They meet in the imperial capital, the capital of the empire where I live.
The conversation lacked proper flow, with each person simply saying what they wanted, resulting in some gaps. However, the general content could be inferred.
The man, referred to as the male lead, was an ability user. He could wield unique abilities like magic or spirits, but he was also someone everyone feared.
'It's not his position that inspires fear.'
People were afraid of ability users even if they hadn't done anything wrong. How should I put it? It was like seeing a predator. Just as anyone would be afraid of seeing a tiger or a wolf on the street.
They say it's an instinctive aversion.
The feeling of being watched when alone.
The sound of someone else's footsteps following you when walking in a secluded place.
The sight of the bottom of a body of water so deep it feels impossible to get out once you fall in.
The sensation of being pushed off a towering cliff and falling helplessly without anything to grab onto.
Becoming insignificant in the face of a god-like, enormous being...
The fear one could feel from an ability user was an emotion compressed and concentrated until it turned pitch black.
"Well... I haven't actually seen one myself."
That's what people who had encountered them said. It was as if they were a different species, evoking an incomprehensible fear that ordinary people couldn't contend with.
However, most ability users were either stationed at the imperial palace, serving in the frontier regions, or seen on battlefields during wars... It was no wonder I hadn't seen an ability user yet, as I had no connection to any of those three places.
"Anyway... the person called the 'Female Lead' is special, I guess."
Tap, tap, tap. My finger tapped the name of the female lead written on the memo pad. In a world where everyone feared ability users, she was the only one who could interact with them normally.
Not only having conversations but also engaging in physical contact like holding hands.
So, it was inevitable that the male lead would become obsessed with her. She was the only warmth he could feel in the world.
Of course, ability users didn't fear each other, so it wasn't entirely accurate to say she was the only warmth...
'They usually don't like each other.'
It was like hating their own kind. I heard their relationship was so bad that the greatest favor was indifference. I'd heard that the occasional collapse of the Imperial Palace was also due to incidents that occurred when they confronted each other...
Roughly for that reason, the female lead was the male lead's only light, a treasure he didn't want to lose to anyone.
But was such a being a treasure only to the male lead?
The female lead could interact with other ability users, including the male lead. So, it was inevitable that the ability users would turn their attention to her, and ultimately, the main content of the prophecy was that the female lead's life would be marked by obsession, kidnapping, and confinement.
"Tsk, tsk."
I clicked my tongue. In the gods' conversation, they didn't clearly reveal the names of the female lead, the male lead, or any other characters who appeared.
'Everyone was just referred to as the male lead, the female lead, the red-haired kid, the purple eyes, the crazy one... That was all.'
Among them, I was the only one whose name, or at least part of it, was revealed thanks to my unusual middle name.
Anyway, while it was a pity that the female lead's future was very dark and uncertain, but it was none of my business. It wasn't my life.
If I knew her name, I could subtly approach her and give her a warning to be careful. All I knew about the female lead was that she would become involved with the male lead in the year 224 while working as a court lady in the imperial palace.
"Hmm..."
As I organized my thoughts like this, the suspicion that I might actually be crazy was dispelled.
The variety of people I was conversing with and the way the content fit together perfectly removed my doubts.
Normally, if I were out of my mind, it would just be a jumbled list of words, but this was like a conversation summarizing an entire play.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the talent to create such a narrative.
Thanks to that, I felt a little relieved. However, even though it was a strange miracle that I learned about the future, it was a future four years from now and not my own business, so my interest waned a bit.
Also, if I interfered in someone else's romance, at best I'd get three cups of wine, and at worst, three slaps. I had no desire to get involved and incur the hatred of an ability user, a terrifying being.
"What should I do with this?"
I pondered, flicking the memo I had written to organize my thoughts with my finger. It was a miracle I would likely never witness again in my life, so I wanted to keep it. On the other hand, I was afraid that if I were caught with something like this, I might face divine punishment.
After much deliberation, I ended up burning the paper to destroy the evidence.
'I'll just keep it as a memory in my head. Whatever.'
Thinking that, I shook the remaining ashes out the window, trying to forget the prophecy. It was a prophecy that wouldn't help my life in the slightest.
'But something's a bit strange...'
Looking at the ashes fluttering down, I felt uneasy.
"Why on earth was I mentioned?"
I, who had no point of intersection with the lives of the female lead and the male lead. Why, with even my name mentioned, did I appear? I couldn't understand.
It kept bothering me like a hangnail next to my fingernail.
-----
In any case, as long as a person is alive, they have no choice but to move forward, and emotions inevitably fade.
Now, only a faint trace of the unease remained.
'It would be different if it were my own business, but it's someone else's.'
I was still curious about how I was able to eavesdrop on the gods' words, but just like before, it was difficult to ask anyone.
'It's not like I can go to the temple and ask, "I experienced something like this..."'
I would be lucky if they just thought I was crazy. I decided to forget that special experience.
If only what happened today hadn't occurred.
-----
Having dressed myself beautifully since morning, I boarded the carriage waiting at the front gate. This carriage, with the family crest emblazoned largely on its side, was so magnificent that it announced itself as belonging to the Estarote County even from afar.
Leaning back on the seat, which was softer than most sofas, I looked out with a face full of excitement.
It was the day of my monthly meeting with my fiancé.
"Hmm-hmm, hmm."
I hummed a tune, thinking of my fiancé.
Pedro Saxen. The eldest son of the Marquis Saxen family. Frankly, his family was nothing special.
'Regardless of family status, Pedro is a radiant person.'
I couldn't confirm it myself, but my face as I thought of Pedro must have been dreamy, as if I were in a trance.
I fell in love with him at first sight when I met him during a family trip when I was young, and I pestered my parents to get engaged right away. The Saxen marquisy's situation wasn't great compared to the Estarote County, one of the wealthiest families in the empire, but no one could refuse the request of their daughter born once in a hundred years.
Eventually, we got engaged on the condition that he would become my husband and live with my family after we both came of age. It was unusual to take in a son-in-law even though I had two older brothers and one younger brother.
Usually, a son-in-law is taken in when the daughter is to inherit the family. However, my parents didn't like the idea of their precious daughter leaving their side, nor did they want me to suffer by marrying into a backward territory like Saxen.
If he came as a son-in-law, Pedro, despite being the eldest son, wouldn't be able to inherit his territory. He would be moving from the Saxen territory to the Estarote territory...
Within his own territory, a lord was no different from a king. It's a crazy example, but he could easily take a person's life with a flick of his wrist, and even if he did, no one could punish him.
He lost such a position because of my childish insistence, so Pedro's gaze towards me wasn't kind.
"It's better these days, though..."
Because of the Estarote County people's gazes, he didn't lay a hand on me, but he was incredibly cold. Fortunately, these days, perhaps his mind had changed, as he wasn't as cold as before.
"...I need to try harder."
I had always been told that I had ruined his life. So, I had to compensate for it by doing everything for Pedro's happiness. Anything.
It was then, as I looked out with a slightly gloomy face, that it happened.
<BEST> [I’m Getting Off At This Stop]
Ah, seriously, that damn idiot is here again.
Once again, a translucent panel containing the gods' words appeared before my eyes.
└ [DumpThatCrapCar]
This is sooooo annoying. How long are they going to keep feeding us sweet potatoes?
└ [I’m Getting Off At This Stop]
Exactly\! How many times is this now? F*ck-Pedro, that son of a b\*tch... Seriously, now a bastard child? And a six-year-old one? Hahahaha... (Dies from high blood pressure)
My fingertips turned cold as if I had touched ice. As a noble, and especially as a woman, the word "bastard child" sent a chill down my spine.
And the name in front of it was...
'F*ck-Pedro? Pedro... it can't be. It must be a coincidence that the three syllables are the same.'
Didn't the previous prophecies only concern the female and male leads, not me? My name was mentioned as an aside, but it wasn't the main topic, so this time too, it must be something unrelated to me.
└ [DumpThatCrapCar]
It's currently the year 225, right? The male and female leads went on a winter trip and saw the sunrise. But if the child is six years old now, adding the pregnancy period, it's roughly seven years... So, he cheated in 218?
└ [I’m Getting Off At This Stop]
Ugh, I knew it ㅡㅡ I tolerated the previous 4 mistresses like a saint, but he finally filled up 5 and even added a bastard ㅋㅋㅋㅋ If. You. Keep. Doing. This. I. Can't. Take. It. Anymore. Author-nim!!! (ง=ಠ益ಠ=)ง
└ [Nam Namsoo, Academy Director Nam Namsoo]
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Stop-nim, why haven't you dropped it yet? You said you were going to drop it last time when Lovely appeared and was diligently making sweet potatoes ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ [I’m Getting Off At This Stop]
I know, right? Why didn't I? Seriously, why am I getting so pissed off about an extra's business instead of the male and female leads? ༼ง=ಠ益ಠ=༽ง
"Ah..."
In the end, as my name was mentioned, I couldn't bear the dizziness.
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