After the wedding, I secretly summoned Raum.

He came immediately with eyes full of anticipation.

“I’ll give you what I promised soon, so wait a bit.”

[Thank you, Your Majesty.]

‘Your Majesty…?’

He was quite good at flattery. I couldn’t help but smirk at the title, which I liked much more than expected.

From that day on, I didn’t hold back on praising Raum in front of Shahar.

But I never imagined it would lead to a ridiculous misunderstanding.

One day, Shahar spoke with a serious face.

“My dear, you’re not interested in Raum, are you? Should I send him far away…?”

“What? What are you talking about!”

I jumped up.

Among all the pale officials of the Underworld, he had an especially poor complexion. In other words, he wasn’t particularly handsome.

“I might not know much, but I have high standards, you know? Can’t you tell from the fact that I chose you among so many male leads?”

“You’ve been talking about him a lot lately, so I had to ask.”

“Oh, no, it’s just that he seemed diligent and capable…”

“He is capable, but he’s also too soft and greedy over trivial things.”

‘You’ve assessed his strengths and weaknesses perfectly.’

But I couldn’t retract the favor I had already promised.

“When I first came to the Underworld, Raum was the only one who spoke kindly to me. I just took notice of him because he seemed kind-hearted. There’s absolutely no ulterior motive!”

“Raum? Surely he wouldn’t…? Dare to…!”

“No, he didn’t!”

Fearing that Raum might face annihilation, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

‘Come to think of it, he even got jealous of a stone…’

What more of a spirit with personality.

After that, I started picking fights with Raum instead of praising him.

Every time, he looked at me with hurt eyes, but I coldly ignored him.

Then, a few days later, Raum finally announced his promotion.

[Thank you, Your Majesty. I knew aligning myself well would pay off.]

I arrogantly patted his shoulder as if I had been his superior from the start.

“Keep up the good work.”

[Of course. If you have any orders, just let me know.]

Raum bowed his head with a sycophantic smile plastered on his face.

‘This is real power…’

Even though I was from a prestigious family, I was a noble without a title. This moment brought a small shock to me.

It wasn’t just that. Those who had ignored me before now paid attention to my every glance and gesture.

It was a power far beyond that of the Empress of the Empire.

The taste of power was addictive. A strong desire to continue wielding Shahar’s power grew within me.

Thus, I had one more reason to stay by his side.

* * *

Day by day, it felt like I would never know worry or concern again.

But everything must come to an end someday.

One day, while enjoying a quiet moment with Shahar,

— Lou.

A voice that incited anger just by hearing it suddenly echoed in my head.

I tried hard to ignore it.

— Lou. Are you listening?

But Pinion was persistent.

Unable to bear the relentless calling, I covered my ears and stood up abruptly.

“Ugh, I heard you, so please stop!”

“Lou?”

Shahar’s worried voice snapped me back to reality.

Both were calling me, but the emotions I felt were as different as heaven and earth.

“Oh, no. I wasn’t talking to you, Shahar. Someone keeps calling me…”

I awkwardly lowered my hands from my ears. In truth, Pinion’s voice transmitted through my soul, so blocking my ears was useless. Even after that, Pinion’s persistent calling gave me a splitting headache.

‘I just want to punch him in the gut once.’

But what was impossible when he was Crown Prince was even more so now that he was Emperor. At least on the surface.

Shahar quickly realized what was happening to me.

“I can faintly feel the waves of the sun. Is it time for you to return, my dear?”

I nodded weakly.

“I’ll come back. Don’t get distracted by any pretty souls and wait for me, okay? We’re married now, so we must remain faithful to each other.”

“Who else would I look at besides you? Souls are merely subjects of judgment, nothing more.”

‘I was once just a meaningless soul to you too…’

“I’ll believe you. Oh, and take this.”

I waved the marriage registration form in front of him. Now that we were married, there was no need to hide it anymore.

But Shahar, who knew nothing of human formalities, tilted his head in confusion.

“What’s that?”

“Humans vow their marriage before God. That’s how it’s legally recognized. I want to prove that Shahar and I are married on the surface too.”

Shahar was too moved to speak.

“Then I’ll go submit the marriage registration!”

And then I added shyly,

“Honey…?”

The unfamiliar term felt very awkward.

Shahar gave a complex smile.

“I would be delighted if you returned soon, my lady.”

My lady.

It was the most romantic title I had ever heard.

Smiling at him, I responded to Pinion’s voice, which was still loudly calling me.

* * *

Having crossed between this world and the Underworld once, the feeling was quite familiar.

Before I knew it, I was standing beside my own body.

Seeing myself from a third-person perspective was indescribably strange.

‘I don’t look too bad compared to when I see myself in the mirror.’

My face, asleep with long hair cascading and lips slightly parted, was prettier than I thought. I could somewhat understand why Pinion was so clingy.

I turned my head slightly to look at Pinion, who was calling me. He was sitting on the edge of my bed. It seemed he couldn’t see my soul.

Pinion was looking down at my closed eyes with a tender expression.

“Come back, Lou.”

He gently touched my forehead and cheeks.

I knew Pinion had been visiting to take care of my body, but it still annoyed me.

I smacked him on the back of the head, even as a soul. Unfortunately, it seemed to him like just a gentle breeze. He looked around.

“Lou?”

“Yes, it’s me. Could you please step back? It’s overwhelming.”

Pinion shrugged and moved away.

“Did you enjoy the Underworld?”

“Of course.”

Just as I was about to get up, there was a rustling sound from my hand. Looking down, I saw I was holding the marriage registration form tightly. Seeing it instantly lifted my mood.

Pinion raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that?”

Before I could answer, Pinion snatched the paper.

“…A marriage registration form?”

“I got married. I’m going to the Holy Kingdom to submit it.”

Usually, people submitted their marriage vows at a nearby temple rather than going to the Holy Kingdom, but my partner was Shahar. I wanted to get approval from the main temple dedicated to his mother, the Mother Goddess.

“What? Married?”

Pinion looked stunned. Ignoring him, I took the marriage registration form back and held it close.

After spending enough time at home to not make my parents feel neglected, I discreetly headed to the Holy Kingdom again. This time, High Priest Dominique was the first to greet me.

“How have you been, High Priest?”

“Yes, as you can see, I am well. You seem brighter than before, which makes me happy.”

He looked around once and then laughed, saying he felt more at ease since High Priest Emmanuel died.

“By the way, what brings you here, lady?”

“I’m here to register my marriage.”

“You could have done that easily in Arcadia. Why come all the way to the Holy Kingdom? And I haven’t heard of your marriage. Who is your partner?”

“It’s hard to say now, but you’ll find out someday. Anyway, I’d like to meet His Holiness the Pope regarding this matter. How long will I have to wait?”

“For you, His Holiness will see you anytime.”

As he said, I was able to meet the Pope the very next day.

“What brings you here…?”

The Pope looked as if he had seen a monster, and when I told him I had married Shahar, he nearly had a fit.

“I’ll process this immediately…!”

Even without any means to prove Shahar’s identity, the Pope stamped the document on the spot, clearly wanting to get rid of me as quickly as possible.

Thus, I became his legal wife on the surface as well.

Although human law meant little to Shahar, I was satisfied just knowing I was his family.

I walked through the main temple with excited steps.

The garden, where buds were starting to bloom, was bathed in a burning sunset. And in the middle of the crimson world stood Gined.

His silver hair glowed like flames in the orange light. His presence alone made the scenery intensely vivid.

“Your Grace!”

As if expecting me, Gined smiled without surprise.

“I heard you returned safely. I wanted to visit you sooner but couldn’t due to circumstances.”

“It’s okay. I was busy too.”

“What brings you to the Holy Kingdom?”

“I’m here to register my marriage.”

“What? With Shahar…?”

“Yes.”

I felt shy seeing Gined, even though I hadn’t felt anything while talking to High Priest Dominique and the Pope. Though I had given up on him, I felt embarrassed thinking about my past attempts to win his heart.

But Gined congratulated me without any sign of discomfort.

“Congratulations on your marriage. Please convey my regards to the King of the Underworld. But please delay the invitation as long as possible.”

Gined made an uncharacteristic joke.

“Thank you…”

In the middle of speaking, I tilted my head. He seemed subtly different.

‘Was his impression always this gentle?’