Page 219 of The Wishing Game

"Because why would they not?" She shrugs. "I guess they didn't see me as an equal. I wasn't exactly the best in my elementary training." She lets out a strained laugh.

"I'm sorry," I murmur as I reach for her, squeezing her hand.

"It's fine. I've had over three thousand years to forget about it."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to the way you guys casually speak aboutthousandsof years. I'm barely an embryo compared to you," I joke, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

"It's mutual, trust me." She laughs. "It's hard to wrap my mind around how little humans live..." she trails off as she suddenly stops, her brows bunched together in a frown.

She puts a hand up before placing a finger on her lips to tell me to be silent.

Tilting her head to the side, she looks deep in thought before a smile tugs at her lips, the tension from her shoulders dissipating.

"I'll have to make a small detour. Do you mind if you wait for me for a while? Wyn just got her firstryokuand she's freaking out."

"She got what?" I blink, but she's already walking away from me.

"It's her first ability," she says with a bright smile. "Feel free to roam around. There's a library at the end of that hall. You can have a look while I take care of Wyn."

"Sure." I nod.

"Great!" She exclaims, almost hopping with joy. "We'll join you in the library in a bit," she calls out, already at the bottom of the stairs.

I shake my head at her with an amused smile on my face. I'm still a little confused by what she meant byryoku, but it must be something important if Thea is so happy about it. Truthfully, their relationship warms my heart, and for a moment, I just stare at her departing figure with a wistful expression on my face.

Family.

The most important thing in the world. And humans are not the only ones to prioritize it. In a way, it makes the concept of deities less daunting to realize they have the same fears and desires as us mortals.

They might have powers beyond belief, but deep down, they also love and want to be loved.

Well, except Ze. He operates entirely outside that sphere.

The mere notion of a library gets me giddy, though, and turning toward the hall, I wander from door to door until I find the library Thea mentioned—although library is a bit of an understatement. The room is the size of a football field!

The door opens and I step inside, my heart beating wildly in my chest, a hum of excitement building in my stomach.

Wow.

I should have guessed that a palace such as this would house a grand library too.

The shelves are ceiling high—and considering the ceiling is over four meters in height, that says everything. The walls are entirely filled with bookshelves, with a few rows on either side, too. In the middle of the room, there's a spiraling staircase made out of marble that leads to a second floor. All around, there are tables with book weights on them, almost as if this were a study hall.

As I close the door behind me, I walk inside, brushing my palm against a massive oak table. I swallow hard in an attempt to temper my excitement and not run around like a kid in a candy shop.

This is fabulous.

Better than chocolate—okay, maybenotbetter, but equal...almost

equal.

I look right and left, not knowing where to start my exploration. But there's only one thought that permeates my mind.

Do deities have romance novels?

If I were to make an educated guess, if they do have them, they are going to be mostly censored. After all, with everything I've heard about their world, even talking about sex is taboo. Of course, that would reflect in the literature.

A giggle escapes me.

---