faraway province, which is why she hadn't heard of my family name.

“Anyway, I’m happy to make your acquaintance.” I smiled at them.

“But why are your eyes still brown?” Eli asked.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“It seems you haven’t fully manifested your sacred powers yet.” Charina added.

“Really? So my eye color will change once I have my powers. Does that mean you both already have yours?”

“Yes, it’s been a month now. I’m already using it in training. I hope you get yours soon.” Eli replied with his usual cheerful smile.

“It’s fine; I still have plenty of time.”

…

We were called in, and the emperor introduced us one by one in front of the nobles. After that, we were left alone to do as we pleased.

Nobles were walking toward me, but I pretended not to see them and headed straight to the table full of different kinds of desserts. I grabbed a few treats and sat at a corner table to observe the hall. Charina, who came from a well-known family, was surrounded by nobles seeking favor for special treatment or protection when the war comes. Eli, on the other hand, despite not being of noble birth, knew how to talk to people, which gave him an advantage.

‘Maybe after this war, Eli will earn himself a title and properties for his family.’ I thought as I ate the desserts I had collected earlier.

I continued to observe the room. Many noble ladies were gossiping, mostly about the gods, but also about a duke in Csilla. I was trying to eavesdrop when a nobleman approached me and introduced himself. I felt anxious talking to these people, unsure of how to respond if they asked me something I didn't know. That’s why I had deliberately distanced myself. But this man tried to start a conversation with me, even though I made it clear that I wasn’t interested.

Sebastian, who was on the other side of the hall, was about to intervene when he saw me uncomfortable. Fortunately, the nobleman was called away by his peers, and I was able to excuse myself to the restroom. The four knights were about to follow me, but I waved them off, indicating that I was just going to fix my makeup in the nearby powder room.

…

On my way back to the hall, I saw an open door leading to a patio overlooking the garden. I decided not to return to the banquet and instead headed outside. The uneasiness I felt inside faded away as the cold wind gently brushed against my face.

It was dark out; only the moon's glow illuminated the patio where I stood.

I walked into the garden to look around, but then I saw a bench and hurried towards it. I stopped when I noticed that there was a person sitting on the right-side corner of the bench.

I continued to walk slowly; I could already see the back of the person sitting there. She had long, ebony, straight hair that reflected the moonlight.

I greeted her with ‘Hello’ and asked if I could sit on the empty side of the bench. Before she could respond, I had already seated myself beside her.

I sighed heavily and just stared at the beautiful night sky.

“Last day, I was just a normal college girl. I would wake up in the morning to study and work. … Now, I’m being treated as a goddess, a savior of people. … How can a normal girl like me be given the task of saving a country? … I just turned 20, and they want me to kill a demon?! I’ve never even seen one in my entire life!” I ranted to the person beside me.

I sighed heavily again, leaned my head back on the bench, and continued to talk. “Why am I being burdened with this responsibility? … I’m sorry, I keep spouting nonsense. I must have bothered you too much.” I turned my head to the side while still leaning back, and I was flabbergasted to see that the person I was talking to was a man.

His face was too close to mine. He was staring right at me, and I found myself looking into his red eyes.

I quickly pulled my head away and bowed out of embarrassment. “I am so sorry, I thought you were a la- … You look like a lady from behind. I'm sorry, I keep saying rude things; your hair was long, so I just assumed.”

Suddenly, someone called my name from behind. I turned and saw Sebastian running toward me.

“Godde-, Astrid, please don’t wander around by yourself. … Take one of the knights, or just call for me.”

“Sorry, Sebastian. I didn't mean to worry you, but I’m not alone. I have this person next to m-.” I looked beside me and realized the person I had been talking to was no longer there.

“Eh? Where is he? I swear I was talking to someone here.” I added as I stood up and crossed my arms, suddenly feeling cold.

Sebastian looked at me and said, “You must be freezing out here.”

“Not much.” I replied with a smile while shivering a little.

Sebastian took off his cape and placed it over my shoulders. I raised my head and looked at him as he tied the cape.

“Let us go inside; the banquet is almost over. We will be transported to Csilla soon.”

I nodded and smiled at him.

As I made my way back to the banquet hall, I felt someone's gaze on me. I looked around to see who it was.

“What’s the matter?” Sebastian asked.

“Nothing.” I answered.

I headed inside, and Sebastian was left on the patio, glaring at something.

----------

Standing on a tree branch was a man with ebony hair and red eyes, watching Astrid as she walked back inside the banquet hall accompanied by her knight. He didn’t utter a word but recalled his encounter with the young lady he had just met.

His eyebrow raised when he noticed Sebastian looking at him.

He vanished into thin air as he snapped his finger.

----------

I, along with the five knights, stood at the center of a large circle with a pentagram in the middle and other scriptures written around it.

They say this would serve as our teleporter to Csilla.

The mages began chanting something I could not understand. Shortly after, I closed my eyes as the blinding light filled the room.

When I finally opened my eyes, in front of me was a large mansion, with a line of maids and a butler waiting to welcome us.

To be continued.