“……What?”

Just as Hades, rubbing his dry face, was about to answer half a beat late, she crossed her arms and tapped the floor with her toes.

“Don’t try to deny it. I heard that Hydra ate all the bread I gave you yesterday instead.”

“No-”

“I clearly said it was fine to share with others, but that didn’t mean you didn’t have to eat any at all.”

“……”

“Why don’t you explain why you said you’d eat it later, but then gave it all to someone else?”

Faced with Persephone’s fierce glare, Hades momentarily lowered his head.

‘So Hydra told her about that too……’

Is it okay for the king’s advisor to divulge such trivial details?

Or perhaps……

‘Did Persephone ask first?’

Rubbing his cheek, Hades carefully shifted his gaze to her glaring at him.

“Persephone, but……”

“Yes. But what?”

“What you gave me becomes mine, and I can do whatever I want with what’s mine, can’t I?”

“……”

“I don’t understand why you’re so angry…… No, I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Seeing Persephone’s grim expression, Hades quickly averted his eyes.

How long had her gaze lingered on his skin? Persephone, furrowing her brows like seagull wings, soon relaxed her expression.

Then she brought out another tray from behind her.

“I thought you might do that, so I baked more.”

On the tray was an even more elaborate tower of bread than yesterday.

Staring at the tower, Hades struggled to open his lips.

“……I’ll eat it this time, but you don’t have to come like this anymore in the future.”

“You’re not going to refuse to eat it this time too, are you?”

“Of course not. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely eat it even if you don’t come.”

Hades forced a faint smile.

Trying not to touch the silver tray Persephone had set down, he gestured gently towards her. As if to say go do your work now.

“So from now on, don’t bother allocating your time for me.”

At that moment, a slight shadow crossed Persephone’s bright face.

But she soon smiled as if all was well, her eyes sparkling.

The situation seemed to be settled for now.

[This is the timeline separator]

Leaving Hades’ office, Persephone slumped her shoulders.

Her mind was recalling what Hades had just said to her.

“So from now on, don’t bother allocating your time for me.”

“Oh dear, what should I do……”

A sigh escaped between her lips.

An ordinary person would feel dejected after such a polite rejection.

……However.

“Being told not to do something just makes me want to do it more.”

Unlike Persephone’s gloomy posture, a mischievous smile played at the corners of her mouth.

The goddess of seeds was determined not to give up.

“Our Lord Hades, you’re not very good at lying, are you!”

A cheerful hum scattered behind her as she walked away briskly.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next evening, as Hemera’s twilight-laden fingertips crept into Hades’ office.

“Phew……”

After organizing all the documents, Hades stood up and rubbed his stiff shoulders.

Thanatos would be out performing his duties as the god of death today too, and Hydra had finished her share of work.

The office, filled only with silence, gleamed in the warm sunlight.

‘Is it sunset?’

Hades turned to see the sunset that had appeared after a long time.

Right behind his desk was a stone window with a tapestry, which could be rolled up to enjoy the beautiful red light.

His hand pulled the cord to lift the tapestry.

What was revealed was…….

“Oh.”

Not the sunset, but a stranger with a black cloth over their head.

Blinking in surprise, Hades furrowed his brow.

“Persephone?”

“……”

“What are you doing here?”

The office was on the second floor. Yet he was face to face with her.

Hades grabbed the window frame and leaned his upper body out. There he saw Persephone clinging to the outer wall like a spider.

Just as he was about to exclaim in shock.

“Lord Hades, have you been well?”

“What?”

“I’ve become a thief.”

Before the bewildered Hades could respond, Persephone’s body, pressed against the wall, tumbled down headfirst.

“No, what are you……”

Alarmed, he hurriedly looked down. It was quite a height, though not impossibly high.

His palace had higher ceilings than ordinary houses.

Even though he had decided to draw a line…… even if Persephone was someone who had casually traversed the walls of the Underworld, it seemed he had to catch her this time.

Hades wrapped her arms in darkness. Careful not to let his hands touch her skin, as usual.

Persephone’s falling body was pulled by the darkness. As her feet touched the ground, she removed the black cloth and opened her eyes wide.

Then she raised both hands as if surrendering.

“Wait, let me explain!”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“I was running away.”

Even though she had just tried to run away, suddenly talking about escape again.

Was there someone the woman who had been roaming freely in the Underworld needed to run from?

Hades, who had been frowning, quickly looked around.

“From what?”

“I got close to a beehive and was chased by bees……”

“……”

Hades was at a loss for words.

He wasn’t sure where this beehive was, but it seemed like a typical reason for her.

“Were you short on honey? Because of making my cake?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then it’s even stranger. I’m sure when we talked alone, you said ‘beehives are thriving and well-fed’.”

“This time I wasn’t after the beehive, but a certain plant beneath it.”

“What plant?”

Persephone looked at him with her usual innocent gaze.

“Have you heard of silphium?”

“……I’ve heard of it.”

Silphium.

He had heard it was a plant used as both a spice and an herb. Also that it was as expensive as its weight in silver.

“That was under the beehive.”

“Ah……”

Just as he was about to nod, thinking that made sense.

“No, wait. Even if it was under the beehive, you shouldn’t have thought to approach it. It’s dangerous.”

“Hehe.”

“Don’t laugh. I admire your spirit of challenge, but not if it means exchanging it for pain.”

“But, even in that meat soup… no, ‘meat tea’ you had then, I added silphium extract! You thought the flavor was exceptionally deep, didn’t you?”

“……”

Ah, so that’s why that soup tasted so good. If an expensive spice was added, it made sense.

However, Hades just nodded silently without answering.

He thought it was urgent to send Persephone down to the first floor, that is, to the ground.

“To avoid bees, it’s better to go into a lake or river than climb high. Understand?”

“Yes!”

“No, it would be better not to approach beehives in the first place. Right?”

“Yes!”

“……”

The answers were strangely repetitive. Feeling something odd, Hades whispered again, as if pressing her.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Yes!”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

Persephone nodded as if to say, don’t you trust me?

There was something off about the way she looked at him, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

Hades quickly pushed Persephone’s back out into the corridor outside the office. Hoping she would come less often now that her business was done.

And the next morning.

Hades intentionally walked to his office before his advisors arrived for work.

He thought he shouldn’t run into Persephone in the corridor, just in case.

However, the woman in question was once again clinging to the wall outside the window.

“……Why are you here again? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“There’s a weed called lamb’s quarters that drinks a lot of water. You have to get rid of it when working in the fields.”

“And?”

“It’s growing here, below the window?”

“……”

“So I’ll pull it out for you?”

Hades watched with worried eyes as Persephone pulled out weeds from between the stones.

……But this isn’t a field, is it?

[This is the timeline separator]

After sensing something unusual, Persephone’s visits strangely increased day by day.

At lunch on the day she picked lamb’s quarters, she came with news of cockroaches appearing in the kitchen – Thanatos was sent to deal with it -.

And the next morning, she came to hawk apple preserves – Hydra fell for that again -.

He could have complained that it was annoying, but amazingly, she only visited them during designated break times.

Since Hades was a god who almost always kept time precisely, there was no way to stop Persephone.

Even Hydra, who often ate meals with her, mentioned Persephone every time.

Saying they had fried eggs in olive oil for breakfast, or received ‘cake’, and so on……

‘I suppose I’ll have to be somewhere else during break times.’

Watching Persephone offer wine to Hydra and Thanatos on the balcony of his office used as a break room, Hades gradually sank into darkness.

Hoping his subordinates and Persephone wouldn’t look for him.

And so, a few days later, one evening.

Hades, returning from field work near the castle walls, carefully made his way to his office.

After scanning the surroundings to see if the pink-haired woman was around, he inwardly sighed with relief.

‘She’s not here.’

Confirming Persephone’s absence, Hades entered confidently.

It was then that a strange atmosphere enveloped him.

“……”

Startled, Hades wiggled his fingers.

Hydra shuffling papers, Thanatos’ desk with the [Soul Harvest] sign stuck in it, even Styx giving brief reports through pipes small enough for river water to pass through, all seemed the same.

Why did it feel unnatural somewhere?

As his questioning gaze reached the daffodil pot on the desk, Hades approached his advisor and called her name a little loudly.

“Hydra.”

“Oh, I’m finally fini- Ah!”

Hydra, who had been secretly cheering as she signed the last document, jumped in her seat.

Looking bewildered, she barely caught the papyrus about to fall to the floor and asked.

“Lord Hades, you’re back?”

“Yes. I’ve been checking on the wall guards. Was there anything while I was gone?”

“Um, no. Nothing.”

“……Nothing at all?”

“Hmm……”

Rolling her eyes, Hydra raised her index finger.

“Ah! Thanatos was grumbling. He said too many humans are dying, he wishes they’d all live to be at least a hundred before dying. I can’t tell if that guy likes humans or hates them?”

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

Blinking, Hydra looked around just as Hades had done.

“Are you looking for Miss Persephone?”

“No.”

Was the answer too immediate?

Hydra narrowed her eyes slightly, as if finding it strange that her superior denied it so quickly. She carefully spoke up.

“Um, Lord Hades.”

“What is it.”

“Miss Persephone did leave a message, should I tell you?”

“……What is it.”

Hydra’s lips quivered as she said quietly.

“She said she won’t be coming to the office anymore.”

For a moment, his heart plummeted endlessly.