“……?”

‘There must be a reason for that appearance.’

I tried to understand the situation somehow.

“As a human, it must be hard for you to comprehend, my mate. But it was a long time for me as well.”

“Yes, it does seem like you’ve been underground for a long time…”

But wouldn’t it take more than a few thousand years to become coal?

No, no. That wasn’t the important thing.

“Why are you in that form? Can you transform into a human? Right? Please say yes…!”

It was a desperate question, almost a plea.

“I chose this form out of consideration for you.”

“What? Consideration?”

What kind of consideration could coal be showing me?

I pondered seriously.

“Ordinary humans cannot bear to look directly at me.”

‘Is it like the story of Zeus and Semele?’

Just looking at him could lead to death, like an aura or something.

Being the king of the underworld, it seemed plausible.

“Oh, I see. That’s quite considerate. But can’t you transform into another form? At least a form that resembles a living being?”

Even if it were an animal… If his preference was for something dark, a black panther or a cute cat would do.

“As the king of the underworld, I cannot mimic other living beings. If a corpse is acceptable, I can do that.”

‘F*ck.’

I barely swallowed the curse.

I had already noticed that the fourth male lead was not human, but I didn’t expect his appearance to be otherworldly as well.

“Can you travel between dimensions?”

“Yes. As the king of the underworld, I am the only one who can freely move between the underworld and the surface.”

“What about dimensions other than the underworld?”

“……”

The coal remained silent.

But that silence was the clearest answer.

“Sigh, I’m not even surprised anymore. That’s just my life.”

I looked at the coal in my palm, recalling Enril’s dazzling beauty that was overwhelming just to look at.

I didn’t even have the will to be angry anymore. The only advantage was that since he was a coal, he couldn’t get hurt.

“Aren’t you happy to meet me?”

“No. I’m very happy. When else would I get to talk to coal? Nice to meet you.”

I answered half-heartedly and walked back to the door. A sigh heavy enough to sink the ground escaped me.

I closed my eyes tightly and turned the doorknob.

“Lou!”

“Lady!”

I heard Pinion and Gined’s voices in succession.

When I slowly opened my eyes, I saw the two men looking at me worriedly. Their eyes were filled with concern, which only made me more irritated.

‘Don’t look at me like that. You don’t even love me…’

“Lou, are you okay?”

I nodded slowly.

As I stepped outside, the door disappeared with a swish.

‘Come to think of it, that door was a hell gate.’

Realizing that fact made me dizzy.

“I’m glad you returned safely.”

“What was in there? Did you meet your destiny?”

Pinion asked urgently.

It wasn’t his usual sarcastic tone.

But that innocent question made me feel even more defeated.

Now I had to present coal as my destiny.

I wished I hadn’t been so confident…

“Even if it’s difficult, please tell us what happened, Lady. It could be important for everyone’s future.”

Under Gined’s urging, I reluctantly took the coal out of my pocket.

“I found this inside the door.”

The Crown Prince’s face twisted oddly.

“What is that?”

“……”

“It’s a creepy stone. It has a dark aura.”

Could I even call this a male lead?

I hadn’t even heard if the coal had a gender.

As I sighed, the coal spoke.

“Humans, be careful with your reckless tongues. I am her mate.”

“Who just spoke?”

The Crown Prince looked suspiciously at Gined.

Gined also asked the Crown Prince with a dubious face.

“It wasn’t me. Was it you, Your Highness?”

“It wasn’t me either.”

“Then whose voice was that?”

“How should I know?”

While the Crown Prince and Gined bickered, the coal spoke again.

“I am Shahar, son of the dawn, the first light to rise.”

This time, the two men’s gazes immediately turned to the coal.

“Could it be this stone that spoke?”

The Crown Prince made a strange face, then shook his head and scoffed.

“Well, with doors appearing in midair, a talking stone isn’t surprising. So, is this stone your destiny?”

‘Don’t get discouraged…!’

I pretended to be proud and showed the coal to the Crown Prince.

“Greet him, Your Highness. This is my destined other half. I will take this stone as my mate.”

“A stone for a mate? What’s that? Is there anyone who takes a stone as a mate?”

“Isn’t it a prejudice to say a stone can’t be a mate? I’ve decided to accept my destiny. From now on, I am a stone lover.”

“Are you serious, Lou?”

“Of course.”

I wanted to appear confident, but I knew better than anyone that this was close to nonsense.

‘Think positively, positively…’

Looking at the world with bright eyes without being discouraged, even in difficult situations, was a virtue of a romance novel heroine.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to draw an optimistic future.

Advantages of coal: better than the Crown Prince.

Disadvantages of the Crown Prince: worse than coal.

Indeed, it was all about perspective. Suddenly, the coal seemed cute.

I rubbed my cheek against the surface of the coal as if it were a beloved pet.

The Crown Prince looked at me with disgust.

“It’s a preference. Please respect it.”

Gined, who had been observing the coal carefully, asked cautiously.

“If you don’t mind, Lady. May I take that stone to the Holy Kingdom for investigation?”

“Hmm…”

I followed Gined’s opinions well until now, but this time I hesitated.

No matter how it looked, the coal was undeniably a male lead. Was it okay to leave it with another male lead like this?

“I have no other intention. It just seems dangerous for an individual to keep such an item. I’ve never seen a talking stone before. Besides, didn’t it introduce itself as Shahar? Shahar is the name of the ruler of the underworld. While we can’t fully trust the stone’s claims, it feels unsettling to leave it unchecked.”

“Just a moment. The opinion of the coal… Shahar is important too.”

I looked down at the coal and asked.

“What do you think, Mr. Stone?”

“I do not like the idea of being investigated. However, if it’s to reassure my mate, I will endure it.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Gined, ever polite, even used honorifics with the coal.

It might have seemed like a ridiculous scene, but his expression was so serious that I couldn’t laugh.

The Crown Prince, who had been listening to our conversation, expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Wait, why should the Holy Kingdom investigate it? This is an item found by Lou, a citizen of the Empire, on imperial territory. So, it’s the Empire’s property. It’s only right for imperial mages to investigate it.”

“Priests are more suited to investigating items from the underworld. Even if it turns out to be dangerous, the Holy Pope can keep it much safer.”

“The Empire also has excellent mages.”

The two started bickering again over the disposal of the coal.

“Hold on, it’s quite annoying to listen to this. It’s clearly my mate stone, isn’t it? It’s my personal property. Why are you two deciding where my stone should go?”

“Are you considering me, my mate?”

The coal spoke in a touched voice.

Without responding, I put the coal back into my pocket.

“I’ll take it to my residence first. It’s my mate stone, after all. I can’t send it somewhere else without even showing it around the house.”

* * *

‘I’ve brought it home for now…’

My parents’ reactions weren’t much different from the two male leads earlier.

“What is this…?”

My father asked, looking at the coal with a frown.

Before I could choose my words, the coal answered promptly.

“Are you the parents of my mate? Nice to meet you. I am Shahar, the king of the underworld. I regret that our first meeting is in this form.”

“Oh my, the stone talked!”

My mother was startled and hid behind my father, who, speechless, looked back and forth between me and the coal. Then, suddenly recalling the content, he jumped up.

“Wait! What do you mean by mate?”

“Well, it’s a trend these days to raise stones instead of pets. I got a special stone, so I thought I’d try raising it.”

“A trend? Raising stones is a trend?”

My father looked bewildered.

My mother, who had regained her composure, shook her head beside him.

“I really can’t understand kids these days.”

“Anyway, if that’s what you’ve decided, take good care of it. A stone should be easier to take care of than an animal.”

Surprisingly, my parents accepted the coal without prejudice.

They seemed more intrigued by the fake latest trend of raising stones than the fact that the stone could talk.

‘But what should I do from now on?’

I stared blankly at the coal on the table, lost in thought.

Could I truly love a piece of coal?