Chapter 2

“Miss Persephone, do you feel uneasy around me?”

“Why did you think I would? You’re a God like my mother, just living in the Underworld, that’s all.”

“It’s just that your mother, Demeter, and I are complete opposites…”

“That’s not true. You only follow your nature; that doesn’t make you opposites.”

“I’m sorry for assuming. Gods of the surface tend to avoid things related to death and the Underworld… Since you’re surrounded by Gods of Earth and life, I thought you’d dislike anything related to me.”

“No, that’s not true. I…”

She started to speak, but hesitated. It felt too soon, so she changed the subject.

“But Lord Hades, why did you abduct me instead of asking for permission to marry me?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Suddenly, Hades’s expression darkened. Was there another reason besides marriage? Or was marriage just an excuse?

“I wanted to talk with you alone, without anyone interfering.”

“But you could do that on the surface…”

Persephone stopped herself. She remembered what Hades had said earlier about the surface Gods feeling uncomfortable around him.

‘He brought me here so he could meet me without worrying about others.’

She suddenly felt sorry for Hades, who couldn’t even show he liked her except in such a way.

Hearing his true feelings, she wondered if maybe getting to know him in the Underworld wouldn’t be so bad. He’d gone so far as to risk everything just to talk to her—if she just went back, she’d probably feel guilty.

“Lord Hades, where will I be staying?”

She tilted her head as lightly as possible, trying to stay calm, though she was nervous about making him too flustered.

“…What?”

Hades’s eyes grow round with a blank expression.

“You brought me to the Underworld, so of course you have to give me a room.”

She tried to speak gently, but her tone carried an expectation that he’d prepared something. Hades bit his lip and gazed off into space for a moment.

“Well…”

“Surely you didn’t bring me here without preparing a room?”

She folded her arms and let out a short sigh, making him straighten his back and shake his head.

“No! You’ll stay in the room you were just in. If you need anything else, please tell me, Miss Persephone. I’ll prepare it as quickly as possible.”

Hades’s words were cautious, and his voice, unlike before, had grown thinner and higher. It was so different from his usual low, heavy tone that Persephone looked at him in wonder. His speech and expression clearly showed just how flustered he was.

She suppressed a laugh that threatened to burst out and nodded.

“Thank you, Lord Hades. Then… I haven’t eaten anything all day, so when is mealtime?”

Perhaps he hadn’t expected the question, as Hades looked slightly surprised before quickly regaining his serious expression.

“Miss Persephone, what kind of food do you like? I’ll have it prepared right away.”

“I only know the dishes from the surface. Is that alright?”

“It’s fine. I’ll try to prepare something as similar as possible.”

As soon as Persephone mentioned a few dishes, Hades gently waved his fingers. A flame slowly rose in the air beside him. It looked similar to the one she’d seen earlier, but its shape was different this time. The flame swirled and grew larger, then gradually changed into the shape of a little doll—a person.

She opened her eyes wide at the sight, but tried hard not to show her surprise. She didn’t want Hades to get flustered again, so she kept her face as neutral as possible while watching.

“Miss Persephone is hungry. She’s a Goddess from the surface, so bring food that resembles the world above as closely as you can.”

At Hades’s command, the flame in human shape nodded in response.

“Then, I’ll prepare roasted meat and a salad.”

The voice was small and low, but clear. The flame scattered ashen sparks and vanished swiftly.

Silence returned to the room. When Persephone looked at Hades’s face, she saw it was distinctly flushed. Just moments ago, he had given orders with confidence, but now he hung his head lightly, fiddling with his fingertips as if he were a different person.

‘He has a cute side. If I grabbed his hand now, would he be startled?’

The mischievous thought made her smile softly. She slowly rose to her feet and cautiously approached Hades, watching his reaction. As expected, he grew visibly more tense, unable to meet her gaze.

Grab—

“Ah!”

Just as she felt his fingertips, her hand sliced through empty air. In that brief instant, Hades had vanished like smoke. When she turned, he was already standing by the door as if he’d fled, like a shadow wrapped in mist.

“Pfft—”

She couldn’t hold back. Her shoulders shook with laughter, and Hades, embarrassed, covered his face with his hand and avoided her eyes.

‘What should I do? He’s so adorable…’

He was the King of the Underworld, the Lord of the Dead, famed for his coldness and composure. He judged without emotion, ruled death without fear.

But the man standing before her now… was so clumsy and unrefined, he shattered all those reputations. His face, red as a pomegranate, his eyes avoiding hers, his trembling fingers—he seemed more like an innocent country boy.

Hades’s unfamiliar side made her chest tingle. It felt both strange and endearing, as if she’d discovered a soft fragment in a mythic sculpture.

She wanted to see more of him up close. When she took a step forward, Hades instinctively stepped back.

“You said you liked me, Lord Hades. Why do you keep avoiding me?”

She tilted her head as she asked. It could be seen as a provocative question, but her curiosity was genuine. Sensing her sincerity, Hades slowly answered.

“T-that… I don’t want to avoid you. It’s just that I never imagined a situation like this…”

His voice was low and heavy, but the end of his words trembled. His every word was sincere, and his eyes were filled with embarrassment.

His expression, unable to approach or turn away, was itself a picture of distress.

“Pfft—”

She found his awkwardness both funny and cute; she couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m sorry. I avoided you… Did that upset you?”

Hades asked cautiously, his eyes filled with genuine concern. Persephone nodded, her face playful.

“Yes. It wasn’t great, so please come closer.”

At her words, Hades looked at her in shock, unsure if she was serious or joking. Realizing her smile was mischievous, he tried hard to maintain a serious face.

“You’re teasing me too much, Miss Persephone.”

“Do you really think I’m just joking?”

She suddenly wiped the playfulness from her face, turning serious. She wanted to prolong the teasing, so she began to act. Hades was at a loss for words and stared at her quietly, his eyes searching for the truth.

But his tense expression was so cute that she couldn’t help but laugh again. The mischief at the edge of her lips returned.

“Miss Persephone, I can overlook lies in front of me… but please don’t do so elsewhere. As a Goddess of Olympus, you know better than anyone the weight of a lie.”

Hades’s words were more a plea than a reprimand. Was it because he cared for her?

“I’m sorry, Lord Hades. I’m not much good at lying either… It’s just that your embarrassed face is so cute, I couldn’t help it.”

“…Y-you think I’m cute?”

Hades asked in disbelief. His dumbfounded expression was so cute, she barely managed not to laugh again.

“You’re so cute when you’re shy. Hasn’t anyone told you that in the Underworld? Hmm, if not, everyone’s neglecting their duties.”

At her answer, Hades was silent for a moment. He furrowed his brow slightly, then slowly raised his head to meet her eyes. He sighed softly and nodded.

“…Something urgent has come up, so I’ll need to step out for a bit. When the food is ready, I’ll send a servant. Excuse me.”

“Ah, Lord Had—”

Before she could finish saying “Hades,” he turned into smoke and softly vanished into the air.

Only a faint haze remained where he’d stood. Thinking again of his last expression as he fled, she couldn’t help but laugh once more.

***

Knock knock—

“Come in.”

When she answered the knock, a maid surrounded by a pale blue light entered.

“Greetings, Miss Persephone. I am Xeni, a loyal servant of Lord Hades.”

“Hello, Xeni. Nice to meet you. Is the meal ready now?”

“Yes. Lord Hades has asked me to escort you, Miss Persephone. Please follow me.”

She followed the maid waiting at the door out into a corridor that stretched endlessly in silence. When Hades said he’d send a servant, she thought he was just looking after her since she was new here, but it seemed easy to get lost if she took the wrong step.

Moreover, this was the home of the king of the Underworld, yet the corridor was dark without a single light. She had no choice but to follow the maid ahead, and a faint sense of fear crept up.

‘I heard it’s hard for people from the surface to enter the underground. If anyone sneaks into Lord Hades’s castle, they’d be in big trouble.’

She briefly considered wandering around alone at night, but quickly shook her head. The Underworld’s corridors were too quiet, and even the lamp flames seemed to hold their breath in the cold air.

She decided to obediently follow Xeni. The maid’s pace was neither fast nor slow, strangely reassuring.

She was busily following Xeni’s back when she suddenly stopped. A framed picture on the wall caught her eye.

‘…What’s this?’

The person in the painting was, surprisingly, Hades. But he looked nothing like the Hades she knew. His eyes were gentle, his smile shy and delicate. He looked like a child waiting for someone’s touch, stirring a protective instinct.

“Ah, that’s a portrait of Lord Hades when he was young. He was very shy even then.”

Xeni, quietly approaching, smiled at the painting. Persephone nodded, unable to take her eyes off it.

The Hades she knew always seemed cold, a God who restrained his emotions. But the Hades in this portrait… looked so warm.

“When he was with me today, he kept a straight face. I’m not sure I should say this, but the word ‘lovable’ really suits him as a young man, doesn’t it?”

She spoke cautiously, and Xeni laughed softly.

“Right? He was truly loved by everyone. If you see him up close, he’s still the same.”

Persephone was a little surprised at that. Loved by everyone. So Hades had once been like that. She found herself gazing at the portrait a little longer.

The Hades in the picture radiated a much softer, gentler atmosphere than now. Her heart ached slightly. Was the young man in the painting still hidden somewhere inside the current Hades?

“Oh my, we’ll be late for dinner at this rate. Miss Persephone, I’m sorry, but this way, please…”

Startled by Xeni’s words, Persephone looked up. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to dawdle.”

She bowed lightly and began to follow Xeni again. As she walked, she glanced at the portrait one more time.

‘He’s really a strange person…’

The smile in the painting lingered in her mind. Even as she passed through the cold, quiet corridors of the Underworld, her heart felt strangely warm.