Recently, the Emperor’s irritability had significantly increased. Although he had always been sensitive, he was known for his strict separation of public and private matters, making his close aides feel as if they were walking on thin ice.

But his loyal subjects could no longer hold back their remonstrations. Of course, since they were all afraid of the Emperor, the least perceptive and dullest among them, Nerva, was pushed forward.

“Your Majesty.”

“If you’re here to tell me to take an Empress, shut up.”

“But you really must take an Empress now.”

“I said stop!”

Pinion snapped irritably.

He knew he couldn’t keep being stubborn.

He was the Emperor, and the Empire needed an Empress and an heir. Someday, he would relent and take a suitable woman as Empress.

But not now.

He evaded the persistently following Nerva and left the imperial palace. Today was the day Lou would return to the surface from the King of the Underworld’s side.

Watching her sleep as if she were dead always filled him with indescribable emotions.

He was glad Lou was alive, but he couldn’t be happy that she had become another man’s wife.

He no longer knew what he wanted.

His only certainty was that he still loved Lou.

Without any delay, he woke Lou up. It was the only mischief he could play on her.

Eventually, Lou woke up with a sigh.

“Ah, really… Can’t you call me a day later?”

“Of course not. It’s all for your sake.”

Lou, full of complaints, began to utter curses he couldn’t even guess where she had learned.

Pinion didn’t mind.

In fact, his mood improved in proportion to her anger. Even the harsh curses he hadn’t heard in a long time were welcome.

His one-sided love was likely to continue for quite some time.

And the day an Empress would enter the imperial palace still seemed distant. The former Emperor and Empress regretted not marrying him to Lou sooner, but it was already too late.

* * *

The former Emperor and Empress were not the only ones troubled by their child’s marriage issues.

It was an ordinary evening at the start of summer.

As usual, I had just finished dinner with my parents and Iscallion and was about to get up. Suddenly, my parents called me aside.

“What is it?”

I asked curiously, and my father spoke in an unusually serious tone.

“Hmm, it seems it’s time to bring a new person into our family.”

The moment I understood his meaning, my heart sank.

I pretended not to know.

“Really? Are you thinking of adopting Leon?”

“If he agrees, we might consider it. But you know that’s not what we’re talking about.”

Of course, my parents didn’t fall for my clumsy trick.

“At first, it seemed like things were going well with Leon, but lately, you seem to see him only as a brother. Is there another man?”

“Well, that’s…”

It was awkward to affirm and unfair to deny because of Shahar.

But my hesitation had already given everything away to my parents.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. You’ll be 22 in a few months. As long as he’s handsome and has a good personality, we don’t care about other conditions, so feel free to introduce him.”

‘Is it okay if he’s not human…?’

“Why, is there a problem? Don’t worry too much. As long as it’s not that ugly stone you always carried around.”

My father laughed heartily at my mother’s joke, unaware that the stone was actually my husband.

“…”

“I heard Sir Roengreen has secularized. Could it be him?”

As soon as my mother mentioned Gined, my father’s eyes sharpened.

I decided to be honest.

“I should have told you earlier, but I have a confession.”

“Go ahead.”

“Actually, I’m married.”

“Hmm?”

My parents were momentarily taken aback by my confession, but they thought I was joking in response to my mother’s joke and just laughed it off.

“The man you mentioned earlier is my husband.”

“What? Really, Sir Roengreen?”

Now my parents’ mouths were about to reach their ears.

And then I doused their expectations with cold water.

“No, it’s the stone you mentioned.”

Their smiling faces froze.

“I must be getting old, I’m hearing strange things.”

“I feel the same. I should visit the temple soon.”

“I’m sorry for not telling you earlier.”

“Are you serious?”

Still unable to believe it, my father asked once more.

“Yes, it’s true.”

I calmly explained to my parents how I came to marry him. That the stone was Shahar, the King of the Underworld, and that the Sun God had destined him as my mate.

There was a long silence.

After a while, my mother, as if realizing something, took a deep breath.

“So, that’s why you were able to disappear and then return to us?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…”

Fortunately, my parents didn’t seem as shocked as I had feared.

Well, nothing had been more shocking to them since last year.

“Then, ha, ha, ha… Well, it’s a hundred times better than becoming an Empress. Right.”

“And he even brought our daughter back to us.”

My father laughed awkwardly. But he didn’t seem too pleased with having the King of the Underworld as a son-in-law.

Still, I was happy.

I clearly remembered my parents’ fate before I turned back time. Compared to that, this discomfort was nothing.

And besides, I could bet everything that my parents would come to love Shahar within a few years. Shahar, who owned all the mines underground, was one of the richest among the gods.

* * *

As I expected, by the following spring, my parents began to acknowledge and accept Shahar, even if only a little.

Nobles often couldn’t return home for years after marriage, so they were quite satisfied that Shahar could spend more than half the year with me.

Moreover, the rare gifts Shahar sent quickly won their hearts.

“The weather is getting hot, so you’ll be leaving for the Underworld soon. If I had known, I would have treated the King of the Underworld better when he was in the form of a stone.”

My mother said, looking at the blazing sun. I was thinking the same thing.

I never particularly liked the heat, but now I looked forward to summer the most.

In the season when the Sun God’s power was strong, I could freely go underground to meet Shahar.

As soon as summer arrived, I headed to the Underworld without looking back.

After an emotional reunion, Shahar cautiously asked about my parents.

“Did your parents like my gift?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t?”

Last time, he had gifted my parents a small tree.

Of course, it wasn’t an ordinary tree. The roots and trunk were made of diamonds, the leaves of emeralds, and the flowers of rubies.

Even I, who had grown somewhat accustomed to the pinnacle of luxury, was dazzled by its splendor.

The only reason I didn’t intercept the tree midway was that Shahar had already gifted me an abundance of equally magnificent jewels. And just like the jewels he had given me, the Underworld was becoming more and more beautiful.

The souls descending to the Underworld for judgment were bewildered by the dazzling jewel-encrusted realm, contrary to what they had heard.

“I heard that the King of the Underworld is a workaholic for half the year and becomes the laziest being in heaven and earth for the other half.”

For the former workaholic, it was unimaginable.

“I have always been faithful to my duties. I just overdid it in the past.”

Shahar replied, kissing my cheek.

Responding to his kiss, I suddenly felt a surge of gratitude towards Lina and Enril. After all, it was thanks to them that I could enjoy this happiness.

But the resentment still lingered.

“I hope I get a chance to meet Lina and Enril someday. I really want to get revenge.”

“Well, they did put you in countless predicaments.”

“It’s not that. It’s just that I’m still annoyed.”

I hadn’t forgotten the saccharine sweet words they had poured into my ears, so sweet they could rot. Someday, I wanted to make them feel the same way.

“They used to fawn over each other so much in front of me, you should have heard it too, Shahar. If I meet them again, I’ll definitely get my revenge.”

Shahar chuckled in disbelief.

“I’m serious. Why don’t we practice a bit now? How about this?”

As practice, I whispered the sweetest, most sticky words I knew into Shahar’s ear.

But the feeling was completely different from hearing someone else’s sweet talk and whispering it to the person I loved.

Before I knew it, I was earnestly pouring out embarrassing love confessions to Shahar.

And thus, I came to understand Lina and Enril…

Seeing my cheeks turn red with embarrassment, Shahar laughed out loud.

“To thoroughly get your revenge, you shouldn’t neglect your practice.”

“What, you think I can’t do it?”

Since it had come to this, I used revenge as an excuse to whisper love as much as I wanted.

Truly, these were happy days without a single worry.

〈The End〉