Chapter 361: Oh, and speaking of secrets, I’ve got another one…
At that moment, Erelyn's eyes revealed a hint of surprise.
She clearly didn't understand what the purpose of the massive shadow was.
Now that it was closer, Erelyn finally got a good look at the enormous figure.
Black and white, a bit chubby, kind of puffy, and even… a little adorably goofy?
"Is this… a panda?"
Staring at the cute, stuffed-animal-like figure in front of her, Erelyn was momentarily stunned.
She never would have guessed that the terrifying atmosphere from earlier was caused by a giant panda costume.
And on closer inspection, it was even cuter than any panda she'd seen before.
"Did I really just get scared by a silly, chubby panda costume? I must've looked so ridiculous just now…"
Just then, the panda costume opened up, revealing two figures stepping out from inside.
Erelyn looked over and realized that the ones hiding in the costume were none other than Timothy and Sylvia.
"Erelyn, how was my scare tactic? Pretty good, right?" Sylvia asked, walking up to her with a slight smile.
Even Sylvia couldn't help but chuckle a little. She hadn't expected Timothy's costume to work so well, successfully turning the tables and scaring Erelyn.
"So it was you two, huh?"
After standing there in shock for a good while, Erelyn finally let out a long breath, gently patting her chest.
I'm the princess of the Netherworld, and I actually got scared by someone?
This was definitely embarrassing.
"You little rascal, you really hold a grudge, don't you?" Erelyn said with a self-deprecating smile, lightly tapping Sylvia on the forehead.
But at that moment, she realized something.
Unlike before, when she had to bend down to tap Sylvia's small forehead, Sylvia was now a good half a head taller than her.
To even reach her, Erelyn had to raise her arm.
Sylvia's delicate, beautiful face had matured noticeably, and there was now a subtle, cool elegance to her stunning features.
It was clear that Sylvia had changed a lot over the years.
But through Timothy, Erelyn could sense something clearly.
Even though Sylvia's height and demeanor had changed, her purest nature had never wavered.
Of course, without Timothy, after all this time and with their roles so drastically different, it might have been hard for Erelyn to reconnect with Sylvia the way they had now.
A warm feeling rose in Erelyn's heart, and she couldn't help but glance at Timothy.
Find your next adventure on empire
Her gaze carried a hint of approval and a soft smile.
"So, how's it been? Coming to the Netherworld and that haunted house earlier—pretty fun, right?" Erelyn asked, her smile gentle as she looked at both of them.
"Ahem… it was… it was alright, I guess," Sylvia replied, a little embarrassed.
Though their original reason for coming to the Netherworld was to deal with the chaos in the Sepulcher of the Sacred, it had turned into a beach vacation and a haunted house adventure. It was starting to feel more like a honeymoon than anything else.
The only problem was…
Sylvia lightly touched the white snow lotus on her head and shot a quiet glare at Timothy. "You jerk, how dare you mess with me so many times. Just wait until we get back—I'm not letting you off easy!"
"Oh? Are you sure about that, my dear wife? Because right now, I still have some dirt on you," Timothy replied with a sly smile.
"Dirt?"
Sylvia's face showed a flicker of panic. Ever since they arrived in the Netherworld, Timothy had taken advantage of the fact that removing the snow lotus would shrink her, and she'd fallen for his tricks more than once.
But after thinking it over, Sylvia realized she'd become much more cautious and alert. There was no way Timothy could steal the snow lotus from her again.
After a moment of contemplation, Sylvia huffed and crossed her arms, protectively covering the snow lotus on her head. "Hmph, I don't believe you. If you can't take the snow lotus, what other dirt could you possibly have on me?"
She stood there, hands firmly guarding the flower on her head, determined not to let Timothy get the upper hand again.
It was as if Sylvia believed that as long as she kept the snow lotus safe, there was no way Timothy could get any dirt on her or tease her.
Unfortunately for her, Timothy had already anticipated this. Sure, it might be hard to snatch the snow lotus now, but there were other secrets about the goddess he could use!
Suddenly, Timothy stepped over to Erelyn and said in a low voice, "Princess, didn't we agree to trade some of Sylvia's embarrassing stories? How about we start now?"
"Of course! I've been waiting for this!" Erelyn's eyes lit up with excitement.
She had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.
"Let's take turns! I'll go first!" Erelyn whispered eagerly. "You wouldn't believe it, but despite how cool and composed Sylvia seems now, when she was little, she wet the bed until she was seven. The funniest part? One time, she somehow managed to wet the bed in the shape of a heart! I even saved the image in a Memory Orb."
As she spoke, she pulled out the treasured Memory Orb, which projected an image of a heart-shaped wet spot on the bed. Next to it, a young, innocent Sylvia was fast asleep, completely unaware.
Timothy's eyes lit up. "This is gold! This has to be the most embarrassing thing ever for the goddess. Princess, you have to send me a copy of that later!"
"And speaking of her sleeping habits," Timothy continued with a mischievous grin, "I've got something too. You know, the goddess has a habit of sleeping in the nude. Sometimes, she doesn't even bother covering herself with a blanket. And, well, I've got some footage of that as well…"
A moment later, Erelyn, her fingers spread over her eyes in mock embarrassment, gasped, "Wow! I didn't realize Sylvia's figure was even more… impressive than it looks!"
Erelyn was thrilled and immediately continued, "Oh, and I've got another one! When Sylvia was little, she accidentally walked in on the neighbors… you know, doing it. She turned so red, I swear she was hotter than steam coming off boiling water!"
"Oh? So the goddess was that innocent back then?" Timothy chuckled, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "But, you know, the goddess isn't quite the same now."
He leaned in closer. "You might not know this, Princess, but while Sylvia seems all cool and detached on the outside, she's actually much harder to satisfy than she lets on. For example, just the other night, she clutched the blanket for two hours, trying to hold back, and then she finally said…"
"Whoa! Sylvia's so wild!" Erelyn exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Haha, so you think so too, Princess?" Timothy laughed.
"Absolutely! Who would've thought that beneath that pure exterior, Sylvia could be so wild! Oh, and speaking of secrets, I've got another one…"
"You… you two!"
Sylvia, who had been standing off to the side, listening to them spill all her secrets without holding anything back, was now in full panic mode.