“Aren’t you bored?”

“It’s really interesting.”

Shahar’s face was so fascinating.

No matter how much I looked at it, I never got tired of it.

To think that such a handsome man was my mate…

While I was busy admiring his face, the day’s judgments ended, and only Shahar and I were left.

“Is it okay to let just anyone sit on the throne?”

“You are not just anyone.”

With that one sentence, all my resentment melted away.

I was always looking up at him as he sat on the throne, but now that I was sitting and looking at him, it felt strange.

“This was originally my seat.”

I pointed to the foot of the throne.

“I always sat here watching the judgments, waiting for the day Pinion would come here… He killed me, you know. I was curious about what kind of punishment he would receive.”

Shahar’s eyebrows twitched.

“Then, one day, it didn’t matter anymore. I became more curious about someone else. Do you want to know who?”

“I told you that what the narcissus shows is not reality.”

“You don’t know anything, Shahar. About how we…”

Fell in love.

I swallowed the last words.

Had I ever confessed my love to him before they turned back time?

Probably not. There was no need to state what everyone already knew.

Now, however, I kept my mouth shut out of fear of rejection.

“I’m not curious.”

“You are curious.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Shahar, you’re not always honest either.”

He pretended not to hear my grumbling.

“I’m generous, so I’ll answer whenever you ask.”

Shahar didn’t ask anything in the end, but I didn’t feel bad. I could tell just how curious he was.

* * *

Even though I was deeply in love with Shahar, I hadn’t forgotten my goal of finding Iscallion’s soul fragments.

Having explored almost everywhere, the only place left was Hell.

‘Hell…’

I climbed to a high place and looked at the entrance of Hell in the distance. The Underworld was generally bleak, but that place was particularly severe.

Recalling my experiences in Hell, I shuddered. It was literally a hellish place.

Instead of iron bars, an eternal flame engulfed Hell, and the screams and wails of tormented souls never ceased, day or night.

Though I was known for my recklessness, I couldn’t muster the courage to go there. Especially now that I knew how dreadful Hell was.

The remnants of monsters and vengeful spirits roaming around Hell were also problematic.

These spirits, having lost their reason and driven by instinct alone, would attack any prey they saw without hesitation.

Not only I, but even the guards were terrified at the thought of going to Hell.

“This is quite a dilemma…”

Iscallion tugged at my skirt.

“Huh? You want to come with me?”

Nod, nod.

“Absolutely not.”

I couldn’t take Iscallion to such a place.

I gently persuaded him, who kept trying to follow me.

“If you behave, I’ll play games with you. So, just stay here today, Leon. It’s too dangerous for you.”

Iscallion’s shoulders drooped sadly.

“It’s just as dangerous for you to go.”

I heard Shahar’s voice from behind. The moment I sensed his presence, Iscallion bolted away.

“I’d rather go myself than see you wander around Hell with that fragile body.”

“You think I’m fragile?”

“You faint and get hurt easily, yet you have no fear, like a child wandering near water.”

Lately, I had been fainting frequently.

Though not I’m extraordinarily healthy, I rarely got sick, having lived a well-fed and well-cared-for life. Now, I felt like a frail princess, which was a strange feeling.

“Then let’s go together.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“This is a secret just for you, Shahar, but this castle could be more dangerous if I set my mind to it.”

Shahar was speechless at my innocent smile.

After a moment, he sighed and spoke.

“It’s better to cause trouble where I can see you.”

“Then let’s go quickly!”

I excitedly pulled him along.

Though I had wandered around the Underworld before, it was the first time I was venturing out alone with Shahar.

“You do know we’re going to Hell, right?”

“Of course.”

I took a deep breath and took in the surrounding scenery. The desolate atmosphere, devoid of light, stretched endlessly.

But to someone in love, even that seemed romantic.

“Ah, this barren landscape, the bleak wind… I love it.”

Shahar looked at me in bewilderment.

That sweetness didn’t last long. As we neared Hell, the scenery became increasingly horrifying.

The River of Forgetfulness, flowing through the Underworld, was stained red with blood seeping from Hell, and rotting chunks of flesh, unrecognizable in their original form, littered the ground.

Now I understood why the guards had refused to come.

As I nervously took cautious steps, something rolled toward us like a ball.

It was a decayed head.

“Ah!”

Shahar quickly covered my eyes, but I had already seen it.

The horrific image was burned into my mind, making my heart race as if it would leap out of my chest.

Sensing my fear, Shahar held me tighter.

“I told you to stay in the castle.”

“I, I’m not scared.”

There was a reason I followed him despite all the risks.

It was…

‘Love blossoming in danger…!’

I was still clueless about romance, having only learned from Michalis and Janet’s coaching.

Though I failed using it with Gined, I buried that memory deeply.

“This is the entrance to Hell.”

As soon as Shahar finished speaking, vengeful spirits of monsters lunged at us.

Most fled at the sight of him, but the aggressive and greedy ones tried to devour Shahar.

But he wasn’t one to be defeated by mere spirits. They turned to dust at his slightest gesture.

I was inwardly flustered by the unexpected turn of events.

Originally, it should have been a journey fraught with life-and-death trials and tribulations, but thanks to Shahar, the difficulty had drastically decreased. Although we managed to find three soul fragments, it felt anticlimactic.

‘If I go back like this, who knows when I’ll get another chance to come out again…’

I was trying to stall for time, slowly putting the fragments into my pocket like a turtle, when suddenly a red sandstorm whipped up.

“Why is there such a wind…?”

As I watched the approaching storm, Shahar suddenly embraced me.

‘As expected, Shahar didn’t want to go back like this either…!’

“Shahar, actually, I also—”

I couldn’t hide my rising emotions and was just about to confess that I had been waiting for this moment.

A terrible, sharp scream painfully pierced my eardrums.

“W-What is that?”

“It’s a monster formed from very old vengeful spirits. When it finds prey, it marks it and persistently follows it. It’s not strong, but it’s a nuisance to deal with. It would be better to avoid it for now and wait until it gives up.”

Shahar glanced down at me in his arms.

“It seems better to avoid this place for now and wait until it gives up.”

Shahar leapt up to a high cliff with me in his arms. Startled by the sudden lift, I clung to his collar.

Looking down, I saw the monster below, roaring and thrashing about, having lost its target.

But more than the monster, the dizzying height made me feel faint.

My palms quickly became clammy with cold sweat.

“Don’t look.”

I nodded and stared intently at his face. It was the only way to avoid looking down.

Unlike me, he seemed as calm as if he were on an outing.

‘Love blossoming in danger…’

At least this time, the vampires’ advice was spot on. The problem was that the one falling in love was me, not Shahar.

Below, the vengeful spirits were howling, and I was in Shahar’s arms on a dizzying cliff. I felt like my heart might burst from overload.

“Are you okay? Maybe we should have just gone back to the castle.”

Seeing my face turn pale and then red repeatedly, he clicked his tongue.

Of course, I wasn’t okay. It wasn’t because I was scared. I didn’t care about the monster anymore. There was only one thought in my head now.

‘I want to XXX and XXX with Shahar…!’

No matter how perverted I was, I couldn’t say such things sober.

Unaware of the steamy scenes playing out in my mind, Shahar gently stroked my cheek, full of concern. He had no idea he was only fueling my desire.