Readers: Ei yo, what the f*ck?! Didn't you say last time you'll give us fluff and romance on the next chapters?! This title sounds ominous!

me: *dramatically places hand on chest* me? i said such thing???

Readers: 👇ÒnÓ

me: ... OOOH, yeah! yeah. i said such thing, right.

readers: Well, where is it???

me: ... *starts laughing maniacally* whooops. perhaps i meant to say that after THIS chapter you're gonna get the romance and fluff!

Readers: *sigh and put on their bibs while i hand them cutlery*

me: enjoy, comment, vote =)

No one's POV:
-

Blur.

It was all a blur for Persephone when she felt she was slightly finding consciousness. She had no idea how long she was in the darkness and whenever she would open eyesockets, she was seeing her surroundings extremely blurry.

Faintly every now and then in her awake moments she could see figures walking close to her and checking from above, sensing them by aura to be her daughters. Their voices were barely reaching her and couldn't understand what they were saying, if they were even saying anything and she wasn't just hallucinating.

These little moments were her indicator that she was still alive. They were also the ones making her realise just how much her whole body was boiling, as if in a fever and her skull was spinning. She struggled to even try look at things because everything immediately hurt more, especially her soul.

Whatever her daughters were doing to try help with easing her dizziness and that fever, it wasn't really working. Compresses dipped in water as an attempt to help her cool off, constant healing magic, these had no result. Her daughters' aid and appearance close to her weren't helping her feel any better.

Instead she was feeling relieved when they were not close to her.

Almost a minute with none of them near her, she was feeling then a different presence sitting close to her and a hand pressing her forehead. It was a lot colder than the compresses but not in an overwhelming way. Instead they were giving Persephone the relief she so needed from the fever.

And when the hand wasn't touching her forehead she would whine. She could somewhat realise that would happen when she couldn't sense any of the triplets close. It would be either them, or the cold hand. And that had happened only twice.

The 3rd time, she didn't just feel a hand touching her forehead.

Instead she felt going from laying position to a sitting one. The same cold hand was gently keeping her head pressed against a tough surface. And from that Persephone could hear a stable beat emitting small waves of cold on her burning forehead, causing her to nuzzle herself closer to it. She could hear a deep melodic hum acompanying her for minutes.

Then, an even deeper voice talking, almost chanting in what felt an ancient version of Catalanic. Then in Ancient Greek. At least from the few words the skeleton woman could catch. The more the deep voice spoke, the more she would feel herself... the pain being lifted off her. And then she heard the last words being delivered in recognisable Catalanic.

"The pain and sickness let it not stay where it is, remove it all and allow it another one to find..."

She felt being layed down again, drowsy and sleepy. The hand touched again her forehead but this time caressed it gently for a few seconds. The presence left the moment she was falling into a deep slumber.

And then, at some point, as if she hadn't been sick and dizzy at all, as if in a typical morning, Persephone woke up, on her bed at the hut inside the heart of the garden. Matter of fact she had woken up feeling... refreshed. Her daughters were happy to see her well.

She had been told she was uncoscious for 3 whole days. Her recovery was faster than she would anticipate and from the next day after waking up, Persephone just felt she was good to go and work in the mansion. But while she felt fine in her body and soul, in mood and behavior she wasn't.

The events from that night were still haunting her. She could remember in great detail all fear and panic and agony she had gone through with that skeleton from her past. Why was he here? What was he doing here? Why and how the Renrink hadn't sense his appearance, especially in the greatest time of need?!

Her daughters were in danger, Aphrodite was this close to die and where was he?! Nowhere to be seen!

Persephone didn't even want to think of him as she tried to work, or else she would break, snap, rip whatever she was holding in her hands at the moment. She was stubbornly ignoring his aura and just avoiding being for long in areas with only one exit.

He had taken responsibility for the triplets upon himself too with the training. He had assured Persephone of keeping them safe. If she wasn't angry she would be laughing. He had called those humans in the house, he had invited them, he was supposed to have the control. And what had happened instead!

Persephone didn't even care what had happen to the Ottomans, where had they gone to after that night. Because of the Renrink not doing what he had assured the skeleton woman he would do, she had to do the unspoken, she had to be the one to step up and commit-!

Her hand unconsciously was curled into a fist and punched whatever she had in front of her. It was the 6th day from her recovery and she just couldn't calm down. She was so angry trying to rid herself off that memory, torturing her at nights tremendously, that she couldn't even bother about the pain from the glass door of the library inside the office she had broken down.

She didn't even care for the scratches on her hand, just glaring murderously in front of her. That she had damaged property, she just couldn't care less. Her daughters had been hurt. She had been hurt. A small part of her wanted to have Sir Hades in front of her just to see her fist in his face.

And right on cue, she felt his aura conquering the office. She didn't leave this time. She turned around and saw him standing while looking at her hurt fist. He really seemed ready to walk close to her, but Persephone wasn't having it. At least she warned him.

"It will go on your face if you take another step." She said while nailing her glare at him, her fists a lot more clenched.

There was no more authority.

There was no more maid talking towards her Master.

Hades decided to just accept the warning and stood with hands on his back. They both stayed silent for many seconds, Persephone still glaring at him and the Renrink calm, almost indifferent he seemed.

"Do you wish to not see my face or are you somewhat willing listen to what I have to say for the fiasco?" He asked. Many seconds later Persephone huffed, trying to calm herself even by one spec.

"Ottomans? Really? You had to call OTTOMANS in your house?!" She started slowly.

"Miss Persephone, no matter who comes in here as a guest, even if it was the one I detest their guts the most, we are simply taught to greet and welcome them, even with big flashy fake smiles and back-handed compliments. Tolerance through diplomacy. The Ottomans in particular were of no bother to me and just allowed them to come, without much problem or annoyance." Persephone shut her eyesockets and crossed her arms, having at the edge of her magic tongue to comment things not so very nice towards Hades. But she kept them back. For now.

"Where were you... before things go bad?" She asked slowly, her anger still almost ready to choke her.

"The time before havoc, I was still in the dining area with the guests." Hades replied, so calmly the desire to just punch him grew bigger in Persephone. He had the nerve be calm for what had happen!

"And why did you let my daughters unattended?"

"Miss Athena first asked for my permission to go check up on you and make sure you're alright. She was worried for how you stormed off then. A minute or so later, your other 2 daughters asked me for the same, concerned too for your well being. I told them go too and I simply kept discussing matters with the guests."

"But WHY did you let them?"

"The host can't leave the guests hanging."

"But you can easily let a few lives be threatened huh?" Persephone attacked him bitterly. Hades just slightly raised brows, but proceeded to look unphazed. The woman guffawed with a sarcastic smile, almost crazy. "Pardon, I forgot I'm talking with the necromancer."

"Just because I have the magic and abilities to kill far more easily, without intention even and I'm immersed in death, doesn't mean I take pleasure from anyone loosing their lives or being hurt. I wouldn't take pleasure by letting your daughters die. And I am greatly dissapointed with myself for realising too late you 4 were in danger."

"Well you don't seem like it." Persephone thought. "Too late you realised?! Aren't you supposed to be able sense all existence surrounding you?! Didn't you sense that a monster send by your oh so high and important guests was threatening me and my girls?!"

"I am supposed to do so-."

"THEN HOW DID THAT SKELETON ESCAPE YOUR MAGICAL SENSES?!" Persephone lost it and screamed at Hades, who once again kept his serious and calm posture.

"A great part of monster souls consists of the ability to feel emotions. That part is greatly connected with the monster's aura and magic. The more uncontrollable one monster's emotions are and getting the best of them, the bigger the aura. One who can keep their emotions under control is also able to hide their aura, keep it very close to their bodies and not let it spread around to long distances. That monster however. He wasn't just controlling his emotions. He had none." Momentarily the confusion covered Perspehone's anger and looked at Hades with slightly perked up eyesockets. "The Ottomans... I can only imagine what systems do they use to train the kidnapped monsters. Whatever it is, they rid them off their emotions completely. Not just supress them, but as if 'neuter' them off the ability to feel anything at all. They make monsters physically alive listen to commands, serve and fight, but emotionally dead. Having no emotions is the equivalent of having no visible from distance aura and consequently, as if having no soul."

"You're telling me that because of this you were unable to sense him in the house???" Persephone asked glaring at him. Hades pressed his teeth together for a few seconds with a genuinely curious expression, at least there was a faint idea of it on his cold face.

"... Could you?"

Son of a-!

As angering as that was, abstract meanings such as those of Life and Death were the better ones to sense souls from great distances, for slightly different purposes and reasons, but still. Persephone herself was distracted and agitated that time, but that had never stopped her from being able sense alive beings.

And as frustrating as it was, truly she hadn't sense that skeleton coming. Only the moment he grabbed her she realised she wasn't alone in the corridors. If she couldn't sense him while being on the same floor as him, could Hades really do so while being to a completely other room? 

For one able to locate souls it also depended just how many other souls were surrounding the one with said ability. The more aura in one place, the more possible to reduce the amount of distance to sense other more far away souls and aura. Persephone was just her and the monster corsaire on the same floor, Hades was in the dining area surrounded by just how many human and monster souls!

"..." There Persephone was, unable to fight against the other's arguement. But Hades didn't rub it in her face. He exhaled quietly from his nose.

"I started understading something was off only after minutes with you and your daughters not coming back to the dining area. But it became more obvious when I started sensing plant life from above and getting the faint impression I heard your girls screaming. And just a little after, when I focused to find where you were in the house, I sensed Miss Aphrodite's aura gradually becoming weaker, dying. And as I was on my way to where the 4 of you were, I was hit by the sensation that somebody had died. And well, your girls were trying to stand on their feet, full of injuries, you were screaming and then you started collapsing, with monster dust on what looked like a pile of plant life a few feet away..." Awkward silence befell between the 2 skeletons, with Persephone clencing her fists from agitation. Hades however didn't keep talking about that part. "... Your daughters told me what they saw and I realised what had happened. The Ottomans had told me it was going to be just them. Anyone else entering the house who wasn't a guest or from whoever works around the house wasn't welcomed. Monsters as guests, or even as guard weren't included, the one you stumbled upon had sneaked in. And after 'investigating' the men, they eventually had the guts to admit they had send said skeleton to steal from my stuff. Rob my house! They had such commands from their sultan. But not from the first day, they were patient enough to show me faces that were posing no other secret purposes. On the 3rd day, they had agreed from before that they would send 'a bait', see if they had trained their monsters to be emotionless enough so I wouldn't sense him. And it showed to be succesful. They knew very well where were the limitations of my magical abilities and used it to their advantage. Perhaps it would have worked, I would have been robbed and too late I'd realise what had happened if their monster didn't stumble upon you."

"He didn't stumble upon me, he purposely revealed himself and went for me." Persephone clenched her teeth and looked away silently.

"After all that, of course I kicked the guests out. It didn't matter that it was about to get dark, I told them to take foot out of the mansion if they didn't want me to shove their limbs down their throats after ripping them off while dying painfully in blood loss. And I would have done it. But Miss Aphrodite, is such a gentle nature, that after being so close to die because of them, even not straightforward, she asked me to not end them. The amount of convincing it took. Eventually I became merciful enough to let the humans live, but not completely unharmed and with any good mentality. Most of them left immediately in fear and panic, but 10 of them I let them go only when their backs were bleeding after carving on them the same message. For their sultan, saying that only the day I actually die they shall dare step foot back in Valencia." Hades declared calmly.

But near the end he sounded somewhat thrilled for what he had caused. Indicator were his slightly more opened eyesockets and the pupils in them taking a darker color as he stared at Persephone. Who was staring at him disturbed. When he calmed down from his momentum he hummed.

"damn." i said from the distance as i munched my medieval popcorn with bebeh (y/n) on my lap.

"... You carry bad memories caused by them to the point you're simply afraid to even think about them. Your daughters have no such memories from them, which made me think less of how little their arrival would affect negatively the house. Or just how much that would affect you. Only from the moment they showed their true faces the realisation became clearer to me. In any case, I was a fool for accepting their request for a visit. I let them in my house. I welcomed them and consequences befell me and you and your daughters..." Hades closed eyesockets as his expression started becoming somewhat... apologetic?

But Persephone didn't see that. Instead she saw red. Bloody red all over. She didn't think much of Hades admitting his mistake. Her eyesocket twitched as she glared at the Renrink, shaking, about to burst like a volcano, not caring just how much she was going to be heard in the next minutes.

"You had in mind that I have trauma by them, but you just went ahead and allowed them to enter either way. But what is one insignificant maid amongst so many others? Why should the trauma of one cancel all plans huh?" She started laughing lowly. Hades seemed ready to move forward, his hand moved towards her.

"Miss Persephone-." She snapped her head at him as she went serious again.

"Consequences... You had consequences you said? YOU HAD SOMETHING TO LOOSE?!" She started screaming and the man looked at her with slight surprise. "You lost NOTHING! NOTHING FROM YOUR PRECIOUS PROPERTY WAS TAKEN AWAY! BUT ME?! MY DAUGHTERS?! BECAUSE OF YOUR GUESTS AND THEIR PLANS, MY DAUGHTERS GOT HURT! APHRODITE WAS THIS CLOSE TO DIE! OBJECTS AND MONEY CAN BE REPLACED, BUT LIVES?! MY DAUGHTERS?! THEY'RE NOT OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE TO JUST BE DISCARDED! AS IF I HAVEN'T LOST FROM WHAT GRACE I HAD ONCE BEFORE ARRIVING IN THIS DAMN LAND, I'VE LOST IT COMPLETELY BY KILLING THAT MONSTER! I KILLED HIM!" The tears had started falling from her eyesockets as she kept staring enraged at Hades. "IT'S EVEN WORSE BECAUSE I DIDN'T JUST KILL ANY MONSTER! FROM BILLIONS OF MONSTERS OUT THERE, FROM SO MANY LIVES LIVING IN THIS WORLD, GUESS WHAT?! IT HAD TO BE THE FATHER OF MY GIRLS! THEIR FATHER! THE ONE MONSTER WHO SEND ME IN VALENCIA WITH CHILDREN I NEVER IMAGINED I'LL GET! FORCEFULLY! HE HAD TO BE BACK AND TORTURE MY CONSCIOUSNESS! MY GIRLS HAD ONLY MERE MINUTES TO MEET HIM AND WHAT DID WE ALL GET FROM THAT REUNION?! HE HURT MY DAUGHTERS AND ALMOST KILLED MY APHRODITE!"

She kept screaming and crying at the same time. Hades was listening and the more he showed to be apathetic, the more angrily Persephone would yell at him. She kept shooting him with her rage and sadness, directing the start of all tragedy at him.

"Miss-"

"I HAD TO CARRY THIS DAMN TRAUMA FROM MY HOMELAND FOR 20 YEARS! 20! AND WHEN I THOUGHT THAT IT HAD STARTED BECOMING LESS PAINFUL TO REMEMBER, YOU CALLED THESE HUMANS IN YOUR HOUSE! EVEN AS GUESTS, YOU COULD HAVE GIVEN ME A HEADS-UP OR ANYTHING! BUT NOOO, WHY CONSIDER ANOTHER'S THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS WHEN YOU'VE CLEARLY ADMITTED YOU KNEW WHAT WAS UP! WHY EVEN CARE?!" She guffawed as she looked away for a moment, an unhinged grin appearing for just a second on her face. "Why would I think for even just a moment that you can care about lives when you're consumed in death... IF I KNEW SOONER THEY WOULD BE HERE, I'D MAKE SURE I GO AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE FROM YOUR DAMN HOUSE, FROM THIS DAMN LAND EVEN!"

"Miss Persephone-."

"I CURSE THE TIME AND MOMENT I ACCEPTED ALL HAPPILY AND EXCITED TO DECORATE THE GARDEN FURTHER! JUST FOR THEIR PLEASURE AND COMFORT, JUST TO PLEASE THEIR EYES! ALL WHILE I WOULD ROT IN MY OWN MEMORIES!"

"..." Persephone lowered her head.

"I curse the moment I arrived in this sad and macabre mausoleum of a house, I curse working under your command, I regret not trying to keep my girls away from you in the first place. Maybe they would never find trouble if they stayed low. I'm sick of breathing this air (figure of speech), I'm sick of having to talk to you..." She started heading towards the door, walk-passing Hades. "... I'm sick of being afraid and insecure close to your arrogant, self-centered figure."

Her anger almost vanished as she felt his hand grabbing her by the left wrist. She almost froze and allowed him to slightly pull her away from the door. Once again, he wasn't even putting strength, but in the skeleton woman's agitated mind, Hades pulling her close to him after saying all those things felt like danger.

"Persephone-."

It echoed and breached through the halls, it bounced on the objects, the birds outside sitting on the trees and minding their business flew away scared as Persephone turned 180° around and her free right hand went at the Renrink's face, leading in a powerful slap.

"Don't. Touch. Me." She said in her most murderous expression.

Which was going to vanish 2 seconds later.

She hadn't even realise just how much strength she had put. Barely after speaking, Hades let go of her to press both hands on his cheek, missed his step and fell on his side groaning. The window in the office started going up and down. The door slammed and opened alternatively.

The glass doors of the little library would shake as if an earthquake was happening, ready to shatter at any second. At the same time the temperature dropped extremely abruptly. That situation lasted for many seconds while Hades was whispering profanities in who knows what language exactly.

Then, all noise stopped. The window and door stayed closed, the library stopped shaking and the necromancer... went dead silent as he stood up, still holding his cheek with one hand, while with the other trying to support himself on the desk's surface to stand up.

All that time instead of Persephone trying to open the door and leave, she was staring at him with wide open eyesockets. Why was she shocked? Didn't she want to punch him or something? Well, she had slapped him, she had clearly caused him pain, why didn't she feel any satisfaction?

Because at the moment she felt more scared than anything.

She was done for. That's what she thought.

Especially when she saw the madness in Hades' expression. He wasn't even facing her, yet he was terifying as he was. Wide open eyesockets, pupils glowing a sickening purple color as they were nailed at her. His mouth and left cheek weren't visible.

Still covering them with his hand. Again many seconds passed with them simply staring at each other. Persephone knew damn well however that it wouldn't take long for the other to make the move. Towards her. And then, who knew what he was going to do.

Hades slowly lowered his head and closed eyesockets as he huffed. He lowered his hand off his face, revealing cracks on the cheek, surrounded by faint purple. He stayed like that, with his head lowered, like a statue.

"Bé llavors. El meu torn."

And then, he raised head again and faced Persephone. He walked towards her.

Here was the moment the woman thought was about to come. She stepped backwards until her back found wall. Now upon her panic, the only thing she could do was stare at Hades approaching her, closing the gap between them more and more. Not even close eyesockets. Hades stopped a breath away from her, but his expression was nothing like a while ago.

It was his typical apathetic one again. Only when his left hand moved slowly towards her, Persephone shut eyesockets and turned her head away, waiting for something bad to happen. Instead... his hand held her right one and raised it slowly upwards. In such state the woman thought he was simply going to snap it.

But not lead it to press against...

She felt her palm touching a tough surface, from which sharp and fast beats were coming. Hesitantly she turned her head to face Hades and realised he had placed her hand... in the middle of his ribcage. Surprised she almost pulled her hand away, but the man held it stably there.

The skeleton woman didn't struggle again. Instead, she focused to feel the other's soul beats, staring at his ribcage confused and intensively, not understanding what was going on and why they were doing this.

"... What..."

"... Alright..." He said at first. The woman looked at him confused and still waiting on the back of her mind for things to go down. "... As much as it hurts, I admit I've lost. Because of one decision, I've put this house in danger. I've put your family in danger. Your daughters almost lost their lives. You've lost your grace and dignity and nearly your children, in the end almost your life. But as for me, it is not my property that I'm more upset about almost loosing..." He paused for a moment exhaling from his mouth. "... Deep down I knew I was doomed to fail from the beginning anyway. Because I'm that much of a selfish opportunist, who suffered trying to deny you again and again in those past 20 years, thinking that I was mistaken, that I was interpreting my thoughts about you wrong. I've died each time I would think about you and at the same time forget how miserable I am when I see you... I fought against them. I tried to disregard them on the first 2 years of you here. I tried to suppress them, despite my years in the temple had prepared me from somewhat handling them, having been taught what would I be up to if I fought back for too long however."

"Fighting who?" Persephone dared to ask, clueless for what was coming.

"... Feelings. I tried, stars, I beat myself down to stop from feeling towards you, because it was contradicting with my oath. In which I told myself that no one will suffer the same path I had once. That this family will cease to exist by me, that I would be the last of the Renrinks' lineage And in those first 2 years of your arrival later I started really hanging between the oath and you. Trying to think of how can I keep it and at the same time earn your attention. But I know how to talk and what to say, not how to do so from the soul. I've known for the longest how to win and claim anything by being manipulative, cunning and cryptic, not by being genuine or admitting. I've learned how to use anything and anyone to my advantage. In your case, your daughters." Once again the surprise took over Persephone. Hades let go of her hand, which she slowly took back. "... Trying to find the way to be subtle, I observed them all those years and just thought that by managing to earn their trust I would earn yours too. I gave them training and education, at first just so I could get them to think any good of me and pass down to you their opinion. And when calling you to talk about their progress, it was so I could find excuses to see you from closer..." Hades took a small pause as he looked away, recollecting his thoughts. "There is one more reason however why I educate your daughters." He looked at the woman. "... Do you wish to know?" Persephone thought for a moment before nodding twice as she looked up to Hades in surprise and confusion. "... I took my oath about not expanding my lineage because I detest this family I'm in. From the moment I was born I was only met with neglect and condemn. I declared that no one after me would come and succeed me. In all my cruelty and evil, I told myself that I was not going to make another creature as miserable as me, I was enough. And for some time, I had thought that I would manage that by not falling in love, nor meet my other half, which could possibly lead to descendants. But then, you arrived and everything I thought I knew how exactly I wanted it, collapsed. I look at you and my mind and soul yell at me for things I never thought I would ever feel. As of now. I looked at your daughters the first time years ago as said and I had my change of my original plans. In the harshest way of interpreting this, I had the bridge connecting to you and had found my tools of revenge upon the bloodline of the Renrinks. I wasn't just going to end our name. I was going to replace it." Persephone's eyesockets widened up.

"... Replace?"

"I prepare them to erase the Renrinks out of history. The day their training will be over, the day I consider them ready and capable to handle all responsibilities and business they're up to, everything that belongs to me will be theirs to control and I will step down to let them rise. A new name and a new mindset will take over that of the Renrinks and matter of fact everyone will be delighted. Your daughters have already made a great reputation through the whole town, the monsters and humans admire them from what I hear. They will live that great happy life I never felt I've enjoyed... and consequently you too." Hades' hand seemed ready to move towards Persephone, but the very next second let it fall. He sighed quietly. "... While I prepared them for this, in the back of my mind I hoped. For once in my existence, I hoped that perhaps I wasn't going to keep being that sad miserable skeleton. You were just a little light that fell in my darkness and instead of being swallowed by it, lit it on fire. You've changed the way my soul beats and the thoughts I make. I couldn't get you out of my head and I tried... And yet I went by the power of wealth, materials and exchange, hoping that by giving your daughters knowledge and skills to climb towards fame and success, claim all I have by giving it up, I would eventually get close to you. I felt willing to give everything I've ever had that caused me and still do only sad memories, both for my own selfish reasons and grudges and hoping to have you. The one who keeps me awake most nights and at the same time make me forget just how miserable I am myself." The movement he had done before towards Persephone this time was done properly. He held her right hand again and lead it close to his face. And as he locked eyesocket contact with the paralysed skeleton woman, he brought her palm close to his mouth and planted a kiss, causing shivers down Persephone's spine, changing her fear to confusion. He let go and stepped back then, staring at her with a cloud of sadness befalling over his face. "... But I can't do both. And it all went wrong. In those 5 years we started somewhat interacting, you never really showed me any other emotion other than tension and fear. And I'm at fault because I was selfish to admit what I think about you, be completely honest, let  go completely of the oath. Last but not least shot was given that day. Where we are now, it can't get any worse..." His hand touched his cracked cheek. "... Because today, I don't just receive your fear, I receive your hatred. And all because I didn't step up to defend you and your daughters sooner that day when you were in trouble... No. It was way before that, it was from the day I started considering letting these humans to enter the house... You questioned if I've lost anything after all, ever since that day, before going ahead to tell me what you've almost lost and what else you've done so completely. You believed I'm upset about my property and you can't be blamed. What I've really lost, I see her right in front of me, I know for a fact I've lost any little possibility I could ever have, to win you over and have you by me." His mouth took a rather wry shape as he looked away, almost as if...

Persephone slightly flinched as quite literally she heard the sharp but loud sound of something cracking, somewhere. But she knew for a fact where was the source, giving an extra idea of what it was when Hades gripped his ribcage. In that moment the woman realised what she had done. She realised the truth of all he had told her after she so harshly told him off.

"... Sir..." Lower than a whisper was her attempt to talk, shocked as she was and Hades was way too unstable to hear her. He turned his back on her.

"... Your girls' training will continue and I will keep attending to their progress. But I will grant you the priviledge of not seeing my face around here. You said it. Sick and tired of breathing the same air as me, sick of talking with me..."

"Sir Hades, hold on-." Persephone tried to talk again, but it was doubtful if she was even heard and Hades completed his sentence,

"Sick of being afraid and insecure with my existence. I knew I was bad as a necromancer, but I guess I keep surprising myself. Since I messed up so much in your eyesockets and I recognize it too, it is only fair I stop being such a bother to you." He groaned as he seemed to lean forward, now supporting himself with his free hand on the desk. "And when the girls are done with their training, you will not have to see me ever again. Nor them, or anyone. For the only thing I can hope now... is that may your happiness... and peace never be threatened ever again... by the likes of me. Your daughters... will lead a better life than me..." He managed to straighten his posture and not support himself so much on the desk. He didn't turn to look at Persephone. "... Thank you, butterfly." He said then, rather calmly unlike with the previous tension his words had. The woman looked at him confused.

"... For what?" That one, Hades heard it as Persephone spoke just loud enough to reach him.

"... For helping me realise just how much I hate myself too."

And a few seconds later, he dissolved in a black cloud that slid away and dissapeared from the office.

~

"Morana where on earth are you?!" The monster head-maid was heard calling for Persephone, frustrated and impatient for searching around the house for her. Finally she stepped into Master Hades' office and just as she entered, her eye caught a curled up figure hugging her knees, her head buried between them. She recognised Persephone and sighing annoyed walked up to her, leaned and started shaking her lightly. "Come on, don't just sit around playing hide and see-!"

She stepped back the very next moment as Persephone turned to look at her with empty eyesockets, crying endlessly tears. Before the head-maid could find her she was quiet, but the moment she tried to get her to stand up, she started sobbing, gradually more and more aggressively.

The other looked at her concerned, not knowing what to do. For many seconds she just stood there listening to the skeleton's sobs. Eventually, she discreetly stepped out of the office, leaving Persephone in that state.

~

There was a fairytale she had hear from her mother narrating to her. About 2 monsters who met and fell in love, Bort and Zeela, but the girl's father didn't want the hero to marry his daughter. To prove his worth, he had send Bort to do some impossible missions, hoping that he would die.

He didn't but when he came back to ask for the hand of the one he loved, he learned that Zeela was married to someone else. After a long breakdown, eventually the hero managed to come in contact with her and solve the misunderstanding.

She told him that her father told her Bort was dead and to move on. She couldn't do so, even after forcefully being shoved to marriage. The 2 lovers escaped together, going to another land where no one would know them.

They made their lives there and lived happily ever after. There was a good ending, but to the point Bort learned Zeela had already been married and before finding out the whole truth, he had thought she had betrayed him. And Persephone's mother in fact described that part in great detail.

"Bort couldn't believe it. He refused to believe it. Had Zeela really betrayed him? Had she really forgotten about him? And what had happen to all these oaths in the name of love they gave to each other under the shades of the trees at day and beneath the stars and moon at night? Was she really happy in the arms of some other monster other than him? For long he cried and so did his soul. It had been broken and just like the man's eyes were running tears, so it was. It felt almost as if ready to get torn apart by itself thinking that he had lost his love to someone else. And truly, a deep crack was on his soul, almost ready to shatter it in 2 pieces, this hurt he was. But it didn't happen silently. That crack was heard loud and clear to his close surroundings, same as his mourning for the love he had think he lost, almost like a branch snapping in 2, in the middle of a quiet forest."

The first time she heard the fairytale, with her little childish mind then she was surprised, could souls really do that? They could rip themselves off without anyone interfering? With no harm and no illness playing part?

They could crack so loud that they could be heard to the outside? And her mother had explained that the scars of the soul caused by strong emotions of grief, sadness, despair and other negative ones are able to cause damage.

With Bort, he was so sad thinking he had lost Zeela, it took a toll on him which was cured only after he reunited with her. Same as Zeela. In the story the 2 lovers showed their souls to each other, proving that Zeela too had the crack on her soul, she was devastated hearing by her father that Bort was dead and she truly loved him.

In just one word, what the 2 lovers had gone through for different reasons, was called soulbreak.

The very same thing Persephone had caused to Hades. Except it had happen because rawly and mercilessly, having no idea of his state, with her words she had rejected him by emotionally stabbing him.

And after hearing all that, after being slapped, he had proceeded to basically confess to her. He... all this time, all those years, he was in love with her?

...

How was she supposed to know?! Was there ever any obvious indicator that he felt for her? Was Persephone this clueless, or the Renrink had done a 'flawless' job at hiding his feelings? For 20 years!