Natasha recalled the map of the imperial palace that Sieghart had given her.

The route from the banquet hall to the emperor’s bedroom.

The great Letius imperial family had designed an incredibly difficult path to the bedrooms of the royal family to guard against assassination.

As a result, very few people properly knew the way to the emperor’s bedroom.

Even if one knew the map, it was nearly impossible to memorize it.

The same was true for Natasha.

When she first received the map, she thought Sieghart was playing a cruel joke. The emperor’s bedroom was located in such a deep and secret place. Moreover, the path leading there was quite complex.

‘I must think…’

Since she couldn’t carry the map around, she had to input as much information as possible into her head.

The Letius Imperial Palace itself was an unfamiliar and strange place, yet she had to memorize all the difficult paths within it. Just staring at it for hours wasn’t nearly enough.

One day, two days, three days, four days……

During the long ten days before the imperial banquet, Natasha devoted herself to refining her plan and memorizing the map.

After focusing intently for several days, even reducing food and sleep, she managed to cram the complex map into her head.

No.

Perhaps she had succeeded perfectly, reaching a level where she could draw the palace map without looking at the original.

‘Where that man’s bedroom is!’

But of course, what really matters is the actual execution.

Natasha, who had been pretending to head to the infirmary, suddenly changed direction and headed for the powder room.

Fortunately, since the banquet had just begun, there was no one inside.

Relieved, she soon approached her destination.

‘The second drawer of the third cabinet…’

When she opened the drawer Sieghart had mentioned, dresses were neatly folded inside.

These were the exclusive dresses worn only by the maids of the Letius Imperial family.

Only the Letius Imperial Knights and maids were allowed to enter the royal family’s area. It would certainly be problematic for the Duchess of Asthart, an outsider, to loiter nearby.

Sieghart had suggested disguising as the imperial maids by providing their uniforms as a solution.

The maid uniforms were clothes made directly by the imperial private tailor, custom-made to fit the number of employed maids.

But how did the man manage to obtain maid uniforms that weren’t even separately prepared for individuals?

‘That amazing helper must have assisted.’

Natasha quickly changed clothes and tied her hair in a bun style like the imperial maids.

And when the footsteps fading beyond the door became faint, she calmly went out and walked down the corridor.

‘Walk straight ahead.’

She slowly moved her feet, following the palace map spread out in her mind.

Walk straight ahead, then turn right at the third corridor. After that, keep walking straight, then turn to the opposite side this time and enter right again at the new corridor.

Then a strangely winding path appears, leading to a completely new corridor.

‘The imperial flag…’

Some rooms had the imperial flag inserted. A dragon was embroidered on the flag, and the size of the dragon subtly differed for each room.

This was a sign that those were the rooms of the royal family.

But it wasn’t the emperor’s room, it was the rooms of some relatives who remained loyal to Kyle Letius in the palace.

It was a good sign that she was approaching her destination.

The woman who had paused for a moment looked around casually.

Since the banquet had started, there were no knights or maids wandering the corridors.

It was fortunate. Even though Natasha was wearing a maid’s uniform, her appearance was different, so it was obvious she would be caught by those who remembered the faces of the limited number of maids.

After confirming the quiet surroundings, Natasha moved quickly. She had to find the emperor’s bedroom before being seen by others.

Observing several forking paths before her, Natasha eventually entered the second path.

After entering the eerie corridor and walking straight, a large door soon appeared before her.

The door had a large emblem of the Letius Imperial family drawn on it. Instead of a flag, the pattern revealed that this was a place for the royal family.

‘The harmony of the largest room and the largest dragon.’

Sweat dripped down under her raised head. She must have unknowingly tensed up in this dangerous and reckless situation.

Natasha carefully wiped away the stream of effort trickling down her chin. Just as her stiff expression began to relax, her flat lips curved into a gentle arc.

‘I found it.’

At last, she had found it.

Kyle Letius’s bedroom.

She turned the doorknob boldly, but it didn’t budge. The doorknob seemed to be caught on something, stopping halfway.

‘It’s locked.’

She had definitely heard it was usually open.

‘Did he lock it because he’s out?’

Although the plan had become a bit more complicated, it would be fine as long as she could open the door soon.

Natasha took out a long needle she had secretly tucked in her dress sleeve and inserted it between the door cracks, turning it this way and that.

Click, clack, click.

But for some reason, the door remained firmly closed.

‘There must be some device.’

Seeing no sign of the door opening at all, Natasha realized that divine power was imbued here. Having the pope bestow divine power on the ruler’s room was probably a benefit enjoyed by all emperors of the empire.

She had been so focused on finding the emperor’s room that she had forgotten the most important thing.

What’s the use of finding the door? Of course, you can’t enter if you can’t open it!

Natasha, who had been tapping her forehead against the door, stared at her shadowed hand.

‘If I use force… will it open?’

If there was a spell cast to prevent the door from opening, there was also the method of just breaking the doorknob and entering.

‘I’m not sure if it will break with my efforts though.’

Natasha went out into the corridor for a moment to check for any knights or maids. Fortunately, there was no one.

Moreover, faint sounds of instruments could be heard, suggesting that the orchestra was putting on a splendid performance. In other words, no one would find it suspicious and hear the noise if she struck the doorknob a few times.

Swallowing hard, Natasha gripped her right wrist with her opposite hand and struck down hard.

Along with a dull sound, a strong vibration was felt through her bones.

Again, the door didn’t budge.

‘I must open it!’

There was a separate plan for each day the banquet started.

Today, she absolutely had to find the location of the bedroom and search it. On the second day, she had to attend the banquet fully to avoid suspicion, so she had to make her move on the third day.

If the plan was delayed by a day, it would also affect the final plan. Although the banquet was said to last for four days, on the fourth day the imperial palace banquet would end with a lunch feast, so time was short.

So, there was no time to return to the lodgings and discuss with Sieghart. Today, she had to complete the temporary search without fail.

Natasha, having made up her mind, clenched her fist with her still-aching hand and brought it to the doorknob.

‘Definitely!’

Bang!

Natasha brought down her hand.

Again, it was not enough to break the doorknob.

But as if unwilling to give up, she continued to strike with her fist. At some point, her hand lost feeling, but she didn’t care and repeated the action until the doorknob broke and the door opened.

But the doorknob must have had divine power on it as well, for it remained intact despite her efforts.

Rather, it was her side that was injured.

The inside of her hand tingled. Whether she had hit something wrong and cracked a bone, it was now impossible to even clench her fist.

Natasha blankly stared at her palm, which was moving sluggishly regardless of her will.

‘Ah…’

She had strength left to strike her hand a few more times. She had the mental fortitude to endure the pain.

However, would the door that hadn’t budged miraculously open if she tried a few more times now?

Shouldn’t she quickly return to the banquet hall and discuss with Sieghart while there was still time?

After a moment’s hesitation, she finally shook off her idle thoughts.

The woman’s face, which had looked precarious, suddenly straightened, and a fortress-like expression soon settled on her face.

The fingers that had been exhaling pain curled inward again. The firmly built fist finally moved towards the doorknob.

Whoo, Natasha, taking a deep breath, glared at the opposite side with raised eyes.

A formidable opponent was waiting for her last struggle. Unlike her worn hand, it showed no sign of damage, seeming to mock her already exhausted self.

One, two, three.

The fist, poised for a killing blow, advanced with a great exhalation.

Bang!

The fist striking the doorknob produced an ordinary sound. Although she had put all her strength into the strike, it was no different in intensity from before.

Natasha, somewhat anticipating failure, squeezed her eyes shut in pain. Her hand, which had become tattered in a short time, now exuded immense pain.

At that moment, a delicate smoke puffed out from beyond her hand, which she had gently placed on the doorknob. Soon, a faint smoke in the form of a heat haze enveloped the doorknob.

Before long, a rattling noise fell, and the problematic door opened smoothly.

‘…How?’

Faced with this surreal situation, Natasha could only blink blankly.

Since she had failed to break the doorknob, it was more accurate to say that the divine power placed on the door itself had been erased.

‘…But only divine power can erase a spell imbued with divine power.’

Natasha slowly gazed at her hand, which had turned to rags. Belatedly experiencing the shock, her hand was flapping helplessly like a fish out of water.

‘Whatever it was, it must have been God’s help.’

Although the solution method was somewhat questionable, there was no need to dwell on a problem that had already been resolved.

She hurriedly entered the bedroom.