Chapter 880 - A Very Special Existence
William had no words to describe his current feelings as he sat on a cushy chair, being hand-fed grapes by a scantily dressed pretty girl, while another girl, similarly dressed, filled his cup with wine.
He awkwardly ate the grape as he looked at Dias who seemed to be drowning his sorrow with food, wine, and women.
Right now, the handsome man was surrounded by six beautiful ladies, who were scantily dressed, and seemed hellbent on seducing him.
Dias didn't reject or accept their advances. He merely sat there, and allowed them to feed him as they pleased.
"William, your hair is very smooth." one of the four ladies who were serving William brushed his hair with her delicate hands. "How do you manage to keep it like this?"
"I wash it everyday with shampoo," William answered absentmindedly.
"Shampoo?"
"Um, it's a specialty of my hometown."
"I see. I'd love to have one. Can you give me one as a gift in the future?"
"Of course."
"No fair! I want one too!"
"I want one as well!"
William assured everyone that the next time he visited, he would give them all a bottle of shampoo.
'It's not like I'm going to come here again, so might as well just say yes to everything!' William thought as he drank the wine in his hand.
He had drank a lot of wine in the past, but the wine he was drinking right now was incredibly delicious. Actually, it didn't taste like wine. It tasted more like a sweet nectar that revitalized every fiber of his being.
"This wine is delicious," William said as he looked at the lady that had poured wine for him. However, after seeing the beauty in front of him, he realized that the one that had been pouring him wine earlier was now massaging his foot.
"I'm glad you liked it," the beautiful lady with golden hair and blue eyes replied with a smile. "This wine is something I personally brewed, so it doesn't have a name."
William could feel his apprehension being washed away by the wine's effects, making him feel at ease.
"Although the wine doesn't have a name, it is still made by you," William commented. "May I know your name?"
The golden-haired beauty smiled as she gave her name to the Half-Elf who was brought to their Domain by her father.
"My name is Hebe," Hebe answered. "Do you want some more wine?"
William nodded. "Yes, please."
As the feast dragged on, William ate, and drank freely. He didn't even notice that it was already late in the night, and Dias was no longer around.
The handsome man had retired to his chambers, bringing the ladies who were serving him earlier along.
The other servants had also disappeared, and only Hebe accompanied William as the two of them exchanged stories.
Perhaps due to the influence of the wine, William felt more bold and carefree and asked Hebe about the lady that he had seen alongside Dias.
"Are you referring to Lady Amalthea?" Hebe asked.
"Yes," William answered. "I believe that your father called her that."
Hebe smiled and glanced at her surroundings. Although no one could be seen around them, she still decided to lead William to the guest chambers, so that no one would be able to overhear their discussion.
William was feeling light-headed, and couldn't walk straight. Because of this, Hebe supported his body until they reached their destination.
After letting the Half-Elf sit on the couch, she sat beside and let the Half-Elf rest his head on her lap.
"Lady Amalthea is a very special existence to Father," Hebe said as she gently brushed William's hair. "Due to certain circumstances, father was taken away to a safe place to hide when he was newly born. It was Lady Amalthea that raised him.
"As he grew up, he treated her as his second mother. In fact, he loved her so much that she was the only one that could scold him, and get away with it!"
Hebe giggled as if remembering all the times her father had to run and hide because he had accidentally angered Amalthea one way or another.
William felt slightly better knowing that the moody Dias had found someone that could make him flee as if his life depended on it.
"Are they lovers?" William asked. He had been hesitant to ask this question. For some reason, a part of him didn't want to imagine the blue-haired beauty acting like one of the serving girls that were doing their best to offer themselves to Dias during the feast.
Hebe firmly shook her head. "No. They weren't lovers. Lady Amalthea is the only lady in this world that father doesn't dare to treat in that manner. Of course… I can tell that he wants her. However, he loves and respects her so much that he doesn't dare to touch her.
"This is only my opinion, but I think Father is afraid that if he crossed that line, he would never be the same again."
William breathed out a sigh of relief after hearing Hebe's explanation.
The golden-haired beauty noticed this as well, so she lightly pinched William's cheeks to show her displeasure.
"Well, I can't blame you," Hebe said after releasing William's cheeks from her hold. "Lady Amalthea is indeed beautiful. If not for the fact that Zeus had declared that he would fight anyone who laid their hands on her to the death, the other Gods might have tried to get into her good graces."
William offered a short hum in reply to Hebe's explanation. He then asked the question that was bothering him.
"Why did she choose to leave?" William asked. "Did something happen?"
Hebe stopped brushing William's head, as a sad expression appeared on her beautiful face. "I only heard a rumor, but I don't know if it is true. Are you interested to hear it?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
Hebe sighed as she closed her eyes. She had pressed her soft, and delicate right palm over William's chest, while her left hand continued to brush his hair.
"This rumor has been going around the residence as of late that Lady Amalthea started to behave strangely after meeting with the Oracle of Delphi," Hebe stated. "She would look at the night sky every night, and mutter a word from time to time. The funny thing is… that word closely resembles your name."
"My name?"
"Yes. I even heard Lady Amalthea say it once when I went to see her in order to offer my homemade wine. She was so focused on her thoughts, that she didn't notice that I was standing right behind her. That is when I heard her say the word 'Will' over and over again."
Hebe opened her eyes and stared at William who was staring back at her.
"I don't know if she was using the word 'Will' like 'will it happen?' or 'will it come true?'," Hebe said firmly. "Then, after seeing you appear here, I thought that maybe, the word 'Will' isn't really a word, but a name."
The beautiful golden-haired beauty pursed her lips as she lowered her head until it was only a few inches away from William's.
The Half-Elf could smell her sweet, and fruity breath, which was similar to fresh apples. William was feeling light-headed and carefree due to the wine he had drunk. He even had this sudden urge to take a bite of this apple, and see what it tasted like.
Hebe wasn't aware of William's thoughts because she believed that the mortal was too intoxicated by her homemade wine. She deemed that after some light prodding, she would get the answers to the questions that she was dying to ask.
After seeing that William's gaze was starting to soften, she decided that the time was now ripe to go ahead with her plan.
"Tell me, stranger that came from another world. Are you perhaps that person that Lady Amalthea was talking about?" Hebe asked. Her clear blue eyes seemed to penetrate William's very soul as if seeking the answer to her question.
As a God, she also had the power to detect lies, and read the thoughts of mortals around her, but just like her father, she wasn't able to hear William's thoughts.
This made Hebe believe that there was only one explanation for this phenomenon.
William didn't come from their world, so he wasn't bound by their laws.
This made Hebe very interested in him, which prompted her to use her special wine to muddle his thoughts, and pry the answer she was looking for from his lips.