When she opened her eyes, the rapture of bliss continued; when her weary eyelids closed, her lover’s arm encircled her waist and embraced her from behind.
The bed, decorated with silk and fur, knew no moment for its warmth to cool. Her lover gave her endless love, and between her thighs was always drenched moist, as if anointed with fragrant oil.
“Mmm…”
Asteril cracked open one eyelid. The southern window blazed brilliantly. Rising while rubbing her eyes, she sat blankly, wrapping white linen around her body.
“Kalian?”
He seemed to have left before dawn. When she pressed her palm against the empty space beside her, the warmth had faded, leaving it cool.
Bukpung poked his head through the window. He slipped inside, surveyed the room, and then stroked his chest as if relieved by Kalian’s absence.
Asteril narrowed her eyes and watched Bukpung’s behavior. He hesitated, unable to approach, and instead fidgeted with the wall. His sidelong glances and furtive looks suggested he was waiting for her to speak first.
“What’s wrong?”
He was the type to habitually check east, west, south, and north, always ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Despite being a spirit, far from caring for surrounding nature entities, he possessed the ability to turn into a dot and vanish beyond the horizon at every crisis, solely to save himself—a feat truly worthy of applause.
“But if not for you, I would have succumbed to Himeros’s poison.”
If not for you and Princess Melinoe.
“How should I repay you?”
At her murmur, Bukpung perked up, looked at her, and raised the corners of his mouth. “As expected of the Princess of the Southern Kingdom, you know what loyalty is!” Pleased, he approached.
You too? You also know loyalty?
When she looked at him with such an expression, Bukpung halted as if his own feet had gone numb.
“No, that is not what I meant… That is, when I said ‘you,’ I did not mean the Princess, nor was I intending any disrespect toward Her Highness…”
“Act as you always have.”
Asteril said with narrowed eyes. It was neither comfortable nor pleasant to see him suddenly prostrate and speaking formally to her, like he did to Lord Lian of Star Palace, when he used to nag and nitpick while calling her Princess of the Southern Kingdom this and that.
“What changed is my relationship with him; why must things become awkward between us? I don’t want to order you around like a servant, nor am I in such a position. We’re comrades, aren’t we?”
Bukpung, who had listened in silence, finally smiled with joy and curled his tail upon seeing the smile on Asteril’s lips.
The garden trees clicked their tongues at Bukpung, the troublemaker of Star Palace, calling him the very cradle and paragon of egoism who only looked after himself, but she thought differently. He was someone who thoroughly carried out the one duty assigned to him. It was the nature of a wind spirit. Though he had such a light behind that he might tumble at the rustling laughter of reeds, he never took his eyes off what he was meant to protect.
Asteril, having dressed and stepped out into the garden, faltered. She had spent all her time in the Star Palace and was not particularly close to the nature spirits of the main palace. Even so, they had always welcomed her warmly. Not only was it wondrous to find a human who understood their speech, but the natural power they felt from her was familiar.
Yet now, they were completely frozen, stealing glances at her. The garden trees bent their branch tips, and the flowers folded their buds like pincers into a defensive posture. The birds startled the moment they saw her and flew high into the sky.
Asteril went to the edge of the garden and sat with her legs folded. Bukpung, who had followed behind, hung his tail on a branch and rested his chin as he looked down at her.
“Why are they all acting like that? As if I might devour them?”
“Because, Princess of the Southern Kingdom, you are now the Mistress of Lethe, Despoina. A single word from you could turn them to dust and make them vanish.”
“Kalian wouldn’t do such a thing. Neither would I…”
“Of course you wouldn’t, but that’s because you haven’t seen him truly enraged. Have you seen the wrath of the Exalted? If they lose their reason for even a single instant, the entire world will be utterly destroyed.”
“You speak as if you’ve seen it?”
“Of course I have.”
Bukpung, who had been crossing his arms and shaking his head, flinched. Why was she looking at him with such curious eyes again? Asteril stared up at him intently.
“You mean you saw Kalian like that?”
“Of course not. The Lord of Lethe is not one to lose reason so easily. But most Ketons are impulsive and destructive.”
“For example… like Nyx?”
“Yes, like Lord Nyx… What? No, why are we talking about him here?”
He had nodded along in agreement first, only to suddenly realize and feign ignorance. Asteril let it slide, knowing full well. After all, as long as it wasn’t Kalian, she didn’t care.
“But where did Kalian go? He doesn’t seem to be in the palace…”
“Princess of the Southern Kingdom, you have tremendous audacity. To call his esteemed name so freely like that.”
In any case, when it came to nagging alone, not even Seopung could beat this fellow. Just talking a lot was tiresome, but when it was all nagging… Asteril grabbed a thin wrap and headed toward Star Palace.
It had been a while since she’d had breakfast with the princesses. She would spread the wrap under the fig tree and suggest they eat honeyed sweets brought from the main palace together. Princess Melinoe, in particular, unexpectedly favored sweet things.
“Good heavens… Lady Asteril?”
At Tethys’s surprised cry, all eyes widened and turned toward her.
Amphitrite, who had been making a wreath of white wildflowers, covered her face in disbelief upon spotting Asteril.
Come to think of it, how many days had passed? Clinging to Kalian’s embrace without even knowing day from night, she had forgotten to send word to the other princesses. It had truly been a dreamlike time, as if she had become a goddess.
After the Night of Selection, Kalian had taken her to his chambers in the main palace. From then on, she had never stepped a single foot outside. The Lord of Lethe had taken care of everything.
When hunger struck, Hanpung brought food from somewhere. Kalian would prop his arm under her head as he watched her eat, or feed her with his own hand, then sneak a kiss upon her lips.
When her whole body was drenched in sweat and in disarray, he carried her to the spring. There they immersed themselves together and made love in the water. When she grew embarrassed by the splashing water, he stirred the wind to silence everything. Even though he knew that in that silence, her moans would resonate even louder…
“Make more noise, my love.”
Whispering in such a deep voice, he slipped his hand into her parted flesh and stirred her fiercely. The slapping sounds were so violent and rapid that one could not tell whether it was the spring water or her arousal. When droplets splashing between her spread legs touched her cheek, he bent down and lapped them up with the tip of his tongue. As his cold tongue touched the mound of her secrets and his lips sucked out her hidden inner flesh as if drawing it forth, a cry of ecstasy burst from her twisting waist.
“Ha-ahh…”
It felt as though everyone was watching from between the shrubs. Perhaps it was the gaze of an owl felt through the leaves. But he paid no heed and devoured her. Until the sun traveled from overhead toward the west, and until the moon tilted its head to look down upon them.
“Lady Asteril?”
“Yes? Ah, well…”
Asteril, who had been sitting blankly, wiped the corners of her mouth with a cloth and looked around at the princesses. They were all staring at her with eyes full of curiosity. All except one—Melinoe, who sat with crossed arms and glared fiercely.
“I have been staying in the main palace all this time.”
Metea’s breath was the first to grow louder. Her cheeks flushed, and she fidgeted nervously before gauging the reactions of the other princesses.
Princess Tethys gazed at Asteril with wide eyes before opening her mouth. “The main palace… Did His Majesty summon you?”
It was a question laden with many implications. After a brief pause, Asteril smiled and answered. “I suppose you could say that.”
“Th-then…”
Even young Amphitrite knew what that meant. At fifteen, one was of marriageable age in Poseidonia.
“What about Lord Lian? Does he know?” asked Melinoe, who had been listening quietly. “Lord Lian has now left and is no longer here.”
“What? Why? Because of Lady Asteril?”
“Did he fall out of His Majesty’s favor?”
“That isn’t it…”
Asteril pondered for a moment. She had asked Kalian how she ought to explain it to the princesses. He had replied nonchalantly, “Do as you please.”
“Actually, Lord Lian is not the sort of person you all think he is.”
To the bewildered princesses, Asteril added a brief explanation.
“He is His Majesty’s sister.”
Everyone was too shocked to speak. But they soon accepted it. In truth, who she was no longer mattered now. Only Melinoe did not withdraw her suspicious gaze.
“We had no news of you, Your Highness, and feared something terrible had happened when you disappeared…” said Metea, her voice trembling. They had been shaking in fear, not knowing when or where Asteril’s corpse might be found.
“But why are Your Highnesses preparing breakfast yourselves?”
“Well… the attendants have all disappeared.”
“What?”
“It has been a few days now.”
“They vanished as if they had evaporated into thin air.”
No one knew the exact number of attendants who managed the Star Palace. It was likely not fixed. This place was never meant for humans to dwell in. The sinful attendants were in truth trapped in Lethe, paying for their crimes, and Kalian, King of Hades, probably served as a sort of overseer to monitor and punish them.
“Right before Lady Asteril disappeared, an attendant was found dead.”
Ah, that assailant who had attacked her? Asteril listened with a surprised expression, feigning ignorance. Metea continued in a tone of horror.
“It was so gruesome that I had nightmares about that attendant for days. You were fortunate not to see it, Lady Asteril.”
Unable to say, “I saw that attendant’s head shatter to pieces before my very eyes,” Asteril listened with a grave gaze.
“But the next day, another attendant was found dead in the courtyard.”
“What?”
This was unexpected. Asteril looked at Melinoe. In response to her questioning gaze, Melinoe shook her head with a frown.
“But the strange thing was, though she was dressed as an attendant, she was an extremely old crone. I don’t recall there ever being such an elderly attendant in the Star Palace…”
“Her hair was completely white, and her face was so wrinkled like a silkworm cocoon. It was a face I had never seen before no matter how I looked. In any case, working with such a decrepit body, it wouldn’t be strange if she died of overexertion. But this time, the other attendants’ reactions were quite different. They wouldn’t even approach or touch the corpse of the first attendant who died so terribly, yet they huddled around the body of the second dead crone, not knowing what to do.”
That being might not have been a true old woman. Asteril recalled what Bukpung had gigglingly whispered in the face of her assailant attendant’s death.
“The God of Time has sent them a harsher wind than others. A few blasts of that bitter, biting wind are enough to wither one’s flesh like a dead tree.”
The aging that progressed in an instant gnawed away at the women’s youth like mice burrowing into a rind. But she had been told not to pity them. They were sinners, and that was their punishment.
The other attendants must have been terrified witnessing their comrade’s death. To think they could collapse and die like a rotten tree without warning, with nowhere to run, their faces mangled so hideously.
Asteril looked at Bukpung, who was floating in midair. He must know the answer. Until now, he had kept silent under the excuse of his lord’s orders, or the excuse that ignorance is bliss, but now it would be difficult to do so. She herself had declared that she was now Despoina of Lethe.
“Tell me honestly. What happened?”
When Asteril whispered through spiritual echo, Bukpung flinched and looked down at her. His furtive gaze hesitated, as if debating whether to tell her.
“Hurry.”
When Asteril pressed him in a solemn tone, Bukpung opened his mouth as if throwing caution to the wind.
“They’re all dead.”
“What?”
“The Ruler of Lethe ordered their immediate execution. They were fated to die sooner or later anyway.”
“Why so suddenly?”
“How would I know?”
Bukpung shrugged his shoulders, snickering that the Exalted’s thoughts were surely better known to her, the Princess of the Southern Kingdom, than to him.
“Where is he?”
“Who?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“I mean, who…”
“Kalian.”
Bukpung flinched. Every time, he thought to himself—the Princess of the Southern Kingdom, no, the new Despoina—must surely carry her liver outside her belly. Or perhaps she had countless lives hanging like clusters of grapevines. Yet his own liver was smaller and more timid than a hole made by pricking a millet grain with a needle, so he dared not even let the Exalted’s name enter his ears.
“I’m scared, I’m so scared I could die.”
“Of whom? Kalian?”
“No, I mean…”
Just as if voicing his inner thoughts, an enraged voice was heard from somewhere.
“How insolent… Dare you utter that name?”
It was a spiritual echo brimming with killing intent. The problem was that it was not heard only by Asteril and Bukpung. The other princesses also looked around in surprise before turning to one another, as if asking whether the others had heard it too.
“How are you any different from the attendants? You reached out and coveted what you should not.”
A chill ran down her spine. Bukpung, who would normally have fled with his tail between his legs in such an atmosphere, instead crept close and whispered in her ear.
“Run, Princess… A guest has come to kill you.”
Asteril felt cold sweat running down her spine. Run, where? She would be fortunate if her neck wasn’t cut the moment she turned around.
“Where are you speaking from?”
With every nature entity holding its breath, it was hard to detect any sign of presence. Ignoring her question, the opponent sent forth a voice laden with fury.
“You said you were looking for Lian? He has gone to a place someone like you can never reach. I doubt you will see him again.”
“He is not someone who would do so without a word to me. If it is a place I cannot reach… Oceanus? It seems he has gone to a clan gathering.”
Silence fell. She had guessed roughly based on what she heard from Seopung, and it seemed she was correct. In truth, Kalian’s movements were so obvious that it was hard not to know.
A snorting sound was heard, as if suppressed anger had exploded. Asteril, tilting her ear attentively, looked up at the building where the Star Palace princesses lodged.
On the gable of the roof, where afternoon sunlight poured down, a man stood upright, looking down at them. Bright brown hair, green eyes that seemed to contain a midsummer forest. Strangely, he looked familiar. Even his hostile expression, with his brow deeply furrowed… Upon meeting eyes with Asteril, he bent slightly and lightly kicked off, landing on the ground. He wore a leather tunic and bracelets woven from thin twigs. The feet that touched the earth were bare.
As he strode closer, his face grew increasingly twisted. Bukpung, who had already fled far away, stomped his feet and shouted. Run, Princess! I’m telling you to run…
“Shut up, Notus!”
When he glared as if to kill, Bukpung fled in shock. Asteril was also surprised but took a deep breath, pretending to be calm.
Spirits do not reveal their names. According to ancient records, a spirit’s name holds mysterious power, and knowing it allows one to form a contract with them. Therefore, spirits who despised being bound always hid their names tightly.
Asteril still did not know Seopung’s name. She had asked several times, but each time Seopung had remained silent. Bukpung had never told her his name either. Yet that man knew Bukpung’s name. She felt as if she had been caught off guard.
The opponent knew Bukpung better than she did, knew Kalian better than she did, and was stronger than she was. She thought he might be dangerous.
Meanwhile, young Amphitrite hugged Tethys’s waist and burrowed into her embrace. Her frightened eyes surveyed the surroundings like a young deer. “Sister, who in the world is that?” Tethys soothed her younger sister calmly and lowered her voice. “Hush, ask nothing now. You must not dare interfere. Quickly, lower your head and close your eyes. You must not leave my side.”
The princesses instinctively knew. That the green-eyed man approaching before them was not human.
“Hestia.”
Flames bloomed in the man’s hand. A lotus-shaped flame, embered in pale yellow, burned crimson before flaring up like blazing red flames. The thing called Hestia looked somewhat different from ordinary flames. To feel curiosity rising even at a time like this. Asteril smirked as if fed up with herself.
“You were called Lord Aris, were you not?”
At that time, the green-eyed visitor seen with Lian had been a woman. The opponent before her now was a man. But Asteril intuitively knew they were the same person. Like Kalian.
His expression hardened when his name was called. His gaze was one of great displeasure. One could tell from the way the flames that had been burning beautifully like a flower bud in his hand now blazed wildly as if in full bloom.
“Dare not question me.”
Asteril’s pupils dilated as she looked at Hestia. She turned and ran toward the princesses. Her back felt hot. The terrified princesses screamed and embraced one another. In their pupils, flames swelling to the size of houses were visible. Asteril hugged Amphitrite, who was already in Tethys’s arms, as if to protect her. To somehow save the youngest princess.
Aris, watching them, sneered contemptuously as if amused. How foolish. He stretched out his hand, then folded his arms, expecting to see them scream. However, his expectant gaze slowly twisted.
What? It was quiet. Asteril, who had been holding Tethys and Amphitrite in both arms, quietly opened her eyelids. Metea, who had been lying prone on the ground, was also seen slowly raising her head. Nothing had happened.
Looking around, Asteril discovered embers floating in the air. They looked like traces of ash remaining after a fire had been extinguished. Bukpung, hiding behind a garden tree, blew out a “hoo,” and the things that had been drifting powerlessly flickered their last light and vanished like dust.
Aris wore an absurd expression. He strode over. He simply could not understand what had just happened.
He grabbed Asteril’s chin and yanked her upright. Her head tilted back as she was dragged to her knees. When he tightened his grip to seize not just her chin but her throat, Asteril choked and writhed in anguish.
“What the hell are you?”
He had clearly commanded Hestia. To burn that woman before him without leaving a single fragment of bone. Yet Hestia, just before touching the woman’s body, defied his command and extinguished herself.
“I’m asking what the hell you are!”
During the last full moon, he had officially become Hestia’s guardian. Hestia listened to no one’s command but his own. Not even Uranus, the head of the clan. If there was an exception, only one—Gaia, who had created Hestia.
“What the hell are you that Hestia would defy me? What the hell are you that Lian! Lian…”
“Are you saying that he became a male form?”
The Aris that Asteril had seen that day had clearly been a woman. She had told Lian so—that she would become Hestia’s guardian today. That night had been a full moon. The day Kalian attained his adult form had also been a full moon. Perhaps Aris had attained his adult form before him, and unfortunately, his guess had been wrong.
Aris’s eyelids reddened as he exchanged glances with Asteril. “Lian intended to become a female form. He spent more than half the day in Lian’s form, and his power was stronger when he was Lian. But after meeting you, after taking an unnecessary interest in you, suddenly…” His voice had been rising, but he bit his lips as if his throat had seized up.
“That is a strange thing to say.”
“What?”
“If what you say is true, then why did Kalian not become an adult form sooner for your sake, Lord Aris?”
“Did you think it happens just because one wills it?”
“You appeared to have done so at will, Lord Aris. I suppose that was not the case.”
He was at a loss for words.
“Before one even speaks of choosing a side, it seems a matter of whether he truly had the will to become an adult form… If he had such a will, he would have changed long ago to match his partner, just as Lord Aris did.”
Aris repeatedly clenched his fist. He felt as if he had been stabbed to the quick; he had needed to blame someone, but this damned princess’s tongue was barbed with thorns, answering back tit for tat and prodding at his sore spots.
“Shut up…”
“What I mean is—”
“I said shut up!”
He lifted Asteril high into the air and flung her toward a pillar visible in front of him. With a thud, Asteril crashed and rolled across the floor, curled up.
“Princess Asteril! Are you alright?”
Melinoe ran over. She turned her head and glared at Aris as if to kill him. Aris flinched. ‘What is that one now, with such fierce eyes?’ He was about to yell with a scowl, but Melinoe snarled.
“If you are the Exalted, then act like the Exalted! Have you no shame? If you have something to say, direct it at Lord Lian, the root cause; why do you take out your anger on the princess?”
“Is taking out one’s anger not done upon the one you are angry at? I am angry at that princess and want to tear her to death. I am not angry at Lian in the slightest, so there is no root cause to speak of. Step aside. Otherwise, I will throw you into the River Styx as well.”
“Go ahead and try.”
“What?”
“Throw me into the River Styx or the fiery pits of Tartarus as you please. And you said you are not angry at Lord Lian? What a cowardly excuse. To unleash all your ferocity upon Princess Asteril, whom Lord Lian cherishes, yet claim you are not angry at Lord Lian who spurns you—what wondrous logic. In that case, I shall tell you in detail about every flower, weed, and even pebble that Lord Lian cherished and caressed daily; uproot and grind those to dust first. Then I shall say nothing even if you tear Princess Asteril apart before my eyes.”
“No, who are you to tell me to uproot and grind…”
“Princess Melinoe has spoken very well. Why does a great Keton act so pettily toward a mere insignificant being? Is it acceptable to carry out such despicable schemes while His Majesty is absent? Are you not ashamed of your own name?” Princess Tethys joined in as well. Aris was speechless with disbelief.
“Pettily? Despicable schemes?”
To begin with, what did he have to be ashamed of his name about, and just because he was a Keton, what mercy was he supposed to bestow upon them? Aris opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. His thought process seemed to have ground to a halt.
“Why else? Because you yourself are not upright, you sneak here to make trouble while Lord Lian is away. A lion baring its claws from behind to catch a single ant—how shameful and disgraceful is that?” When Princess Melinoe added with a scoff, Aris’s face flushed red with shame. Had these people gone mad altogether? They clearly knew who he was; did they have four or five necks each? “You truly wish to die…”
“Princess Asteril! Come to your senses, Princess Asteril!”
“Has Her Highness lost consciousness? Is she breathing?”
“She is breathing, but her complexion is very poor. Princess Tethys, some clean water…”
“Understood. Amphitrite, go fetch a dry cloth.”
“Yes, Sister.”
“Princess Metea, please move Lady Asteril to a bed with Lady Melinoe.”
“Yes!”
While the princesses busily moved about, Aris once again spaced out, blankly wondering if he had truly been ignored once more.
Ψ
Kalian returned to the palace half an hour later.
Hanpung, who had run more busily than usual, gently set him down in the courtyard of Lethe’s main palace. Kalian removed his gleaming mantle and stepped on the soil. Suddenly, his eyes grew still.
The atmosphere inside the palace was different from usual. He stood briefly, comparing what was different from when he had left the palace at dawn. And he immediately realized.
Asteril.
Her breathing could not be heard from the main palace chambers. She might have briefly stepped out for a walk in the garden, or be having a meal and chatting with the other princesses. She might have gone to see Asphodelus and emptied a liquor jar before passing out again. But if that were so, Bukpung should not have been trembling while watching his step in that corner over there.
“Speak.”
Before his feet as he asked coldly, Bukpung lay prostrate, fretting. What if his liege flew into a rage and blew all of Lethe away? He seemed to favor the princess of Demeter, but there was no way to gauge the depth of his affection, or whether his interest had already waned. What if the princess of the southern kingdom were to get hurt? After entertaining countless such thoughts, he swallowed dryly.
"Lord Aris has arrived."
Kalian's expressionless face betrayed little change. And no wonder, for Aris's visit itself was expected, hardly an extraordinary event. But as Bukpung shortly began to report on the earlier commotion, his pupils wavered and began to fill with rage. The windless air trembled as if vibrating. From beneath Kalian's feet flowed a coldness one might expect to see at the Spear of Pontos. Bukpung could speak no further, trembling with a pale complexion.
"So... what did you do to her in Hestia?"
Bukpung clung to his reeling consciousness and finished his answer. Hestia had not harmed her; rather, Lord Aris had personally thrown her against a pillar with his own hands, apparently. Kalian turned away the moment he heard that much. Even his confidant Hanpung, seemingly flustered, stuck close to his lord's shadow and followed with lowered posture.
Asteril's quarters were packed tight, with no space to step, by four princesses including herself lying on the bed. Amphitrite, who had drawn water in a red earthenware bowl, looked down at Asteril with a worried face.
"Will she be all right?"
It seemed she had taken a blow to the head when she struck the pillar.
"Still, seeing that there are no major external injuries, it doesn't seem her life is in danger..."
"Surely Mosin watched over her. Otherwise, she couldn't have escaped unscathed like this."
They did not know. That when Asteril was sent flying, Bukpung had rushed over in a panic and hurled himself to act as a shock absorber. Of course, Aris had watched the entire thing with clear eyes, and though it might bring repercussions later, Bukpung did not regret what he had done. Why? The answer was simple. Because Lord Kalian was far more frightening than Lord Aris.
Creak.
The tightly shut ash-wood door opened quietly. The princesses turned their eyes wide toward the door. Someone stood behind the open door.
The man wore a black himation that fell as smoothly as silk, draped over one shoulder with a high-class claris that gleamed with a glossy sheen. The golden belt made of twisted cord bore delicate craftsmanship one might expect to see on a male god's statue erected in a grand temple. But more than anything, what was most astonishing was...
"Lord Lian...?"
Amphitrite murmured, gazing at his face as if entranced. When Thetis jabbed her side as if in warning, she quickly covered her mouth with both hands. But Melinoe, standing beside her, wore a sour expression as well. Metea seemed spellbound, lost in the beautiful king's visage.
Asteril had explained that Lian and the king were siblings. The resemblance was so striking that one could believe it at a glance. If not for the fact that Lian had silver hair and the king's was near black, they could have passed for twins.
Kalian walked among the princesses with his right arm slightly raised. His downcast sidelong gaze, his straight nose like a sculpture, his cold-looking lips, his dignified gait—all of them reminded them of Lord Lian. Like a towering male god praised by minstrels, he shook the hearts of every princess in the room merely by appearing. Yet at the same time, there was a chilling sensation. Like a sword coated in deadly poison, a feeling that one must not carelessly touch or covet him.
Kalian bent down to assess Asteril's condition. Thetis, who had stepped back, observed his face out of the corner of her eye. To be precise, the look in his eyes directed at Asteril.
"Why..."
When Kalian opened his mouth, the princesses clasped their hands nervously.
"Is she not waking up?"
He asked, turning away. The princesses listened blankly for a moment. It was a low voice, soft and deeply resonant. Combined with a cold tone utterly devoid of inflection, it created a peculiar atmosphere.
Thetis collected herself and answered.
"It seems she took a shock when her head struck a pillar. She appears to have lost consciousness for the moment, but she should wake in time. Probably..."
Having managed and encountered all manner of records in the royal palace library, her medical knowledge was considerable. But that did not make her a formal physician or healer.
"For now, it would be best to have a palace physician examine her. There are no external injuries, but if she has sustained internal ones..."
"There are none."
"Pardon?"
"There are no such things as physicians here."
"Then a healer, or at least some medicine..."
"...Are there none?"
The king seemed not to like repeating himself. He also seemed to dislike adding detailed explanations. Thetis was no fool to ask the same thing twice. She had simply been startled by the feeling that her unlikely hypothesis was proving correct. Physicians and healers were the most basic personnel. Did that mean there were no people in the palace? Though it seemed much was absent, not just people... In any case, it wasn't just the palace. Did people even live in Lethe itself? It was a question that had continually arisen. The palace was empty, without even anyone coming or going. Lethe was an empty city. Lethe was an illusion. Hades did not truly exist. And the king of this place... was he not human? As her chain of deductions reached its conclusion, a chill ran down her spine.
Thetis recalled the green-eyed man who had brought Asteril to this state. The moment she saw him, she had realized what she was witnessing. A clan whose traces could only be found in ancient records. Immortal beings whom humanity had revered and feared as gods.
She looked at Kalian with doubtful eyes.
"What do you intend to do with Princess Asteril?"
It was a question laden with implication. Kalian glanced at her sidelong. Thetis continued.
"She could not even resist. You should have protected her."
"..."
"Lord Asteril is certainly special. She has received Mosin's blessing. But that does not make her immortal. Your Majesty, she too is a human of flesh and blood."
It was an obvious thing to say anew. But perhaps not to the king. In his eyes, Asteril was surely special, and that may have made her seem different from other humans.
"...I know."
His brief answer floated heavily in the air.
"Where can one find these 'physicians'?"
Kalian's gaze turned to Thetis. He had been a man who cared nothing for what the faces of princesses other than Asteril looked like, but after seeing the princesses here today, he would not fail to recognize them from this hour forth. Especially the blonde princess who had showered him with questions and lectures, and the one wearing purple earrings who had been glaring at him like a hunting hound guarding the door—he felt he must commit them to memory all the more.
"Formal physicians mostly reside in the royal capitals. Hades seems to be an exception, but... taking Poseidonia as an example, the highest-level physicians are affiliated with the royal palace, and they teach apprentices to foster the next generation. The apprentices must pass examinations held by the royal palace to obtain formal physician licenses, and they too are mostly more skilled than frontier healers or herbalists."
"Aren't the physicians of Poseidonia the finest? Demeter is excellent too, but Demeter tends to foster priests more than physicians..."
Metea added proudly. Thetis did not bother to deny it. For it was true that Poseidonia's medical arts were outstanding.
Having obtained the information he needed, Kalian turned to leave. The princesses lowered their bodies in courtesy toward his retreating figure passing through the doorposts. Wind rose. He vanished beyond the door in an instant.
The tension released, Amphitrite wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and sank into her seat. Metea also let out a long breath and laughed hollowly.
"His presence is overwhelming."
"Indeed..."
Thetis wore a bitter smile. Amphitrite was dazed. She recalled how Sesika had explained, brimming with excitement, about meeting the king of Hades on the hill.
Amphitrite stole a sidelong glance at Melinoe, who stood with arms crossed. Melinoe's gaze was fixed on the unconscious Asteril. When the king had burst into the quarters, Melinoe had been calm unlike the other princesses. If she harbored affection for him, she could not have been so composed, no matter how she acted.
"Who is it?"
Melinoe raised her eyebrows as if asking what she meant. Amphitrite raised her voice, as if frustrated.
"The culprit who killed Sesika. You know who it is, don't you, Lady Melinoe?"
"Me?"
"Didn't Lady Asteril tell you?"
Melinoe, who had been playing dumb, looked quietly at Thetis. Thetis nodded, signaling it was all right. Asteril's words not to give the still-young Amphitrite too harsh a shock crossed her mind, but with Thetis's approval... The truth could not be hidden forever.
"It's the opposite. I was the one who told Princess Asteril."
"The princess?"
"Yes."
Amphitrite still looked doubtful.
"Then tell me. Who was it?"
"It was..."
"Who killed Sesika!"
"Calm yourself, Amphitrite. The culprit is already dead. Do you remember the innkeeper who died in the inner court not long ago, in a truly wretched state?"
"I didn't see. My sister told me not to..."
"Yes, well, she is the one who killed Sesika. The king himself passed severe judgment."
"The king himself?"
"Yes, himself."
"Why? Why now..."
"Because that innkeeper assaulted Princess Asteril. The king was enraged that she was hurt..."
Melinoe faltered mid-explanation. Yes, the king had killed the innkeeper in anger. A corpse torn apart by beasts would not be more gruesome. And not long after, all the innkeepers vanished. If they had not disappeared of their own accord, someone had eliminated them. This was a king who had not batted an eye even as countless tribute maidens and princesses died. So why had his attitude changed? Could it be... because of Princess Asteril? To root out every threat that might harm her? Melinoe let out a hollow laugh.
Meanwhile, Kalian, having left the quarters, headed toward the inner court. His gaze, which had been wandering as if searching for something, stopped after only a few steps. It was Aris. As if expecting to be interrogated, he was sitting on the ground with a sullen expression, looking up at Kalian.
"I did nothing wrong."
"..."
"I came here on business in the first place. But that woman kept calling your name as she pleased, getting on my nerves."
Aris's face turned sulky. Gloomy eyes fixed on Kalian.
Beautiful Lian, always and at all times. My noble Lian.
He knew there was nothing to be done now. The opportunity to choose one's gender came only once, and once the change was fixed, it could not be reversed. He could never be with Lian now.
"I came to drink from the Cup of Oblivion."
"..."
"But I don't know where that damned cup is."
The Cup of Oblivion was something that existed even among their clan like a legend. There were rumors that Kalian, the guardian of Asphodelos, also kept the Cup of Oblivion, but even so, Aris hadn't wanted to ask him directly. The last shred of his pride would not permit it.
"Your business is no concern of mine."
Kalian brought the point back, as if telling him not to change the subject. His eyelids, lowered at a slant, remained frigid.
"I believe I said this before. She is an important existence."
"You did. That she was important to Asphodelos, or some such."
Aris twisted his lips into a smile. His attitude, showing not the slightest agitation, was natural yet infuriating.
"Tell me, Lian. Is she really still such an important existence? Asphodelos has already formed the Ambrosia. I saw it all. In other words, that woman has outlived her usefulness. Am I wrong?"
"..."
"You became a male because of that black-haired princess, didn't you? You were one who regarded desire and emotion as impurities. For someone like you to be addicted to Himeros—what kind of joke is that!"
"So it was you after all?"
Aris cried out with a scowl, then flustered, he faltered. Kalian wore an even colder expression than before. He had suspected as much, but now it was certain. It had been Hestia. Asteril had said it was like a flaming arrow, but he had felt the aura of Erebus. For something done simply to gauge his reaction, it had indeed been excessive. Aris's purpose was as clear as day.
Aris could say nothing, merely touching the innocent dirt. A sense of grievance seeped from the back of his head, hung low. It was understandable. After all, he and Aris shared a special relationship. The two had grown up together since childhood, their parents close. Ouranos had regarded Pontos as a younger brother, and so Ananke had looked after Thalassa as a sister. Kalian and Aris had been born around the same time, and both were expected to be the ones to lead the next generation of the clan. There was no tenderness of lovers, but there was fraternal affection. He had believed Aris felt the same. That he was mistaking longing for something else.
Kalian opened his mouth.
"The poison of Himeros still remains."
"What?"
Aris looked up in surprise.
"How? You embraced that princess."
He had even become a male because of it. Aris wore an expression of disbelief. It was true. He had embraced her mindlessly for days. He had lost count of how many times he had violated her unconscious body. The screams bursting between her torn lips, her limbs hanging limp with exhaustion, her long hair drenched in sweat flickered before his eyes. Recalling the previous night, a ripple passed through his previously tranquil pupils. But the heat that had flared as if about to ignite vanished in an instant. It was tremendous patience and self-restraint.
"Lady Ananke and Lord Ouranos, do they know of your current state..."
"They do not."
"You deceived Lady Ananke's eyes?"
"Perhaps."
Just how much stronger had this bastard become? None among the clan could tell a lie before her ability to see through truth. The condition for entering the Five Seats was a high ability value. Since all Ketons were immortal, a high ability value mostly meant a special ability. The other Seats of the Five had also been recognized as Seats due to such mysterious powers. But Lady Ananke herself could not see through this?
"She may know and be turning a blind eye."
Yes, perhaps. But if it concerned her only child, she would not hesitate even if it meant shattering the sun and moon. Would she truly do such a thing?
"What do you plan to do now?"
Aris asked with a scowl. Now he was more worried about Kalian's situation than his own future. The poison of Himeros was so notorious that even he had been strictly warned since childhood. The entire clan shuddered at the mention of Himeros's poison, regardless of experience.
When Kalian could not answer readily, Aris's gaze turned fierce.
"Kill her."
He continued in a resolute tone.
"There is no choice but to kill that princess. If the object and source of desire disappears, though it may take time, the poison's energy will fade as well. If you cannot, I will."
Kalian's hand hurriedly grasped his shoulder. Aris, who had been turning away, glanced at the held shoulder and then looked at Kalian. His sharp gaze softened. He knew that Lian had already thought of this method. He had tested him, knowing full well. His prediction had not missed its mark. Aris asked in a choked voice.
"As expected, you cannot do it...."
Ψ
When she opened her eyes, a familiar scene greeted her. The windowsill where Bukpung rested his chin to greet her each morning held pools of moonlight, revealing only an empty rectangular space. On the temporary altar made when Iskiseu and Leuke had visited, jars filled with earth were neatly arranged. Beside them were piled high the remaining arrow materials she had been making with Princess Melinoe. It was no different from usual. Except that countless eyes were looking down at her from all around.
"Are you conscious?"
It was Princess Thetis. Princess Amphitrite was asleep, lying on her stomach beside her older sister. Princess Melinoe, who had been standing before the door, also approached. The space between her brows, always furrowed in a frown, smoothed beautifully as if smiling for the first time.
"Did you give your regards properly to the god of the underworld?"
"Of course. I approached the white wolf guarding the door and even stroked its fur."
"If you can't even speak properly..."
Princess Metea burst into laughter. The redness of her eyelids suggested she had been crying again. She was a princess with as many tears as she had virtue. That was why everyone had given her the nickname "Mother of the Star Palace." The coziness of the Star Palace would have been impossible without Princess Metea.
"The king came three times."
Princess Thetis said with a pleased smile. She seemed proud of her own words. To them, Kalian was a more terrifying existence than the plague. For such a being to show worry for someone was stranger than seeing a ghost.
"The king?"
"His face was expressionless, but he couldn't take his eyes off the princess."
"But it seems he knows nothing but war."
Metea said, tilting her head.
"Why do you say that about the king?"
"Because he said something rather strange."
"'Where can one find these physicians?'"
"And then he disappeared somewhere."
Did he even know what a physician was? He had likely killed many humans, but never saved one.
Just then, a scream was heard from outside. It was a man's voice. The Star Palace was a place of maidens and women. The princesses looked toward the door in puzzlement. A man crawled out from the gaping mouth of a sack. He pushed himself up from the floor, looked inside the sack he had been trapped in, and rubbed his arms as if creeped out. He turned around with the moonlight pouring down on the crown of his head. A confused expression quickly appeared. Where is this? The inner court was silent, and the stillness without so much as a cricket's chirp evoked fear. The man, wandering absentmindedly, discovered the door to the quarters with light seeping through. A gaze was felt through the slightly open door crack.
"He-help..."
The moment he shouted urgently, a presence was felt behind him. The man flinched. The man who worked in the royal palace had a keen sense of smell. He had smelled the cosmetics used by royalty and nobility to the point of sickness. But this was... A scent he had never smelled before. So subtle and cool that he closed his eyes and inhaled involuntarily. As if anointed with the gods' fragrant oil, said to be made with a handful of moonlight and the breath of an ice lake. Then he suddenly came to his senses. The owner of the unfamiliar scent had grabbed him by the nape and was dragging him away.
"Sa-save me! I'll do as you say, so please just spare me! I have two children to feed and an aged mother. Pl-please..."
The struggling man waved his hands as if resisting and scraped the floor. Friction caused abrasions, and he cried out in pain. Removing his palms and turning his body sideways, he was startled as if struck by lightning. He saw a chilling gaze that seemed to have just ascended from the underworld. The kidnapper wore a demeanor as if clothed in darkness within darkness. The black, seemingly precious fabric gleamed fluidly even in faint moonlight. Black hair tinged with blue floated long in the wind, making the man's appearance seem all the more noble. But more than anything, what made the man's jaw drop was the mysterious light in his eyes, like violets.
"G-great heavens! O god..."
If there existed a male god who ruled darkness and night, he would look exactly like the man before him. Could I have been dragged to the land of the dead?
Kalian grabbed the man by the scruff and flung him to the ground. It was before Asteril's quarters.
"A physician."
Amphitrite poked her head through the door crack. Thetis followed and flung the door open with a vacant expression. The other princesses were the same. The man, curled up, was trembling with his forehead pressed to the floor. The skin under his fingernails was stained black from herbal water.
"A physician...? Where did you bring him from?"
At the unexpected voice, Kalian raised his head. He looked over Thetis's shoulder. Asteril was sitting up on the bed.
"Did you bring him because of me?"
"..."
"I'm fine now."
The princesses watched the two alternately with tense faces. The king whose expression could not be read, and Asteril who looked at him with wide eyes.
"I merely lost consciousness briefly from the shock, and the wounds are only scrapes that can heal on their own. So you don't need to worry."
Worry? He was worried? That expression, those eyes? The king, sculpted like a statue, truly seemed like a sculpture. To the point where one might doubt whether he was breathing between his closed lips. Rumors abounded that the blood flowing in his veins was frozen to begin with. That such a man would kidnap a physician from somewhere for his lover? Of course, even famous conquerors in history had one or two women who had stolen their hearts. It had happened, but...
Kalian turned away without a word. As expected. Everyone wore half-exasperated, half-anxious expressions. Amidst this, Asteril alone sat serenely and opened her mouth.
"But..."
Only she seemed composed, as if all this were familiar. She directed a playful smile at the back of the king's head.
"I'm hungry."
His retreating footsteps halted at once. Kalian turned around, looked at Asteril, then walked back to the bedside. Sitting at eye level, he leaned in and caressed her cheek. No, he seemed to be checking something. Her temperature, complexion, breathing—such things.
"See? It's growling."
Asteril grumbled, and he stared intently at her stomach. As if he had never heard such a sound in his life.
"What do you wish, my lady?"
As if she had been waiting, Asteril counted on her fingers and reeled off:
"Honey cakes and dried figs, apple wine, well-ripened jujubes, and one bunch of sweet green grapes."
Melinoe looked at Thetis as if witnessing a bizarre spectacle. Thetis too could not wipe away her sour expression. The moment Kalian cast his gaze, the door to the quarters burst open and refreshing night air rushed in. It was Hanpung, who had already heard the entire conversation outside the door. He pressed his lips to the back of Asteril's hand and then soared away to carry out the command.
Asteril grabbed Kalian's arm as he tried to leave. She whispered pleadingly.
"Eat with me."
"I do not eat food..."
"I know."
Kalian did not eat food. The only thing he put to his lips was ambrosia, the sustenance of the Ketons. Of course, from the perspective of savoring something with his tongue, he had also sweetly tasted her entire body, but...
"Still, stay with me."
Kalian glanced sidelong at Princess Thetis and Princess Melinoe standing to either side. Not to mention Amphitrite hiding behind her older sister, and Metea guarding beside the door. It was not a situation he welcomed, but it was hard to shake off Asteril's arm. He did not know why, but every time he looked into her eyes, Bukpung's voice came to mind.
"Lord Aris grabbed Lady Asteril by the throat as if to tear it out, then flung her to the floor as if dashing her against it. Not even a straw doll would have flown so helplessly. Had I not thrown myself in sacrifice to protect her, her frail body would have crashed into the marble pillar and been smashed to pieces. What can a mortal body do? Didn't that innkeeper earlier also die instantly when her head cracked against a pillar? Ah, though before that, his liege had snapped her neck clean. The princess of Demeter would have died just as brokenly. Oh, it's horrible just to think of it! Oh, I must stop thinking. But now that I've spoken of it, his liege will keep thinking of it too. Oh, whatever shall I do? Oh..."
Recalling that detestable creature sighing and muttering made something strange happen in a corner of his chest. The poison of Himeros traveled through the veins, often igniting unfulfilled desires and plunging the body into a furnace. If that was an agony like an active volcano, this was a feeling of sinking into a swamp. The area of his chest near the solar plexus tightened, as if clamping down on his breath. So much so that he flinched and placed his hand there involuntarily. Only after confirming that she smiled and said she was fine did it feel somewhat better.
Was this a side effect of the Himeros poison?
Kalian had never before experienced any abnormality in his body. The process of becoming an adult was a natural change all in the clan underwent, so indirect experience and theory had been plentiful. Therefore, even when the variable called Asteril appeared, he had not been greatly flustered.
He decided for now to stay by her side. Her hand playfully tickling his wrist was not entirely unpleasant, and there was no guarantee that Aris, who was likely sprawled out somewhere in Lethe, would not attack her again....
It was killing two birds with one stone. To protect her, and to ease the strange pain in his chest that kept growing worse.
“You should join us too, Physician.”
At Asteril’s words, the physician, who had been lying face-down with his nose to the ground, raised his head. With a bewildered expression, he asked back, “Me?” Asteril, meeting his eyes, smiled as if it were only natural. Of course, Kallian already seemed indifferent, as though he had forgotten the man’s existence… but regardless, the Despoina of Lethe had commanded it.
A light refreshment prepared by Hanpung and Bukpung had been laid out on the marble table in the inner courtyard of the detached palace. It was similar in form to the farewell party for Leuke. Asteril and Kallian sat at the center, while the remaining princesses sat around them in a circle.
Though they shared the commonality of having the lover of one of the princesses in attendance, the atmosphere was the exact opposite. Unlike Iskies, who had been as splendid as a youth blessed by the Sun God, the King of Hades was seated there, the sort who would disregard even the favor of the Moon Goddess.
“Come sit here too, Physician.”
The physician, who had been kneeling in a corner, sprang to his feet. He had been thirsty, as it happened.
No sooner had he finished the thought than a cup of water was pressed into his hand. Perhaps his pitiful appearance, trembling after being kidnapped, moved Bukpung to pat his shoulder in comfort. Or perhaps it roused sympathy because he looked to be in a similar plight, always flopping down prostrate on the floor.
The physician stared down at the cup with the expression of one possessed. He was utterly confused as to whether he was currently living through some nightmare, or whether he had died after being trampled by a horse on the road and been dragged down to the underworld.
Today too had been just an ordinary day. As usual, after finishing his work, he had been heading home in a cart with his assistant. The old cart pulled by a donkey was loaded with medicinal herbs bought at the market and a cut of venison obtained from a hunter, and his eyelids, gazing at the sunset at dusk, kept drooping shut with drowsiness.
It was then that his assistant let out a scream. Suddenly a gust of wind swept through the road, and from within the dust storm, a human silhouette walked out.
— Are you the royal palace’s physician?
To the unidentified voice echoing in his head, he opened his mouth blankly.
“Yes, I am, but….”
The moment he answered, the owner of the shadow raised an arm gracefully.
“Gaaah!”
The physician, grabbed by the head, thrashed about suspended in mid-air. But he was helpless. In an instant, he was stuffed into a sack and lost consciousness.
Recalling his memories, terror swept over him. That was right. The fact that he was alive and breathing now was a miracle in itself. When he had been kidnapped. When he had fallen to the ground. He had nearly died, and even now, at this very moment, he was in a perilous situation where one wrong move could kill him.
The man who was supposedly the king of this place, whom he had just met eyes with, was still looking at him with eyes devoid of any emotion. Fortunately, he felt no killing intent or hostility; unfortunately, there was no compassion either.
Ordinary high-ranking people would assume troubled expressions or awkward smiles when witnessing the hardships of those below them. Whether sincere or false, they would at least pretend to pity them out of decency. That was considered a virtue.
But that man had an expression of indifference from beginning to end. A smile was out of the question, and it was difficult to expect even a single warm glance.
He looked as though he did not even have the question, ‘Is there any reason to let you live?’ let alone the worry, ‘Should I send you back to your family?’
If there was any hope, it was the fact that that man, devoid of a single shred of humanity, frequently glanced toward the black-haired princess beside him to check on her safety. And the way that princess looked at him was filled with compassion.
“You have suffered hardship because of me. First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Asteril, the Third Princess of Demeter. The place where you tumbled down is Lethe, the capital of the Kingdom of Hades. The inner courtyard of the detached palace within the royal palace.”
“Hades? You mean that Hades where Thanatos runs rampant? The ruler of the west who is said to cruelly massacre old and young alike while wearing the helmet Kuiene—surely he isn’t the one sitting right over there….”
The physician let out an “Ah,” and covered his mouth. Kallian was looking at him with pitiful eyes.
In truth, he had intended to keep the physician alive no matter what nonsense he spouted. If something were to happen to Asteril’s body again, it would be more efficient to keep that fellow in storage and reuse him than to seek out a new physician at that time.
Unaware of Kallian’s inner thoughts, the physician had already relaxed and was making a slack-jawed expression. He even eagerly lapped up the alcohol the princesses poured into his cup.
“Then, Your Majesty, do you not wear the Kuiene? I heard that if you wear it, your body becomes transparent and you can hide your form perfectly.”
“Kuiene… I believe such rumors circulate among the people, but that is a distorted story.”
Distorted though it was, it was not an incorrect story. He, who ruled and commanded the wind, could come and go like a phantom anywhere he pleased. In the eyes of ordinary people, it might seem as though he hid his form perfectly.
Asteril’s expression suddenly darkened. A man who had displayed abilities similar to Kallian’s came to mind.
Nyx of Harmony.
Keton of black hair, who had appeared suddenly before her eyes, tearing through the darkness. The thought of his jet-black pupils and pale complexion sent a sudden chill down her spine.
“Wait, if you are Lady Asteril of Demeter… surely you don’t mean that Lady Asteril, the High Priestess of Cocytus?”
“You know of me?”
“To us physicians as well as the priests of every nation, Lady Asteril is an object of admiration and respect. That I should witness the miracle of Cocytus….”
The physician suddenly dropped to his knees, his face filled with emotion.
“Please, would you not bestow that blessing upon me as well? I would regard a blessing from Lady Asteril as an honor for generations to come.”
“Of course. It is no difficult matter.”
As Asteril reached her hand toward the physician’s forehead, Kallian, who had been silent, raised his hand.
Swish.
The physician, who had been bowing his head, witnessed something falling in a flurry onto his knees.
Touching his neatly cut bangs, he assumed a puzzled expression. Asteril, who had been about to bestow a blessing upon him, had already withdrawn her hand.
“Why are there hairs….”
Come to think of it, hadn’t something brushed against his forehead just now? Something like a gust of wind…. Wait, wind?
Cold sweat ran down his back. The physician’s eyes, darting left and right, froze stiff. Kallian’s gaze, looking down at him askance from his seated position, was icy.
Ah.
The physician let out a second exclamation, following the one from before. It was a sigh lamenting his own folly.
How could I be so foolish?
Before he was kidnapped, it was wind that had stopped the cart pulled by the donkey. It was wind that had sent him flying through the air. When the princess before him had said she was hungry, it was wind that had laid out the feast in an instant.
He was the God of Wind.
The man flopped down prostrate and begged Kallian to spare his life. He claimed it was the same principle as offering a bow before a statue of the divine and kissing the top of its feet; he claimed he had not the slightest thought of coveting the princess’s touch.
He was forced to explain himself at length to the male god looking down at him with his chin resting in his hand.