Chapter 120: Ch 119: Staking a Claim

Aiden had a lot planned before he had to leave for the meeting of the local gods. As such, his time was precious, and he could not spend it as he wanted.

However, he could not ignore his goddess when she had specifically asked him to empty out his schedule for her sake. He had to give her what she wanted.

And that was why Aiden had arrived in front of her door as soon as the sun started to rise. He wanted to be the first one to greet her and take her out.

Knock

"Goddess Apophis, are you inside? I am coming in now."

Aiden opened the door after giving her a warning, and the inside of the familiar room greeted him.

Everywhere was lined with soft fur and carpet to make it easier for Goddess Apophis to feel comfortable.

This was not Aiden’s first time coming in here, and he navigated the space like an expert and reached her side.

Goddess Apophis opened her eyes as soon as she sensed him, and she waited for him to come closer to her before she spoke to him.

"Take me to the bathroom and put me in water. I will handle the rest myself."

Aiden nodded and gently picked her up before dropping her into the water tub. The goddess relaxed as soon as she felt the softness of the water under her body, and Aiden exited the bathroom to give her some space and privacy.

When Goddess Apophis came out, she was in her human form. She immediately reached for Aiden’s hand and started to drag him along.

"Let’s get going now. The sooner we head out, the more we can enjoy today."

His goddess’s excitement was not visible on her face, but it was obvious in her voice. It made Aiden smile as well.

Not wanting to dampen her excitement, he decided that a change in plans was needed.

"Goddess Apophis, shall we go on a walk before we head to the market? We can take our time enjoying the scenery."

That walk should give enough time for the market to open. It would also allow Aiden time to observe the environment and-

Flick

"Are you thinking about something else? It seems like your mind is somewhere else while you are with me. Should I erase whatever you are thinking about?"

Goddess Apophis was jealous, and she was not trying to hide it. Her voice was chilling enough to make anyone feel scared.

But Aiden could not bring himself to be scared of her.

Instead, he reached out and grabbed his goddess’s hand.

"Please don’t misunderstand. You are still the most important person in my life. I was just thinking about how to make your territory better for you-"

"Stop! I don’t want to hear excuses. Today, you are mine, and so are your thoughts. Even my territory or worshippers won’t take it away. Do you understand?"

Aiden stared at his goddess for a few seconds before he slowly nodded, realizing that there was no point in trying to argue with her when she had already made up her mind.

"I understand. Today belongs to you, Goddess Apophis, so I will not think about work or anything else. You have my full attention."

His answer seemed to satisfy her, and the dangerous look in her eyes softened immediately as she intertwined her fingers with his.

"Good. I knew you would understand me eventually."

Goddess Apophis smiled happily before she pulled Aiden closer and rested her head against his shoulder. The sudden change in her mood made Aiden chuckle, but he could not deny that he found this side of his goddess adorable.

"Then where would you like to go first?"

"Anywhere, as long as you are with me."

The goddess answered without hesitation, and Aiden smiled at her response. He had expected her to choose a particular place, but it seemed like the destination did not matter to her as long as she could spend time with him.

"Then let’s walk around the village for a while. There should be plenty of places we can visit together."

Goddess Apophis nodded before she started walking beside him, but she did not release his hand for even a second. In fact, whenever someone passed close to them, she subtly moved closer to Aiden as if she wanted to make it clear that he belonged to her.

Aiden noticed it but decided not to point it out.

They had only walked for a few minutes when a young woman from one of the nearby shops approached them with a bright smile.

The young woman stopped in front of them and immediately bowed her head.

"Priest Aiden, good morning. I hope I am not disturbing you and your companion."

Aiden smiled and shook his head.

"Not at all. You can speak freely."

The woman smiled in relief, but the moment her eyes shifted toward Goddess Apophis, her expression stiffened.

She did not recognize the woman standing beside Aiden, nor did she know her name, but something deep inside her instincts was screaming at her to be careful.

It was not the kind of fear that came from seeing a dangerous person. It was the fear one felt when standing before someone who possessed a position far above their own.

The woman immediately lowered her gaze.

"I-I apologize. I did not mean to disturb you."

Goddess Apophis raised an eyebrow at her reaction before looking toward Aiden.

"She is frightened of me."

Aiden glanced at the woman and noticed that her hands were trembling slightly.

"She probably senses that you are important."

The goddess smiled before moving closer to Aiden and wrapping both hands around his arm.

"Then she understands her place."

Aiden sighed at her possessive behavior but did not stop her.

The young woman quickly bowed again before speaking.

"Priest Aiden, I only wanted to tell you that the shop has received another shipment of goods, and we have already prepared the things you requested."

"Thank you. I will check them later."

"Yes, Priest Aiden."

The woman quickly stepped aside, practically fleeing from the two of them. Aiden watched her leave before looking at his goddess.

"You really scared her."

"It’s good for humans to understand where they stand and not try to grab what is not theirs. . If they are afraid of me, then perhaps they will understand that you are not someone they should approach carelessly."

Goddess Apophis looked pleased by that answer, and she rested her head against Aiden’s shoulder.

Aiden could only shake his head.

"Please do not scare everyone away."

"Only if they don’t make a move on something that is mine."