Hades had met Plutus long ago, by chance.
It was in the height of summer, when Cronus was still alive and the sun shone brightly. Hades, still a growing teenager, was extremely hungry.
He followed Demeter to the hut where she stored the leftover crops – her assignment for Cronus.
“Who are you, brother?”
There he met Plutus, Demeter’s hidden son.
“Are you hungry? Then I’ll give you this.”
“…No, not grains or fruits.”
“Huh? Then what…”
“Straw.”
Flustered by the unexpected encounter, Hades pointed to a dusty pile of straw in the corner instead of the fruits or grains.
Though straw wasn’t edible, he was grateful for even that much.
“I’ll just take a few straws, so please don’t tell anyone about today.”
“…”
“Please.”
The boy who would become the future lord of the underworld knelt before another boy who seemed to be his age.
However, the boy Hades met had a very kind heart.
Plutus handed him plump walnuts and figs.
“I’ll get scolded if Mom finds out I met you anyway. So this is our secret, okay?”
When Demeter later learned her son had contact with Hades, she allowed them to become friends on the condition they kept it secret.
After Cronus died in the first war, they became close enough to go on gourmet trips together.
But was it wrong for a god to be friends with a demigod?
Plutus, who joined the second war to help him, died after a series of misfortunes piled up.
After his friend’s death, Hades absorbed his power and gained the epithet “Wealthy One, Pluton.”
That was also why tiny sparkling specks like dust in sunlight occasionally floated in his once pitch-black irises.
Hades took out a small piece of cloth and wiped the glossy amphora.
“…Only I can manage your urn, but it’s gathered a bit of dust. I’m sorry.”
There would be no response to the apology, of course. His friend had disappeared cleanly, as if not wanting to leave even a soul in this world.
Hades continued talking to himself.
“Persephone… your cute little sister is staying here for a while, so I couldn’t come because I was looking after her.”
Hades tried to imagine his friend’s gentle voice.
Yet all that remained in his mind was a tiny echo, as if submerged in water.
It was proof that he had forgotten his friend’s voice as time passed.
The only things clear in his faded memories were those golden eyes and hair, like cloth turned yellow in sunlight.
Hades slowly moved his lips and lowered his gaze.
“I’ve become quite close with her this time.”
The grass shimmering lime green in the sunlight dazzled his vision.
“…Well, how should I put it.”
A silent, wry laugh escaped Hades’ lips.
“Like you, she seems to have grown up receiving a lot of love. Everyone here likes her.”
The thought suddenly occurred to him – what was he saying in front of a dead person’s grave?
“She recently celebrated my birthday for the first time, and at that moment, all sorts of thoughts came to mind. Of all things, she gave me food as a birthday gift.”
But he couldn’t stop talking.
“It’s quite impressive, isn’t it?”
He deliberately put on a bright tone.
“I was too. Who would give a gift to the king of the underworld, whom even humans who make offerings to spirits don’t worship and everyone fears? And food, no less.”
He crossed his arms and shrugged exaggeratedly like Hermes, but.
“…”
Eventually, he looked down at the tombstone beneath the amphora with a somber expression.
[Manifestation of Wealth, Plutus (Πλοῦτος)]He couldn’t help but confess at least a little to the brother of the woman who caught his eye.
He was still that conscientious, at least.
Hades glanced at the sprouts peeking out between the grass.
“…Anyway, I think I’ve been thinking about her a lot since then.”
Hades moved a little and leaned against a tree trunk like a temple pillar.
How much time had passed?
Hades, who had been tracing the decorations on the amphora, finally raised his head towards the blue sky of Elysium.
A gentle breeze caressed his cheek.
“Actually…”
I’m afraid.
Afraid of losing again, like back then.
Swallowing the rest of his words, Hades squeezed his eyes shut.
He knew. That Persephone was an immortal god, unlike Plutus who was a demigod. And that the war that had tormented them was already over.
She wouldn’t die because of Hades himself.
It was quite illogical to visit his friend’s grave to suppress the unknown passion that had sprouted for his friend’s sister without knowing his place.
But when Persephone gave him a gift, why did he tell himself that he, of all people, shouldn’t be so bewildered?
He was simply scared. Because he had already experienced loss.
He was saddened by relationships crumbling beyond his control, and dismayed that even he couldn’t completely prevent death.
Fate was a realm that even he couldn’t change.
Unlike his gentle friend, he felt even more so because it seemed he wouldn’t be able to stop Persephone in any way.
He just wished his relationship with Persephone would remain a blank slate, without any trace of his attempts to change anything.
For a blank slate is clean and devoid of any tragedy.
Hades looked once again at the marble engraved with Plutus’ name.
“I guess…”
After a moment’s hesitation, Hades put on a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
“For your sake too, it’s better if I don’t think about it anymore?”
His uncertain voice dispersed into the air like mist.
“I shouldn’t get close either.”
…Right.
He decided. To conceal everything.
How could one not develop feelings for someone who acts so “admirably”?
To be frank, he could give her affection. Just as everyone liked her, his feelings weren’t particularly unusual.
Instead, the lord of the underworld decided not to reveal the fact that he had given affection to the seedling. By keeping his distance from her.
That was the line Hades set for himself.
If he just didn’t show it, everything would go back to normal.
After all, the initial emotion was just interest in someone who seemed to live outside common sense.
Now that he had resolved to return to normal, he felt something nagging at him, but.
It would be fine.
‘I just have to endure for three or four months.’
Having reached his own conclusion, Hades quietly stepped away from Plutus’ grave.
Darkness surged beneath his feet, and in an instant, the scenery reflected in his eyes changed.
The familiar cool air of his office greeted the lord of the underworld.
Hades confirmed that there was a note on Hydra’s desk saying [Gone to refill ink].
He exhaled a languid breath, as if savoring the quiet afternoon unlike the bustling morning.
It was at that moment that a knock was heard at the office door.
“Lord Hades?”
“…”
“Are you there?”
It was Persephone.
“…What brings you here?”
“Oh, I have something for you!”
Persephone entered the office like a triumphant general and set down a large silver tray.
Several loaves of bread were lined up on the silver tray.
“Would you like to try some?”
“What is this?”
“It’s bread. I fermented it.”
“I know that. What I’m asking is what all this bread is.”
Persephone began explaining, pointing to each one from the front.
“The first one is just the basics, and for the second one, I tried adding raisins. The third bread has finely chopped feta cheese, the fourth uses a different soft cheese, and for the fifth, I chopped almonds-”
“Wait, wait. That’s enough.”
Hades cut off Persephone’s rapid-fire explanation.
“How did you end up making so much?”
“Well, I was so happy about opening the mill that I ground too much of the wheat Mother gave me…”
“…If you recalled what I told you about the past with the cake before, you didn’t have to do this.”
“Oh, come on! This isn’t something I made especially for you, Lord Hades! It’s different from the cake!”
Persephone waved her hands as if to say, what are you talking about? She asked with sparkling eyes.
“Will you eat them?”
“Yes, leave them here. I’ll eat them later.”
“Thank you!”
Persephone clasped her hands together with a joyful expression. She retreated towards the hallway, waving her hands like flags.
“Feel free to share with others if you’d like, but please make sure to eat some!”
After Persephone left, Hades stared at the loaves of bread on the silver tray for a long time.
The golden-brown appearance looked delicious at a glance.
The bread, which even had a faint steam rising as if freshly made, looked more like something that would be served at a grand banquet rather than the flat, hard stone-like bread commonly eaten by humans.
‘She said she added dried fruits and cheese too.’
Compared to the primitive cooking methods still used by humans on the surface, the cooking of the gods was clearly different in some way.
It’s impossible not to be drawn to something that looks so carefully made.
Just then, Hydra, who had returned with the ink bottle, entered the office. She pointed at Hades’ desk and asked.
“What’s this bread?”
“Persephone brought it.”
Hydra approached the silver tray with an interested expression. It was then that Hades gently pushed the tray towards her.
“Would you like to eat it instead?”
His subordinate’s yellow eyes turned to Hades.
“Should I finish it all?”
“Yes.”
“No portion for you, Lord Hades?”
Hades, who was looking over the bread again, shook his head.
“…I don’t need any.”
[This is the timeline separator]The real problem occurred the next day.
“You didn’t eat it?”
Persephone, who had come to the office, wrinkled her nose like an upset ferret.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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