Persephone's hand wandered up and down his body.Morpheus grabbed her hand with a frown. He exerted too much force, causing her to let out a low gasp. He quickly let go and turned to look at her."Did I hurt you?"Persephone pouted, turning her face away.Morpheus stood there stiffly, not reacting for a while. Despite that, there was a restlessness within him, a raging tumult—his last bit of rationality felt fragile and almost laughable.Persephone lowered her head, her face getting warmer. Outside, the rain poured heavily, but the temperature inside the cave shot up. Her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears."Morpheus..." After a silent moment, she approached him again, placing her hands on his waist and resting her head against his solid chest.Morpheus panicked, afraid she might sense something was not quite calm with him."Sephy, don't do this!""Don't you...""Not now!"Morpheus grasped her shoulders. How could he not want to? But he couldn't. He feared hurting her. Not

Morpheus stood there steadily, devoid of any fear.At Christopher's signal to seize him, the guards were all taken aback when they saw his face, halting in their tracks and refusing to move forward."What are you doing?!" Christopher demanded angrily. "This man is scheming to get close to Ms. Hamerton with ill intentions! Why aren't you arresting him?""Your Highness..." The guards looked at Christopher. "This... This is..."Even Christopher found this peculiar. From the man's back view, he seemed slightly more robust than an average person. The palace guards were the cream of the crop, so how could they be easily intimidated by someone like him?Since they wouldn't act, he decided to take matters into his own hands!Christopher dashed forward, snatching a gun from one of the guards. As he raised the butt of the gun to strike, other guards rushed in and actually restrained him!"Are you all insane?!" Christopher was hysterical."Your Highness, you can't... Please, don't take ac

Christopher struggled to swallow the bite of the sandwich in his mouth for what seemed like ages. He gazed at Persephone, his mind wandering back…He didn't just know Morpheus. He had been close since childhood to the children of the two prominent military families in Southeast Aciatic.Compared to the Harrises, he preferred visiting the Ortons, especially when he got to spend time with Morpheus. He considered Morpheus a friend, a brother even, having engaged in countless mischief together, much to their parents' dismay.In his memory, Morpheus was someone who smiled a lot, radiating warmth and brightness like the Southeast Aciatic sun when he did.However, from the moment Kaiden betrayed the country, Morpheus never smiled again, gradually growing distant from Christopher as well.It wasn't until that evening at the gates of the palace that Christopher felt like it had been a lifetime."I... I don't know him." Christopher forced a smile. "Where would I have met your boyfriend!"

There was fire everywhere. Flames rushed toward Persephone like menacing dragons. Her consciousness grew increasingly blurred, but the searing pain coursing through her body became clearer. She struggled to get up, the agony almost unbearable.Despite several attempts, it was futile...Something was pinning her feet down, and stones kept falling on her. She couldn't even muster a shout.Many images flashed through her mind in that fleeting moment, each frame featuring Morpheus' face…She remembered the times they had spent together in Flinge, how he had initially distanced himself from her, then later had exerted every effort to protect her. She recalled how he would gently ruffle her hair and call her "silly goose"..."Morpheus, I'm afraid I might have to go first..."The fire grew fiercer, explosions resonated continuously, and she could no longer hold on.Christopher, who was nearby, wasn't any better.Amidst the roaring flames, he couldn't see anything clearly, only pulling

"No way!" Christopher smirked, glancing at Morpheus. "To him, you're his only princess! I just got lucky for the princess carry, thanks to you!""Yeah, at least you're self-aware!" Persephone nodded, rubbing her chin."We've known each other for so long! What kind of person do you think I am?" Christopher laughed. "I can be a bit shameless at times, but..."But upon learning that the one she loved was the unbeatable god of war, he willingly stepped back, offering his blessings with a smile."Okay, okay. You two stop crowding around me!" Christopher waved his hand. "Sephy needs more rest, and I'd like to get some more sleep, too! Once we heal, let's go out and have some fun together!""You're still thinking about fun?" Morpheus' deep voice intervened with a wry smile. "With the factory explosion incident, the royal family is furious and will thoroughly investigate it. Many people will probably be coming to talk to you both in the next few days. After all, you two are the most direc