The Story of Eros and Psyche - (4)

Enchanted, Psyche stepped into the palace and looked around as gentle music began to play from somewhere.
The soft sound of a lyre caressed her ears, easing her tension.

Inside, there was a table filled with a variety of fruits and dishes.
The food was in no way inferior to the meals Psyche, a princess, was used to in her kingdom.

Feeling the pangs of hunger, she slowly picked a single grape and brought it to her lips.
Pop—its juices burst in her mouth. The fruit seemed to be overflowing with the blessings of Demeter.

How were such fruits and meals prepared? Perhaps, as the oracle had said, her husband truly was a monster.
But if she didn’t see his face for 100 days, she could avoid her fate of marrying a monster...

As night fell and darkness descended over the land, tiredness washed over her, and she lay down on the bed.

'Will my husband appear tonight...? He hasn’t shown up yet, so maybe tomorrow...'

Lost in thought, Psyche found it hard to sleep.
As she lay still under the covers, a strange sound reached her ears.

Click. Click. Whoosh—

“Huh...!”

She turned her head toward the open window where the wind was blowing in, and there—where no one had been moments before—stood a shadowy figure.
Who is this intruder? A monster? My husband? Did he come in through the window...?

Frightened, Psyche soon realized there was no need to be afraid,
thanks to the hesitant voice of the figure shrouded in darkness.

“Um. Nice to meet you, Psyche. I am your husband... or rather, your suitor.”

“S-suitor?”

His voice was deep and resonant, much like that of a man her age.

But a suitor? What did he mean? Wasn’t she supposed to spend 100 days without seeing her husband’s face?
Could she trust this shadowy figure she couldn’t even see because of the darkness?

“A suitor... then, does that mean you and I...”

“Uh, please don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of touching you.”

“Huh?”

“I have important duties during the day, so I’ll only come here in the evenings to spend time getting to know you.”

Psyche couldn’t make sense of it. Wasn’t marriage about a man and a woman...
forming a bond and living together? Wait, he did introduce himself as a suitor.

“...You said you were a suitor earlier.”

“That’s right.”

“Then... does that mean I’m not married to you?”

At that, the shadowy figure hesitated before speaking again.
Whether it was a trick of her mind or not, Psyche felt as though he was being shy.

“Not yet. So...”

“...?”

“After 100 days, you can decide whether or not to accept my heart. I will propose to you without laying a hand on you during these 100 days.”

Could that be true? Relief at not being forced into marriage. Hope that he seemed like a better person than she’d feared.
Alongside these feelings arose curiosity—and a bit of suspicion.

But her suitor didn’t entertain any further questions.

“I imagine today has been overwhelming for you. I’ll leave now and return tomorrow at this time.
Everything in this palace is yours, and you are free to use it however you like. You may stroll around or write letters as you please, as long as you don’t leave the palace grounds. My invisible servants will assist you.”

Whoosh—

And with the sound of the wind, Psyche’s suitor vanished.
One thought lingered in her mind about the man who had hurriedly finished his words and left, probably out of embarrassment.

'He didn’t close the window...'

It’s cold at night.

Thus began their strange cohabitation.
If you could even call it cohabitation, for her suitor came to visit every night...

He would sit beside her and talk for a while before falling asleep.
Of course, by morning, he was always gone, and never once did he touch her.

A week passed. Then two weeks. As the days went by and 30 days had passed, Psyche’s wariness began to ease.
Though she had been a bit frightened at first, she grew accustomed to their nightly conversations,
and it became clear to her that he truly seemed to care for her.

His respectful attitude, never crossing any boundaries, also played a big part in easing her fears.

And so, one day, Psyche asked him a question.

“Um. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“If it’s a question from you, I’ll answer anything. Ask away.”

“Why haven’t you touched me?”

A very valid and natural question. There wasn’t a man who wouldn’t be attracted to a beautiful woman.
Her beauty had been praised by many, even among the Greek men and gods, so why wasn’t he affected?

At this point, Psyche was starting to feel a bit insulted.

Her suitor hesitated for a moment before slowly answering.

“The truth is... I once considered taking you by force. But if I had done that, you never would have opened your heart to me.”

“Then why did you change your mind? I mean, I’m no warrior—I couldn’t have resisted...”

“...The most just and merciful being in the world helped me realize that a human heart cannot be taken by force—it must be won.”

Though she couldn’t see his face in the darkness, Psyche could sense that he was smiling gently.
His tone carried respect. Who was this ‘most just and merciful being’ he spoke of?

The most just and merciful... Surely that title could only belong to a god.
Wait. Could it be?

Despite her growing drowsiness, the puzzle pieces started to fall into place in Psyche’s mind.
The new prophecy her parents received at Pluto’s temple... and the other name for Pluto...

“For the next 100 days, please consider my proposal. I truly love you.”

The god of the Underworld, wealth, and mercy.
The king of the underworld, who, at the end of all life, delivered strict but fair judgments.
But he was also known to be kind and gentle toward mortals.

“Sleep well. You seem tired today.”

'So that’s it. I must thank Lord Pluto...'

The 100 days passed quickly.
On the evening of the 100th day, Psyche greeted her suitor as usual.

“...It’s the 100th day.”

“Yes, it is.”

Psyche reflected on the past 100 days.
Her husband—or rather, her suitor—had been incredibly kind to her. He treated her with respect...
And when he slept beside her at night, his body felt firm and strong.

Life here was more luxurious than it had been at the palace, and she had grown accustomed to it.
The vast gardens, the mansion filled with jewels, the invisible servants who loyally attended to her, and the suitor who courted her but never crossed the line.

Following her parents’ prophecy, Psyche had never once seen her husband’s face during these 100 days.
Her two older sisters, with whom she had exchanged letters, had also urged her repeatedly.

• Psyche, you must never look at his face. You only have about 60 more days to go.
• I followed the pigeon that delivered your letter. I know where you are now. It’s only three days away from the kingdom...

Before receiving the prophecy from Lord Pluto, her sisters had given her very different advice.
They had suggested that she secretly observe her husband with a torch and, if he turned out to be a monster, to stab him with a sword.

'My sisters were just worried about me... I do miss them.'

While reflecting on the past, Psyche’s husband approached her.
But instead of lying down beside her as he usually did, he merely sat on the edge of the bed.

“Why aren’t you lying down next to me tonight?”

“...The truth is, the reason no suitors came for you was because of me.”

“What?”

“I... fell in love with you at first sight and used a little power... that’s all you need to know.”

His voice carried a hint of sadness and trembling, leaving Psyche confused.
So he was the reason no one had proposed to her? Why was he telling her this now? She wouldn’t have known otherwise if he hadn’t said anything.

“Why are you telling me this now? You could’ve just kept it to yourself...”

“...I wanted to be honest with you. Even if I had tricked you into marrying me, Lord Hades wouldn’t have allowed it.
Tomorrow, you will decide whether or not to accept my proposal, and I didn’t want to hide anything from you... I’m sorry.”

He mentioned Lord Hades. Mortals, unless they were priests, never dared speak his name lightly.
After all, death was feared as much as the sky’s thunderbolts or the deep sea.

But instead of using Pluto, he called him Hades.
Just as Psyche had vaguely suspected, her suitor was indeed a god.

“It’s... fine.”

“What did you say?”

“It’s fine. If you hadn’t done that, I probably would have been sold off as part of a political marriage to a prince from a nearby kingdom.”

Psyche’s unexpected composure stemmed from her acceptance of this reality.
As a princess known only for her beauty, the best she could have hoped for was being sold off to a prince who would treat her kindly.

And in that sense, this mysterious suitor she had spent 100 days with was not bad at all.
In fact, the thought of him no longer being beside her after tomorrow felt strangely lonely.

The fact that he was a god did give her pause, but...

“If I grow old and lose my beauty, will you still love me?”

“If that’s your concern...! I swear on the River Styx... and I’ll ask Lord Zeus to make you a goddess.”

Having confirmed each other’s feelings, they finally consummated their relationship after 100 days of delicate cohabitation.
At precisely midnight, Psyche finally saw her betrothed’s face.

A face so perfectly sculpted, like that of a god, with white wings made of feathers. This was...

“Thank you for trusting me, Psyche. I am Eros, the god of love.”

“Ah... Eros...”

The 100 days of patience had been a trial to earn the right to see a god’s face.
Now that she had passed, not even Aphrodite could deny their union.