In the end, the drug’s effects wore off.

After fainting and waking up, Asclepius was the first to convey that ‘your body is fine, but it would be best to rest properly in the bedroom.’

Thanatos seemed to be entering a stage of acknowledging Hades’ feelings for Persephone, sprawled out with Hydra on the office chair like seaweed.

Only Hermes was expressing joy with his whole body, clapping his hands. He seemed even more delighted that his hypothesis about the antidote being Persephone herself had proven correct.

Thus, his honor was buried at the bottom of Tartarus, and his petty maliciousness was fully exposed.

“Haah…”

Hades sighed and twisted his body as if in despair.

Of course, the most despairing thing was…

“Wow, you’re back to normal?”

Persephone circled around him like a satellite, chuckling as if she found it amusing.

“…Yes.”

“You’re not going to break any walls now? Or get jealous?”

“…I won’t cause any trouble.”

“Hmm, then I guess you won’t be hugging me anymore either!”

Hades leaned against a corridor pillar and covered his rapidly haggard face with both hands.

‘This is the first time I’ve felt like banging my head against marble.’

He was now heading to the bedroom following Asclepius’ advice that he should rest, and Persephone was following behind him like a chick after its mother hen.

Honestly, he wanted to tell her not to follow, but…

‘I should apologize first.’

He hadn’t been able to apologize right after waking up in the office because Persephone wasn’t there, but she had devoted half a day to him today.

Since the opportunity had arisen, he wanted to say something to Persephone.

After rubbing his face dry, he pressed his eyelids firmly.

“I’m… sorry. I behaved quite shamefully. I think you might need some mental compensation…”

“Mmm, no! I don’t need any. I had fun, you know.”

Persephone shook her head from side to side.

The relief from seeing her look so pleased lasted only a moment. Hades’ eyes widened at what came next.

“If anything, I was prepared to take responsibility.”

Persephone’s cheerful voice reached his ears. Hades slowly removed his fingers from his face and turned to look at her.

“…Responsibility?”

“Yes!”

“Was that the context when you said you’d become queen?”

“That’s right. After all, I was the one who made that potion.”

As Persephone admitted it so simply that it seemed easy, a groan burrowed into Hades’ throat.

‘This woman doesn’t know what kind of position the seat next to me is.’

Twitching his eyebrows, he added firmly.

“You shouldn’t say such things carelessly.”

“Why not?”

“…Usually, when people speak of a male ruler and a female ruler, they’re referring to a married couple. Like Zeus and elder sister Hera.”

“…”

“…You…”

Can you marry me? Just because of that ‘incident’?

Hades deliberately swallowed the rest of his words. Asking her directly seemed too much like revealing his true feelings.

No, in fact, he couldn’t bring himself to ask because if Persephone couldn’t answer, he felt he would be deeply hurt.

“…”

Choosing silence, Hades bit his lip and moved his feet.

Light footsteps echoed regularly behind his back. Still.

Before he knew it, he had reached the bedroom with a clouded expression. Hades opened the door and observed the creaking hinges.

‘Still stiff.’

It had been decades since he had closed the door, and only a day since he had started using it again.

He had applied oil before drinking the sleeping potion— no, truth serum yesterday, but it seemed unable to function properly after being dormant for so long.

“Anyway, marry someone you like. Don’t say things like responsibility or whatever.”

Thinking he should call a craftsman to fix it, Hades waved his hand at Persephone.

“I’m going to rest now. You should go back too. You’ve worked hard today.”

“…”

“Persephone?”

For some reason, there was no answer.

Hades looked back with a puzzled expression. All that was revealed was the plinth of a marble column with mint, acanthus leaves, and skulls carved in relief.

…Persephone had disappeared!

Bewildered, Hades turned his gaze, thinking, ‘Surely not…’

“Oh my, how bleak—”

Sure enough, Persephone was rummaging through every corner of the bedroom.

“No, wait…!”

Hades entered the bedroom with a small cry.

He tried to stop Persephone as she was about to pull back the curtains around the bed, but she inadvertently avoided his hand and finally rolled up the tapestry.

“No, what is this!”

She shouted loudly upon seeing Hades’ bed. As if she had just witnessed a murder scene.

Startled, Hades turned to look at Persephone. As he timidly glanced at her, Persephone raised her index finger with a serious expression.

“Do you know what sleep hygiene is?”

“…Why, what’s the problem?”

“…”

“There shouldn’t be any dust…”

The spirits who work for pay had cleaned up. Hades himself prides himself on being second to none in cleanliness.

Even Hygieia, daughter of Asclepius and goddess of cleanliness, would acknowledge this.

However, in Persephone’s eyes, there were still many problems. She clicked her tongue.

“Tsk, tsk… This is why people can’t sleep.”

First, she picked up the wooden pillow and waved it threateningly.

“No, what’s with the wooden pillow, a wooden pillow?”

“…Is it not okay?”

“Of course it’s not! It might be better for some people, but that’s not you, Hades!”

Gripping the wooden pillow like a sword handle, Persephone looked around.

This should be thrown into a furnace, but unfortunately, there was no fireplace in the room. Regretfully, she put the wooden pillow into the basket she had brought.

Instead, she pointed at Hades, who had been fidgeting and watching her nervously, or more precisely, at his clothes.

“Don’t tell me you went to bed wearing the same clothes as yesterday?”

“…They’re not dirty.”

“I’m sure they’re not! But they look uncomfortable just by looking at them! Take them off when you sleep!”

“Gasp…!”

Hades unconsciously covered his open mouth.

He was as conservative as the philosophy established by a certain sage in the Eastern continent before the birth of Jesus. Shocked, he stepped back from Persephone.

“No, how can you say such things so casually…!”

Then the bedside table caught the back of his thigh.

The scroll that had been placed on the table fell to the floor with a thud.

At that moment, Persephone’s eyes sharpened.

“…That scroll, it’s work, isn’t it?”

“…I brought it in case I woke up in the middle. I wasn’t planning to do it.”

Hades blurted out a lie without even thinking.

By the time he realized that he, who values principles, lies quite often in front of Persephone, Persephone had crossed her arms and spoke with a dissatisfied voice.

“Then why is there an hourglass?”

“To gauge bedtime.”

“How long after lying down did you fall asleep yesterday?”

“…Around the time Nyx withdrew.”

“That’s dawn, isn’t it?”

“…”

Under Persephone’s fierce questioning, the defense forces in Hades’ heart crumbled.

They raised the white flags of conscience—and love—and declared surrender.

Persephone, frowning, scrutinized Hades thoroughly. It was annoying that he was so meticulous with work, yet so careless in these matters.

Hades, who had remained motionless like prey caught by the neck under her persistent gaze, opened his eyes wide.

“I can’t help it. I guess I’ll have to teach you all this too.”

“…What?”

“I’ll make you a pillow. You know, I’m good with my hands.”

Persephone sat down on the edge of the bed and took out a needle, thread, and fabric from the basket.

‘Linen?’

The fine-grained, evenly colored linen was clearly high-quality at a glance.

It wasn’t something that should be used for him.

“Make the pillow fluffy, wear comfortable clothes. And absolutely don’t put work or clocks on the bedside table—”

“Wait, hold on.”

“Why?”

Persephone frowned and raised her head towards Hades.

Unconsciously avoiding her gaze, he gently lowered his head.

“…You don’t have to give it to me. As I said earlier, you don’t need to take responsibility for me.”

“Why not?”

“…”

Momentarily speechless at the bold question that followed.

“Well, don’t you have to leave this place?”

But Hades forced a laugh, pretending to be calm.

Since realizing that he liked her, Hades had never intentionally shown his feelings to Persephone.

Is it simply because it’s unrequited love?

No.

‘What good would it do to express my feelings?’

If Persephone became his wife, she would have to stay in the underworld.

The underworld doesn’t suit her, a goddess of life. Their natures are fundamentally incompatible.

Regardless of Persephone’s good adaptability and Hades’ affection for the underworld, he didn’t want to waste the talents of the person he loved.

Moreover, since Plutus had died, he wanted Persephone to stay above ground even more.

But it’s not like Hades himself could freely go up to the surface either.

To stay long above ground, he had to wear his helmet or hide in darkness.

As befitting the ‘Unseen One’, he had to live up to that name.

At that moment, Persephone, who was threading the needle, asked.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“…That’s how it should be. Unconditionally.”

“Hmm…”

Having threaded the needle, she glanced at Hades.

In fact, until quite recently, she had thought it was only natural to leave the underworld.

When she asked if she could become the queen of the underworld, she had considered that the duration of the drug’s effect, unlike Eros’ golden arrow, wasn’t permanent.

It was a question considering whether she would have to take on a temporary position that would eventually have to be relinquished, like her current administrator privileges. It seemed like it might be one of the solutions.

But seeing Hades anticipate their parting from the beginning like this…

“I don’t like it much.”

The irritation building up in her heart couldn’t help but show clearly on her face.

“What?”

“That you’re thinking about our separation first.”

“…Does that mean you don’t want to leave?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then you shouldn’t say such things.”

“…No!”

Persephone’s voice suddenly grew louder.

“Why are you thinking so extremely from earlier!”

She gripped the needle tightly.

“You should make the person you like your wife! After all, the drug’s effects will wear off eventually, and I would have stepped down from the queen’s position on my own soon anyway!”

“…No, that’s not what I meant…”

“If I had just run away today not caring, I would have been trash!”

“Why?”

“I’m the only one who can solve this, if I don’t do it, who will?”

“…”

“And anyway, if I hadn’t stayed by your side, you would have continued to suffer because of that drug.”

Hades, who didn’t want to show his pathetic side to Persephone, quietly lowered his expression.

However, Persephone didn’t like the man’s face that faintly showed his difficulty, nor the fact that he was maintaining silence in front of her as if he had no choice.

For some unknown reason, anger was starting to turn her lungs inside out.

“It bothers me.”

Finally, she parted her pursed lips.

“…What does?”

“Just everything!”

Hades blinked repeatedly at the sudden outburst.

“The fact that you do your work well but don’t take care of yourself, the fact that you had a hard time when you were young but you’re still somewhat like a young master, and the fact that you have a thirst for knowledge so it’s satisfying to teach you!”

Persephone, who had been panting, let out a lukewarm sigh.

“This is why I wanted to take responsibility for you, even if just for a moment.”

“…”

“Is that enough?”