Livia, drenched in cold sweat, took a deep breath and raised the knife high above her shoulder.

“Cut it off?”

“……!”

She had thought she was alone, but suddenly a voice interrupted.

Clamping her lips shut to stifle a scream, she quickly looked up at the shadow looming over her head.

And there it was.

“It’ll hurt.”

…Darkness.

‘What is that?’

Livia doubted her eyes as she stared at the man.

If death had a form, wouldn’t it look like this?

Long black hair cascaded down his shoulders, and his eyes shimmered strangely like it was dusted with gold. A pitch-black chiton exposed one shoulder…

The man was stunningly beautiful, seemingly out of this world, yet there was something chilling and bizarre about him.

It wasn’t just the dark red stains spread messily beneath his leisurely and indifferent expression that made him unsettling.

Though his face appeared somewhat bored as he gazed down at Livia, his eyes keenly calculated the moment to tear her apart. He even smiled, seemingly hoping she’d let her guard down, but he was undoubtedly intent on killing her. The sharp intent to kill sent shivers down Livia’s spine.

“You’re a type I haven’t seen before… What are you?”

The man asked the question Livia herself wanted to ask him.

His dark gaze traveled from the crown of her head, down her pale face, the slender body barely covered by her clothes, and her white legs.

Finally, it stopped at her ankle wrapped in chains. The cloth she had used to hide the chains had vanished without her noticing.

“You…”

In an instant, his previously bored eyes changed. He swiftly approached and grabbed Livia’s ankle.

“What are you doing!”

Her slender leg was pulled apart by his rough grip. Livia struggled, pale with fear, but his grip on her ankle was absurdly strong.

The more she struggled, the tighter his grip became.

“A rebel… You’re a rebel.”

“…What?”

“This chain is a mark of someone who has harmed a god. Since it’s only on one leg, it seems it wasn’t a fatal blow… Interesting. Which god did you offend?”

A mark of someone who harmed a god? She had never imagined the chain on her ankle had such a meaning.

Regardless, the man’s expression changed as he observed her ankle with interest.

He furrowed his brows and stared at Livia intently, as if he had discovered something strange.

That tense moment.

“I think I’ve found something very interesting…”

His murmured words sent a chill through her.

Livia glanced at the golden knife in her hand as she braced herself against the ground.

Whoever he was, this knife was supposed to be able to harm gods, and she intended to use it if necessary.

Then it happened.

The world spun, and suddenly her back slammed into the ground.

“Ahhh!”

Her shoulder, where the arrow had struck, was crushed against the dirt, and excruciating pain pierced through the wound.

As she gasped in agony and curled up, the man climbed on top of her and, while she was panting, wrapped his hands around her neck.

“You’re still warm.”

“What are you…!”

“So, you’re still alive.”

His words confused Livia. Alive? Then why was she here in the underworld?

As he gazed steadily into her trembling eyes, he cupped her cheek with one hand, seeming pleased.

“Alive… truly alive.”

“What nonsense… Ugh!”

When Livia began to struggle to escape his eerie touch, he pinned her shoulders down with both hands, restraining her.

“Wait. Stay still. You might want to put that strange knife away too. Without me, you could vanish at any moment.”

He glanced at the golden knife clutched tightly in Livia’s hand. She defiantly gripped it even tighter.

His lips twisted into a smirk, as if amused by her defiance.

“Listen carefully. My arrow has seeped into your body. It’s a poisoned arrow, and if you don’t remove it before the poison spreads throughout your body, you’ll die. In just a few seconds.”

Startled, Livia stopped resisting and glared at him.

If the vanished arrow had indeed ‘seeped’ in as he claimed, it was likely not a lie. The wound bubbling like it was filled with poison supported his words…

Reluctantly, Livia lowered the golden knife. Following her will, the knife disappeared back into the wound, and the man grinned innocently, seemingly satisfied.

“At least you’re not completely stupid.”

Just as Livia was about to snap, the man flipped her over with a powerful force. Before she could scream, fingers as cold as the waters of the Styx traced the wound where the arrow had struck.

The spot where the arrow had seeped in felt like it was freezing, and suddenly, she sensed something being drawn out.

“Hmph!”

“It’s done.”

She gritted her teeth to suppress a scream, but enduring the wave of pain proved difficult. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

“You held on well; impressive.”

A damnable laugh echoed.

Breathing heavily, Livia ground her teeth as she lay on her stomach.

In that moment, the man’s hand, which had been touching her wound, began to glide down her smooth back.

“……!”

What was he trying to do?

His hand moved incessantly over her tense back, and then he abruptly flipped Livia onto her back.

Livia hastily covered herself with the fabric she held, but it was impossible to conceal everything.

His bare gaze swept over her white, sand-smeared body. As Livia glared fiercely with tear-filled eyes, she felt a jolt of shock.

‘Those eyes…?’

In the pitch-black pupils, like a starless night sky, golden lightning crackled.

It wasn’t a metaphor; it truly looked that way.

She recognized those eyes.

They belonged to Triton, the sea god who had killed her.

The difference was that instead of darkness and lightning, they held waves and storms.

‘Could it be that he’s a god too?’

Livia examined the man more closely.

He was at least two heads taller than her, with a build as solid as a bear, yet his face was delicate.

His expression was as innocent as a boy’s, yet his eyes were sharp like a fierce hunter’s, his hands cold and stained with blood…

Everything about him felt somehow twisted and misaligned. A contradiction or disparity. He was a man who fit perfectly with such concepts.

While Livia thoroughly examined him, the man was also observing her. The difference was that while she glared at him with her eyes, he was touching her with his hands.

“Warm.”

The cold hand that had been caressing Livia’s cheek moved down to her neck.

As he stroked her neck, which rose and fell with her heavy breathing, he buried his nose in her nape and inhaled deeply.

“…It even has a scent.”

A scent? What scent?

Livia was bewildered by his words. She had no idea how many days had passed since she arrived in the underworld. She hadn’t washed once and had been rolling in the dirt, so where could this scent possibly be coming from?

‘Is he crazy?’

Livia frowned deeply, but the man with his head buried in her neck didn’t notice. The cold tip of his nose brushing against her collarbone sent a shiver through her.

Livia slowly steadied her breathing and acted cautiously.

She sensed that if she moved recklessly and provoked him, she might vanish right there.

‘How do I escape?’

She worried about dying at his hands, but she was equally concerned about being captured by the king of the underworld. It felt suffocating not to have a clear plan, as if a net was closing in from all sides.

She needed to find a way. A way…

While she racked her brain, the hand that had been exploring her bare skin slipped to her side and wrapped around her waist like a snake.

Just as she thought she was having trouble breathing, the arm encircling her tightened.

“Hmph!”

“Ah, warm. Warm. So warm…”

The hands that held her grew rougher, like it was fueled by excitement.

His head, which had been inhaling the scent of her neck, slid down to hover around her collarbone, and then, suddenly, he opened his mouth wide and bit into her white neck.