Hades, who was processing documents, flinched at the sudden sound of Persephone’s voice.

He first glanced around his surroundings.

It was now break time. Both Hydra and Thanatos were away from their seats.

It seemed he was the only one left to deal with Persephone, as he had been trying to make use of his spare time.

Hades swiveled his chair around.

“…Is the reason you’ve come like this now to ask what kind of gift I want?”

“Yes!”

Persephone, who had been sprawled like bread dough on the windowsill right behind Hades’ chair, suddenly straightened up.

Seeing her precarious posture, Hades secretly clicked his tongue.

‘Why is she sitting dangerously on the window like that.’

Even though he had made a place for Persephone on the balcony of his office, this woman seemed desperate to pop up unexpectedly behind his head.

Hades’ concerned gaze fell upon Persephone.

However, Persephone, who was actually receiving such a gaze, seemed to think Hades’ unresponsive attitude was rude.

She raised one arm as if in protest.

“Please tell me quickly if there’s anything you want. An opportunity like this doesn’t come every day!”

…Is this woman a gangster?

‘A gangster asking what I want, how rare.’

Hades imagined Persephone wielding a club and shouting, “Hand over everything you’ve got!”… No, “Spill everything you want!”

“Pfft.”

“Why are you suddenly laughing?”

“No, I was just thinking you might be a kind gangster.”

“Who? Me?”

“…”

Hades subtly avoided Persephone’s fierce gaze.

Ahem, he cleared his throat and straightened his posture. The now-blunt reed pen brushed across the papyrus.

“Isn’t it wrong to ask so directly what I want when you come like this? I think gifts are supposed to be prepared secretly.”

“What? But right now, so many people are openly bringing boxes for your birthday, Hades. Where’s the secret in that?”

“…”

When she put it that way, he had nothing to say.

Hades put down his pen again.

“But in the case of the cake you gave me, wasn’t that plan particularly secret? Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

“It’s not that I changed my mind, but as I just said, the situation is special.”

Persephone pouted her lips sulkily.

“If everyone is going to give you a gift on a set day anyway, I thought it would be better to give you what you want.”

“Hmm…”

“Why are you making such an ambiguous expression?”

Hades slightly raised the corners of his mouth as if sighing.

‘Is this really okay?’

The plan Hermes suggested was an act that directly went against Hades’ conscience.

He understood the intention, and since his birthday was already known, he couldn’t stop it, but following it as is made him feel guilty.

Soon, he gently tapped Persephone’s furrowed eyebrows.

“Persephone, it’s really okay not to receive anything from you. I’ve already received one.”

Although he felt sorry for Hermes who had made the plan, he couldn’t make the woman before him go through trouble twice.

“…”

But Persephone, uncharacteristically, remained silent and stared at Hades for a long time.

No matter what Hades said, Persephone had no way to back down, having already made a promise to Hermes.

Moreover…

‘What do you mean I can’t give you something twice?’

Unlike before, she didn’t think she needed to repay his consistent kindness.

It was closer to wanting to give because she wanted to. At least, she was determined not to give up.

Persephone crossed her arms, pretending not to have heard Hades’ words.

“Honestly, I can’t give you the same food as last time.”

“No, I’m saying you don’t need to give-”

“There needs to be some variation. Even people die if they stay in one position too long due to blood pooling.”

“…”

Hades finally gave up on dissuading her. Instead, he decided to use a persuasive tactic to convince Persephone.

That tactic was to accept the gift, but request something trivial as the gift itself.

He thought that would satisfy Persephone adequately.

“…The cake recipe.”

Hades carefully opened his mouth after finishing his thoughts.

“What?”

“I’d like to know the recipe for that honey cake you made then. Would that be possible?”

“Uh…”

“Come at exactly noon on the 21st, that is, this time tomorrow. Remember, since the day and night in the underworld are opposite to the surface, you should come at midday.”

Hades’ gaze turned to Persephone, who had uncrossed her arms.

But her eyes narrowed like the edge of a coin.

“Someone who can’t even put out a fire wants a recipe…?”

…It was the first time since becoming the lord of the underworld that he had received such a dubious look mixed with concern.

Somewhere in Hades’ heart, a forgotten sense of indignation rose up. Unconsciously slightly offended, Hades turned away.

“Forget it.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll write it down for you first.”

“It’s really okay, so forget it.”

“Come on, don’t be like that.”

Persephone, who had hopped down from the windowsill, started rubbing her hands as if soothing a child – no, like a sycophant.

“You see, it’s been a long time since you’ve been in the kitchen, so I’m worried. I’m afraid you might hurt yourself.”

“…”

“If you get hurt, I’ll be so heartbroken that I’ll spend my nights and days in tears. Even if conquering the underworld is my goal, that would be quite an achievement – no, a karmic burden to bear!”

Persephone pretended to wipe away tears exaggeratedly and sniffled.

Watching her dramatic performance, Hades tilted his cheek.

His gaze fell on the hourglass.

‘The time…’

It’s almost up.

“Persephone.”

“That karmic burden would be as huge as a fat cat, and I’d be helplessly overwhelmed! Maybe- Yes?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have to leave.”

Persephone’s eyes, which had been blinking, wavered sadly. Seeing this, Hades waved his hand.

“No, it’s not that I want to leave because you’re talking too much. The break time is almost over. And I need to go check the unofficial entrances to the underworld again.”

As Hades quickly explained, Persephone’s expression brightened instantly, as if even her previous demeanor had been an act.

‘She’s incorrigible.’

Hades, swallowing a sigh, pointed outside and got up from his seat.

“You should also return to your room or the field when either Hydra or Thanatos comes back. It seems neither of them will have time to socialize with you if you stay here.”

“Yes~”

Persephone answered, dragging out the end of her word. Suddenly feeling uneasy, Hades turned sharply towards her.

“You’ll listen, right?”

“Of course.”

“…”

“What do you take me for?”

Persephone tilted her head innocently.

Well, what do I take you for?

‘…What was that animal they cherish and raise in Egypt again?’

Ah, right. Persephone just mentioned a ‘cat’.

Anyway, this woman seems like that cat. In that she lives among people, but in many ways doesn’t listen to what they say.

“…Don’t try to lure Hydra and Thanatos to play together!”

Hades left the office with that earnest request.

Of course, Persephone didn’t listen to Hades’ words.

“Miss Persephone? Did you come looking for Lord Hades?”

“Hmm, no. I just wanted to see you all.”

When Hydra’s expression became dazed as if she had been hit on the head by the words ‘wanted to see you’, Persephone stretched like a cat.

She had no intention of missing the opportunity to explore the office.

Her gaze, which had become as sharp as a nocturnal animal’s, immediately turned to the daffodil pot on Hades’ desk.

“Hmm.”

More precisely, to the flower pot on the desk.

‘The plant seems to be in a bit of an odd state.’

Others might not have noticed, but that daffodil was slightly wilting now.

The yellowish tinge rising from the lower leaves was concerning.

Persephone, uncharacteristically observing the pot with careful eyes, poked deeply into the soil.

The fingertip that had dug into the soil became moist.

“It seems to have been watered…”

She frowned and tried to gently flip the pot over. She was trying to remove the soil.

“…What’s this?”

But the soil in the pot wouldn’t come out. As if it had been glued.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Hydra, who had approached closely by now, peered curiously, but Persephone put the pot back in its original position. Carefully, so as not to hurt the leaves.

She nodded after looking at the daffodil pot for a long time. A strange light flashed in her eyes, reminiscent of spring buds.

* * *

And so, time passed.

One minute before it became the 21st of Skirophorion, according to the underworld calendar.

The messenger god appeared like the wind in the palace corridor, with a box tucked under his arm.

“Hehehehe…”

He let out a sinister laugh after lightly surveying the surroundings.

‘As expected, she’s not here.’

The pink hair, rarely seen in the underworld, was nowhere to be seen.

Hermes glanced at the outside where Hemera was shining. He shrugged as he scanned the unusually fine weather.

‘I wonder if Miss Persephone knows that the date changes at noon in the underworld?’

Unlike on the surface where the date changes at midnight, in the underworld, the date changes at noon, in broad daylight.

Because day and night are opposite between the surface and the underworld.

In fact, although people in the underworld conventionally say it’s the ‘next day’ when dawn comes, they record noon as the time when the date changes every day.

Hermes imagined Persephone, accustomed to surface time, being confused and wondering, ‘When exactly does the date change?’

“Heh…”

An irresistible laugh escaped through his teeth.

“Maybe I should have told her about this?”

That’s right. Hermes deliberately didn’t tell Persephone, who had only grown up on the surface, about the underworld’s time measurement system.

It was for the sake of winning the bet.

Moreover, time in the underworld was divided in detail into 24-hour and 60-minute systems, which was vastly different from the very loose concept of time held by humans or gods on the surface.

Even Demeter seemed to only know about the underworld’s time measurement system, but didn’t actually use it.

Even if she knew that noon was when the date changed, she couldn’t beat the messenger god who calculated time accurately to the second.

‘So this bet can only be my victory, as I know the exact underworld time!’

Some might call it shabby, but that’s how messenger gods are. If you don’t want to be backstabbed, don’t make bets.

Thus, filled with anticipation of victory, Hermes headed towards Hades’ office.

“Hello, Lord Hades! The messenger god has arrived!”

He greeted brightly.

“…”

But Hades’ demeanor was quite strange. He, who had been standing close to the window, asked Hermes a question first.

“Where is Persephone?”

Hermes, with his eyes wide open, waved his hands.

“No, why are you asking about Miss Persephone first when you see me? Aren’t you being too obvious?”

Hermes retorted glibly, but Hades shook his head.

“…Yesterday, I told her to come at this time today.”

Contrary to Hermes’ hopes, Persephone had already received information that this time was ‘exactly noon on the 21st’.

As Hermes was about to make a playful rebuke, feeling somewhat disappointed.

“But there’s no sign of her coming.”

Hermes’ eyebrows twisted.

“…Really? Is she somewhere else?”

“No. Even Hydra went to check her room, her domain, and the kitchen, but couldn’t find her. She’s not in any of the places she might go.”

“…”

“Have you seen her by any chance?”

Hermes silently shook his head.

Only then did Hades’ face properly enter his field of vision.

He hadn’t noticed because of the backlight until now, but now he could see that undisguisable golden specks were swirling chaotically in his eyes.

“…She’s not oversleeping, and she’s not out working in the fields. She’s not cooking either.”

A low voice spread into the air.

“She always acted dangerously.”

“…”

“I wonder where she’s gone this time.”

The moment he stopped muttering.

As if walking on water, Hades’ feet crossed the floor by about one step.

Then, before Hermes could stop him, the large silhouette faded into the darkness.