Queen of the Underworld?

This is a forbidden word for Hades. Hermes, who quickly judged the situation, turned his head to Thanatos and Hydra.

He hurriedly signaled with his mouth.

‘Cover his mouth.’

Realizing the meaning, Thanatos grabbed Hades’ arm, and Hydra covered his mouth.

With Thanatos, who was stronger than anyone, and the monster whose blood itself was poison restraining his whole body, Hades’ reason let out a sigh of relief.

Otherwise, he would have mindlessly gone to Persephone and said nonsense like, “Yes. You just need to marry me.”

Hermes, putting on a friendly smile again at the corner of his mouth, put his hands behind his back.

“No, there’s no need to go that far.”

“Then?”

“Well, you just need to stay by his side. Then Hades will return to the Hades that Persephone knows.”

“……”

Persephone didn’t answer. Realizing his mistake, Hermes smiled while lowering his eyebrows.

“Ah, is it… perhaps difficult?”

Shadows fell across the messenger god’s face, and his blue sparkling eyes sank.

“We made an unreasonable request, didn’t we? Now that I think about it, it was rude.”

“……”

“I’m sorry, you can go back now. Instead, it would be better not to come to the office for about a week. We’ll take care of Hades-”

“-No, I’ll do it!”

“…Really?”

“If I can do it, I can help. And it’s my fault the potion went wrong.”

Ah, as expected. As a goddess who likes people, there’s no way she wouldn’t help the King of the Underworld.

‘Just putting them together might lead to some interesting developments.’

Suppressing a laugh, Hermes pointed to the balcony.

“Then, shall we play over there? Understood?”

* * *

Persephone brought Nyx’s hair that she had been knitting in the basket.

Before she came, Hades, who had been preparing mentally on the balcony, observed Persephone diligently knitting in front of him with a detached gaze.

‘…Even this makes my heart race.’

Originally, the heart does beat, but his usual heartbeat was slower than this.

Hades, who had been rubbing around his solar plexus, raised his head just as Persephone asked a question.

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“…No.”

“Hmm……”

Persephone frowned at the quieter-than-expected response.

‘This is strange.’

Usually, if someone had drunk a love potion or been struck by Eros’ golden arrow, wouldn’t they blindly stare at the other person?

But this man was behaving very calmly.

If he hadn’t embraced her, she wouldn’t have even known he had taken the wrong potion.

…Well, it was certainly the first time she had seen his usually stiff expression soften and his gaze mix with heat.

‘So that’s what a face in love looks like.’

It was definitely different from his usual calm and taciturn self.

Persephone decided to remember that expression a little better.

Of course, she continued to move her hands while blinking at the subtle feeling.

Nyx’s hair was a very strange thread; although it looked short, it could be stretched as much as she wanted.

Therefore, what was initially intended to be just a bracelet was now becoming a new fabric.

Hades also asked a question, as if curious about her knitting.

“Is that Lady Nyx’s hair?”

“…Ah, yes. It’s the result of my mistake.”

“Did you make it to Tartarus alright?”

“Yes! Thanatos helped me get to the nest halfway through.”

“I see……”

As Hades nodded slightly while staring at the series of domestic handicrafts, Persephone pointed to the office inside the balcony.

“Oh, by the way, I heard that Thanatos was the previous King of the Underworld along with Nyx?”

“That’s right.”

“I didn’t know he was such an amazing person, but I saw him again yesterday!”

“……”

Persephone spoke affectionately to Hades.

About how Thanatos had helped her in Tartarus, and how effective it had been.

“You must be happy, Hades, to have such an excellent old… no, worker by your side. I’m dying of envy.”

“……”

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

It was at that moment that she stopped moving her hands.

Hades stared at her in silence for quite a long time.

At the end of the silence, he opened his lips.

“Do you like silver hair?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if you like men with light-colored hair.”

This time, even Persephone couldn’t continue speaking.

So, this is…

‘Jeal… ousy?’

At that moment, Thanatos, who had been staying in the office, was reflected in their eyes as he kicked his chair.

His hair, which had now grown to the floor, rippled like waves.

【How did I teach you…!】, he shouted with fury in his eyes before finally collapsing from the shock of injustice.

Hydra grabbed his shoulders and shouted at him to regain consciousness.

‘…Ah.’

Hades, who had just realized what he had said, exhaled deeply as if he wanted the ground to swallow him up, resisting the urge to tear his hair out.

‘This is a total disaster.’

The biggest problem among them was that he felt a subtle sense of relief seeing Thanatos sprawled on the floor with his long hair.

Was this his true feelings? Was he so despicable that he didn’t worry about his colleague or subordinate, but rather felt relieved that there was no relationship between them?

…It seems he really was that despicable.

Hades changed the subject with a bitter face. He pointed to the knitting, pretending not to see Persephone giggling.

“…Then what are you knitting with that hair?”

“A net to catch fish.”

Persephone showed the diamond-shaped holes lined up in a row.

Until now, she had only used fish meat or eggs given by Demeter.

However, unlike fruits, meat, and vegetables grown in the field, the absolute amount of fish was small, so she had been saving it, and now it had long since run out.

‘But I can’t ask Hermes, I don’t trust what humans sell.’

Anyway, Persephone was planning to make various dishes with fish as the main ingredient – grilled fish, steamed fish, sashimi – targeting the river passing through Elysium.

She swallowed the saliva pooling in her mouth and continued moving her hands.

“…Your hands are pretty.”

Hades, who had been silently watching her actions, suddenly pointed to her wrist.

Persephone, who had stopped weaving the net, raised her gaze with a half-doubting face.

“Did you just flirt with me?”

“……”

“…Really?”

As if surprised that he had said such a thing himself, Hades hastily leaned back. He bit his lip and rubbed his chin.

“…I didn’t think it would be so obvious.”

Good heavens, his ears, which were usually pale, were now tinged with a bright red.

He asked carefully.

“Was it that noticeable?”

“It’s a bit old-fashioned, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t even ask to touch your hand……”

Hades muttered as if displeased. Persephone slightly raised the corners of her mouth with a bewildered feeling.

‘Huh, how many new sides am I seeing today?’

For a moment, she was about to burst into laughter, but she quickly erased the smile.

It was because Hades had a slightly pained expression.

It was only for a moment that she wondered why, since he had said he wasn’t in pain.

‘Could there be side effects to the love potion?’

Concern for Hades settled in her heart. Persephone leaned forward and whispered softly.

“Are you alright?”

“…No, not at all.”

“Ah……”

They say when people do things they don’t usually do, it’s time to die.

For Hades, who usually knew how to speak indirectly to some extent, to say so directly that he was ‘not alright’, how much trouble must he be in?

The person who made the wrong potion was Persephone herself. She couldn’t help but be concerned.

Compassion that usually doesn’t arise welled up in her heart.

‘…Is there any way to make it less painful?’

Come to think of it, Hades had hugged her earlier. When she approached from behind, he seemed quite happy until Hermes hit him on the back of the head.

After thinking for a moment, Persephone tapped the table in front of her to get Hades’ attention.

“Um, Hades.”

“Yes?”

“Is time the only answer to eliminate the effects of the potion?”

“……”

“It’s not, right?”

Hermes had said that although Hades had taken something similar to Eros’ golden arrow, it would be resolved if Persephone stayed by his side.

‘Then I’m the key, aren’t I?’

Since the current Hades said he loved her, maybe if she gave him the feeling of ‘being loved’, he wouldn’t suffer so much.

And that feeling of ‘being loved’ is…

‘Probably like when Hades hugged me?’

…Well, yes. Surely, the emotion felt then couldn’t be anything but ‘being loved’.

Having finished her thoughts, Persephone rubbed her cheeks. Then she hurriedly grabbed his face.

“Now, I’m going to try a solution I’ve thought of. I apologize in advance.”

“Huh? What-”

“It’s really just that, so please don’t hold me responsible separately.”

Persephone tilted her face as if Hades’ response didn’t matter.

For a moment, their shadows overlapped.

The Goddess of Seeds removed her lips from the King of the Underworld’s forehead.

“……”

“…Ah, it doesn’t work after all?”

Persephone frowned deeply and moved her lips.

Hades, who still hadn’t grasped the situation, rolled his eyes upward. As he blankly looked up at her, he brought his palm to his forehead.

So, something soft had touched here.

Hades blankly observed Persephone.

That woman’s gaze, slightly flushed as if troubled, now reaches just below his nose.

And he realized that ‘that’ which had touched his forehead was below his nose…

Hades’ breath stopped as he thought that far.

“Hades?!”

With a bang, his bright red head slammed straight onto the table.