Triton appeared from thin air as if he had been there all along and immediately rushed to embrace Livia.

At the same time, the water chain that had been bound to her ankle instantly vanished into the air. Livia, who had been glaring at her ankle with a dumbfounded expression, hurriedly demanded answers from Triton.

“What was that just now? Don’t tell me you’ve put shackles on my feet, Triton?”

“Shackles, Livia? It’s just a small safety measure.”

“…Safety measure? What kind of safety measure?”

Triton, pulling up the corners of his mouth in a smooth smile, carried Livia to the window.

Leaning back almost lying down on the soft sofa made of sea anemone colonies, he placed Livia on his knee and gently whispered while stroking her hair.

“Let’s call it a safety measure for my faith in you.”

“…What?”

Livia’s mind momentarily froze at his words, which contrasted with his warm gaze as he tucked her red hair behind her ear.

When she looked at him with a face that showed she didn’t quite understand what he meant, Triton simply held Livia tightly and explained by kissing all over her face.

But that wasn’t enough for Livia.

She wanted him to explain more clearly what exactly was going on.

“Triton…. Wait, more explanation… What do you mean by faith, what are you saying?”

When she tried to push him away while avoiding his shower of kisses, he grabbed her wrist. Holding her so she couldn’t move an inch, he whispered in her ear with a hoarse voice.

“Just for a very short while, Livia.”

“……”

“Just for a moment, let’s do this. Okay?”

How should she put it…

Though it was just a simple phrase, his voice made Livia freeze. Though it wasn’t pressuring, his voice filled with desperation was pitiful as if he were in agony.

‘…Pitiful? Who? Triton?’

Livia looked up at him with a bewildered face.

Though he looked at her with his usual relaxed and leisurely smile while pressing kisses on her stiff lips, she could see that the dark clouds in his azure eyes hadn’t yet cleared.

When she realized those dark clouds represented his distrust toward her, Livia was somehow struck with shock as if she’d been hit on the head.

“Just bear with it until my anxiety subsides, Livia.”

Triton whispered in her ear while holding her body even more tightly.

A god speaking of anxiety. It was both fresh and shocking.

It was bewildering that she could be someone who could cause him anxiety, and on the other hand…

“……”

She felt a strange elation.

Livia steadied her breath as she felt a corner of her heart grow tight. When she quietly looked up at him with unwavering eyes, he gazed back at her meaningfully.

As if he knew all about that twisted elation she was feeling now. As if saying he would show her everything she wanted if she would just follow his words, so docilely like that.

‘Ah, I think I’m going crazy….’

Livia felt her hands trembling. Elation consumed her entire body.

Though her head told her she shouldn’t allow these shackles, a sadistic desire to enjoy this beautiful and noble god’s anxiety just a little longer crept up.

This wasn’t normal. This twisted desire was neither beautiful nor healthy.

However, just as forbidden things are more attractive, Livia briefly leaned into the desire she shouldn’t nurture.

Slowly swallowing a sigh, she silently embraced his shoulders and buried her face in his thick chest.

‘If it’s just for a moment….’

Yes, as he said, it seemed fine if it was just for a moment. Just for a very short while.

***

However, Livia realized far too late that a god’s “moment” wasn’t the same unit she had thought it would be.

‘…Weren’t gods supposed to be capricious beings? Then why doesn’t Triton seem that way?’

She had been foolish. Triton’s obsession was too massive and complex for her to enjoy. It seemed she had underestimated something that was far beyond her level to handle.

“Haah.”

Livia pressed her forehead while looking at the chain still wrapped around her ankle with furrowed brows.

Though she couldn’t tell how many days had passed, seeing that most of the pearl anklet Triton had given her had turned black, it seemed quite some time had passed.

‘…Fifteen? Fourteen? About that many left?’

Livia stopped counting the pearls with her fingers and pressed her forehead.

After being devoured in his embrace, she would repeatedly fall asleep as if fainting.

Her overworked body felt asleep even when her eyes were open, and even when they were closed, she found it difficult to properly regain consciousness as she always felt like she was in his embrace.

Then when she opened her eyes, she would invariably find herself left alone in the bedroom.

Though Sympho and Neo would visit frequently to ease her boredom. She couldn’t see anyone else. Not even Audike.

No visitors, and she couldn’t go out as she pleased. No matter how much she shouted asking if anyone was there, no one approached.

“…No, how is this any different from prison.”

When would that anxiety disappear? If she waited for Triton’s anxiety to fade, she’d grow old and die before getting her revenge.

All she could do was blankly stare at the ocean view outside the castle until she fell asleep waiting for Triton to come.

Though Triton mostly stayed by Livia’s side, he was always gone somewhere when she seemed to fall into deep sleep.

He said he had something to look into, and that he would tell her later too, so it seemed related to her…

What could it be? Perhaps something related to Echidna?

‘…Ah, I don’t know.’

As she lay sprawled on the bed staring blankly at the sky, strangely enough she felt sleepy again despite having slept for quite a long time. Being confined without being able to go outside seemed to make her even weaker.

Moreover, recently her head would frequently feel fuzzy, as if she had been drunk on alcohol or drunk on sleep.

She had never felt this listless in her life. The cool current flowing by stroked Livia’s forehead as she lay stretched out. The soft fabric wrapping around her legs felt good too.

As her body grew languid, she just wanted to fall asleep like this.

She didn’t want to think about anything.

It felt like if she didn’t think about anything, nothing would happen.

Couldn’t she just stay comfortable and languid like this? Like the jellyfish floating outside, she just wanted to drift along in this state.

Without thinking about revenge or the underworld, in a state where she didn’t have to resolve anything.

Her heart was at peace like this back when she would take naps with Mumu after letting the sheep graze in the meadow… Back then all her family members were safe…

“……”

At that moment, Livia’s eyes flew open.

‘Mumu, family….’

Right, she still had things she needed to resolve. How could she forget such important things?

Livia shot up and bit her nails. As she began to realize her situation, anxiety crept in. It felt like she had forgotten something, but what had she forgotten?

“…Lete.”

Right, my brother. Lete. And? What else had she forgotten? Though she had forgotten something very important, she couldn’t quite recall what it was. Besides Lete, it was something related to Triton.

“Here, just feed this to Triton and make him say he loves you.”

Love…

Right, love…!

Even Livia could no longer deny his feelings now. And not just his feelings. She couldn’t deny her own feelings for him either.

However, his feelings toward her would become poison. Since Echidna’s curse had turned love into a curse… What’s more, what had she said? That their contract was already bound by blood, and wouldn’t break even in death.

Livia squeezed her eyes shut in despair. Wouldn’t it be fine if she just never said “I love you”? Though she made such a foolish assumption, it wasn’t very hopeful.

As she anxiously paced around, she suddenly remembered Echidna’s black orb that she had hidden behind the bed. Come to think of it, why had the witch told her to feed it to him and make him say he loved her?

Perhaps. Just maybe… if she didn’t feed him this, would nothing happen to Triton?

A faint hope raised its head.

Livia hurriedly searched behind the bed where she had hidden the orb, just in case. However…

“It’s not here…? Why, where did it…”

Very strangely, the orb that Livia had hidden was already completely gone.