Goddess's Yuri harem: Chosing the Empress is hard-Chapter 71: Timely interference - Part 2

The room was silent except for the occasional flickering of the magic-infused lamps.

Priestess Lilith sat beside the unconscious girl, checking her pulse and carefully assessing her condition. Despite how weak she had seemed when they first found her, she appeared stable now.

"She’s fine. It doesn’t seem like the tree did any lasting damage to her body. She should wake up soon."

Lilith finally announced. Carol, who had been watching quietly, exhaled in relief.

"That’s good to hear. I was worried she might have been drained too much to recover."

Princess Evelyn, however, didn’t seem to share their relief. She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"We don’t even know who she really is. I say we question her the moment she wakes up. If she had anything to do with that monstrous tree, she needs to answer for it."

Auriel, who had been silent until now, glanced at the unconscious girl.

"We’ll hear what she has to say first. If she’s lying, we’ll deal with it then."

Princess Evelyn didn’t seem satisfied with that answer but said nothing more. The group waited in silence, the tension in the air thick as they watched the girl.

Minutes later, the girl stirred. Her eyelids fluttered before slowly opening, revealing confused, golden-brown eyes. She blinked up at the unfamiliar ceiling, then at the people surrounding her.

Her brows furrowed, and her voice came out hoarse.

"W-Where... am I?"

No one spoke right away. Evelyn was the first to react, stepping forward with narrowed eyes.

"Stop pretending. You know exactly where you are."

The girl turned toward Evelyn, confused.

"I... I don’t understand. Who are you?"

Princess Evelyn’s patience snapped. She grabbed the girl’s wrist and pulled her up forcefully.

"Are you seriously going to act like you don’t know anything? Who are you trying to fool?"

The girl winced but didn’t struggle. Her confusion only deepened.

"I... I really don’t know. I don’t even know who I am."

Lilith frowned.

"You don’t remember anything?"

The girl hesitated before shaking her head.

"Nothing at all."

Auriel, observing the interaction, leaned forward.

"Not even your name?"

The girl looked down, concentrating for a moment, before hesitantly answering.

"I... I think my name is Nana White. That sounds familiar."

Carol glanced at Lilith.

"She’s a student of the magic tower. At least, that’s what we can figure out from her robes and her clothes."

Princess Evelyn scoffed.

"Convenient, isn’t it? She suddenly remembers her name but not anything else. I am sure she’s just acting at this point."

Nana flinched at the accusatory tone.

"I... I’m sorry if I’ve caused any trouble. I don’t know what happened, but I didn’t mean for this."

Lilith crossed her arms, skeptical.

"You were involved with the tree, weren’t you?"

Nana hesitated before nodding slowly.

"I don’t think so. It doesn’t sound familiar, but... I don’t remember the details. I wish I could tell you more."

Princess Evelyn scowled.

"How convenient."

Auriel studied Nana closely, trying to sense any deceit in her words. If she was lying, she was doing a good job of hiding it. There was no hesitation in her confusion, no flicker of dishonesty in her expressions.

Still, something about the situation didn’t sit right.

Before anyone else could say anything, Nana suddenly brightened, as if an idea had struck her.

"I know! Since you all saved me, I should thank you properly. Let me cook dinner for you."

The room fell silent.

Evelyn’s face twisted in disbelief.

"You lost your memories, and your first thought is to cook us dinner?"

Nana smiled, a bit sheepish.

"Well... cooking feels familiar. It’s something I know I can do. And I want to repay you somehow."

Lilith was the first to shake her head.

"Absolutely not. We have no idea who you really are or what your intentions are. There’s no way we’re letting the Divine One eat anything you make."

Carol nodded in agreement.

"It’s too risky."

Even Evelyn snorted.

"Yeah, no thanks."

But then, to everyone’s shock, Auriel spoke up.

"I accept."

All eyes turned to her in disbelief.

Lilith’s voice was sharp.

"Goddess, please. You need to think about it a little more and-"

Auriel shrugged.

"I have. If you really want to thank us, then we’ll take your offer."

She looked at Nana, who seemed pleasantly surprised.

Nana’s face lit up.

"Really? That makes me so happy! I’ll prepare something delicious, I promise!"

She hopped out of bed, surprisingly full of energy for someone who had just collapsed hours ago.

Evelyn, still glaring, muttered.

"This is a terrible idea."

Nana gave them all a cheerful wave before heading toward the kitchen.

Once she was out of earshot, Lilith turned to Auriel, her voice low.

"What are you thinking? We shouldn’t trust her."

Auriel smirked.

"Oh, I don’t trust her."

Carol blinked.

"Then why accept?"

Auriel’s eyes gleamed.

"Because if she’s lying, this is our best chance to catch her red-handed."

Lilith sighed, rubbing her temple.

"You’re gambling, Goddess Auriel. I don’t want to let you take this risk"

Auriel smiled before answering.

"There is no risk. As a goddess, it is more like assurance. I like to think of it as a strategy for winning. After all, what could harm someone like me?"

Evelyn huffed.

"Fine, but if she tries anything suspicious, I’m stopping it immediately."

"Agreed."

Lilith added.

Auriel nodded, pleased.

"Then let’s enjoy our meal and see where this leads."

An hour later, Nana presented a full-course meal on the dining table. The aroma of spices and warm, freshly cooked dishes filled the air, making even Evelyn hesitate slightly.

"I hope you like it! I made everything from scratch"

Nana said cheerfully, setting the last dish down.

Auriel glanced at the food, then at Nana.

"You don’t remember anything except how to cook?"

Nana chuckled.

"I guess so. Maybe my memories will come back soon."

Evelyn scoffed.

"How convenient."

Lilith, arms crossed, was still suspicious.

"I want to test it first."

Nana blinked in confusion.

"Test it?"

Carol pulled out a silver spoon.

"A simple purity test. It’ll reveal if there’s any harmful substances."

Nana didn’t even flinch.

"Go ahead."

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