CHAPTER 15
“Anyone would think you sisters are the ones going on a date. I’m the one going—ack!”
“Oh my.”
“…….”
“That’s why you shouldn’t open your mouth. I told you bubbles would get in.”
Wrapped in foam as white as snow, I shot my sister a sideways glare, only to be cleanly ignored.
Only after enduring what was called a bath—but was really laundry—did I finally earn my release from the tub.
In the meantime, Doris and Eurynome launched into a heated debate.
“If she wears a short tunic and a simple Styx-made golden necklace, it’ll be perfect!”
“No, no. She should wear a pure white chiton that flows all the way to her feet, then pair it with a large necklace set with amber!”
They all looked the same to me. Why were they fighting like this over such tiny differences?
Unable to comprehend this incomprehensible world of fashion, I asked—
“Absolutely not!”
That scared me.
The sisters’ eyes burned as they declared that absolutely unacceptable. Watching how perfectly in sync they were at times like this, I tried again.
“Then how about a simple necklace with a long chiton? It’d be pretty if the hem were decorated with flowers.”
Eurynome’s eyes sparkled like a professor spotting a promising grad student.
“My goodness, our little poplar. You’ve got a surprisingly good sense of fashion!”
“Ahem.”
Just as I puffed up with pride and shrugged my shoulders, Doris cut in mercilessly.
“And this is coming from someone who’s decorated her closet like the Paleolithic era?”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“Fine. I’ll call it Neolithic.”
“…….”
I had nothing to say.
Whether or not I tasted bitter defeat, Doris and Eurynome steeled their resolve and bustled about.
The other sisters were busy slathering unknown creams all over my body.
If they’re this intense just for a date, what would happen if I ever got married? Imagining that future, I shook my head.
—
“My goodness, look at our Leuke!”
“Aphrodite, step aside!”
That last comment was a little dangerous, sister.
Still… I had a pearl-pinned hairpiece atop my head, yellow diamond earrings on my ears, a Styx-made golden necklace around my neck, and gold bracelets on my arms.
At this point, I looked like a walking jewelry store.
“Hey. Don’t take off the gold bracelet. That’s the highlight.”
“Tch.”
Failing to remove the bracelet, I examined my reflection in the full-length mirror.
The chiton was breathtakingly beautiful. Eurynome had poured her heart into it, and the fabric gleamed with a soft luster.
As I worried that even a drop of fruit juice would spell disaster, Perseis draped a pure white peplos embroidered with lilies over my shoulders and fastened it.
Here, lilies were my symbol. The sisters had seen them on the surface and said they resembled me, choosing them as my emblem.
“We all made it together. For you to wear someday when you get married.”
“And we’ll make you a separate one just for the wedding ceremony.”
I stared at the lilies embroidered with golden thread. My eyes grew hot.
“It’s fine. That must’ve been hard. This is more than enough. I’m really grateful.”
“One smile from you, and none of it feels hard at all.”
“Exactly. A peplos for one smile is a total bargain.”
Laughing, my sisters gently pushed me forward.
“Have fun, our little poplar.”
“Go and win!”
“Devour him whole!”
“Am I going hunting or something?”
“Hey, you know what we mean. Go on.”
I climbed onto my companion dolphin and waved at my sisters.
“I’ll be back!”
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Don’t get dumped.”
“I won’t!”
As my ill-omened dolphin vanished into the sea, I picked up my basket and headed deeper into the island.
While searching diligently for the narcissus garden, I tripped over a stone.
“Whoa!”
That was when—
“…!”
A solid arm caught me firmly around the waist.
The quick hand bracing me so I wouldn’t get hurt, the black hair cascading down from above, even the astonishingly cold body temperature—
Everything was exactly the same as when he had saved me from dying in the River of Death.
“Lili, are you all right?”
The low, gentle baritone carried on the breeze.
The navy-blue eyes gazing down at me were deep—like the abyssal sea. A place so dark and dull that no light ever reached…
Wait.
“You really are okay, right?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
Why did I suddenly feel a sense of wrongness looking at Adis? Maybe because he suited the spring of the surface world so poorly.
Once again, I was reminded that he was a god who lived underground. As if to prove it, Adis’s face was astonishingly pale.
To put it bluntly, a corpse that had died only recently might look more lively than him.
Still, the fact that he was handsome hadn’t changed.
I hid my flushed cheeks and stole a glance at him.
Maybe because he’d dressed with extra care, Adis looked even more beautiful today. His long black hair was neatly tied back, and he wore a chiton, with a purple himation dyed from precious pigments draped over it.
A full-time employee of a major corporation—the Underworld, no less. Of course the benefits for a regular employee at a conglomerate packed with gold and jewels would be on another level. There was a reason people said even being a servant mattered depending on the house.
I was deeply moved. A face worthy of national treasure, a stable job at a major corporation, and even a gentle personality.
How did such a precious, treasure-like man just fall right into my lap?
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. Adis saved me just in time, so I’m perfectly fine!”
“That’s a relief. Truly.”
Even the slightly awkward smile he gave was handsome. Adis took the basket I was holding.
“Oh! I can carry it myself.”
“What if those delicate arms break from the strain?”
What am I, a twig? Still, I didn’t bother refusing the kindness of a handsome man this time either.
“This is nothing for me. Let’s head up the hill. I came early and saved us a spot.”
Before I could even take the basket back, Adis strode ahead.
“What are you thinking about?”
“About you, Adis.”
At my answer, he faltered mid-step.
Then he sharply turned his head away and marched up the hill.
Eyes sparkling, I noticed it—his ears were flushed bright red, like pomegranate seeds.
So he’s the type whose ears turn red when he’s embarrassed.
Cheered by this new discovery, I hummed to myself and followed him.
Perhaps not wanting to show his reddened face, Adis walked ahead on long legs, then panicked when he noticed me falling behind and hurried back down. By now, both his ears looked like they’d been smeared with red paint.
Oh no.
This is too cute.
With a face so cold and aloof, yet completely flustered trying to look good in front of me—it was unbearably adorable.
He looked like a fresh-faced boy experiencing his first love. It was so cute I couldn’t hold back my laughter.
“Ahahaha!”
At that moment, I didn’t know.
That the grass and flowers beneath his feet were scorched black.
“Pfft—!”
“….”
That he was secretly struggling to conceal the shadow of death trailing wherever he stood.
“Please stop laughing.”
After laughing for a long while, I finally managed to stop at his earnest request.
Adis merely nodded, his face stained red like strawberry jam. He looked slightly sulky, as though upset that he hadn’t managed to show a cool side of himself.
But I liked him better this way.
“Don’t be upset. It’s just because you’re so cute, Adis.”
He widened his eyes, as if he’d never heard the word cute in his life.
Even that looked lovable. I really am hopelessly face-blind.
“Just a moment, Lili.”
“Yes?”
Suddenly, Adis reached out and summoned something with his divine power.
“This is…”
