• Please, Mother…
    No.
    But I love her!
    She is a mortal.
    Why does that matter?
    No son of mine will be involved with a mortal.
    But you change that, can you n-
    No! I will not turn a mortal into a goddess for your sake, Kori!
    And what if I become a mortal myself to be with her?
    Then you are a fool, and your father will surely kill you.
    Would you not stop him?
    ...No, I would not. You would deserve it for your foolishness. Giving up your status of ice god?
    I would do it only for her, Mother.
    You are still a child-
    I’m eighteen!
    -A child, Kori! Your brothers weren’t married until they were twenty-one.
    I don’t care! I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.
    Kori-
    Have you even seen her, Mother?
    Yes. She has hair the color of tar pitch, eyes the color of the grass that grows on the hillside, and creamy white skin.
    Is that not beautiful?
    She is beautiful in mortal terms, but your own sister is even more beautiful! Goddesses far outrank common mortals.
    Mother, I am going to marry her, and you cannot keep me from doing so.
    Kori, please reconsider! Your father will kill you and then neither the girl or the goddesses that fancy you can have you!
    I will take that risk. Goodbye, Mother. I know you’ll understand someday.
    Kori, no! Please-
    He has left the palace forever, Ame. He has chosen the girl over his status of ice god.
    Kuro…
    Do not worry, my love, I will not harm him. Have you forgotten what you did for me?
    No, but he is my last unmarried son, and I wanted to give him the pleasure of selecting his bride when he became of marrying age!
    He has chosen his bride, Ame, and although he is not of marrying age, it is his choice. It is not as though you cannot watch over him, either.
    You are right...But, Kuro, you do not recognize that girl?
    Indeed I do, but we cannot do anything about it. Her father will decide.