Chapter 72: Belief and Disbelief

The game ended, with Orion winning, obviously.

The children whooped as if they had just watched the greatest battle in the world. Orion stood in the middle of it all, with a smirk firmly in place, while Sophia sat on the ground, catching her breath and brushing dust from her clothes.

Instead of crowning Orion with cheers, the children darted toward him and demanded celebratory handshakes. He crouched, large hands engulfing theirs one by one as he solemnly congratulated them like warriors returning from battle.

"You fought bravely," a child told him with a firm voice, Orion held in his laughter but nodded.

"I learnt from you, young lord." Orion said firmly. "What should my reward be?"

"A handshake for your victory." The boy said to him.

"I will be honoured, young lord." Orion said with all seriousness.

The boy beamed, chest puffed up as if Orion’s words had made him ten feet tall. Another little girl tugged at his arm, and Orion ruffled her hair before clasping her hand.

Sophia couldn’t stop the roll of her eyes. Still, she had to admit, he fit among them far too easily for someone as annoying as he was.

The handshake was unlike what Sophia had seen before. They first shook hands, then hit the back of their palms before shaking hands again.

It was kind of sweet to watch him interact with them and the fact that he took them seriously too was sweet.

The children didn’t forget her either. Even though she’d lost, they swarmed her with bright eyes and laughter.

"You were so cool!" one boy said breathlessly. "You almost beat him!"

Sophia blinked, surprised by the sincerity. She laughed softly, shaking her head. "Almost doesn’t count."

"Yes, it does," another girl insisted, her cheeks pink with excitement.

"Right." Another boy nodded. "You were like wham, bam, and you moved like...like" he scrunched his face like he was trying to come up with a good comparison. "...like my big brother when mama wants to whoop him." He finally said and beamed proudly when Sophia laughed.

She was so shocked by his words that she threw her head back and released the laugh. The children were so cute that she felt like someone sent an arrow through her chest at how cute they were.

Her laughter cued another set of laughter from the children surrounding her. When they calmed down, one girl walked up to Sophia.

She leaned closer, studying Sophia with wide eyes. "I like your eyes. They’re really pretty like the jewelwy..." she shook her head like what she was about to say wasn’t good enough. "like the moon."

Sophia’s heart tugged. She lowered her head slightly, her voice gentler than she expected. "Thank you."

The praise, innocent and unguarded, was worth more than any victory she could have against Orion even if she would have liked to win him also. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Orion straightened then, reaching into the inner fold of his clothes. When his hand emerged, it was full of coins. He jingled them together in his palm, and the children’s eyes lit up as if he had pulled out treasure.

"Go on," Orion said, tossing the handful into eager hands. "Get yourselves some sweets, you did a lot of work here."

A chorus of gasps and cheers followed. The children scrambled to divide the coins, voices tumbling over one another in promises of sugared almonds, honey tarts, and candied nuts. Their laughter trailed off as they darted down the street, their ball bouncing between them as they vanished into the crowd.

Silence fell with their departure, broken only by the sound of Sophia’s steadying breaths.

She looked at him then, studying the way he brushed his palms together as if shaking off more than just the dust of coins. He noticed her stare, of course he did, and cocked a brow.

"You love kids," she said simply.

Orion froze mid-motion. His eyes flicked to hers, dark and unreadable. "Is that an observation?"

"An observation," Sophia replied smoothly, lips quirking. "I’ve seen you with them before. Serena’s triplets, for example..."

Orion’s laugh cut her off, low and sharp, as he dragged a hand over his jaw. "Triplets? You think Serena has three?"

Sophia frowned. "Doesn’t she? There were three kids hanging over you."

"No," he said, the smirk spreading across his face like wildfire. "She has quintuplets. Five. Not three."

Her eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her features. "Five? You’re kidding."

"Do I look like I’m kidding?" Orion asked, amusement dancing in his tone. "The other two you heard her speaking of are a package deal with the three you saw."

Sophia shook her head, dazed. "I thought the others were just singular, you know? Older siblings?"

He chuckled again, deep and unrestrained this time. "You really do jump to conclusions, don’t you?"

Her cheeks warmed, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of flustering her further. Instead, she shifted the conversation, leaning back on her hands. "Fine. You had your laugh. Now keep your word."

His brow arched. "My word?"

"You promised you’d tell me what you know about the Moon Goddess after you won the game, which you did."

"You sound so bitter about that." He said with a smirk.

"That’s because I am. So...just tell me about what I asked you."

The smirk faded a little, replaced by something heavier. Orion sighed, tilting his head toward the darkening sky. His voice when it came was steady, but laced with that unmistakable edge of detachment.

"She’s the center of everything, at least for those who believe. The bringer of fate, the weaver of bonds, the so-called guiding light of our kind. Every person preaches her name, every ritual bows to her presence. Madam Tyler especially, she’s one of her loudest worshipers."

His mouth twisted on the last words, as if the taste of them soured on his tongue.

Sophia listened carefully, noting the subtle way he distanced himself from the reverence others attached to the Moon Goddess. His tone was factual, stripped bare of faith.

"You don’t sound like you believe," she said softly.

Orion’s dark eyes cut back to hers, sharp and unflinching. For a moment, he said nothing. Then, leaning closer, his voice dropped to something quieter, something dangerous.

"What do you think?"