Due to the night raid, everyone had slept in. Though the long branches of the fig trees stretching to either side cast a cool shade, not a single princess stepped outside her quarters. Except for one—the princess of Knossos Palace, who worshipped the bull.
“I shall never forget this grace.”
Around noon, Leuke came to Asteril’s quarters carrying honeyed sweets. Behind her stood Iskis, commander of the allied forces and her lover. Iskis still seemed feverish, his cheeks flushed red.
The young man looked surprisingly boyish. Blue eyes like the waves of Pontus, hair gleaming like golden fleece. On him, a lyre or an aulos14) suited better than spear and helmet.
“We plan to leave this place together as soon as Iskis recovers.”
“You’ve made a wise decision. They must be eagerly awaiting the princess’s return in your homeland….”
“No, I do not intend to return to Crete.”
“Pardon?”
Leuke smiled a lighthearted smile.
“The truth is, I have long been a princess treated as a back-room outcast. My mother was a dancer in a traveling troupe who happened to catch the king’s eye and conceived me. From the day I was born in the palace, I was a despised existence. The reason I was sent to Hades was because I was a princess whose death would not matter. But the night before I departed for Hades, Iskis secretly came to my quarters and said he would definitely come rescue me. I could not believe it even then. I thought, what would the son of Crete’s greatest noble house have to be unsatisfied about?…”
And yet, he had come for her. Risking his life to the very threshold of death.
As she spoke as if boasting, her expression looked happier than ever.
“…I’m envious,”
It was sincere. A love that stakes one’s life—where is it easy to meet such a partner?
“Would you read our fortune?”
“Our fortune?”
“Our future, the two of ours. Is it not said that your divinations are infallible, Lady Asteril?”
Where had the princess gone who used to condemn divination as the cunning flicking of tongues by priests to obtain wealth?
Watching Leuke nudge her lover’s side and brag that such a great High Priestess was her friend, Asteril felt laughter bubbling up.
Though reluctant, with such expectations placed on her, she could not refuse.
Those filled with conviction find divinations aligning better for them than others. Therefore, the deeper one is in a relationship, the better not to read one’s love fortune. It is generally happier not to know the future.
“The wind is absent at the moment, so…”
Having stepped out into the garden, Asteril handed each of the two of them a clay jar with handles.
“I’ve never heard of earth divination.”
“They practiced earth divination in many regions of Demeter’s domain since ancient times. Now the tradition has nearly died out, passed down only to a few High Priestesses. Originally, one should divine with a sacred jar enshrined in a temple, but since that is impossible now, we shall do it humbly.”
Leuke and Iskis scattered into the garden and began filling their jars with soil. The last jar was taken by Asteril.
Three jars, three kinds of soil.
Back inside her quarters, Asteril lit a branch smeared with resin. As flames flared, a piquant fragrance filled the room. She placed honey and figs in a bowl and offered them to Gaia. She omitted milk and wine. Leuke and Iskis bowed toward the bowl.
Having washed her hands with clean water, Asteril reached into the first jar. The soil Leuke had gathered poured out with a rustle and spread across the floor. As Asteril followed the scattered soil with her gaze, she stared out the window.
“Why is that, Lady Asteril?”
“It is the direction where the sun rises. Princess Leuke’s fate turns toward the east.”
She reached into the second jar. The soil Iskis had gathered fell with a sand-like sound. However, the color of the soil grains was unexpected.
Red soil.
Leuke’s expression darkened. Anxiously, she glanced sidelong at Iskis’s face.
The third soil, which Asteril had brought, would tell the most important fate. Rummaging through the soil this way and that, Asteril sensed something and withdrew her hand. A small twig came out with it. Fortunately….
“It is an uncorrupted twig.”
“What does that mean?”
Iskis asked anxiously.
“Lord Iskis, from where did you gather the soil in your jar?”
“I-it was under that tree in the corner over there….”
Asteril’s brows furrowed as she looked out the window following the direction Iskis’s hand pointed. It was the shade in the northwest, the opposite direction from where the sun rises.
“Why? Is something going to happen to Iskis?”
“Calm yourself, Princess Leuke. Red soil is a good omen. Oxidized soil means fertile ground. It is the blessing of Mosin, however….”
North is the direction where the god of eternal sleep lies. She was confused how to interpret the fact that red soil had come from such land.
“It seems clear that the two of you will become entangled in something dark and related to death.”
Leuke covered her mouth, on the verge of tears. Iskis, on the other hand, was calm. He focused on the fact that Asteril’s words had not yet finished. He was a wise man.
“Divinations are such that the last part is the most important. It seems the hand of Mosin has reached the situation the two of you face. Moreover, in the end, a twig signifying life appeared. Red soil and a twig… they are the best combination, providing nourishment and foundation for each other.”
Leuke wore a grim expression. Unable to understand, everything sounded frightening to her. Though divinations can be interpreted this way and that depending on the situation, to her ears only the words “something related to death” kept repeating.
“Don’t worry. In any case, Mosin is watching over you. A young twig is certainly the symbol of Mosin. In the end, everything will turn out well.”
“R-really? It will be alright, won’t it?”
Asteril rose from her seat and spoke gently.
“My earth divination is still very lacking, so please do not believe it too much. Fate changes from time to time. The god of fate is the most capricious among the gods.”
“You speak of Ananke?”
“Yes. They say she is very close to Lady Gaia. Whenever Gaia looked at earth divinations, Ananke would approach and blow a breath upon them. Then she would cackle, saying it was amusing.”
“Is that so? I have never heard that story.”
“It is a story the late king once told me.”
A small smile hung upon Asteril’s lips. Leuke, who had been staring at the twig left in the soil, suddenly raised her head as if remembering something.
“By the way, Lady Asteril, what was that twig yesterday? Was it a magic branch?”
At Leuke’s words, Asteril widened her eyes as if asking what she meant. Understanding belatedly, she asked, “Ah, that?” Laughter escaped. A magic branch—yes, it might have looked that way. Since it had rendered fearsome Hades’s king motionless in an instant.
“Follow me.”
The two of them followed Asteril with wide eyes.
“Hello, Asphodelos?”
As always, she greeted him first. Asteril had come to know, at some point, that though nature is silent, it listens to everything, and sees everything too.
The sentry and messenger bird of the gods.
And so, at times they bless humans in the gods’ stead, and at times punish them. Since ancient times, priests have offered rituals before old sacred trees and rocks.
“I’m sorry for breaking your branch without permission. Still, thanks to you, I could save these people’s lives.”
Asteril embraced the trunk of Asphodelos fully with both arms and whispered. Standing on tiptoes barefoot and rubbing her cheek against the tree trunk, the unique warmth of Asphodelos was conveyed.
“Sometimes Lady Asteril doesn’t seem human. Like a spirit of the forest…. There is something mystical about you.”
As Leuke spoke, marveling, Iskis nodded and added.
“I too have heard tales of the High Priestess of Cocytus. That you are the princess of Demeter, and one who works miracles…. To meet such a famous person in the flesh is an honor and a wonder. All the High Priests of Crete are white-haired old men; I had no idea that someone so young could possess such great divine power.”
“No, it is not so great….”
It was great. It was just that she had never wanted to be great. Rather, she had wanted to be ordinary. How wonderful would it have been to be born ordinary and live as an ordinary daughter?
“But Lady Asteril, the color beneath this bark….”
“Ah, it’s red? I suppose it’s because it has held blood for so long.”
Hesitantly, Leuke reached her hand toward the split bark of the tree trunk. Then, stealing a glance at the hand she held with Iskis’s, she murmured low.
“A-Asphodelos… Thank you.”
North Wind, which had been lying on Asphodelos’s branch looking down at them, gently turned over and blew a breath. On the languid breeze, Asphodelos sent forth a subtle woody fragrance.
“Oh? This scent….”
At the fragrance that stirred up old memories, Leuke’s eyes grew wide. She sniffed with her nose and exclaimed.
“Just a moment!”
Leuke suddenly ran to her quarters and soon returned with quick steps. In her hand was a small wooden figurine.
“This is what my mother left me before she left the royal palace long ago.”
Leuke held out a palm-sized figurine into Asteril’s hand. It was a three-faced statue of an unnamed maiden.
“Look at the cracked patterns in the carved wood. Aren’t they red? And though it has faded now, when I was young, this wooden statue had a unique scent. I think it’s a bit similar to what I just smelled. It made my memories come rushing back.”
Asteril made an expression of disbelief. Surprisingly, the wood of the figurine Leuke had handed her was indeed Asphodelos.
“Though not in Hades… in the neighboring countries near Crete, you can see this three-faced statue erected at every crossroads. Our clan has no fixed abode. We are wandering people without trace, drifting here and there following the moonlight. However, they say they mark their locations on this three-faced statue to leave clues for those who seek us.”
Crete is an island kingdom located on the Eastern Sea touching the southeastern continent. Since ancient times, it had been a kingdom that developed its culture and arts through exchange with Eastern exotic lands. Performances by foreign dancers and musicians were commonly seen in Crete.
“This maiden of the three-faced statue is the Great Mother God our clan serves. She is also the god worshipped by most of the people in the East.”
The maiden had three faces and three forms.
The first face bore a jar upon her head, holding a torch in one hand and grain in the other.
The second face wore a leopard upon her head, two serpents coiled about her arms, and stood with a pig beneath her feet.
The last wore a wreath decorated with round fruits upon her head, and held kirites15) and narcissus in her hands.
“It is Kore….”
Asteril, who had been staring at the tri-form statue, spoke.
“In Demeter too, we have the custom of serving Kore….”
“The East….”
Leuke muttered low, then clapped her hands as realization flashed through her mind.
“That was it, the meaning of going east!”
“Pardon?”
“My mother’s clan. I must go find them. If I go east, I will surely be able to meet them.”
People like Leuke are strong in belief as they are full of doubt. Unexpectedly, she was the type to greatly believe in divination results, and she would truly make the interpretation her own fate. Even if it were a path of thorns, she would not turn back.
There would be no need to stop her. She was a person of strong will. Once she possessed self-belief and decisiveness, she had the makings of an outstanding leader.
“I will give this to you, Lady Asteril.”
“But you said your mother left it to you. How could I accept something so precious….”
“I have more similar ones. It seems she made several such figurines while I was in her womb. And I dearly wish to meet you again, Lady Asteril. Please think of it as a gift promising our friendship.”
Leuke took Asteril’s hand, faltered, then spoke.
“I’ve acted poorly all this time. Please forgive my immature words and conduct. I thought I was used to being alone, but after being separated from Iskis, I felt endlessly depressed and anxious. That my life has regained its light is all thanks to you, Lady Asteril.”
The light of life—what was it? Leuke’s complexion was full of vitality, like the laughter of nymphs dancing in the west wind’s breath.
Was this what true love was—filling a person’s soul with attachment to life?
“The password is Hecate, Lady Asteril.”
“The password?”
“They say our clan is very difficult to find. We move in secret. So please remember: Hecate.”
“Hecate….”
Unwittingly, Asteril parted her lips and murmured.
The word Heka means sorcery or magic. Does that mean they are a clan of sorcerers?
“How is Lord Iskis’s side wound?”
“The medicine Your Highness gave works wonders. It has already begun to heal.”
“That’s a relief. Resin has the ability to bring forth new flesh. I will give you more, so please apply it once more before sleeping tonight. If you keep walking, the wound may reopen, so avoid moving as much as possible.”
While pretending to examine Iskis’s side, Asteril gently caressed it with her right hand. And releasing the heat gathered at her fingertips toward the torn wound….
“In four days, the flesh will begin to knit. Then it should be fine to leave.”
“Thank you, Princess of Demeter. Thank you….”
After sending the two away, Asteril stared blankly up at the sky. North Wind, watching her, tilted his head and asked.
– Are you envious of that princess?
“….”
– Why? You, the princess of the South, are loved by far more people than she in Cocytus.
Asteril smiled weakly.
“Me? True, many people have sought me out….”
Many had come hoping for miracles. Their eyes shone asking her to read their future. They prostrated themselves begging her to ease their pain. To them, she was like Hemera’s torch.
“North Wind, you see… I never wanted to be a zelkova standing alone atop a flower garden.”
North Wind asked what she meant. But leaning against the tree, Asteril only buried her face in her knees and closed her eyes in silence.
Ψ
She seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. Waking to the sound of an owl’s cry, the Goddess of Dawn was already sitting upon night’s carpet, squeezing her full breasts to draw the Milky Way.
“Asphodelos.”
Silence returned. After glancing left and right, Asteril whispered carefully.
“…Rian.”
She looked up at the bare branches, but still there was no answer.
What in the world is your true identity?
She recalled Rian’s ability to move her instantly to the rooftop while holding her.
People say spirits are formless, but who knows? Perhaps she was witnessing one for the first time. If Rian were the spirit of Asphodelos, and his lover the King of Hades guarded the sacred tree….
“Come to think of it, I don’t see Lord Rian today.”
At Asteril’s question, North Wind closed his eyes, pretending not to know and looked away.
After all that commotion, might he be safe? Then again, if he had been with the king in the main palace, nothing much would have happened….
“I should go inside now. Let’s go, North Wind.”
Yawning from boredom, the fellow finally rose, asking if they were going now. As he twined his tail and tapped Asphodelos’s body, Asteril laughed in exasperation.
“You rascal, really.”
North Wind bristled. Princess of the South, did you not survive thanks to me? If I had not told you that a sprout had grown on Asphodelos, how would you have survived?
“Yes, you’re right. If not for you… North Wind?”
Just as he was nodding proudly, he suddenly turned pale and fled. The branch his bottom had touched began to tremble like an aspen.
“You coward, you.”
Even without turning around, she knew who had come. A profound lingering fragrance drifted upon the night air. As the moon breathed, a low melody flowed into her mind.
– Persephone.
Though that is not even my real name….
Strangely, her heart trembled. A hazy fog rolled in, veiling her vision. The swaying silhouette of a man was dizzying like a mirage. A suffocating pressure weighed upon the atmosphere.
– I have come to check on Asphodelos.
The very texture of the wind carrying his voice was strange. It was as though the Eros of night caressed her cheek; her skin crawled.
The speechless Asteril finally parted her lips.
“He has improved greatly. The red aura has lessened considerably, has it not? The woody fragrance has grown stronger too.”
Asphodelos’s condition had changed noticeably. An ordinary person might not know, but the King of Hades should be able to tell with the naked eye.
– Do all Demeter’s royal family possess your abilities?
“When you say abilities like mine….”
Something like dust was carried on the wind brushing her nose bridge. It was the ash left after burning resin.
North Wind, you rascal… You tattle on even the most trivial things.
“If you are referring to treating the Crete commander’s wound… I am a princess, but also the High Priestess of Demeter. Divine power is something possessed by priests who have undergone long cultivation, or by humans born with natural power through a god’s blessing. This ability has nothing to do with royal blood.”
The king made no answer.
Had her explanation been insufficient? Thinking about it, she had never seen or heard of priests of Hades.
A king who does nothing but war. That man would not desire a god’s blessing, nor would he fear divine punishment. Perhaps… this country has no temples or sacred shrines?
– Make it bear fruit within a month.
“Pardon? Within a month… fruit? Do you mean Asphodelos’s fruit?”
This time too, as if trying to vanish like the wind, the king turned his body into the darkness. Asteril cried out as if to grab him.
“It is impossible!”
A month was absolutely unreasonable. Did this arrogant king think everything would be accomplished in a single bound like the wind he commanded at his whim? And who was it that fed Asphodelos the blood of a maiden in the first place?
Suddenly, anger surged.
She strode into the fog. Her footsteps rang out nervously.
One step, two steps, three steps….
Her vision whitened in an instant. It was difficult to find the king’s form in the thick fog where not an inch ahead was visible.
Could such dense fog arise naturally in the detached palace garden? Not even the belt of storm clouds that Uranus wore around his waist would have been this thick.
She stopped. The clouds that had covered the moonlight the moment the King of Hades appeared, the fog that densely obscured sight, the whirlwind that swept each time he concealed himself—all of it was too exquisite to be coincidence. If all of this is your ability….
“You said you came to check on Asphodelos? Then allow me to show you, Your Majesty.”
Asteril stretched her right hand into the empty air. Though she could see nothing, she knew. That he was watching her.
Not only that, but that he monitored her all day long, receiving reports on whom she met and what she did, missing not a single thing. If he did not wish it, she could not approach him by a single step. Therefore, he had to approach.
An owl sitting on a branch flapped its wings and flew up.
Had he sent a sentry?
There had been such a thing among the qualifications to become a High Priestess: to remain calm no matter what situation one faced. Maintaining composure was the foremost quality for a priestess who mediated between gods and humans.
As the owl disappeared into the darkness, a gust of wind blew. A strong lunar fragrance enveloped her shoulders. Asteril gently opened her eyes, which had been closed for a moment. A sharp gaze looked down at her from above her forehead.
Eyes like deep night.
Her breath seemed to stop. The gaze she had first met in the fog was as silent and still as the night of Lethe.
Now that she thought of it, she had forgotten for a moment. How beautiful the night of Lethe was, and how terrifying.
“Priestess Asteril. Tell me the second qualification to become a High Priestess.”
“To fear no existence save the gods of Mosin and Oceanus.”
She had not been a timid person by nature. Nor was she reckless. She was curious but cautious.
Of course, she had sometimes taken gambling risks. She had to. Her fate had always been toyed with by Ananke’s playful scale-tipping. Fortunately, the scale of fate had always taken her side.
Now the god of fate was stretching his hand over the scale once more. Nor would she lie obediently upon the scale this time either.
She suddenly snatched his arm. How could it be so cold…. Not a trace of warmth was felt.
She recalled the time ten years ago when she had touched the forehead of a child dead from plague. The stiffened, cooled body of the child had been cold and hard like marble. The child’s mother had sobbed, saying the god of death had bestowed a final kiss. That the child’s warmth had been sucked away into the earth of the underworld.
The king’s breath upon her forehead was felt. It was alien, like the black irises blooming around the river Styx. Eyes with displeasure looked down at her, as if asking what she was doing now.
Moonlight seeped upon the black water.
My god….
She wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Asteril put more strength into the hand gripping his arm.
“Nothing can be seen clearly in the fog. You said you wished to check on Asphodelos? Then please look properly from outside the fog.”
She slowly led his arm. Was it capricious curiosity? Amazingly, he began to follow obediently.
The moon’s breath pushed against their backs. His subtle scent lingering coolly upon the night air was profound. He followed so silently that had the fragrance not wafted over, she would have doubted whether he was truly following.
A half moon hung in the sky. The fog had retreated before she knew it. Moonlight like a goddess’s fabric poured down brilliantly. She hesitated. If she turned around now, she felt she would see his figure clearly.
Rustle.
Asphodelos waved its branches, welcoming the two. The moment dark clouds like storm clouds covered the sky. The moon hid again. Branches intertwined like a net cast pitch-black shade over their heads. Though she turned, his face was once more hidden in darkness.
“May I hold your hand for a moment?”
This time too, he obediently offered the arm she had been holding. Her heart thumped at his docile attitude. It was almost frightening to see a man who usually showed no emotion and only cruelty behaving so meekly.
She placed his hand upon the tree trunk, and laid her own hand over the back of his.
Soon, red lines like veins connected from Asphodelos’s body and shone brightly. The heat emanating from that light began to be absorbed from the king’s palm and the back of his hand into her palm as if sucked in.
“What do you think?”
– Is it truly recovering?
“Before, it was hotter. Now it has improved greatly. Was Asphodelos’s bark originally this red?”
– I do not know.
I do not know…. Why not just say you do not know. The more she saw, the more it seemed he knew nothing about Asphodelos.
“It is recovering, but it still cannot converse with me. It is in deep slumber, pouring all its strength into recovery. Yet you ask it to bear fruit within a month….”
Unreasonable. Absolutely unreasonable.
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
– There is no time.
“Is it… because the survival of a clan is at stake?”
She felt him looking at her silently.
“Lord Rian told me. Ah, by the way, is Lord Rian safe?”
– Why do you ask?
“I am simply worried. I have spoken with him several times.”
In any case, Rian had saved her life, and they shared the same concern for Asphodelos. Though not to the extent of camaraderie, he was someone she cared for as much as the other princesses.
“Just in case, I wish to tell you… I have not the slightest intention of harming or threatening Lord Rian, so please do not worry. You must know already, but I cannot match him in strength. Ah, Your Majesty may not be able to match him either. He lifted my waist like a slender sword hilt in one hand and raised me up. And the strength when he stomped his foot—he is so powerful that if he truly stomped properly, a valley as large as the Nemean valley in Lethe might form.”
She'd tossed a joke to soften the mood, but he remained an icy presence. He was more difficult to deal with than elderly priests who slept more than half the day like newborns. At least when you spoke to them, they would offer a smile like a newborn's reflex….
—Are you not afraid of me?
"What about Your Majesty? Are you afraid of me?"
When she asked in return, he fell silent as though at a loss for words. In truth, until just moments ago, he had felt like the god of death. And yet, for some reason, he had only taken her arm to guide her, only overlapped their hands but once, and she hadn't even felt any warmth from him….
"Fear is not something only the weak feel toward the strong. There is more than one way to subdue an opponent than physical force. Hades may be a stronger nation than Demeter, but it is not certain that Your Majesty is necessarily stronger than me, is it?"
—You… are stronger than me?
This time he asked back in an absurd tone. It was the first time she had seen anything resembling a proper reaction from him. A small smile formed at the corners of her lips.
"I don't necessarily mean physically strong…."
He, who had been listening silently, suddenly spun in a half circle. Then, sensing something, he unfurled a black cloth tribon16) wide in the air and wrapped it swiftly around Asteril's body.
"What—"
Swoosh. From afar, the North Wind hissed as if telling them to be quiet. Not knowing what was happening, Asteril lowered her breathing.
Ssshaaaa.
A great wind roared. The entire garden swayed, and the shrubs trembled in the wind.
—The Lord of Night has arrived.
—Why has he come so suddenly?
—Who knows, since when has his mind ever been understood?
—Shh! Can't you all be quiet?
—No, we're just surprised.
—I said be quiet! Do you truly wish to be thrown into Erebus's gullet?
The terrified garden trees whispered among themselves.
—Long time no see, Lethe.
It was a voice of playful tone. Yet no one laughed. The fig tree planted in the center of the garden curled its leaves tightly like firewood thrown into a furnace.
—Today I dearly miss the Cup of Oblivion. On such dark nights when the moon is dim, the darkness within me is wont to rage all the more….
The man's whisper, scattering into the air, was slurred with sobs and whimpers, as though heavily drunk on wine.
—It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.
Everyone knew well who this Lord of Night was. They knew, yet none seemed welcoming. The King of Hades was no different.
The sound of the man discovering the king standing in the garden and stomping to land rang out.
Crunch, crunch. A few steps treading dirt, walking while looking here and there, then again crunch-crunch, approaching irregularly, gradually drawing closer.
And then he burst into laughter as if surprised.
—Oh ho, what brings you out here to greet me?
—What business do you have?
—Nothing so formal as business. I merely sensed Thanatos's presence after a long while and stopped by.
The stranger continued to jest like a clown. Though it was the same voice, it felt distinctly different from the King of Hades. A sticky emotion clung to his entire body like a hand dipped in a mud puddle—repulsive, in short.
—By the way, Lethe has changed greatly. Something about it… seems orderly and brighter.
Brighter? Just because the sun rises in the morning and the moon at night does not mean it is bright. A place is only bright when the faces of those who live there are bright.
—Hm? I hear a weak breathing sound.
Asteril held her breath in surprise. Did he have seashells stuck in his ears? Ears that could distinguish even an ant's breathing could hardly be normal.
—What are you hiding so tightly bundled in your arms, Master of Thanatos?
—Was not Thanatos created by you?
—True, but now I have been stripped of all authority over it, so it is practically yours.
A childlike giggle rang out. The King of Hades offered no reply.
—Still so taciturn. You resemble your blunt father in that.
His father? Did he know the previous king?
"Peekaboo."
Lost in thought, Asteril startled and let out a scream. "Kyaaah!" Right before her nose, while she had been hiding deathly still inside the outer garment, a young man appeared as if by teleportation. The King of Hades also seemed startled and hastily removed the coat covering her.
Moonlight fell upon the crown of the man's head. Hair blacker than pitch-black darkness. Skin pale to the extreme. Bloodless lips and an expressionless mouth.
The only emotion the man possessed could be seen in his two slowly blinking eyes.
—Oh ho, what is this?
The King of Hades fell silent for a moment. Then the man pressed him in an annoyed tone.
—I asked what this is.
—The princess of Demeter.
—The princess of Demeter?
The man's voice sank as though it had suddenly changed. The black-haired man's eyes, which had been leisurely scrutinizing Asteril, suddenly grew sharp. His hand roughly snatched her wrist.
"Ack!"
A scream escaped from the immense pain.
"This bracelet… where did it come from?"
"Let go of me…."
"Answer me, human!"
His dark eyes were filled red as though blood vessels had burst. His savage expression was ridden with killing intent.
The man's voice was close to a beautiful singing voice. Rather than that of an adult male, it was like the voice of a boy not yet fully grown. A thin, high pitch like a woman's.
And yet his manner of speech was closer to that of an old official who had lived over a hundred years—truly peculiar.
"It was given to me by the Queen Mother when I left my homeland."
"By Queen Mother, you mean your mother? The sovereign of Demeter?"
"Yes, but…."
Asteril glanced sideways at the King of Hades. Judging by his stance standing like a bystander in the shadows, he didn't seem to have the slightest intention of helping.
"Did not the King of Demeter die in the war?"
"The previous regent king was of the former generation; the Queen Mother is his sister."
At Asteril's words, the man fell into thought as if carefully weighing her statement.
Soon, he nodded his head, then inexplicably formed a smile and spoke as if having decided.
"I must take this one."
The King of Hades, who had been watching silently until then, responded curtly.
—I cannot permit it.
—Permit? Have you forgotten who I am?
—….
—I am Nyx of Harmony, one of the Five Thrones. Must I receive your permission for everything? Though you are the head's son, you are impudent and arrogant.
Despite his rebuke, the king replied in a defensive tone.
—That princess is healing Asphodel.
Nyx looked at Asteril with suspicious eyes.
—Healing Asphodel? This thing?
Hearing the two converse, Asteril was dumbfounded. Why had they been referring to a perfectly fine person as "this thing" or "that thing" since earlier? She was indignant but couldn't bring herself to argue, which made her even angrier.
—Don't be absurd. What harmony could this thing possibly work to heal Asphodel?
Nevertheless, the man stared intently at Asteril. He bent at the waist, tilting his head to examine her more closely.
"You… what is your relation to Gaia?"
"By Gaia… do you mean Demeter's patron goddess?"
"Yes, she whom you arbitrarily served and offered sacrifices to, then arbitrarily abandoned and cursed."
Abandoned? Cursed? What nonsense was this?
Demeter, which served Gaia, the earth goddess among the great gods, held festivals in her honor twice a year and maintained fifty-five temples. Asteril herself was a high priestess who personally led one of those temples.
—Indeed… you do not seem to be an ordinary human.
—I have confirmed through her blood; she is without doubt human.
At the king's words, Nyx clicked his tongue and let out an annoyed sound.
Was he disappointed? Or was he sulking? He seemed more Nyx of Caprice than Nyx of Harmony. By the way, Nyx of Harmony, Nyx… It was a name she felt she had heard often somewhere.
—I shall take my leave for today.
Grumbling as he turned, he glanced regretfully at Asteril.
Then the king blocked his gaze as if to protect her. Asteril huddled her body and grabbed the king's tribon.
If there was a cave within the darkness, would it resemble that man's eyes? She learned that there were many kinds of darkness. Nyx's darkness was pale. It was an endlessly deep abyss. It resembled the eerie sensation, the shuddering feeling she had once felt from the corpse of a dead child.
—Let us meet again, child of Uranus.
Nyx's voice faded like an echo. Once his presence had completely vanished, the frozen garden trees and shrubs, as well as the passing wind and small birds, finally sighed in relief. At that wind, the leaves and petals of the garden trees rolling about on the ground floated up like dust, drifting and swaying faintly.
The night sky strewn with the Milky Way was blue. A night entirely blue as if right before dawn.
The king gazed in the direction Nyx had disappeared, lost in thought. The faint moonlight illuminated his long hair scattering in the wind like a flower bud submerged beneath the water's surface.
A profound, mysterious color, both black and blue. She had just been wondering what color your darkness might be….
Without realizing it, Asteril murmured while looking at his back:
So darkness can be this beautiful.
Ψ
The next day, a shriek erupted among the princesses gathered beneath the fig tree.
"What do you mean? Who did you say Lady Asteril was with?"
"The king! The King of Hades!"
Someone gasped, "Oh my heavens…." Just then, Asteril, who had skipped breakfast, came across the garden yawning.
"What is the matter?"
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Asteril asked. Tethys, whose eyes met hers, darkened her expression without finding anything to say.
Leuce quickly took Asteril's hand.
"Is it true?"
"Is what true?"
"Last night, were you truly with the King of Hades?"
"Ah…."
Amphitrite raised her hand with a flourish.
"I saw it! Yesterday in the garden of the Detached Palace, I saw Lady Asteril and him together…."
Everyone held their breath and stared at Asteril. Save for one, Princess Melinoë, who was sipping her tea. She drank her tea with the same usual expression and tidied her seat.
"I will take my leave first."
"I did not see his face," said Asteril.
At her words, Melinoë's steps faltered to a halt.
"Rather than wishing to see him again, I felt I wanted to avoid him."
"Why is that?"
Amphitrite asked with round eyes.
"Do you have to be struck by lightning to know? My hair stands on end just looking at him. Something like that. An instinctive fear."
Melinoë, standing with her back to them, cast a glance over her shoulder. Her gaze was doubtful. Metaea sighed and spoke.
"As you may have heard, Lady Asteril, they all died. Those who met the King of Hades invariably lost their lives."
The princesses who had seen the king had all suffered heartache as if smitten by love. They would passionately speak of his soul-stealing beauty…. They who spent every night pining away, gazing only toward the main palace with desperate longing, were all found dead on moonlit nights with ghastly countenances.
"We are terribly afraid that Lady Asteril might meet the same fate…."
Metaea could say no more and sobbed. Indeed, all of Demeter's priestesses—known as Persephones—had died in such manner.
"Did the king kill them?"
"Does that matter?"
To Asteril's question, Melinoë answered irritably.
"The main palace is off-limits, and seeking an audience with the king is like a moth flying to its death. Those fools who broke the rules and went snooping around had only themselves to blame."
"The main palace is off-limits, but it was never said that seeing the king is wrong. And the king would not have killed Demeter's priestesses…."
He wouldn't. He was someone who believed their blood was necessary for Asphodel's restoration. He might have treated the priestesses like beasts and drained their blood, but he wouldn't have killed them carelessly.
Everyone fell silent. Holding her teacup, Asteril stared at the gold bracelet on her wrist.
"Your Highnesses, do you… know someone named Nyx?"
While everyone tilted their heads, Tethys touched her lips and narrowed her brow.
"An unusual name. It's not one commonly used…."
"Not commonly used?"
"The names of gods are not arbitrarily taken. It is an act of deceiving those exalted ones."
"Is there a god named Nyx?"
Amphitrite blinked her round eyes and asked, and Tethys smiled gently.
"Indeed, there is. One of the primordial father gods. Though some call them mother gods…."
Truly, there was nothing she didn't know. Princess Tethys began her story amid the intrigued gazes of the other princesses.
"Lady Asteril. Demeter surely serves under Gaia's protection, does it not?"
"Yes."
"Our Poseidonia is the land of the sea god Pontus."
"Aphrodisia and Crete serve Ananke, the god of fate, and Hermes serves the father god Uranus. And…."
When Tethys paused for a moment, Leuce swallowed dryly. To one so weak in such knowledge, this was inevitably fascinating.
"Here in Hades, it is said to be under the rule and protection of the chief god Nyx, is it not?"
"Is not Hades a nation that was founded not long ago?"
At Metaea's words, Tethys nodded.
"The gods of Oceanus originally watched over the kingdoms of their respective territories and coexisted peacefully. Only Nyx, who pursues balance and harmony, was a god belonging nowhere. But then, Hades suddenly appeared, and stories began circulating that they worshipped Nyx, the god of darkness. It is said that Nyx created Thanatos for Hades, thereby shattering the order and harmony he cherished. Having gained the army of death, Hades began invading neighboring nations based on overwhelming military might. And thus, all kingdoms came to fall under Hades's rule."
"If that is so, why do the other gods simply stand by and watch? When your own people are suffering because of Nyx…."
"Well, there must be some reason."
Tethys added that Nyx, who had appeared mainly as the god of harmony in ancient records, becoming distorted into the god of darkness was deeply related to Hades.
"Before coming here, I discovered an interesting record… that from some point, the worshippers of Nyx came to be called Hades. Hades means 'the hidden one, the hidden land,' you see. There is a claim that the etymology came from the worshippers of Nyx. That the name was attached because they would gather secretly and perform frenzied rituals."
"Then does that mean Hades is a nation founded by Nyx's worshippers?"
"The possibility is high."
—Still so taciturn. You resemble your blunt father in that.
—Let us meet again, child of Uranus.
Last night, Nyx had referred to the King of Hades thus—child of Uranus. Who would dare invoke the name of the ruler of the firmament so casually and jest about it?
—What are you hiding so tightly bundled in your arms, Master of Thanatos?
—Was not Thanatos created by you?
—True, but now I have been stripped of all authority over it, so it is practically yours.
It was Nyx who created Thanatos; afterward, authority over it had been handed down to the King of Hades.
Because he was a worshipper who followed him?
Yet the King of Hades's attitude showed no signs of revering or fearing Nyx. Rather, the two conversed as equals.
"What could these secret rituals of Nyx's worshippers be?"
"There were no detailed records of that. However, judging by the mention of blood offerings, it may be related to blood…."
To Leuce's question, Tethys trailed off uncertainly. Upon hearing that, Asteril's pupils trembled finely.
"This tree drinks the blood of a living maiden once a year."
Blood offering. Persephone.
Asteril stared holes into the gold bracelet on her wrist. The twisted bracelet was set with an oddly shaped red gem in the center.
"This bracelet… where did it come from?"
"Let go of me…."
"Answer me, human!"
Her head began to ache. Tangled riddles like a skein of thread clouded her mind like a spiderweb.
In times like these, it was wiser to leave everything to the god of silence, whose tongue was nailed in place. This was a land where many secrets were buried….
Ψ
When the hour of Hypnos arrived, all commotion subsided. The night was sweet yet wanton. Darkness was temptation, so one had to close one's eyes. Moonlight was whispering, so one had to close one's ears.
That was why one had to sleep.
But the young princess of Poseidonia did not. Taking advantage of the night, the princess slipped out of her quarters and scurried along the corridor. A girl with a light body could easily hide the sound of her footsteps. She hid her curly blonde hair under a claris pulled down over her head and covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her breathing.
She wandered in search of the chamber of the princess who had most recently brought a flower vase. She was to turn left where two olive trees were visible. She saw light seeping out from beneath an old wooden door.
Ah, so that's the place.
The princess stood before the door and looked around for a moment. After confirming no one was there, she quietly called out.
"Your Highness."
In a thin voice like the whisper of a small bird.
"Princess Asteril!"
"Princess Amphitrite?"
Asteril, who opened the door, was in white sleepwear, having just been about to fall asleep. She quickly let the princess in and closed the door.
"What brings you here at this hour?"
"I have something to tell you, Lady Asteril."
Asteril pondered for a moment. Should she inform Tethys and send her back? Outside was calm, without even an owl's hoot.
The night mustn't be noisy. Hypnos despised resistance. The young princess might be punished.
Asteril went to a candlestick with a reed holder and blew out the candle with a "hoo!" She then poked her head out the window and called the North Wind. The North Wind, which had come running thinking something interesting was happening, showed a puzzled expression.
"You must tell me immediately if someone comes."
The North Wind glanced at Princess Amphitrite with a sullen look, then nodded with a sigh.
"Lady Asteril, do you truly hear the whispers of spirits?"
Asteril sat in a chair and rested her chin on the table. Surely that wasn't what she had come here to ask.
"Let's say I do."
The dim moonlight faintly illuminated Amphitrite's brow bone, her pert little nose, and her delicately shaped lips.
"This sounds serious."
"It is."
"Did you tell Lady Tethys?"
"No, my sister doesn't know. This is something only I know."
Amphitrite's voice trembled at the end. Upon closer look, the tips of her hands, which had been fidgeting, had been moving anxiously.
"Please tell me."
Asteril spoke softly in a lowered voice. One of the things she had trained herself in most over the years was soothing and reassuring frightened people. Patients facing death would convulse in extreme fear, hallucinate, and even attack healers.
She was a girl nine years younger than herself. Perhaps because Asteril had no younger sister, she was the princess she worried about most in the palace. What had frightened her so?
"Lady Asteril, there is a monster in this palace."
"Do you mean the King of Hades?"
"I mean the Detached Palace."
Asteril faltered. The Detached Palace housed only the princesses, the attendants who served them, and the boy servants. A monster among them?
"There were originally ten princesses in the Detached Palace. And there were eight priestesses of Demeter who came here. Three of the princesses died and the eight priestesses disappeared. Ah, and the last priestess was said to have returned as a corpse on a cart, so seven then."
An expression of shadow fell upon Amphitrite's face, which had seemed so carefree. Her sharpened eyes and anxious lips were cautious. It meant this wasn't a story made up on the spot.
"One of them was my friend. My father sent us here and even had Sesika, a princess of a minor kingdom, accompany me as an attendant."
She said they had been close since childhood, close enough to share everything without reservation.
"But then one day Sesika said to me. Ampia! Someone's trying to kill me…."
Her imitation of Sesika's voice was pale, as if reenacting that night.
"Save me, Ampia! Please save me…."
That day was Tethys's birthday. Sesika had said she would make a violet wreath as a gift and headed to the western hill thick with wildflowers at sunset. It was a place far removed from the center of the Detached Palace, in the exact opposite direction of the main palace. She said that if you crossed a crumbling wall and followed the side path, flowers were in full bloom.
But Sesika returned with her hands covered in blood. She ran about the Detached Palace with a frantic expression, screaming.
"Sesika, Sesika! What happened?"
Amphitrite ran out and asked.
Sesika hugged Amphitrite tightly with a terrified face. Her dark brown hair curled and fluttered.
"Ah, Ampia… someone tried to kill me."
"What? Who in the world?"
"Look at this."
Blood was flowing from the back of Sesika's hand. Someone had tried to stab her with a sharp bronze sword.
"She was hiding behind an olive tree watching me. Aiming the sharp tip of a sword at my nape, she came closer step by step, killing her breath."
Then a sudden gust of wind blew, and the flustered culprit let out a shallow scream and grasped her fluttering hem. In that moment, Sesika confirmed it was a woman wielding the knife, and startled, she ran down the hill. But the woman was faster than the young girl and quickly caught up and swung the sword. Sesika screamed in pain as she blocked it, injuring her hand.
"If it was a woman, does that mean the culprit is one of the princesses or attendants?"
"Yes. She covered her face with cloth except for her eyes. And she wielded the sword very well…."
"But why? What could such a young princess have done to earn hatred?"
"Sesika, who loved flowers, would often go up the hill to make wreaths…. But one day, she fell asleep among the wildflowers. It was a night with a very bright moon. Sesika gently opened her eyes to the sound of crickets, and the king clad in black stood before her."
Sesika ran as if fleeing, clutching flowers to her chest. But strangely, the wind seemed to push her from behind, and her steps down the hill were as light as a feather.
"Isn't it strange? They say everyone who sees the king is killed. But Sesika returned safely. She even explained to me in detail what had happened."
"So you mean the one who killed the princesses wasn't the King of Hades?"
Amphitrite nodded. Her downy face was filled with sorrow and anger.
"Someone overheard our conversation that day. We were talking in the corridor when I heard the sound of a hem brushing between the columns. At the time, I thought a weasel had passed by, but thinking back, it was definitely a person's shadow."
None may move during Hypnos's hour. But it was not entirely impossible. Though the maids and attendants took turns standing watch over the princesses, with only one or two managing the entire Detached Palace, gaps were bound to appear.
"It was late. Don't think about anything now and lie down to sleep. Don't worry, Your Highness. Nothing will happen, nothing…."
Asteril gently brushed the forehead of the sleeping Amphitrite. It was late, so she told her to sleep here. It would be better than catching the attendants' eyes.
Sesika, who had faced threats to her life, ultimately died with a knife plunged into her heart. After this, Amphitrite had tried to go to the main palace to confront the King of Hades, but the attendants had blocked her way.
"North Wind."
The North Wind, yawning outside, poked its head in. Its look said, why do you keep calling me when I'm sleepy. Pretending to be sleepy despite not needing sleep.
"Is Princess Amphitrite's story true?"
The North Wind fell silent for a moment.
"Do you know who killed Princess Sesika?"
He shook his head. Then, as if afraid she would ask more, he quickly ducked out. Spirits did not always speak only the truth. They too sometimes whispered lies and averted their gazes, pretending not to know. There was only one reason generally good-natured beings did so.
Fear.
When afraid of incurring the wrath of great beings, they would clamp their mouths shut.
"Lady Asteril, please find the culprit. Ask the spirits. Please find out who killed my friend."
The hand of Amphitrite, who had burst into tears, gripped the back of her hand tightly, as if pleading for help.
On a night without so much as the cry of beasts, the hours of Hades were drawn into a jar of silence.
Whooooosh.
In the canyon leading to Lethe's palace, a gale howled as it tore along. The cypress, supporting a body that shook as if it would break, rustled as though whispering to the wind.
They were beings cast out of the palace. The gale, utterly tactless, carried what it saw and heard here and there, while the cypress could not stop mourning, dripping sap day and night. They were ones who could not remain in Lethe's palace, where one had to pretend not to know even if one knew, pretend not to hear even if one heard.
But the King of Hades was not the only one who could speak the truth. Was there not one more? The one whom all natural beings within the palace feared and revered.
Asteril clasped her hands together and squeezed. It was a habit that came over her whenever she fell deep into thought.