Hades' Cursed Luna

Chapter 126 - 126: A Flash From The Past

Eve

I knew this design.

Knew it because I used to have one just like it.

My fingers brushed the soft fabric, and a strange, almost breathless laugh escaped me.

This was the same onesie I wore when I was nine—the one Ellen and I had begged our mother for during a winter market. We'd worn them for weeks, even after they became too small, refusing to let them go.

It felt like staring at a ghost.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, gripping the edge of the onesie a little tighter to ground myself.

Behind me, Hades stepped closer, his gaze burning into the side of my face.

"That one?" His voice was quieter this time, less teasing.

I nodded, but I didn't turn around. "Yeah. This one."

There was a long pause, heavy and unspoken.

I could feel him watching me, but he didn't press.

After a few moments, I forced a smirk, shifting the onesie over my arm. "You're going to hate it."

"I already do," Hades muttered, but there wasn't much bite to his tone.

I glanced over my shoulder, catching the way his eyes softened—just slightly—as they flicked between me and the onesie in my arms.

"You're not backing out now, are you?" I teased, raising a brow.

His smirk returned, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I wouldn't dream of it."

I nodded toward the rack. "Good. Because we still have five more to find." I tightened my grip on the fabric.

He caught the action, his eyes narrowing. "What's wrong?" He asked, his gaze flickered from the onesie to my eyes. "Red?"

I quickly turned around. "Come on," I said lightly, brushing past him before he could pry any further.

But I felt his presence linger at my back, like a shadow that refused to be shaken off.

The boutique was vast, but the air between us felt smaller somehow. I kept moving, one hand steady on the soft fabric as I

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

I moved to hang the dragon onesie over my arm, but before I could, he plucked it from my hands with that same effortless grace he always carried.

"What are you doing?" I asked, narrowing my eyes as he turned it this way and that.

"I'm helping you." His voice was too smooth, too innocent. "Clearly, your taste is questionable at best."

I crossed my arms, watching him parade the onesie like some kind of fashion critic.

"Questionable?" I echoed. "This coming from the guy who owns twelve black suits that are identical."

Hades flashed a sharp grin, holding the dragon onesie against his chest. "Twelve? I didn't realize you'd been keeping such close tabs on me. Should I be flattered?"

I rolled my eyes. "You wear the same thing every day. It's not exactly hard to figure out."

He held the onesie up higher, aligning the hood with his head as if imagining himself in it. "I'm just saying—if you're going to humiliate me, at least make it memorable."

"Oh, I will," I shot back, snatching the onesie from his hands before he could make a bigger fool of himself.

The brief touch of his fingers against mine lingered longer than I expected, but I ignored it.

He stepped aside with exaggerated deference. "By all means, continue your noble quest for the most ridiculous outfit." All the animosity seemly melted away and I could not help but feel that he only pulled out his sour mood because he had detected my own emotional duress. If I did not know better, I would have thought that he was trying to cheer me up.

I couldn't help but smile, shaking my head as I wandered towards the next rack. He had really improved in making jokes especially ones that I actually enjoyed.