I felt stiff all over, perhaps because I had slept uncomfortably through the night.

“Did you sleep well last night, Miss?”

Seren greeted me cheerfully in the morning.

I wriggled around while lying on the bed.

“Massage my shoulders.”

“Oh my, Miss. What did you do last night to have such stiff muscles?”

“Exactly. It would be nice if I had something to do at night to make my muscles stiff.”

As Seren’s skilled hands worked on my shoulders, the tension gradually eased, and my body felt lighter.

But why did I keep feeling uneasy?

As if I had forgotten something important…

‘Come to think of it, I think I had a restless dream.’

I tried to recall the content, but it was as if it had been erased with a rubber eraser, leaving no memory behind.

‘It was probably just a silly dream.’

Unlike Lina, who was a saint, words like foresight or intuition were far from me.

I forced myself to shake off the uneasy feeling.

***

A few days later, I was enjoying a rare, peaceful morning.

Suddenly, my father called for me.

“You called for me, Father?”

What could it be?

My father, who had been in a dark mood ever since the oracle, looked even more troubled today.

“Come here, Lou.”

Even after I arrived, my father remained silent for a while, subtly watching my reactions.

In the end, unable to bear the frustration, I asked first.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Prepare to enter the palace. The Emperor is calling for you.”

What a shameless man. My father added gruffly.

Although it was a sudden summon, it wasn’t entirely surprising. I expected to be called at some point.

I just hadn’t expected it to be the Emperor rather than the Empress or the Crown Prince.

“I don’t mind. But why is His Majesty calling for me? A breakup can be handled through written correspondence. Is there a problem?”

It was just a breakup. We hadn’t exchanged any property, and the legal binding was weak.

It was hard to believe we had recently argued over procedural issues, as the breakup was progressing very smoothly.

“That’s not it. It’s just that the oracle is involved… We don’t know how the imperial family will act.”

Since I had already expressed my intentions, my parents didn’t seem to have any objections to the breakup itself.

They were just worried about the emotional impact on me during the breakup process. And they were very uneasy about the fact that I was mentioned in the oracle.

“Anyway, what kind of shameless person calls you in, knowing full well what people are saying about you? Strictly speaking, it’s not you who got dumped, but the Crown Prince!”

“It’s okay, Father. It’s not the first time.”

“Wait, I’ll go with you.”

“It’s your rare day off. Don’t worry, I can go alone.”

“You shouldn’t underestimate the Emperor. Who knows what nonsense he’ll try to convince you with this time. That sly fox.”

In the end, my father got into the carriage with me.

Upon arriving at the imperial palace, we drew attention as usual, but with my father by my side, no one dared to speak carelessly.

Buoyed by my father’s authority, I confidently headed to the Emperor’s office.

Though I had entered the palace countless times, it was my first time in the Emperor’s office. Except for a few members of the imperial family and high-ranking nobles, entry to the office was strictly prohibited.

“Inform His Majesty that Duke Dronay and his daughter have arrived.”

Shortly after, the office door opened.

The chamberlain stopped my father, who intended to enter with me.

“Please wait, Your Grace. His Majesty has granted an audience only to the Lady.”

“What?”

My father’s face turned red with anger.

But this time, there was nothing my father could do. He couldn’t cause a scene right in front of the Emperor’s office.

I swallowed nervously and cautiously stepped into the office.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

“Welcome, Lou.”

The Emperor brightened upon seeing me.

He seemed to have aged ten years since receiving the oracle, perhaps because it had troubled him.

But what surprised me was not his appearance, but his attitude.

I was no longer his prospective daughter-in-law. Naturally, I expected him to treat me more coldly or sternly, but he was acting as friendly as ever.

Not knowing what his intentions were, I greeted him as usual.

“I greet Your Majesty. What is the reason you summoned me, Your Majesty?”

“I apologize for calling you suddenly. I had no choice as I needed your wisdom.”

For the first time, I was truly taken aback. Never before had my name and wisdom been mentioned in the same sentence.

I had everything—beauty, money, status—but even in flattery, no one had ever called me smart. Besides, in the original story, Lou Dronay was the epitome of a foolish villain.

“Pardon…? My wis…dom? For what purpose?”

I asked anyway.

“Everything I am about to tell you must be kept strictly confidential. Ah, Duke Dronay is an exception. Understood?”

“Yes. I will keep it in mind.”

The Emperor’s face was quite solemn, as if he were about to say something very important.

I became tense as well.

Finally, he spoke.

“There have been reports of a strange door appearing in Mount Acheron for several days. It’s just a door in the middle of empty space. No matter how much they pull the doorknob, it won’t open, so we have no idea what’s beyond it.”

“A door appeared in midair?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

No matter how fantastical the setting, this was something I had never heard of or seen in my life.

“Yes. I have no idea what’s going on. Strange things keep happening, and it’s giving me a headache.”

The Emperor sighed deeply, as if the ground would swallow him up, and rubbed his forehead with a very tired expression.

But I was still confused.

What did that strange door have to do with me?

“The door appeared right after we received the oracle, so it must be related. Can you go to Mount Acheron right away and find out what’s going on? If you are truly the destiny mentioned in the oracle, you should be able to open that door.”

‘What?’

So that’s why he was being so friendly—he wanted to use me in this way.

But I didn’t want to comply so easily.

“Um, with all due respect, I can’t guarantee that I can open the door, and what if something dangerous comes out when I do? Maybe it’s better to leave it alone.”

It wasn’t just an excuse to avoid following the Emperor’s orders.

I remembered Gined’s words that transcendents might target the empty land of the dragons. Perhaps someone who received the news quickly had already marked Mount Acheron as their territory.

If the owner of that door was a transcendent hostile to humans, it would truly be a disaster.

“But we can’t leave it as it is forever. Many soldiers were startled by the door. Although it hasn’t been made public yet, we can’t guarantee it will remain a secret. Moreover, Mount Acheron is a gateway to the eastern coast. If we continue to restrict passage, there will be complaints. The economic loss is already immense.”

“But Your Majesty, we’re not even sure if I am the girl of destiny…”

“Lou, I know it’s shameless, but please help us this time. I am truly sorry about the breakup. If you need compensation, I will give you whatever you want.”

‘Compensation?’

Suddenly, I was intrigued.

Surely, he wouldn’t be stingy after saying that.

“…I’m not sure, but since Your Majesty is so worried, I will go and check it out first. But can I decide whether to open the door after investigating a bit more?”

“Thank you! You’ve taken a load off my mind. Please go to Mount Acheron as soon as possible and find out what’s going on.”

I bowed my head and left the office.

As soon as I came out, my father asked.

“So, what did he say?”

“There seems to be a problem at Mount Acheron. It might be related to the oracle. It looks like I have to go.”

“So, His Majesty wants you to go to that dangerous place?”

I heard a faint grinding of teeth. With the Emperor’s chamberlain watching, my father couldn’t say anything harsher.

My father took a deep breath and naturally took the lead.

“Let’s go.”

When we left the main palace, a carriage was already waiting.

It seemed they were determined to send me to Mount Acheron, no matter what. Any remaining affection I had for them vanished.

“Is Duke Dronay also going to Mount Acheron?”

Suddenly, the Crown Prince appeared.

“Yes. I can’t possibly send my daughter to such a dangerous place alone.”

The Crown Prince looked at me with an unreadable expression.

It was the first time I had seen him since that day.

Though he didn’t show the same intense emotions, he still seemed confused.

I greeted him first.

“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Since–”

Just as he was about to respond, my father extended his hand to me.

“Let’s go.”

After a brief hesitation, I ignored the Crown Prince and boarded the carriage with my father.

But,

‘Why does he keep following?’

From earlier, I kept meeting the Crown Prince’s eyes through the window.

I wanted to enjoy the breeze peacefully, but his constant presence was annoying.