Kore, an obscure flower goddess, ventured into the Underworld to find a cure for her gravely ill mother, who was imprisoned there. However, she accidentally ingested a flower that stirred her passions, leading to an unexpected night of entanglement with Hades, the Lord of the Underworld—and she became pregnant with rare twins. Yet what awaited her was not redemption, but an even deeper abyss. Her boyfriend of three years, Menes, had long since swindled her out of all her divine power and ascended to the throne of the God of Spring; now, having seduced the Goddess of Flowers, Astria, he publicly humiliated her at their engagement party. Just as Kore was forced to her knees to toast the guests—a moment of utter desperation—Hades, the King of the Underworld, made a dramatic entrance riding the three-headed hellhound, pulling the woman who “dared to use him as a pawn” into his arms. On one side is a young goddess of flowers with nowhere left to turn; on the other, the calculating Lord of the Underworld. Sealing their pact with a blood oath, they sign a cold, calculated contract of procreation: she bears his child, he rescues her mother, and once the task is complete, they part ways. But whoever falls in love first loses this game. On the surface, Hades moved cautiously, but in secret, he had long since signed an “unconditional protection pact” for Kore, vowing to stand against Zeus, King of the Gods, for her sake—even going so far as to kneel on one knee and propose to her in front of the entire pantheon at a divine banquet. However, believing herself to be merely a “stand-in,” Kore harshly rejected him before the gods and fled the Underworld in defiance. At that moment, Menes—now completely mad—kidnapped Kore, who was several months pregnant, intending to use an abortifacient and the waters of the River Styx to kill her and her unborn children—three lives in one. Hades charged single-handedly into the perilous situation and took the fatal blow meant for Kore. Amid the collapsing ruins, the two finally let go of all their defenses and pride, embracing each other tightly. Five years later, Kore had transformed from a vulnerable little flower nymph, once at the mercy of others, into the Queen of the Underworld, capable of ruling the realm alongside Hades. The birth of their two divine children brought the most perfect conclusion to this forbidden love—a relationship that began with scheming but ended in deep affection.
