I finally let go of the pen. I was completely drained. In both my lifetimes, this was the first time I had taken a Ouija session so seriously.

The Crown Prince was no different. He had discarded his usual composure and wore a thoroughly bewildered expression.

“Your Highness? Are you alright?”

Pinion blinked slowly, as if waking from a deep sleep, and rubbed his face with his hand.

“Phew, how should I put it? This was as strange an experience as talking to a stone.”

Well, no one would have attempted the insane act of summoning a god with an Ouija board.

‘I didn’t expect the god to be this easy to summon.’

Honestly, I braced myself for a major embarrassment, so things going smoothly left me feeling a bit deflated. But it was fortunate that it worked out well.

“By the way, what did you mean by your last question? Male lead? Shahar? Those are terms I’ve never heard before.”

“That’s a secret.”

I didn’t even glance at the Crown Prince as I tidied up the mess on the table.

“Thank you for your cooperation. I’ll take my leave now. Burn the paper, and keep the ink and pen safe. Don’t throw them away or lose them.”

“I’ll escort you back to your mansion.”

“I must decline. Given that we are no longer engaged, such kindness would only become gossip fodder.”

The social circles were already abuzz with speculation about who would take the Crown Prince’s side. If people found out I had met him alone, it would be troublesome.

‘I’d just be labeled as a pathetic woman who can’t forget her ex-fiancé.’

Pinion seemed to recall this fact and didn’t insist further.

I returned to the mansion alone, took a solemn bath, lit an expensive scented candle, and went to bed early.
In my dreams, a now familiar voice echoed faintly.

[Lou Dronay.]

“Yes. Lou Dronay is here. Please speak!”

As soon as I heard the voice, I sprang to my feet, knelt respectfully, and answered vigorously. But the Sun God’s voice didn’t continue.

“Um, Sun God?”

[…….]

“Hello?”

No matter how many times I called, there was only silence in response.

At first, I waited patiently, but I began to feel increasingly uneasy.

In the end, I woke up without receiving any revelation.

“What the heck? I asked to be told who the new master is, and all he did was call my name and disappear…”

Suddenly, a very ominous thought crossed my mind.

No way, it couldn’t be. Something must have happened, or there must have been some circumstances.

I struggled to fall back asleep.

After a long time, I finally drifted into a light sleep.

And then,

[Lou Dronay.]

Again, I heard my name.

This time, my eyes snapped open as if I had been forcibly awakened.

The moment of doubt turned into certainty.

‘Was I the one He had in mind as the new master!?’

When I asked if they were strong, the pen’s hesitation was no coincidence. Even the shameless Sun God couldn’t bring himself to lie about that.

“Then the powerful abilities…?”

I had only one ability. The faulty healing power that transferred the male leads’ injuries to my body. It was a definite and powerful ability, as it could transfer not only external wounds but internal ones as well.

“Damn it…!”

I threw my pillow across the room.

It was clear that this world lacked capable individuals. They were assigning multiple missions to someone as incompetent as me, a substitute female lead.

“Romance, saving the world, and now stopping transcendent beings from attacking the capital? If I could do all that, would I be in this situation!?”

Unable to contain my anger, I screamed and pounded my fists on the bed.

“Ahhhh…!”

The noise woke everyone in the mansion, including Iscallion, Seren, my parents, and the servants, who all rushed to my bedroom.

“What’s going on, dear?”

“What’s wrong, Lou?”

My mother hugged me. Even then, I couldn’t calm down easily.

It took a long time for my parents to soothe me before I finally regained some composure. Though my anger hadn’t subsided.

I cleared my throat and answered in a calm tone.

“…I’m sorry. I had a nightmare.”

A truly terrible nightmare.

“Oh, it’s alright now. You’ve had a lot on your mind lately. Why don’t you sleep with us tonight?”

“Yes, I will.”

Only then did the people gathered outside my room return to their beds.

I felt a bit embarrassed. For the first time since puberty, I slept next to my parents, wiping away tears of frustration.

But there was no other way.

When a god commands, a human must obey.

***

“You’re saying you will become the master of this mountain?”

Mount Acheron, which I visited after a long time, was still grand and beautiful. And the Crown Prince was as unpleasant as ever. Since the Hydra’s appearance, he had practically been stationed at Mount Acheron.

“Yes.”

He snorted as if he had heard a bad joke.

“But the oracle clearly stated that there was a designated person.”

“Yes, that person is me. The Sun God appeared in my dream that day and gave me the revelation. Enril was with him too. He said he had accidentally broken the seal and was leaving for another world to seek a new life. He asked me to take good care of Mount Acheron.”

In a state of resignation, I recited the story I had diligently concocted.

I felt like I was getting better at lying with each passing day.

Predictably, the Crown Prince didn’t believe me.

“Do you think that makes sense? And why does your tone sound so lifeless, like a soulless golem?”

“I expected you wouldn’t believe me. As proof, I’ll show you Enril’s relic.”

I took off the necklace I was wearing and held it up high. Suddenly, a golden light mixed with red poured out of the necklace, enveloping the surroundings in an instant.

Even I was surprised by the unexpected sight.

And then,

— Take care of everything, human.
— You’ll do great, I’ll always support you! Lou, fighting!

The voices of the sappy couple, which I had never forgotten even in my dreams, echoed around me. It was clear they had anticipated this situation all along. They had intended to dump everything on me from the start.

I could guess why they hadn’t revealed everything at once. It was to prevent me from losing motivation due to the overwhelming responsibility and letting the world fall into chaos. Although I was furious, I forced a smile in front of the Crown Prince.

“Did you hear that? That was Enril’s voice.”

The Crown Prince carefully took the necklace. Although I had received it when I visited Lina, it was the first time I showed it to him.

The intricate and beautiful craftsmanship, incomparable to anything made by humans, left even the Crown Prince in awe.

“Where did you get this?”

“When I woke up from the dream, the necklace was in my hand. Since Enril personally handed it to me, it’s as if I’ve inherited the mountain.”

“It certainly doesn’t seem like human craftsmanship. But you’re just an ordinary person. Even if you received the necklace, it’s impossible for you to protect Mount Acheron.”

“This necklace has the power to… um, pacify others. It can prevent conflicts.”

I tried to find the most convincing explanation for the Crown Prince.

It wasn’t entirely false. The necklace did have the power to calm the protagonists.

“Pacify… That’s a rather vague ability. And Enril wasn’t known to be a pacifist.”

It was a question I had anticipated.

I didn’t panic. I had already tested it on Iscallion.

I put the necklace back in my clutch bag and spoke resolutely.

“I can prove it.”

Through him, I discovered that the necklace could calm all kinds of excitement, not just s*xual arousal. I also learned that Iscallion should never be provoked.

If it weren’t for the necklace, the mansion would have been destroyed long ago. I felt sorry for the knights who had to deal with him.

Fortunately, unlike Iscallion, the Crown Prince became more composed when angry. And no one knew how to provoke him better than I did.

“Your Highness despises clingy women, especially those who approach with an ulterior motive.”

“Is there any man who likes such women?”

He asked incredulously.

I stood on tiptoe and grabbed the Crown Prince’s cheeks, hesitantly pulling his face down. His delicate golden eyebrows arched slightly.

“What are you trying to do?”

Despite his words, he obediently lowered his body as I guided him.

His breathtakingly beautiful face filled my vision. We were so close that I could see the patterns in his irises.

‘Huh?’

The necklace didn’t react to a light kiss between adults. This was just to provoke the Crown Prince.

He despised clingy women and loathed those who made overt physical advances.

For ten years of engagement, I had only looked at him fondly, like a miser staring at salted fish, because of this.

Repeated rejections had hurt my pride, and I had once planned to sneak into his bedroom. I didn’t go through with it because many others had already failed.

Many women coveted the beautiful Crown Prince, and some had even dared to sneak into his bedroom. All of them were humiliated and thrown out.

Given the Crown Prince’s nature, if my prediction was correct, by now he should have pushed me away with a cold sneer. I planned to show him the necklace and calm him down when he started to unleash his fury.

However, for some reason, the Crown Prince didn’t brush off my hand until just before our lips met.

By this point, he must have surely realized what I was trying to do.