The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 105: The Story of Eros and Psyche – (4)

As if in a trance, Psyche stepped into the palace and looked around. Somewhere, soft music began to play.

A beautiful sound of the lyre gently caressed her ears, easing her tension.

Inside, there were many fruits and dishes laid out.

The dishes were not at all inferior to what Psyche, the princess of a kingdom, was used to eating.

Feeling hungry, she slowly plucked a single grape and brought it to her mouth.

Pop– the fruit burst in her mouth. It was full of the sensation of Demeter's blessings.

How could they have made such fruits or dishes? Maybe the oracle was right, and her husband was a monster.

Still, if she didn’t see her husband's face for 100 days, she could avoid the fate of marrying a monster.

As time passed and darkness descended upon the land, fatigue overtook her, and she lay down on the bed.

‘Will my husband appear today... Since I haven’t seen him by evening, maybe tomorrow...’

Lost in thought, Psyche couldn’t fall asleep.

As she lay there, under the blanket, she heard something strange.

Click. Click. Whoooosh–

“Gasp...!”

Turning her head toward the open window, she saw a dark figure that hadn’t been there just moments ago.

Who had entered the house? Was it a monster? Her husband? Did they come in through the window...?

Though Psyche was trembling with fear, she soon realized she had no reason to be scared.

It was because the shadowy figure, wrapped in darkness, hesitantly spoke.

“Um. Pleased to meet you, Psyche. I am your husband... no, your suitor.”

“S-suitor?”

A deep, smooth voice. It sounded much like that of a man her own age.

But suitor? What did that mean? Wasn’t she supposed to spend 100 days with her husband without seeing his face?

For now, could she trust the shadowy figure whose face she couldn’t see due to the darkness?

“Suitor? Then... are we...”

“Uh, please don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of laying a hand on you.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m busy during the day, so I’ll only come here in the evening to spend time getting to know you.”

Psyche couldn’t understand what was happening. Marriage, as far as she knew, was about a man and woman forming a relationship...

And living together... But wait, didn’t he introduce himself as a suitor?

“…You said you were a suitor earlier.”

“Yes.”

“Then... am I not married to you?”

At her question, the shadowy figure hesitated for a moment before responding.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Psyche felt he was blushing.

“Not yet. So...”

“…?”

“After 100 days, please decide whether you will accept my heart. I’ll propose to you over these 100 days without laying a hand on you.”

Could that be true? The relief that she wouldn’t be forced into marriage. The hope that maybe he wasn’t as bad as she thought.

But along with that came curiosity and a little doubt.

However, her suitor did not entertain any further questions.

“I…”

“Since it's the first night, I’m sure this must have been overwhelming. I’ll leave for now and return at this time tomorrow. Also, everything in this palace is yours to use as you wish. As long as you don’t leave the palace grounds, you can go for walks or write letters. My invisible servants will assist you.”

Whoooosh–

With the sound of the wind, Psyche’s suitor disappeared once again.

Was it because of his shyness? After hurriedly saying what he wanted, the only thought she had about him as he left was this:

‘You could have closed the window...’

It’s chilly in the evening.

* * *

Thus began their strange cohabitation.

If you could call it cohabitation, that is. Her suitor visited her every night...

He would talk with her for a bit and then sleep beside her. But by morning, he would always be gone.

And even though he never once touched her, that was what stood out to her the most.

One week. Two weeks. When 30 days had passed, Psyche’s wariness gradually began to fade.

She had been a little scared at first, but after talking with him every day, she found he had a bit of a simple side, and it truly seemed like he had feelings for her.

His respectful attitude of never once forming a physical relationship with her also contributed to her growing trust.

One day, Psyche asked him a question.

“Um. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“If it’s your question, I will answer anything, so please ask.”

“Why haven’t you laid a hand on me?”

A very reasonable and natural question. There is no man who wouldn’t appreciate the beauty of a lovely woman.

Was her beauty, which even most Greek men, and even gods, had praised, not enough to stir him?

By this point, Psyche was beginning to feel a little hurt in her pride.

Her suitor seemed to hesitate for a moment before slowly responding.

“To be honest, I once thought of forcefully taking you. But... if I had done that, you never would have opened your heart to me.”

“Then why did you change your mind? Yawn~ I’m not skilled in martial arts, so I wouldn’t have been able to resist...”

“…The most just and merciful being in the world gave me insight. That a human heart is not to be taken but earned...”

Even though she couldn’t see his face in the darkness, Psyche could sense that he was smiling softly.

His tone was full of respect. Who could he be referring to as the most just and merciful being? 

The most outstanding being in one field would certainly be a god.

Wait. Could it be...?

Despite the drowsiness overwhelming her, Psyche’s mind began to piece together the puzzle.

The new oracle her parents received at Pluto’s temple, and the other name of Pluto was…

“Over the next 100 days, please consider my proposal. I truly love you.”

The god of the underworld, wealth, and mercy.

The ruler of the underworld, who judges the final destination of souls with fairness and strictness.

Yet, he was known as a benevolent god, not cold to mortals.

“Rest well. You must be very tired again today.”

‘So that’s it. I must thank Pluto...’

* * *

100 days passed quickly.

On the evening of the exact 100th day, Psyche welcomed her suitor as usual.

“…Today is the 100th day.”

“That’s right.”

Psyche reflected on the past 100 days.

Her husband—or rather, her suitor—had been incredibly kind to her. He respected her quite a bit and treated her well...

His body, which she had occasionally touched as he fell asleep beside her every night, was quite firm too.

Life in this place was more luxurious than her days in the royal palace and not unpleasant at all.

A vast garden, a mansion filled with jewels, invisible but loyal servants, and a suitor who courted her without ever crossing any boundaries.

Following the oracle her parents had received, she had never once seen her husband’s face.

Her two sisters, who exchanged letters with her, had also repeatedly warned her.

- Psyche, you must never look at his face. Just endure for about 60 more days.

- Following the pigeon that delivered the letter, we now know where you are. It’s about three days’ travel from the kingdom...

Before receiving Pluto's oracle, the words of her sisters, who visited a fearful Psyche in the kingdom, were completely different.

Back then, they advised her to secretly check her husband with a torch and stab him with a sword if he turned out to be a monster.

‘They were so worried about me… I really want to see them soon.’

As Psyche reminisced about the past, her husband slowly approached her.

Instead of lying beside her, for some reason, he just sat at the edge of the bed.

“Why aren’t you lying beside me tonight?”

“…Actually, the reason no suitors came to you was because of me.”

“What?”

“You can say that I used a little bit of my power after falling in love with you at first sight.”

His voice, tinged with sadness and slight trembling, left Psyche feeling perplexed.

That it was because of him that no suitors appeared, and why was he revealing this now? If he hadn’t told her, she would have never known the truth.

“Why are you telling me this now? You could have just kept it a secret…”

“…I wanted to be honest with myself. Even if I deceived you into marriage, Lord Hades wouldn’t have permitted it... Tomorrow, you’ll decide whether to accept my proposal, but I feel I shouldn’t hide anything... I’m sorry.”

He mentioned Lord Hades. No mortal would dare call that name unless they were one of his priests.

For death is as fearsome as the lightning in the heavens or the deep sea.

Yet, instead of calling him Pluto, he referred to him as Hades.

As Psyche had vaguely suspected, her suitor was indeed a god.

“It’s… okay.”

“…What did you say?”

“It’s okay. If you hadn’t done that, I would’ve been sold off to a neighboring kingdom as a pawn in a political marriage anyway.”

Psyche’s unexpected composure came from this very understanding.

For a princess who possessed only beauty, the best outcome was to be sold to a prince who would treat her well.

In that sense, this mysterious suitor she had spent 100 days observing wasn’t bad at all.

And… if he were no longer at her side from tomorrow onward, she realized she would feel an emptiness.

The fact that he was a god was a slight concern...

“If I grow old and lose my beauty, will you still love me?”

“If that’s your worry…! I swear on the River Styx... And I’ll plead with Lord Zeus to make you a goddess.”

Having confirmed each other’s hearts, they finally consummated their relationship after 100 day

s of delicate cohabitation.

And just after midnight, Psyche finally saw the face of her betrothed.

A beautifully sculpted, handsome face, and wings made of pure white feathers. This was…

“Thank you so much for trusting me, Psyche. I am Eros, the god of love.”

“Ah… Eros…”

The 100 days of patience had been a preparation and test to qualify her to gaze upon the face of a god.

Now that she had passed, even Aphrodite would have no choice but to acknowledge them.