Chapter 05
Perion was wandering through a nightmare.
It was always the same.
His so-called father, swayed by the whispers of a fortune-teller, executed his mother after being told she would become the seed of calamity that would bring ruin to the empire.
His mother knelt desperately, begging for her life, while the emperor looked down at her coldly.
Perion always stood in front of her to protect her. But for some reason, in his dreams, he was always a child.
And as a child, there was nothing he could do—except be thrown aside by the soldiers carrying out the emperor’s orders.
The scene repeated endlessly. Left alone, young Perion screamed, wept, and nurtured his hatred.
He vowed to kill them all.
But today was different.
Someone embraced the lonely child Perion and whispered:
“It’s okay. This is just a dream. You don’t have to hurt anymore.”
At those words, Perion was able to break free from the nightmare and open his eyes.
He recalled his last memory and instinctively reached for the back of his neck—the place where blood had once poured out.
‘I really almost died.’
Whoever had treated him, he would have to reward them for saving his life.
He had let his guard down. He hadn’t anticipated sleeping gas and had nearly been helplessly defeated. Yet for some reason, the fortune-teller’s words had flashed through his mind.
The advice to wear a necklace.
That thought had surfaced at the crucial moment, allowing him to instinctively avoid the blade aimed at his neck.
The reason his throat had not been cut cleanly, ending only in a wound, was thanks to that fortune-teller.
It was a strange feeling—having his life saved by the advice of someone he had hated his entire life.
Perion decided he needed to meet that fortune-teller again.
‘Still… my body feels heavy. I haven’t fully recovered yet.’
As he struggled against his sluggish body, he heard a soft mumble.
He instinctively turned toward the sound—and saw a woman lying fearlessly in his bed.
Worse, she was holding him while wearing a ragged robe.
Perion immediately moved to kill her. But then his eyes caught a crystal ball rolling across the bed.
It was familiar.
“Fortune-teller?”
Only then did he realize this woman was that very fortune-teller.
Even when she had been hidden in that shabby robe, her voice had sounded young, so he had assumed she wasn’t old—but he hadn’t expected someone this young.
‘Early twenties, perhaps.’
And that strangely pure white hair. It was almost impressive how well she had concealed herself beneath that robe.
He didn’t know how she had ended up here, but for now, he decided not to kill her.
‘I still have questions for her. Punishment can wait.’
When he tried to rise, his neck stung. He touched it and found faint blood seeping through.
‘Not completely healed.’
As he endured the discomfort and tried to leave the bed, the woman mumbled something and suddenly grabbed him by the chin.
“Come here…”
She pulled his head into her cuffed hands and hugged his neck.
Caught off guard, Perion lost his balance and ended up falling over her.
‘…What a terrible sleeping habit.’
As he suppressed his rising irritation and tried to free himself, he suddenly realized that a white light was emanating from her body.
Carefully, he removed her arms from around his neck. The stinging sensation had already disappeared.
That light—it was divine power.
Perion stared at the peacefully sleeping woman in confusion.
‘Why would someone who can use divine power pretend to be a fortune-teller?’
After watching her silently for a moment, he stepped outside.
Devon was standing guard outside the room.
When he saw Perion emerge, he cried out in shock.
“Your Majesty! H-how are you awake already?!”
“Devon. Who treated me?”
“The imperial physician performed emergency treatment, but that was all. We requested healing from the temple, but as you know…”
“They must have made excuses and delayed their answer.”
It wasn’t as if the tension between the palace and the temple was new.
If that was the case, then the only reason he had recovered from such grave injuries overnight was undoubtedly that woman.
As Perion pondered, Devon spoke tearfully.
“It truly is a miracle. The fortune-teller’s prophecy was only half right, but it was correct.”
“She prophesied again?”
“When Linen asked whether Your Majesty would awaken, she said, ‘A noble person from afar will heal His Majesty before the sun rises.’”
Perion couldn’t help but smile.
To prophesy that she herself would heal him.
Was she just another fraud like the rest?
Yet something about it didn’t sit right.
Perion trusted his instincts. They had never led him astray.
He disliked fortune-tellers because they profited by deceiving people.
But this woman felt different.
He couldn’t pinpoint what exactly, but she was undeniably different.
If the feeling was this unsettling, then the solution was simple—keep her close until his curiosity was satisfied.
‘Besides, someone who can wield divine power is valuable in the imperial palace.’
There would be many uses for her.
After a long moment of thought, Perion began walking.
“Your Majesty, you’ve only just awakened—where are you going?”
“To Linen.”
“You’re going to work already?”
Despite Devon’s protest, Perion didn’t stop. He simply wore a wicked smile.
Devon knew that smile well. Perion only smiled like that when imagining how to kill someone.
A chill ran down Devon’s spine, and he said no more.
“I need to create a new department within the imperial palace.”
Devon had no idea what Perion meant, but trusting that he must have his reasons, he hurried after him.
The moment I opened my eyes, I felt a chill down my back.
My body felt far too comfortable.
For some reason, my wrists were free, and I was sprawled out on a bed.
And that rustling sound in my ears—it was unmistakably someone changing clothes.
There was only one person in this room who would be doing that.
“Your Majesty, here is today’s schedule.”
Right. It was the emperor’s bedroom.
Unable to bring myself to open my eyes, I kept them tightly shut.
Sweat trickled down my face as I heard Perion’s footsteps drawing closer.
Then his breath brushed against my ear.
“If you don’t wish to die, get up.”
A shiver shot through me, and I bolted upright—only to slam my head directly into his face.
“Gah—”
Perion staggered back, clutching his nose.
I turned pale and threw myself flat on the floor.
“W-why didn’t you dodge that? No, I mean—Your Majesty has excellent reflexes normally! I would never insult you! I respect you deeply!”
“Enough.”
His low voice cut through me like a blade, and I snapped my mouth shut.
Instead, I pressed my forehead against the bed and shouted,
“I deserve death, Your Majesty!”
A long silence followed.
The longer it stretched, the drier my mouth became.
Just when I thought I might die of dehydration, Perion finally spoke.
“You certainly do deserve death.”
“…I may deserve death, but if you spare my life, I will obey any command!”
“Any command?”
“Yes!”
‘But please, at most, exile me!’
However, his command was far beyond anything I expected.
“Then serve the imperial family from this day forward.”
‘…What?’
“As of this hour, the fortune-teller Rani is appointed as the Imperial Palace’s fortune-teller.”
“…Pardon?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
An Imperial Palace fortune-teller? That position had never existed in the novel. And in the story, fortune-tellers were considered blasphemous and the lowest of the low!
If the author heard this, the entire world-building would collapse.
Perion’s eyebrow twitched.
“Is there something you dislike?”
How dare you.
That unspoken phrase seemed to hang in the air.
Get it together, Miyeon! There’s an old saying: even in a tiger’s den, you’ll survive if you keep your wits about you.
I pressed myself flat against the bed and spoke as respectfully as possible.
“Your Majesty, I beg your forgiveness, but I have already entered into a contract with someone named Linen—”
And at his reply, a chill ran down my spine.
