* * *
Recalling the vow I made before leaving, I carefully slid out of bed.
After turning on a small lamp, I stretched.
The scenery before me was different from my room at the duchy.
This was the Pantheon Duchy’s townhouse near the village of Shailot.
Unlike the grand, old-fashioned ducal estate, this place had a more modern elegance.
It was similar to the townhouse in the capital but smaller in scale.
‘If the townhouse in the capital feels like an annex, this place feels more like a vacation home.’
The sheer wealth of the duchy never ceased to amaze me.
After locking the door carefully, I sat down at my desk.
Mila had already tucked me in earlier and left, so at this late hour, no one was likely to come looking for me.
‘As long as Raizen doesn’t send one of those ridiculous rabbit messengers again, that is…’
Luckily, he was overwhelmingly busy.
Since keeping his curse at bay with holy power was a priority, we still had to hold hands occasionally.
He had also crafted several holy artifacts for me.
‘Tomorrow is when everything starts in earnest.’
I needed to take care of the things I had put off, but just sitting at my desk made me let out a deep sigh.
[That was a very deep sigh.]
I instinctively glared at the floating message window before me.
‘Wouldn’t you sigh too?!’
Sometimes, I really couldn’t tell if it was clueless or just messing with me on purpose.
[Are you nervous?]
The frustration simmering inside me instantly cooled at that simple message.
[Something like that. I kind of regret not just staying at the duchy.]
[But you were curious about the ceremony, weren’t you?]
I clamped my mouth shut.
‘Was it that obvious?’
I didn’t think I had shown it, but apparently, I had.
Well… I was curious.
And it wasn’t like I could refuse when the Duke and Duchess insisted on bringing me. I had only realized why just before we left.
[Yeah, I mean… of course I’m curious. This wasn’t even in the novel, after all. Hahaha.]
I had somewhat resigned myself to the situation by now, but I would never forget this.
Whether the novel had been altered along the way or whether the ancient gods had deliberately thrown in this absurd setting—who knew?
‘If only I had known from the start that the novel had this setting…’
That kind of genre wasn’t my taste, and I wouldn’t have read it in the first place.
What the hell?
The genre just changed all of a sudden.
Noah remained silent, as if he felt a little guilty.
I glanced in the direction where the message window had popped up but quickly looked away.
‘Inventory.’
Muttering the word in my head, a rectangular window appeared before me.
There were no fancy decorations—just a grid filled with items.
I reached inside and pulled out a tarot card deck.
A velvet pouch, stuffed with stiff cards, materialized in my previously empty hand.
Taking the deck out of the pouch, the first thing I noticed was a golden eye staring back at me.
I wasn’t sure if it was the creator’s personal taste, but the design on the back of the cards was rather unsettling.
‘How do I use this…?’
As I tried to recall the method, a small item description popped up next to the tarot deck.
[Tarot Cards Blessed by ■■]
Tarot cards imbued with the blessing of the ancient god ■■. The divine blessing ensures a fixed 70% accuracy for tarot readings. Occasionally, when luck is on your side, the accuracy increases by 10%.
How to Use:
1. Shuffle the cards thoroughly.
2. Spread about one-third of the deck on a table.
3. Repeatedly think of your question in your mind, then draw a card!
4. Check the result through the system message.
5. If you have additional questions, follow the system’s guidance!
‘Oh.’
So I wasn’t just limited to checking item descriptions inside the inventory—I could still view them after taking the item out. That was convenient.
I went over the instructions again before examining the cards.
The illustrations on the front depicted symbols reminiscent of Ancient Greece and Rome.
‘The texture feels similar to regular cards.’
Would this actually work? I shuffled through the deck, studying them carefully, then started mixing them.
[Aren’t you shuffling too many times?]
[Ah, just let me do this.]
After shuffling a few more times, I set aside about a third of the deck and spread them across the desk.
‘I need to focus on my question before drawing a card.’
At that moment, a system message popped up.
[Tip! The simpler and more specific the question, the more accurate the answer!]
‘This thing better give me a real answer.’
I’d never had my fortune told before, so I had no idea what to expect.
Pushing aside my skepticism, I placed my hand over the scattered cards and closed my eyes.
‘Will a curse interfere during the Manifestation ceremony week?’
I repeated the question several times in my head before opening my eyes.
The arrangement of the cards seemed slightly different from before—or maybe it was just my imagination.
Now, I just needed to pick one…
“……”
I scanned the spread-out cards and decided to go with my intuition.
I reached for the card that had caught my eye from the beginning—the one in the center.
‘Why am I nervous over something like this?’
Slowly, I flipped the card over.
On it, a sun with twin eyes was drawn, identical to the design on the back.
Below the sun stood two naked boys, facing each other.
[As long as the radiant sun watches over, there is no room for darkness to seep in! What you’re worried about won’t happen!]
A message popped up instantly in shimmering purple text.
‘Phew, that’s a relief.’
The answer was a bit generic, but it was oddly reassuring.
With a 70% accuracy rate, it seemed safe to assume the curse wouldn’t cause trouble.
[Do you have any additional questions?]
Additional questions? I glanced at the remaining cards spread before me.
[Can I draw another card from here?]
I typed the message as if I were texting Noah, and it actually sent successfully.
[Yes! If it’s an additional question, just pick one right away~!]
Wait… was I seriously having a conversation with some unknown ancient god that had blessed this deck?
The text color was different from the system messages, making it feel strangely personal.
I was tempted to ask who they were, but now wasn’t the time to satisfy my curiosity.
‘An additional question about the Manifestation ceremony…’
I swallowed dryly.
Placing my hand over the cards again, I closed my eyes and whispered the question that had been lingering in my mind.
‘Will Raizen awaken as an Alpha?’
And then…
I cut off the rest of my unspoken thoughts and repeated only Raizen’s name and my question a few more times.
When I opened my eyes, my gaze was immediately drawn to the card on the far left.
I flipped it over without hesitation.
‘Huh…?’
The illustration depicted two adults embracing, their lips locked.
Strangely, every time I blinked, their hairstyles changed—one short and one long, then both long, then both short.
Above them, an angel with a gentle smile watched over them, golden light radiating outward to touch the lovers.
‘Anyone would take this as a love-related card.’
Why did this come up?
Staring at the card in confusion, I waited for the interpretation to appear.
[A~ very harmonious relationship ♥]
“……What……!”
I clamped a hand over my mouth.
Then, springing up from my seat, I hastily gathered the tarot cards and shoved them into the velvet pouch before practically throwing them back into my inventory.
‘That wasn’t the question I asked…!’
Well… if I was being honest, that was what I was truly curious about.
I wanted to know what kind of dynamic Raizen and I would awaken with.
It was nice that the deck answered even my unspoken question—but why phrase it in such an ambiguous, misleading way?!
And why did I immediately understand what it meant?!
‘Let’s not overthink this. “Harmonious relationship.” That must mean we’ll awaken as an Alpha and Omega pair.’
What if… I awaken as an Alpha, and Raizen…
‘No. Stop thinking like that.’
I didn’t want to awaken as an Omega! Why was there no option to just remain as an ordinary person? Why did this world have to be so extreme?!
“F*ck… seriously…”
In despair, I covered my face with both hands and let out a small groan.
The warmth of my palms felt comforting.
Or maybe it was my face that was burning up—I couldn’t tell.
“Sei, are you feeling unwell?”
Raizen, why are you asking me that while eating breakfast?
“Now that you mention it, your complexion doesn’t look great. Did you not sleep well?”
At his words, the Duchess immediately turned to check my face.
Across the table, Duke Pantheon paused mid-bite to glance at me.
“Oh, uh, just a little… I don’t know why I’m so anxious when it’s not even my Manifestation ceremony.”
I forced a smile, brushing it off.
The Duchess chuckled softly.
“You must be excited for the festival later today, right?”
I wasn’t a fan of crowded places, but there was something about festivals—the anticipation, the special atmosphere.
Besides, this wasn’t Korea; it was a completely different world with a Western aesthetic.
“Yes, I think that’s part of it.”
“Good. Raizen has some free time today, so the two of you should go enjoy yourselves. Stay safe.”
It was an obvious suggestion, yet I found myself hesitating for a second.
‘It does feel a bit odd to go out with “parents” at this age.’
I nodded slightly and smiled.
“Alright, we will.”
The Duchess returned my smile before putting down her utensils.
Dabbing her lips with a napkin, she turned to me again.
“Oh, Sei. Have you thought about what we talked about before leaving for the capital?”
It was the question I’d been expecting.
Before our departure, the Duchess had asked me:
“Sei, actually… you have a grandfather. He’s the former Marquis Kreveta. He’ll be attending the Manifestation ceremony. How do you feel about meeting him?”
* * *
