The Debt Of Fate

The King immediately sent out his best men to gather information about every maiden born eighteen years ago. Because he was wary of deception, he did not specify the month, allowing his men to gather all the information they could.

It had been eighteen years since the girl's birth, so it took the men more than seven days to collect the information and ensure that not a single girl was left out. The King then instructed them to sort the names by their birth month.

"Make a wooden tablet for each girl born in the seventh month. Her name and birthdate must be clearly stated on the tablet," the king commanded.

After the tablets were made, over fifty were sent to the Seer that evening.

The Queen was surprised by the Emperor's actions, but having been married to him for so long, she knew he was not someone to be questioned.

Three days after the names were sent to the Seer, a message arrived at the palace.

The King broke the seal and unrolled the paper.

"Anastasia Thompson, daughter of Duke Thompson, born on the fourteenth day of the seventh month," the King read aloud. It was the only wooden tablet that returned.

"Duke Thompson?" The King was shocked. Not because Duke Thompson was a prominent figure, but because he knew the Duke to be a man of schemes. Heaven only favored the daughter of a righteous man. Without the Seer's guidance, he would never have considered this possibility.

"Find out everything about Duke Thompson's daughter, Anastasia," the King instructed the eunuch beside him, closing the name tablet.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the eunuch bowed and left the room.

The King though gravely ill, placed immense importance on finding this girl. The eunuch, knowing the matter was critical, wasted no time and began the investigation.

A few hours later, the eunuch returned with a scroll in hand.

"Your Majesty, here is everything we could find," the eunuch said, bowing as he presented the scroll.

The King took the scroll and read through it carefully. The information was brief, and none of it painted Anastasia in a favorable light. She was the daughter of a mistress, though her mother had once been the main wife before losing favor. Anastasia was unskilled, and her teachers often complained about her lack of discipline and aptitude.

The King frowned as he read the details. While he had not expected the Daughter of Destiny to come from a noble or perfect background, he had not anticipated someone so seemingly useless. A woman without talent was unfit to marry into the royal family.

"Only her fate is strong enough to save your lineage," the Seer's words echoed in the King's mind.

His disappointment dissipated as he reconsidered. What mattered was her fate. Even if she was flawed or mad, his son would have to marry her if it meant saving the royal family.

"Send a message to Duke Thompson's residence. The Duke is to come to the palace tomorrow to see me," the King commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the eunuch bowed and left the chamber.

---

Thompson Residence

Duke Thompson was preparing to retire for the night when a message arrived from the palace.

"Who did you say it was?" Duke Thompson asked in surprise upon hearing that someone from the palace was seeking him. While he was a Duke, his influence within the kingdom was limited.

"A messenger from the palace," his subordinate replied.

The Duke hurried to the welcoming hall, wondering what could be so urgent for the Emperor to send a message so late at night.

When he arrived, he saw the messenger waiting.

"Greetings. What are His Majesty's instructions?" Duke Thompson asked respectfully. After all, the man before him represented the King.

"His Majesty has requested that you visit the palace tomorrow morning," the messenger replied.

Duke Thompson was taken aback by the sudden summons. He began to wonder what he might have done to draw the King's attention. There had been no significant issues in his domain that might warrant such an audience.

He speculated whether any of his associates had implicated him in some scandal. Surely, the King would not summon him over something trivial.

"I will be there on time," Duke Thompson replied.

After seeing off the messenger, the Duke returned to his room, but he found it impossible to sleep. It was too late to send his servants to make inquiries, so he could only wait anxiously for morning.

---

The Duke wasn't the only one in his household struggling to find peace that night.

In her room, Anastasia, who had gone to bed earlier, suddenly began thrashing in her sleep, as if caught in a life-or-death struggle.

Her eyes snapped open as she gasped for air. Her heart raced, and a shiver ran down her spine. Pressing a trembling hand to her chest, she felt relief at the strong, steady heartbeat beneath her fingers.

She leapt from the bed and hurried to the old, cracked mirror in her room. Her legs trembled with each step. When she looked at her youthful face in the mirror, she began to calm down, but the vivid scenes of her dream flashed through her mind like a play unfolding before her eyes.

In the dream, a beautiful young girl had married the crown prince at eighteen, becoming the envy of all. Her step-sister, who had tried and failed to steal the marriage, looked on with bitterness. Though many deemed her unworthy, she became the Queen, the mother of the nation.

But her life of luxury and power was filled with bitterness. Barren, she was forced to adopt her husband's mistress's child and raise him as her own. For over twenty years, she loved him as her son, but when he learned she wasn't his birth mother, he turned on her, accusing her of separating him from his real mother.

Though the doctors diagnosed her with illness, she knew she had been poisoned. She died just before turning fifty, her body frail and aged as though she were over eighty. Cold and alone, only her personal maid stayed by her side to bid her farewell.

"Crazy," Anastasia muttered, trying to shake off the vividness of the dream.

Splashing water on her face from the jug beside her bed, she whispered, "It's just a dream."

But as she cleaned her face and looked around her familiar room, an inexplicable unease tightened her chest. The dream had felt far too real, and the thought sent her heart racing once more.