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

As if enchanted, Psyche entered the palace and looked around, hearing gentle music flowing from somewhere.

The beautiful sound of a lyre, softly caressing her ears and easing her tension.

Inside, there were numerous foods including many fruits.

Dishes that were not at all inferior to what Psyche, a princess of the kingdom, usually ate.

Feeling hungry, she slowly picked a grape and put it in her mouth.

Pop- The fruit bursting in her mouth. A fruit that felt fully blessed by Demeter.

How could such fruits and dishes be made? Maybe her husband is a monster, as the original oracle said.

But if she stays with him for 100 days without seeing his face, she can avoid the fate of marrying a monster...

As time passed and darkness fell upon the land, she felt tired and lay down on the bed.

'Will my husband appear today... Since he hasn't shown up by evening, maybe tomorrow...'

Psyche, lost in thought, couldn't fall asleep.

As she lay quietly under the covers, she heard a strange sound.

Clunk. Clunk. Whoosh-

"Ah...!"

Turning her head to see if wind was blowing from the open window, she saw a dark figure that wasn't there before.

Who is this person entering the house? A monster? Her husband? Did he come through the window...?

Psyche was trembling with fear, but soon realized she didn't need to.

Thanks to what the figure shrouded in darkness said, hesitantly...

"Um. Nice to meet you, Psyche. I am your husband... no, your suitor."

"Su... suitor?"

A low, deep, handsome voice. Similar to the voice of a man her age.

But suitor? What does this mean? Wasn't she supposed to spend 100 days with her husband without seeing his face?

For now, can she trust this figure whose face she can't see due to the darkness?

"Suitor... Then, are you and I now..."

"Hmm. Please don't misunderstand. I have no intention of touching you."

"What?"

"I have busy work during the day, so I'll only come here in the evening to spend time getting to know you."

Psyche couldn't understand what was happening. If it's... marriage, then a man and woman should have relations...

And live together... That's what she thought. Wait, he introduced himself as a suitor earlier.

"...You said you were a suitor earlier, right?"

"That's correct."

"Then... am I not married to you?"

At those words, the dark figure hesitantly opened his mouth.

Though she wasn't sure if it was her imagination, Psyche felt he was being shy.

"Not yet. So..."

"...?"

"Please decide whether you'll accept my heart after 100 days. I will court you for 100 days without laying a hand on you."

Could those words be true? Relief that she doesn't have to be forcibly married. Hope that he seems better than expected.

Along with curiosity and a bit of doubt that arise.

However, her suitor didn't accept any more questions.

"Um..."

"I think you must have been very confused on the first day, so I'll leave for today and come back at this time tomorrow. And everything in this palace is yours, so feel free to use it. As long as you don't leave the palace completely, you can take walks or write letters. My invisible servants will help you."

Whoosh-

Psyche's suitor disappears again with the sound of wind.

It must be because of shyness. She had one thought about him, who quickly finished what he had to say and left.

'He could have closed the window...'

It's cold because it's evening.

***

From then on, their strange cohabitation began.

It might not be cohabitation, but the suitor visited every night...

He would talk with her a little beside her and fall asleep. Of course, when she woke up in the morning, he had already disappeared.

Even so, it was really impressive that he never touched her body.

A week. Two weeks. After 30 days passed, Psyche's wariness slowly eased.

She was a bit afraid on the first day, but as she talked with him every day, she found he had some naive aspects, and it seemed he really had feelings for her.

His attitude of respecting her and never having relations with her even once also played a part.

So one day, Psyche asked a question first.

"Um. I have something I'm curious about."

"I'll answer anything you ask, so go ahead."

"Why don't you touch me?"

A very valid and natural question. There are no men who dislike beautiful women.

Is he not moved by her beauty, which was praised as something that would captivate most Greek men, even gods?

At this point, Psyche's pride was even slightly hurt.

The suitor who received this question seemed to pause for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"To be honest, I initially intended to take you by force. But... if I had done that, you would never have opened your heart to me."

"Then why did you change your mind? Yawn~ I'm far from martial arts, so I couldn't have resisted..."

"...The most fair and merciful one in the world gave me enlightenment. That a human's heart is not something to be taken, but to be earned..."

Even though she couldn't see his face in the darkness, she felt he was smiling gently.

The respect evident in his tone. Who could this fair and merciful person be?

The fairest and most merciful in the world... the one who excels the most in a single field must be a god.

Wait. If so, could it be?

Despite the overwhelming sleepiness, the puzzle pieces come together in Psyche's mind.

The new oracle her mother and father received from Pluto's temple, and Pluto's other name is...

"For the next 100 days, please receive my courtship and think about it. I truly love you."

The god in charge of the underworld, wealth, and mercy.

The king of the underworld who passes strict judgments with a fair measure at the end of life.

Yet a benevolent god rumored to never be cruel to mortals.

"Sleep well. You must have been very tired today too."

'I see. Thank you, God Pluto...'

***

The 100 days passed quickly.

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

"...Today is the 100th day."

"So it is."

Psyche recalled the events of the past 100 days.

Her husband, no, suitor had been very kind to her. He treated her quite respectfully and well...

When he slept beside her every night, the body she touched was quite firm.

Life here was more luxurious than in the palace and not bad at all.

A large garden and a mansion full of jewels, invisible faithful servants, a suitor who courts her but never crosses the line.

Following the oracle her parents mentioned several times, she had never seen her husband's face even once until now.

Her two sisters, with whom she exchanged letters in the meantime, also urged her several times.

Psyche, you must never see his face. Just endure for about 60 more days.

Following the dove that delivered the letter, I can tell where you are. About a three-day journey from the kingdom...

This was quite different from what her sisters, who came to find Psyche trembling with fear in the kingdom, had said before receiving Pluto's oracle.

Back then, they told her to secretly examine her husband with a torch and stab him with a sword if he was a monster.

'My sisters must have been very worried about me... I miss them so much.'

As Psyche was reminiscing about the past, her husband slowly approached her.

He didn't lie down on the bed, but for some reason just sat on the edge.

"Why aren't you lying down beside me today?"

"...Actually, the reason you didn't have any suitors is all because of me."

"What?"

"You should know that I, who fell in love with you at first sight, used a bit of power..."

Psyche was bewildered by the voice tinged with a bit of sadness and trembling.

It's one thing that she had no suitors because of him, but why is he telling her this? If he hadn't told the truth, she wouldn't have known.

"Why are you suddenly saying this? If you hadn't told me..."

"...I wanted to be honest with myself. Even if I married you by deceiving you, Lord Hades wouldn't approve... Tomorrow is when you decide whether to accept my courtship, and I didn't think it would be right to have something hidden... I'm sorry."

He said Lord Hades. All mortals, unless they are his priests, do not casually call his name.

Death is as fearsome as the lightning in the sky and the depths of the sea.

But instead of calling him Pluto indirectly, he says Hades.

As Psyche had vaguely guessed, he was indeed a god.

"It's... okay."

"...What did you say?"

"It's okay. If you hadn't done that, I would have been sold off to a nearby kingdom as a sacrifice for a political marriage anyway."

This is also why Psyche could be more composed than expected.

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

In that sense, this mysterious suitor she had seen for 100 days wasn't bad.

And... if she thought about him not being in her bed from tomorrow, it felt somewhat empty.

Although the fact that he's a god is a bit concerning...

"If I grow old and lose my beauty, would you still be able to love me?"

"If that's what you're worried about...! I swear by the River Styx... and I'll beg Lord Zeus to make you a goddess."

Having confirmed each other's feelings, they finally consummated their relationship after 100 days of subtle cohabitation,

and exactly when midnight, 12 o'clock, passed... Psyche could finally see her fiancé's face.

A god's face as beautiful and handsome as a sculpture, wings made of pure white feathers. This is...

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

"Ah... Eros..."

The 100 days of patience were a preparation stage and test to qualify to witness a god's face.

Having passed this, even Aphrodite will have to acknowledge them.