“Lost again….”

I dropped the cards I was holding.

In Shahar’s office, I was engrossed in a card game with Iscallion.

We chose the office because it was the best place to avoid other people’s eyes.

In the world of the dead, I, a living being, was a grotesque and alien presence like a ghost on earth. And having Iscallion with me made it even more so.

It was almost an open secret that Iscallion had summoned the wolf to the surface. Although there was no significant damage, many looked at him with disdain.

“Why are you so good? Or am I just bad?”

Iscallion lifted his head proudly.

Although he still looked like a child and couldn’t speak much, he could express far more emotions and intentions than before.

I secretly sighed in relief. During the time I was mentally unstable from the side effects of the narcissus, I hadn’t taken good care of Iscallion, and he had been quite upset.

Fortunately, it was very simple to appease him.

‘I’ll dedicate myself to playing with him…!’

I rummaged through the storage and found toys, books, and games useful for killing time.

Surprisingly, Shahar’s castle had quite a few items usable by the living.

These were items left behind by souls who brought them as burial goods and then departed, including the cards Iscallion and I were holding.

The gold-embossed cards were luxurious and beautiful enough to make me marvel. The problem was that I kept losing to Iscallion, except when I taught him the rules.

Iscallion shuffled the cards and handed them back to me.

“You want to play again?”

Iscallion nodded vigorously.

“Hmm….”

Having played cards all night, my whole body was stiff, but thinking about how I had neglected Iscallion made it hard to refuse.

As I hesitated, wondering what to do, two of Shahar’s aides entered the room.

They stopped, looking startled to see me.

I smiled awkwardly and moved to the corner with Iscallion. I was anxious that they might find fault with something trivial.

‘Just pass by.’

But they didn’t grant my wish.

The highest-ranking aide approached me naturally and spoke.

“Hello, Miss Lou. The weather is nice, isn’t it?”

His lifeless voice was always chilling. It took me a moment to realize that he had greeted me warmly by name.

“Huh? Ah, yes. The weather is nice….”

Noticing my nervousness, Iscallion stepped in front of me and swung his fist at them.

I hurriedly grabbed his arm in fright.

“You shouldn’t do that. Be nice. Apologize, quickly.”

He shook his head.

“Then I won’t play with you anymore.”

At my threat, Iscallion reluctantly bowed his head.

“It’s alright. Children can be fussy.”

‘He’s not really a child….’

I looked suspiciously at the aide who suddenly approached me kindly.

Despite my curt response, he continued speaking as if it were no big deal.

“What were you doing?”

“Just waiting for Shahar to finish his work.”

When in doubt, using Shahar as an excuse was the best.

“I see. We just stopped by to run an errand. We’re going to bring some documents to the king. Would you like to come with us?”

It was a tempting offer. After parting ways like that day, I hadn’t gone to see Shahar even once.

“I feel like I would only be a hindrance if I went.”

[The King would surely be delighted to see you, Miss Lou.]

I could sense that they were trying to be as friendly as possible. Their terrifying appearance, however, made that hard to believe.

“But if I go, Leon will be left alone.”

[I will entertain him.]

At that moment, another aide stepped forward. His expression, as cold as ice, clearly showed his determination to slack off.

“What do you think?”

[Our little prince, would you like to play with me?]

When the aide, who looked more menacing than a kidnapper, leaned in, Iscallion reacted with reluctance. However, he eventually chose to play cards with a stranger rather than go see Shahar.

I left him with the other aides and exited the office.

[Since Miss Lou arrived, the Underworld has become noticeably more beautiful.]

“Beautiful…?”

I looked around again.

It was the same bleak scenery I always saw. Then I realized that the air had become milder compared to when I first arrived.

[Having been in the Underworld for a very long time, I can notice even the smallest changes. Recently, I heard that a narcissus bloomed. It’s a flower that rarely blooms here…]

“Well… I guess I was just lucky.”

[I only heard it in passing, but it’s said that the Underworld wasn’t always this barren.]

“Really?”

I had never questioned the barrenness of the Underworld, as it was almost a given.

[The one who shaped the current Underworld is Shahar. Everything here flows according to his wishes. So, if you stay by the King’s side, I am certain it will become a beautiful place.]

“That would be nice, but isn’t that up to Shahar to decide? Besides, there aren’t many people here who look favorably on me.”

[The King will permit it anytime. And don’t mind what others say. They are ignorant. I know that you are the King’s only mate.]

Even if I couldn’t fully trust his words, it still felt good.

“Thank you for seeing me in a good light. But Shahar leaves me alone and doesn’t even show his face…”

[Leave you alone? The fact that you can safely stay in the Underworld is all thanks to the King’s care.]

“But Shahar is naturally kind. He would have provided this level of care to anyone.”

[What?]

The spirit looked puzzled, tilting his head.

[The King is not as merciful as you think. His nature is so indifferent that he may seem generous, but he is fundamentally cold-hearted, which is why he has ruled this place for so long. Do you know that the one who whipped you was annihilated?]

Now it was my turn to be puzzled.

“What?”

That’s right, I hadn’t seen him since then. To think he was annihilated.

“Are you saying Shahar did that?”

[It was the inevitable result of overstepping his bounds. Many disliked him for mistreating souls who had not yet been judged.]

“Maybe he was punished for recklessly using the whip? Perhaps Shahar is actually a pacifist…”

[That’s impossible…]

As we talked, we arrived at the judgment seat.

When I first arrived here, I was too disoriented to look around properly, but the structure was identical to the one in the hallucination.

I naturally walked up to him.

Shahar frowned slightly upon seeing me.

“Why did you bring her?”

It was the expected reaction, but the spirit who brought me seemed troubled. Shahar’s expression grew colder. At this rate, he might not annihilate the spirit like the one who whipped me, but he could still punish him.

“I insisted on coming.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to see you, Shahar.”

I heard gasps of shock around me. I felt like a shameless stalker who had barged into his workplace.

But a stalker should never be deterred by such things.

I lifted my head proudly.

“I won’t be a bother. I’ll stay as quiet as a mouse.”

Shahar closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He then gestured for the next soul to come forward, silently accepting my presence.

The spirits glanced at me curiously but didn’t dare to question it.

I looked around awkwardly. Naturally, there was no place for me to sit.

Recalling the hallucination where my personal chair was placed below his throne, I was about to sit on the floor when Shahar stood up and seated me on the throne.

I looked up at him in surprise, but he calmly continued to judge the souls.

More souls came in one by one.

The spirits looked confused, seeing me on the throne while Shahar, clearly the King of the Underworld, stood beside me.

I felt uneasy. No matter how well I did in the human world, I had never dared to dream of sitting on a throne.

Moreover, this seat I now occupied belonged to the King of the Underworld, who had lived almost as long as this world itself.

“I can just stand.”

Shahar pretended not to hear me. I resigned myself and leaned back against the throne.

The judgments were boring and tedious.

I decided to just watch Shahar.