As if he had read my mind, he answered.

“It is my duty to escort you to Mount Acheron.”

“Escort me, Your Highness?”

“Don’t worry about it, my child. Even though you have not yet been officially appointed by His Majesty, you are still risking your life. Even the Crown Prince cannot simply ignore that.”

My father said coldly.

The Crown Prince did not refute.

Though it was not far from the capital, it was my first time coming to Mount Acheron.

After a short while, we arrived at Mount Acheron.

As I got off the carriage, I saw Gined not far away. He noticed me too, and he looked uncomfortable. But he quickly composed himself and greeted us politely.

“May the blessings of light be upon you, Your Grace Duke Dronay. May the blessings be upon Lady Dronay as well.”

My father whispered to me.

“Why don’t you try getting along with Roengreen?”

That would be ideal, but…

“Sir Roengreen is a priest, Father.”

Besides, we hadn’t yet cleared up the misunderstanding from that day, so he probably despised me.

My father glanced at Gined regretfully and clicked his tongue.

I was escorted by two very uncomfortable men to the strange door.

Aside from it being very large and luxurious, it appeared to be an ordinary door.

“Has anything come out of the door?”

“Both His Highness the Crown Prince and I have tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.”

Gined explained as I circled the door several times.

I couldn’t figure out anything either.

After all, what could I possibly discover, given that my only ability was to bring misfortune?

Still, I kept glancing at the doorknob. For some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

‘Should I try to open it?’

“It seems this has nothing to do with you. We’ve made this trip for nothing. Let’s return before it gets dark.”

My father urged loudly. His gaze was directed at the Crown Prince rather than me.

Just as I was about to grab the doorknob, I lowered my hand.

‘Yeah, I don’t even know what’s behind it. I can’t just open it recklessly.’

In the meantime, my father was already walking away.

I hurried to catch up with him.

***

That night, I had another dream.

In front of me was a huge door. It was the same door I had seen at Mount Acheron.

I stood there, holding the doorknob, hesitating.

‘Should I open it or not?’

I was very curious about what lay behind the door, but I was afraid to take the risk.

Just as I was about to give up, someone covered my eyes from behind.

Then, a very cold and smooth hand overlapped mine on the doorknob.

“Who… who are you…?”

My voice trembled terribly, even to my own ears.

There was no answer.

I wanted to shake off the unfamiliar hand immediately, but for some reason, I couldn’t move.

Sensing my fear, the person gently patted the back of my hand. It was a very tender touch.

That touch relaxed me, and I let my guard down. Meanwhile, the doorknob slowly turned.

Too late, I shook my head vigorously, but the door clicked open.

As I shrank back, the hand covering my eyes was removed.

I slowly opened my eyes. There was nothing beyond the door. Likewise, nothing happened.

As I stood there feeling empty, a soft whisper came to my ear.

“I will wait.”

You, come to me.

***

I woke up with a start.

Just like before I fell asleep, I was lying quietly in my bed in my room.

With a dazed mind, I slowly got up. The cold sensation that had touched the back of my hand was still vivid.

“A prophetic dream?”

There was no doubt. This was definitely a prophetic dream. At the same time, I remembered the dream I had forgotten.

—I will grant you the strongest and most beautiful partner from both the earth and the underworld.

I didn’t know exactly who that dark figure was, but it was certainly a sacred being beyond human reach.

‘The strongest and most beautiful partner from both the earth and the underworld…?’

“Could it be… a transcendent?”

The fear I felt in the dream melted away like snow in spring, and I almost let out a cheer. Finally, an otherworldly male lead was assigned to me. My heart pounded wildly with anticipation.

I pounded the pillow with my fist, unable to contain my joy.

‘Yes, it wouldn’t be right to have a reverse harem without an otherworldly being!’

Thinking about Enril, who had fled without cleaning up his mess, made me grind my teeth, but if that otherworldly being were my lover, it would be a different story.

An otherworldly male lead who gave up both revenge and the world for the sake of the humans he once considered primitive.

How romantic.

The transcendent abilities that surpassed humans were also attractive.

Even Enril could change his appearance at will and had the power to cross dimensions.

There was another reason why this new male lead was special.

In a way, he was also a substitute for Enril.

As a fellow substitute, I hoped he would understand my situation better.

Above all, the whisper I heard at the end.

Remembering that low, profound voice made me shiver in a different way.

‘What species could he be? What abilities might he have? How handsome might he be? His hands were cold; could he be a reptile? A dragon?’

Curiosity piled up one after another. I was eager to meet him as soon as possible.

The excitement drove away all traces of sleepiness.

As soon as the day broke, I rushed to Mount Acheron.

The Crown Prince, looking tired as if he had spent the night on the mountain instead of returning to the palace, greeted me.

“You, here at this hour–”

“I need to open the door!”

I interrupted Pinion and shouted.

“Open the door?”

“My destiny lies there. He is waiting for me.”

I spoke with conviction.

“Calm down, Lou. What are you talking about?”

“Don’t stop me. Your Highness heard the oracle too. I am now going to seek order. My other half is beyond that door. I feel it very strongly.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you’re saying you want to open that door, right?”

I nodded vigorously. I wanted to open the door quickly, but Pinion kept interfering, which was frustrating.

“Wait a moment. I’ll call Roengreen. We don’t know what might come out.”

After saying that, the Crown Prince quickly disappeared.

I wanted to ignore his words, but with the knights guarding the door, I couldn’t open it freely.

I had no choice but to wait for Pinion to bring Gined.

Those few minutes felt as long as a year.

I was burning with the desire to meet the otherworldly handsome man beyond the door as soon as possible.

Finally, Gined appeared. He looked as divine as ever.

“Hello, Sir Roengreen. May the blessings of light be upon everyone.”

I greeted him cheerfully, even waving my hand, but Gined looked rather displeased.

‘Whatever.’

The whole world looked beautiful to me right now.

I grabbed the doorknob without hesitation.

Behind me, Pinion and Gined took up defensive positions and drew their swords.

“Be careful, Lady.”

“If it seems dangerous, don’t hesitate to retreat.”

But their warnings didn’t reach my ears anymore.

I excitedly opened the door.

The first thing I noticed was the pungent smell of sulfur.

Inside, only a few dim lights were lit.

As soon as I stepped fully inside, the door closed behind me. Just like when I met Enril and Lina.

But unlike that day, there was no one here to explain anything.

“Hello…? Is anyone there?”

Eventually, someone answered.

“You’ve finally arrived, my mate. I’ve been waiting for you.”

It was the exact same voice I heard in my dream.

The already deep voice echoed in the spacious area, making it even more enchanting.

“Where are you?”

As I frantically looked around, something bumped against my foot.

I bent down to look and saw a black stone the size of a fist.

“What is this?”

I carelessly kicked the stone with my foot and tried to keep walking.

“My mate, what is this outrage!”

“What? Outrage?”

I was genuinely confused. How could I commit an outrage against someone I had never even seen?

“Could you please reveal yourself now?”

“I am here, my mate.”

But no matter how much I looked around, there was no one in this space but me and the stone I had just kicked.

‘No way.’

I picked it up with an uncertain attitude.

The dull, black stone looked just like,

“Coal…?”

Surely, this isn’t the fourth male lead.

“Sometimes I amaze myself with my imagination. Hahaha…”

I chuckled and threw the coal over my shoulder.

“I don’t mean to threaten my only mate, but no one who has shown me such disrespect has ever survived.”

“What on earth do you mean by disrespect? You haven’t even revealed yourself.”

“Didn’t you just throw me away a moment ago?”

“What?”

I looked in disbelief at the coal I had thrown far into the corner.

“Are you, by any chance, the otherworldly male lead?”

‘Say no, quickly!’

I clung to hope until the end.

The male lead must be someone else, and this coal must be a servant of the male lead. Or perhaps it was some kind of test to gauge my sincerity.

Unaware of my thoughts, the coal introduced itself solemnly.

“What do you mean by otherworldly male lead? It’s a term I’ve never heard before. My mate, I am Shahar, the king and judge of the underworld. I have manifested on the surface for the first time in thousands of years to meet you.”