"...No words can express how beautiful you are. Your radiance is like the sun. No other woman compares..."
Damon nonchalantly read from a long piece of paper, glancing at Lilith, who was clearly enjoying his misery.
Iris and Luna stood at his side, obviously the authors of these words. Words Damon would never be caught dead saying on his own.
"Go on. Go ahead," Iris whispered impatiently.
Damon sighed and looked back down at the paper.
"All women are second class before your magnificent beauty..."
He stopped, glancing at the two of them.
"This is the seventh time Iâve said the word âbeautyâ on this page alone. Donât you girls have anything more original?"
Luna shrugged after exchanging a look with Iris.
"What? We donât know how to woo a woman. Since youâre such an expert, why donât you put Lilith in a good mood yourself?"
Damon gave them a flat look, then glanced briefly at Lilith before turning back to them.
"I prefer action over pointless words."
With a soft sigh, he looked up at the sky, which was already beginning to darken. The full moon would rise in just a few hours.
"Since you girls have had your fun, letâs have dinner and then head to bed, all right?"
Iris nodded, feeling tired from her training.
But Luna tightened her grip on Damonâs arm.
"Wait... wait! Donât try to brush this off. Which womanâs scent did you come back with? I want to know that homewreckerâs name."
She waved her arms around dramatically before glancing at Lilith.
"Say something!"
Lilith sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Itâs fine. I donât mind."
Luna turned back to Damon with a frown.
"I do. I do mind. Who is it? I just want to know."
Damon noticed the sparkle in her eyes. She wasnât just doing this for Lilithâs sakeâshe wanted gossip. From her expression, Damon knew this was one of those times when she would win.
If he refused, she would pout, tell him to stop being stubborn, and eventually he would cave.
"Hah... fine. Iâll talk, but you wonât believe me."
Lilith tilted her head, frowning. Iris sat down in a chair, surprisingly interested as well.
Damon bit his lip. Why had he thought a bunch of girls wouldnât be interested in this kind of nonsense?
"Itâs no big deal. I just met this woman in my travels."
Lilith narrowed her eyes.
"And this woman doesnât have a name?"
Damon gritted his teeth.
"I was getting there..."
He cleared his throat, looking at them with an awkward smile.
"This woman happens to be someone really high up in society."
Iris glanced at Lilith. As a grand duchess, how much higher could another woman even be?
"You already have a sugar mommy, and you went ahead and got another one?"
Her muttering made Lilithâs face redden slightly, though Iris didnât seem to realize what she had just implied.
"Hmmm," Damon rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I wouldnât call her my sugar mommy, but she did agree to give me five billion zeni."
Iris rolled her eyes.
"Right. Next youâll say sheâs the empress or maybe even the princess."
Damon shook his head.
"Of course not. The empress is a married woman. I draw the line at someoneâs wife."
Lilith sneered, recalling how Damon had been messing around with a widow.
"Right. We should thank the goddess for your morality. You would never be caught with your hands on an old widow."
Damon raised his hand to stop her.
"I never said anything about a widow. Donât put words in my mouth."
"Besides she wasnât that old.." he muttered softly.
Luna lowered her head in a bow to the others.
"Iâm sorry my brother is like this. I swear he used to be a good person."
Damon scoffed. This was too easy. He had managed to divert the conversation.
But Luna wasnât letting him escape.
"Youâre not slick, dear brother. Whatâs the womanâs name? Her description, age, and location."
Damonâs expression darkened. His sister had become far too sharp at reading him.
"When did you get so sly? You werenât like this before... who corrupted you?"
Lilith raised her hand.
"Donât even look at me. Youâve been her role model longer than I have."
Iris slammed her hand on the table.
"Enough. Tell us. The anticipation is killing me."
Damon sighed in resignation. There was no way out. If he refused, they wouldnât let him go. If he lied, they would catch him.
"Alright. Sheâs a woman... in terms of looks, Iâd say sheâs similar to Lilith but gives off a more adult feel. You know... sheâs slightly bigger in some areas, like a fruit thatâs been ripened for quite a while, but all the other kids canât climb high enough to reach it..."
Damon closed his eyes as he described her, lost in thought. He completely missed the disgusted looks on their faces.
Iris glanced at Luna, who had buried her face in her palms.
"Vocabulary of a pervert..." she muttered.
Damon opened his eyes and cleared his throat.
"Sheâs in the capital... at least I think she is."
Lilith smirked, her irritation faint but present.
"Oh really? And who is this fruit of yours? The one thatâs too ripe and too far to pick because everyone else canât climb that high?"
Damon bit his lip. Luna was already on the verge of tears.
"Iâve never heard something so poetically perverted..." she whispered.
Damon groaned. He couldnât win. Not here. Fighting Ashcroft was easier than this. He just wanted the torture to end.
"Alright Lilith, you win. I admit it. You won. Just put me out of my misery..."
He leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
"An upright hero like me has been reduced to a common pervert..."
Lilith smiled, enjoying his surrender. He had a soft spot for the three girls, so letting them win wasnât too much of a loss.
"Alright then. How about we let Damon off if he tells us her name? The fruit, I mean."
Damon looked up, only to find all three of them staring at him, waiting. He felt like some poor husband being interrogated by his wife and her sisters-in-law.
"Itâs Abellona. Abellona of Valtheron. You know... the third princess of Valtheron."
The three of them exchanged glances, then sighed together.
"This bastard really canât tell the truth to save his own life..."
Lilith stood up, giving up on him. The other two shook their heads in disappointment.
"And to think we were going to forgive you..."
"...."
Damon was left speechless.
"Arrgh... I... I..."
He was telling the truth. He really was. And yet they didnât believe him.
"Iâm telling the truth, dammit!"