* * *
In the central garden of the Palace of Silence, golden blossoms had bloomed in full glory.
When the mysterious flowers first appeared, a knight on guard witnessed Erdian’s miracle and was so moved that he dropped to his knees and wept on the spot.
Seo Woohyun lounged on a garden sofa, gazing absentmindedly at the flowers swaying in the breeze.
‘These flowers… Why do they seem so familiar? Oh. These were here the first time I opened my eyes, weren’t they?’
He recalled what Sihero had said in an awestruck tone upon seeing the garden filled with flowers.
“These are the sacred flowers of our order. Do you remember the day you first woke up? Erdian showered you with petals from these flowers. It was the first time the world had ever seen such a magnificent blessing from him.”
Seo Woohyun vividly remembered that day.
He had awakened to a sky seemingly painted yellow from countless flower petals and confetti.
Overwhelmed by the cheers of the massive crowd, he had fainted on the spot.
He could never forget it.
The sheer novelty of the experience was seared into his memory, making him tremble even now when he thought about it.
Perhaps because of that memory, Seo Woohyun still disliked standing before large crowds.
Unless absolutely necessary as a saint, he intended to live as inconspicuously as possible, enjoying the comfort and luxury of his current lifestyle.
‘I’ll learn what I need to get by, but I have zero interest in managing the church or getting involved in politics.’
Sihero had once explained how devotees who kept these flower petals experienced small miracles, like healing wounds faster or having better luck with money.
‘Should I pluck a few flowers and keep them around for good fortune? Wait, no, Erdian planted these for me. So… technically, they’re all mine anyway, right?’
That thought made Seo Woohyun’s face heat up.
Strictly speaking, it was like receiving a bouquet from someone he had a mutual crush on.
Of course, it was a grand gesture befitting a prince-turned-deity, but still.
“What’s got you so lost in thought?”
Seo Woohyun no longer flinched when Erdian appeared out of nowhere to speak to him.
Instead, he simply turned his head, half-expecting to see what outfit Erdian had decided to wear today.
‘Oh, a uniform this time? It looks a lot like the designs he wore as a prince. And wow, as always, the fit is perfect.’
Ever since Erdian had promised to dress more modestly, he had shown up in a variety of outfits, like a peacock displaying its plumage.
Along with the clothes, his hairstyles frequently changed—sometimes his long hair was loose, sometimes tied to one side, and occasionally, he even sported short hair.
Watching Erdian’s fashion parade was a visual delight, but it also left Seo Woohyun conflicted.
While he enjoyed the show, he had no idea when or how to reciprocate Erdian’s efforts.
Declaring “Let’s date” out of the blue felt too abrupt, but preparing a formal confession was nearly impossible when they were together so often.
Setting aside his wandering thoughts, Seo Woohyun pointed at the sacred flowers in response to Erdian’s question.
“Sihero said these petals can heal wounds and bring good fortune.”
“I was so happy when you woke up that I scattered blessings everywhere,” Erdian replied, hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed the garden in his ornate uniform.
He had argued fiercely with causality itself when transplanting these flowers, which were said to only bloom in the divine realm, to the human world.
Naturally, he had won the argument.
‘Honestly, it’s absurd. I’m giving flowers I cultivated to the person I like—what’s there to complain about?’
Erdian’s unwavering devotion was legendary even among the gods.
For over 1,200 years since ascending to divinity, he had not shared his affections with anyone.
That he had now planted hundreds of divine flowers for Seo Woohyun spoke volumes.
Who could blame him for being so devoted?
‘Just make sure you end up happy with that human, okay? If not, I’ll personally see to it you regret it. Ugh. How is someone this crazy still our chief deity? It’s probably because the others are slacking off. Whatever. I’m leaving!’
Even causality itself had thrown up its hands and stormed off, leaving Erdian with a rare reprieve from divine duties.
‘Maybe I should be more proactive with Woohyun while I can…’
Erdian turned his gaze slowly to Seo Woohyun, sitting pale-faced on the sofa.
“Woohyun.”
“Yes?”
“How about we have dinner in the garden tonight?”
“…You mean just me, sitting here alone?”
Seo Woohyun glanced around the vast garden, puzzled.
For now, he couldn’t even eat with Malrang, whose family had gone hunting outside the holy city’s forest this morning.
‘Malrang’s hunting skills are improving, but they’ve grown sluggish from eating human food too often. I plan to train them intensively for at least a week.’
Tartarus had come to the Palace of Silence early that morning to share the update, holding Malrang’s hand.
Since Malrang frequently treated the palace as a second home and often slept beside Seo Woohyun, the announcement of their temporary absence had felt necessary.
“I meant with me,” Erdian said, his voice warm.
Seo Woohyun had noticed that Erdian only pretended to eat but rarely put any food in his mouth.
“You barely eat anything…”
Seo Woohyun trailed off, his reluctance to speak plainly evident.
It was then that Erdian averted his gaze and confessed.
“This might sound a bit pretentious, but… the food we eat while camping just doesn’t suit my taste.”
Seo Woohyun took a moment to choose his words carefully before responding.
“…So, you mean your palate is too refined for it?”
“…Yes.”
Seo Woohyun’s mouth parted slightly in surprise at the unexpected honesty.
Perhaps it was the elegant outfit Erdian wore today, but his noble origins seemed more tangible than ever.
“Even the food from the inn wasn’t to your liking?”
“It was better, but not something I’d go out of my way to eat.”
“Wow… You really do live up to being a prince.”
“Don’t tease too much. What am I supposed to do about my taste buds?”
Watching Erdian, who was impeccably dressed and standing with his hands clasped behind his back, Seo Woohyun shook his head before broaching another topic.
“Then, you should be able to eat the food the chef prepares, right? It’s been excellent whenever I’ve tried it…”
“Of course. I even went out of my way to praise the chef because I found it amusing how you’ve been putting on a bit of weight recently.”
Honestly, there was no bigger braggart than this man.
Scratching the back of his neck, Seo Woohyun feigned disinterest.
“Well… How about having dinner together in the garden tonight?”
“Sure. I’m looking forward to it.”
“I just hope the chef doesn’t pass out from the pressure.”
“If he does, we’ll wake him up and have him try again.”
“Wow, I didn’t take you for a tyrannical god, Erdian.”
“I can’t have my Seo Woohyun going hungry, can I?”
“Are you planning to fatten me up like Malrang?”
“Speaking of Malrang, I can’t figure out who that little glutton takes after. I doubt even a week of hunting camp would help slim him down.”
“He’s only ten years old. It’s better for him to eat a lot and grow up strong.”
Engaged in their casual chatter, Seo Woohyun got up from the sofa and stretched before heading into the palace.
Naturally, Erdian followed him like a shadow.
‘I should give the chef a heads-up.’
Having secured a cozy dinner date with the clingiest god, Seo Woohyun decided to inform the chef to prepare a meal that was both plentiful and top-quality.
In the past, meals were overly abundant, but recently, they’d adjusted to suit Seo Woohyun’s appetite, serving just enough for one person.
Unfortunately, Malrang had left for a hunting camp that morning, so Seo Woohyun had asked the chef to prepare only one portion for the time being.
Changing his instructions now felt a bit inconsiderate, but he had no other choice.
Seated at his desk in the study, Seo Woohyun picked up a ballpoint pen.
Among the many items and creatures that had fallen through the dimensional rift and been repurposed with the technology of this world, the modern-style pen with an ink cartridge was one of them.
‘Who would’ve thought I’d end up carefully rationing a pen that costs a few hundred won at a stationery store back home…?’
Unaccustomed to using ink-dipped pens, Seo Woohyun often ended up smudging the paper.
With dinner approaching, he didn’t have the time to wait for ink to dry, so the ballpoint pen it was.
As he began writing his message on the crisp sheet of paper, Erdian’s voice broke the silence.
“…Writing a letter to someone? If it’s for me, I’ll leave you to it.”
Erdian’s cheeks twitched, and his face reddened slightly, as if entertaining some unnecessary thoughts.
“I’m just letting the chef know we’ll be eating together tonight and to double the portions.”
Not that Seo Woohyun didn’t have other requests to make in secret.
With Erdian practically glued to his side lately, verbal requests were getting awkward.
“…Oh.”
Erdian let out a breath, his enthusiasm visibly deflating, and perched on a chair in the study.
“Don’t mind me; go ahead and finish.”
Glancing at the somewhat sulky Erdian, Seo Woohyun resumed writing.
He added a note about serving the honey mead they had last time, gulping in anticipation.
Tonight, he planned to finally deliver the answer he’d been putting off.
* * *
Finally, a confession of him. 🥳