IBTHM Chapter 28

'How very touching. I suppose I'll just have to try liking you back!'

Yeah. That's exactly what Hades's expression said.

I stared blankly up at his handsome face and began sorting through this confused situation in my head.

He'd finally noticed my history of fangirling over Abel, and Hades—who'd seemed so understanding about the whole thing—was actually still trapped in his own self-absorbed delusions.

Which meant he thought everything I'd done for Abel—sending the sacred blade, writing letters, making handkerchiefs—was all because I liked him.

'Why does this man only think what he wants to think?!'

It was absurd. If he'd been misunderstanding from the very start of our conversation...

'When did you start liking him?'

That question hadn't been about Abel at all—it was asking when I'd started liking Hades. And my reading comprehension and awareness had hit rock bottom at precisely that moment, so I'd cheerfully answered five years.

So right now, I'd just become a woman who'd been pining for Hades from all the way down south for five years—including the two years I wasn't even here?

"Wow..."

I couldn't stand the frustration. Where was I even supposed to start untangling this?

It felt like solving an impossible problem. Like escaping a maze with no exit.

Every subject I'd been referring to was Abel, but every subject Hades was referring to was himself.

'It was all you...'

Dizziness washed over me in my confusion.

I pressed my throbbing forehead and swayed like a paper doll. Flutter. Hades grabbed my arm in alarm.

"Are you all right? Is hearing that I'll try to like you back really that shocking?"

"No, wait—"

Abel's Father!

"Haah..."

I started to blame his narcissism internally, then remembered something that had struck me as odd during our conversation—the way the dialogue had jumped around so randomly.

Suddenly bringing up Abel's birth mother, asking repeatedly if I was really okay with Abel being illegitimate...

Those questions had clearly been asking: are you really okay with a man who has a past and even a son?

I'll admit it. Not catching that weirdness was my failure.

How could my reading comprehension be this bad? It made me seriously doubt I'd actually scored in the first percentile on the verbal section of the college entrance exam.

"Excuse me, Your Grace."

I couldn't let this continue.

It was one thing when Hades was misunderstanding alone, but now that he'd actually said, 'I'll try to like you too,' I couldn't let the misunderstanding deepen further.

My conscience wouldn't allow it.

"So there's been..."

A huge misunderstanding.

I steeled myself, about to explain the truth.

'If anyone has impure intentions toward Abel, I intend to chase them to the ends of hell and eliminate them. Can't risk leaving future threats alive.'

Those words flashed through my mind—the way his eyes had gleamed when he said them.

His face wasn't scary at all right now, but who knew when that might change?

"A huge mis—"

For instance, if he heard my explanation that actually, I didn't come all the way north for you, I came for your son...

"Mis?"

"Mis... sion accomplished!"

Ah, I want to cry.

Hades chuckled at me as I struck an enthusiastic fighting pose at thin air, like I'd lost my mind.

"Are you that happy?"

"This is really..."

Something felt completely stuck in my throat. I genuinely wanted to cry.

I learned something new today: frustration at being unable to speak can actually bring tears to your eyes.

When I suddenly flopped face-first onto the table and started sniffling, I felt Hades's flustered presence beside me.

"Wait, you're happy enough to cry?"

This is insane. I knew I shouldn't react this way, but even as tears came from sheer frustration, I couldn't help laughing at the absurdity of Hades's perfect misunderstanding.

"I'm not!"

Unable to hold back, I jerked my head up and laughed incredulously. Hades looked down at me and laughed too.

"Sure you're not."

"Haa..."

"Crying, then laughing—you're quite the one-woman show."

"Ugh, I don't know! Forget it!"

I playfully smacked Hades's arm where he'd gotten close. He just kept laughing, taking every hit like it was the most amusing thing in the world. This was truly maddening.

We were laughing again, each meaning something completely different, when the door quietly opened.

It was Ann, bringing warm bath water.

She'd been dragging in a wheeled tub, but froze when she spotted Hades and me, her eyes going wide.

"Y-Your Grace? Why are you in Miss's room..."

Nothing embarrassing was happening, but somehow the situation felt embarrassing anyway.

Ann stared at us for a long moment, then her expression turned sly.

She pushed the tub the rest of the way in and announced:

"Well, would you look at that—I just happen to have prepared bath water for exactly two people."

"Hey!"

That's bath water we were supposed to use together...

I looked up at Hades, who'd frozen in surprise, feeling absolutely ridiculous.

It felt like the entire universe was conspiring to push Hades and me deeper into a pit of misunderstanding upon misunderstanding.

Ann, I trusted you...

I moved to tell her to stop with the nonsense, but Hades beat me to it.

He smirked and looked down at me with amusement. "You've trained your maid very well."

"Wait, that's not—"

"Mm, but bathing together before we're even married is a bit much. Next time, perhaps."

Not giving me any chance to explain—actually, I'd already lost the will to explain—Hades patted Ann's shoulder a couple times and swept out of the room like a gust of wind.

"Good work."

"Yes, Your Grace. Safe travels."

Ann brazenly saw Hades out, then turned to me with excitement after he left.

"Oh my God! If I'd known, I would've stayed away!"

"You are seriously..."

We were the same age, but I was the older sister who'd lived a bit more of life. Ann was twenty-one straight down to her bones.

Sometimes she seemed mature, but she was still a girl that age.

Rather than joining me in fangirling over young Abel, her face showed far more interest in watching the romance between me and his father unfold.

Watching Ann's cheeks flush dreamily, I couldn't even laugh anymore.

"Ugh, seriously! I don't know! What am I going to do?!"

In indescribable frustration, my arms and legs flailed helplessly at the air.

Two weeks passed after that absurd misunderstanding with Hades.

Despite actually declaring, 'I will sincerely try to like you,' there'd been surprisingly little progress between us.

I went to Hades's room every day for an hour of fruitless core-hiding practice, and his attitude toward me—the one who'd promised to like me—remained unchanged.

Well, I'd gotten used to it by now. That look of bafflement, like he was watching a twenty-one-year-old woman who still wore diapers.

Though really, how frustrating must it be to teach a student who showed zero results?

Anyway, after finishing my meal today, I had to go to Hades's room for that pointless core practice again.

I was swallowing my regular medicine with water when someone knocked on my door.

It wouldn't be Ann...

Hoping it might be Abel, I called out excitedly for them to enter—but it was Hades who appeared. Disappointing.

Seeing my puzzled expression at his unexpected visit, he approached and said:

"Let's practice in your room today. Coming to mine every day must be tiresome."

"It's fine, though..."

"Never mind that. What's this?"

Hades set down the thick book he'd brought on the table, crossed his long legs as he sat, and gestured with his chin at my medicine packet.

"Oh, it's medicine."

"Medicine? Are you sick?"

"Not really—I've always taken it. Um... my body's weak, so I take it like supplements? Protective medicine? Something like that... so saying I take it because I'm sick isn't completely wrong. But it's not a fatal illness, so don't worry."

I answered casually, but Hades looked concerned.

I'd mentioned it a few times before, but my body—which wobbled at every opportunity and looked pitifully thin even from outside—could honestly be called a human sunfish without exaggeration.

I'd been sickly since childhood with frequent minor illnesses, and apparently my heart was weak, though the exact reason was unknown.

Still, my breath had stopped once at eighteen, so there was definitely something wrong with this body.

Hades came to my side and picked up the medicine packet, examining the oval pill inside from various angles.

After studying the oddly colored pill that shone translucent white, Hades asked:

"Do you know what it is you're taking?"

"I've been taking it consistently since I was the young master's age. I'm not a doctor and know nothing about medicine, but it's not just some random medicine from our territory, so you don't need to worry. The temple makes and sends it."

"Really?"

Hades had looked suspicious, but his expression cleared immediately at the mention of the temple.

"Well, you do look like you'd live on medicine. What's with this wrist? It's not even a skewer."

Facing me, Hades lightly grasped my right wrist holding the water cup and muttered disapprovingly.

"Come to think of it, if the temple regularly makes and sends medicine, Esclife must have quite good relations with them. The temple isn't usually that accommodating..."

Hades stroked his chin thoughtfully, then added:

"That explains why you were so desperate to come to our territory this time. Do you have someone at the temple you keep in close contact with?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Before the vassal council, I announced my marriage to the surrounding territories. News of my marriage reached the temple then too, but they said nothing..."

Hades tilted his head slightly and continued:

"But when I sent word again this time, mentioning your name, the temple urgently contacted me. Said they wanted to visit as soon as tomorrow."

"What? The temple?"