'Here goes nothing… or everything.'
The doors creaked open, revealing the Emperor's private office. Warm light spilled from tall windows, catching the swirl of snow outside. The room smelled faintly of ink, old paper, and something sharper — cedar and frost, just like him.
The Emperor sat behind a carved obsidian desk unlike in the throne room, gloved fingers resting on a stack of parchment.
His crown wasn't on his head this time, only a simple gold chain at his throat. Somehow that made him even more dangerous.
"Your Majesty," I said, bowing low.
"Rise, Duke Lioren," he replied, his voice even, though his gaze held something unspoken. "I trust the cold of the North hasn't dulled your wits."
"If it had, Your Majesty wouldn't have called me here." My tone was polite, careful—yet my heart pounded so loudly I wondered if he heard it too.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Still as sharp-tongued as ever."
Silence settled between us. Only the fire cracked softly, throwing light across the marble floor.
I could feel mana thrumming through the walls, the floors—everywhere. It was warm, almost alive, but it made my head ache.
Finally, his majesty leaned back. "You must have heard of the disturbances. Monsters appearing beyond the Western Border. The snow reaching the southern fields." He paused and looked at me. "It's unnatural."
"Yes," I answered, stepping closer to the desk. "And it isn't random."
His eyes flicked up. "You think it's connected?"
"In the North," I began, "the monsters appeared three weeks before the first storm. Their magic residue carries traces of distortion — as if something is tampering with the barrier between realms."
His majesty brow furrowed, but he didn't interrupt. I continued, my mind racing between what I knew from the game and what I could safely say aloud.
"In theory, the barrier reacts to imbalance — emotions, forbidden rituals, or relics that disturb the equilibrium. If this continues, the Empire's seasons will collapse, and the capital itself could freeze."
For a heartbeat, he said nothing. Then his voice dropped low. "You've thought this through."
I forced a smile. "It's my job, Your Majesty."
"It's more than that," he murmured, studying me as if peeling away layers I didn't know I had. "You speak as though you've already seen it happen."
My breath caught. "I have", I thought. In the game, this event was the start of the "Frozen Calamity Arc." It was the beginning of uncommon events that started before the female lead appeared. It was her venue, as if the gods were announcing her coming.
When she arrived she found the solution quite easily and made everyone fall for her, even the emperor did.
"I've seen enough to know what's coming," I replied carefully. "If the distortion continues, you'll need a stabilizer — a catalyst made from Dragon's Core Dust and Holy Silver. Together they restore the flow of mana through the ley lines."
Kael blinked. Just once. Then leaned forward, elbows on the desk, eyes glinting like molten gold. "Dragon's Core Dust? That hasn't been used since the First Age. How do you even know about it?"
I almost smiled. 'the internet, technically'. "Old archives. Northern scholars kept records others forgot."
Kael studied me in silence. It wasn't the cold, imperial stare he showed to nobles — it was sharper, curious, almost hungry. "You've changed, Lioren. The boy I knew never spoke like this."
I swallowed hard. "And the boy I knew wasn't an Emperor."
That made him pause. A flicker of something—pain, nostalgia, or maybe longing—crossed his face. Then it was gone, hidden beneath royal composure.
"You've done well," he said finally, rising from his chair. "Send me a full report by dawn. I'll summon the council."
I bowed again, but when I lifted my head, he was already walking past me. The faint brush of his sleeve against my arm felt electric.
"Your Majesty—" I began, but the words died when he turned back. For a moment, his gaze softened.
"Don't overwork yourself, Duke. I'd hate to lose one of the few who can still surprise me."
He left me there—heart racing, mind blank, staring at the door he'd disappeared through.
'Surprise you?' I thought, exhaling shakily. 'If only he knew the truth, he would be more than just surprised.'
Outside, the storm howled louder, as if the world itself knew the Empire's fate had just shifted.