‘What the hell was she talking about?’ 

“You’re completely out of your mind.”

“In what way?”

“Whether it’s a gift, a memento or whatever, if it was putting you in danger, you should have gotten rid of it.”

“No, it didn’t put me in danger. It was just holding me, that’s all.”

Wrong. There was no reasoning with her. 

When Lucian gave up trying to make her understand and shut up, the demon queen muttered in a slightly indignant tone, “I’m telling the truth, Lucian. It’s not dangerous at all. It’s just a toy.”

“A toy?”

“Yes. It’s a toy you use when you want to tie someone up underwater during playtime.” 

“…tie someone up and…do what…”

The Demon Queen, unimpressed, added casually.

“What else? It’s a game between man and woman.” 

Lucian’s previously frozen expression changed to a slight frown. 

“Lucian, would you like to try?” 

“I’ll have to decline.” 

“Why? It’s only hard at first, but once you get into it…” 

“That’s terrible, so don’t even bring it up.” 

Despite his curt reply, the Demon Queen burst out laughing, clearly amused. 

“Lucian, you’re so shy. You really do act like a newlywed.”

Lucian didn’t even think it worth answering and just kept his mouth shut. She said she enjoyed being tied up and staying in the water all night because she couldn’t cut through it. 

“It’s OK. I was like that at first. But once you try it, Lucian, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too.” 

He no longer wanted to understand the twisted psychology of this crazy demon. 

“I’m serious.” 

“…” 

“Really, I didn’t like it at first either. But as time went on, I…” 

“Enough.”

Lucian cut her off and turned his head away. Amidst their bickering, the canoe had quietly reached the shore. 

The man jumped lightly from the boat and soon held out a hand to the demon queen. 

“Hurry up and get out.” 

He wanted to drag her inside quickly, fearing she might try something ridiculous again. But as soon as she saw the outstretched hand, her eyes lit up. 

“Can I hold your hand as we go?” 

“Just take my hand to get off the boat.” 

“Mm, no. I want to hold it all the way to the room.” 

The woman eagerly took his hand and walked gracefully to the floor. As he felt her grip tighten, as if she had no intention of letting go, Lucian let out a small sigh. 

“Lucian, were you worried about me?” 

“I was not.” 

“Then why are you holding my hand? You didn’t hold it before.” 

“Because I’m afraid you’ll jump in the water again. It’s tiring and exhausting.” 

Deciding it was better to just drag her along rather than be swayed by her antics, Lucian took her hand firmly. The demon queen, surprisingly compliant, allowed herself to be led all the way to the bedroom. 

“Hurry up and wash yourself.” 

Lucian retrieved a towel from the bathroom attached to the bedroom and placed it gently on her head. 

“Oh dear.”

The Dark Quuen’s eyes lit up at that moment with a mischievous smile. 

Lucian added in a weary voice.

“You are wet, so take a bath and rest.” 

“Shall we bathe together then?” 

“I’ll pass.” 

“Why not? You’re soaked too, Lucian.” 

“I’ll wash in another room.” 

Firmly refusing her suggestion, Lucian hurriedly pushed the Demon Queen into the bathroom. 

“Just get in.” 

“Ugh… fine.”

The bathroom door closed and soon the sound of Lucian’s footsteps faded into the distance. 

Rose sat down by the door and slid to the floor. She held the dry cloth Lucian had given her as if it were a precious keepsake. 

She brought the palm that had touched his hand up to her face. Her frozen cheeks made the faint warmth feel like the comforting heat of a hearth. 

‘Its so warm.’ 

Exhaling a cold breath, Rose sat still, her mind replaying the events of earlier like a coiled spring being released. 

The shadow that had emerged from the dark lake, breaking through the rippling water. The rough, determined movements of his hands around her ankles. And then… 

“What exactly are you doing here?” 

The vivid memory of Lucian’s angry face, clear enough to take her breath away. 

The man had been angry countless times before, but Rose knew this time was different. Having spent a lifetime reading her husband’s expressions, she understood it in an instant.

In the dim light of dawn, his face was pale and frozen. It wasn’t anger, it wasn’t disgust.

“Are you trying to tell me that you couldn’t pull a blade of grass, so you’ve been waiting for me all this time?”

It wasn’t resentment – it was guilt.

A man as upright as Lucian found the situation unbearable. Not because he had left her for a week, but because he had left her underwater for only half a day.

The moment Rose realised that Lucian’s anger stemmed from guilt, all her hurt feelings vanished completely. All the way back to the castle, hand in hand with him, she felt like she was walking on air.

As she cupped her face with both hands, Rose’s fingers brushed her waist. She remembered the firm arms that had held her in the water. A small smile escaped her lips as she remembered the moment.
Lucian came to save me. Even though I didn’t beg or cry for forgiveness, he managed to control his anger and came back to take me with him. This made me unbearably happy.

I knew it was my fault that he was angry because I had broken the rules. It’s true that I didn’t want to cut the rope and held on, but staying in the freezing water until my lips turned blue was also a form of penance. A ‘penance’ for my husband.

The ‘penance’ for her husband. During the three thousand years of her marriage to her former husband, Pluto, Roee learned the meaning of the word.

As she repented for Pluto, her breath was cut off countless times. It was an expression of her willingness to sacrifice her life for him. Each death was always filled with loneliness and suffering, but if it was the only way to appease her husband’s anger, then so be it.

Even if she wasn’t fully aware of it, it had become a rule that Rose had followed for a long time.

A law of natural instinct, as effortless as breathing, which she also applied to her new husband. Even after remarrying, Rose couldn’t shake off the chains of her past life, and she sincerely believed that it was all proof of love.

So she was prepared to die for Lucian. Rose, a demon, though selfish and impulsive, became the epitome of a submissive wife when it came to her husband. To Rose, who possessed eternal life, death was nothing more than a temporary affliction. If her death could lessen her husband’s wrath, she was willing to sacrifice her life again and again.

Like her former husband Pluto, Rose, the goddess of life, could not die while her soul remained intact. Unless Pluto himself forced death upon her body, her lost breath would quickly return, and no matter how deep the wound, it would quickly heal and new flesh would grow. Of course, if she was in poor health, her recovery would be slower, but even that would be reset each time she died and came back to life.

After death and resurrection, her body would always run a high fever. After spending a whole night in bed, she would wake up feeling light, as if she had been reborn.

Just as humans become stronger by overcoming illness, Rose had developed a strong ‘immunity’ through countless deaths. That’s why she didn’t die even when she was in freezing water. 

Even though it’s still cold, that hasn’t changed. 

Rose coughed as she felt the chill run through her body. 

It had been quite a while since she came out of the water, so her body temperature should have returned to normal by now. However, given her current state, that didn’t seem to be the case. Well, she had been in the water far too long. 

As the moisture evaporated from her wet body, she felt goosebumps rise on her skin. It was much colder now than when she was completely wet. It seemed she should get into the bath to warm up. 

Carefully, Rose lost her balance as her vision spun and the world flickered like a rain-soaked lantern. 

A wave of dizziness swept over her.

“…Huh? 

Before she could take a few steps, Rose slipped and fell to the ground. 

Thud. 

Falling backwards, the back of her head hit the ground instantly. Along with the sharp pain that felt like the back of her head had cracked, her vision spun wildly. She couldn’t even scream, just lay there staring at the ceiling. 

Ah. 

‘This is quite dangerous.’ 

She couldn’t recover. Falling into a state like this, where it wouldn’t be surprising if she died on the spot, only made things worse. She had died like this several times before, but she had momentarily forgotten that sudden changes in her body temperature caused dizziness.