Not 100% Fated, But 100% Obsessed

Because of that absolute, unquestionable 100% divine oracle, the entire continent of Doria knew that Kieran, the cold-blooded commander of the dragons, had been forced to marry me—a completely powerless human.

Yet for a year after our marriage, he remained as cold as ice that could never be warmed.

Desperate to stay by his side, I had tried every possible way to get closer to him, throwing myself into his arms day after day.

I firmly believed that if I kept teasing him, I would eventually awaken some trace of the dragons' so-called "mate instinct."

I was straddling Kieran's lap, feeling the startling heat between his legs straight through the rigid fabric of his military uniform. My fingers had just popped the black-and-gold clasp at his collar. 

I was about to strip his pants off and ride him right there, when—

A black magical raven bearing the emblem of the Oracle Order suddenly burst through the window.

It spat out a glowing emergency parchment:

[Critical error in the astrological calculations! Your golden soul thread with Commander Kieran does not perfectly overlap! He is NOT your 100% fated mate!]

I froze, feeling as though all the blood had drained from my body.

No wonder Kieran always looked at me as if I were nothing but a nuisance. No wonder he never seemed willing to get close to me.

Kieran, completely unaware of what the parchment said, caught my wandering hand. His dark-gold pupils narrowed.

A dragon's senses were incredibly sharp. He had clearly heard my racing heartbeat and caught the sudden scent of fear coming from me.

But he couldn't be bothered to investigate. He merely glanced impatiently at the clock.

"Are you going to do this or not? If you're getting into bed, hurry up. I have a meeting in twenty minutes."

I jerked my hand back as if I'd been shocked, hurriedly straightened my fallen skirt, climbed down, and backed away.

"Never mind. You go take care of your work."

Kieran's already furrowed brow tightened further. He studied me from head to toe.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yes. I'm sure."

He stared at me for several seconds before saying nothing more. He fastened his collar and strode out of the bedroom.

The moment the heavy door closed, I crushed my communication crystal and connected directly to the Oracle Order.

"What exactly is going on?!"

"We're terribly sorry, Lady Tessa." The High Priest's voice was trembling. "We discovered an ancient flaw while repairing the Loom of Fate. Your thread of destiny with the Commander... was incorrect."

"We've been bound by a soul contract for a year, and you're only telling me now?"

"We sincerely apologize. But according to the latest astrological correction, he still retains an 80% compatibility rate with you. In theory, that's enough to maintain a stable magical connection, so your marriage shouldn't be affected."

"You said it yourself. That's only in theory. What about reality?"

There was a long silence on the other end.

"In reality... the Loom shows that your true 100% soul mate is someone else."

"Who?"

"We can't identify him yet. The clues were damaged during the Astral River Storm. The Order is doing everything it can to track him down."

I paced irritably around the spacious, freezing bedroom, my eyes fixed on the end of the corridor.

That was where Kieran's study was. And inside it was the key to the Royal Forbidden Library.

"Have you told Kieran?"

"Not yet... Commander Kieran sealed every communication channel from the Order a long time ago."

I remembered.

When Kieran first learned that he had been forcibly matched with a human, he had been so furious that he nearly burned down the Astronomical Tower with dragonfire. After that, he had unilaterally cut off all contact with the Order.

"Don't tell him yet. I'll figure something out."

After cutting the connection, I leaned weakly against the cold wall.

On this continent, dragons were the absolute ruling class, using their terrifying innate magic to control virtually all real power.

And Kieran wasn't merely a pure-blooded black dragon. He was also the supreme commander of the Empire's three armies.

Crossing him meant only one possible ending: being reduced to ashes.

I had never wanted anything to do with a monster like him.

But I'd been trapped in this damn world for five whole years.

As an ordinary human with no ability to defend myself, I had already run out of options in my search for clues to a portal home.

Then, a year ago, the Order came to me and announced that I was the perfect mate of that terrifying commander.

I hesitated for only a second before agreeing to the political marriage.

Because staying beside Kieran and obtaining the key to the Forbidden Library was my only chance of finding a way home.

Unfortunately, Kieran despised me.

In this world, the dragon race worshipped bloodlines above everything else. There had never been a precedent for dragons and humans marrying.

He had only compromised because of the supposedly inviolable "100% Oracle Law."

To secure our relationship and get the key, whenever he returned to the castle, I would shamelessly cling to him.

Whenever he pushed me away, I threatened to take him before the High Court for violating the Laws of the Gods.

He had no choice.

For more than three hundred nights, he had gritted his teeth through it — cold-faced, mechanical, letting me strip him down and take him, like it was just another chore on his list.

Until today, when the system collapsed and the truth finally came to light.

For a dragon with an overwhelming territorial instinct, an 80% match was practically a joke.

It couldn't form the "mate bond" capable of suppressing his instinct to kill.

That missing 100% destiny line had been the only thing keeping him from destroying me.

Thinking about how recklessly I'd treated this pure-blooded black dragon over the past year sent a chill down my spine.

If this dragon discovered that I wasn't his fated mate—and that I'd spent an entire year forcing myself into his life...