Chapter 3 begins with Princess Efienia of the Kingdom of Firentzia arriving at the grand palace of the Magna Empire for an audience with the Emperor. Despite being sixteen and having reached adulthood, Efienia is frequently mistaken for a lost child due to the long lifespan and slow aging of her fairy race. She politely corrects a palace official, asserting her identity and purpose for visiting the Emperor. Efienia reflects on the Magna Empire, a vast dragon-ruled nation that conquered her homeland, Firentzia, a small fairy kingdom. Firentzia surrendered peacefully, resulting in a relatively lenient subjugation, allowing their royal family to remain. However, as a vassal state, their royal children must pay respects to the Emperor upon reaching adulthood. Efienia finds the entire process tedious, especially as she is eager to explore the imperial capital.
Upon entering the audience chamber, Efienia is formally announced and faces Emperor Grendil, a young and formidable dragon ruler known as the "Cold-Blooded Emperor." Overwhelmed by his presence, Efienia kneels and introduces herself. Grendil bids her to rise, and as she looks at him, she is struck by his youthful yet piercing golden eyes. In a sudden, unexpected move, Grendil vanishes from his throne and appears before Efienia, gently biting her neck. Disoriented and believing it to be a dream, Efienia loses consciousness.
Chapter 4 opens with Efienia waking up in a luxurious room within the imperial palace. A lady-in-waiting informs her that the audience has concluded and that she has something important to discuss. To Efienia's shock, the lady-in-waiting reveals that due to the encounter with the Emperor, Efienia has been identified as Grendil's "destined mate" and is to be taken as a concubine. Efienia vehemently protests, questioning the mistake and the concept of dragon "mates," which she understands to be a rare occurrence between different species. She learns that while dragon mates are usually of the same race, exceptions exist. Efienia is dismayed, realizing her brief, bizarre encounter with the Emperor was not a dream but a manifestation of this "mate" instinct. She also learns that the Magna Empire's harem is extensive, with approximately thirty consorts already chosen from various noble families. Efienia, a princess from a subordinate nation, is to become just one of many. Despite her outrage and desire to refuse, she understands her duty to protect her kingdom, which could face destruction if she angers the Emperor. She resolves to speak with Grendil directly to understand the situation better.
Meanwhile, Emperor Grendil is struggling with paperwork, haunted by the incident with Efienia. The news of him finding his "destined mate," a young fairy princess, has caused a stir and brought him scornful looks from his court, who view his actions as predatory. Grendil defends himself, claiming the bite was an involuntary instinct. He acknowledges the unusual nature of the pairing, as Efienia appears to be a child by dragon standards, and he finds the idea of her as his mate disturbing. Despite his internal conflict, he cannot forget her image. His childhood friend and close confidant, Clavis Zane, arrives and immediately teases Grendil about his "lolicon" tendencies. Their banter is interrupted when Efienia, having overheard Grendil dismiss her as an unwelcome "child," enters the room. Enraged and disillusioned, Efienia declares she will not be bothered by him and gracefully exits, leaving Grendil and Clavis stunned.
Chapter 5 sees Efienia, filled with anger, being escorted to her assigned residence in the harem. The head lady-in-waiting, a dragon, treats her with disdain, clearly unimpressed by the "tiny" fairy princess. Efienia, however, maintains her composure and elegance, adopting a facade of cheerful acceptance. She is led to a dilapidated mansion, clearly intended as a form of punishment or humiliation. Despite the dire state of the building, Efienia, with her innate fairy magic, summons numerous "Brownies" (cleaning spirits) and "Gnomes" (earth spirits) to repair and renovate the mansion overnight.
Chapter 6 begins with the lady-in-waiting returning to inspect Efienia's residence, expecting to find her miserable. To her astonishment, the ruined mansion has been transformed into a beautiful, well-maintained estate, adorned with flowers and functional gardens. Efienia, appearing refreshed and radiant, greets the lady-in-waiting and politely dismisses her, having successfully asserted her independence and resourcefulness.
In the following days, Efienia settles into her new life, though she notices she is being watched by spies, likely sent by the lady-in-waiting or other consorts who view her with suspicion. She continues to work on improving her mansion, assisted by "Leprechauns" (crafting spirits) who create furniture. Efienia realizes that the harem has basic rules, such as assigning at least one lady-in-waiting to each consort, a rule that was broken for her. She decides to investigate this and other matters within the harem to gather information.
Chapter 7 finds Emperor Grendil in a state of distress after Efienia's rejection. He is working obsessively, becoming increasingly volatile. Clavis urges him to apologize to Efienia, acknowledging his own role in the misunderstanding. Grendil, however, is hesitant, feeling ashamed and rejected. Clavis suggests he at least check on Efienia, as she may be struggling in the harem.
Chapter 8 sees Efienia venturing out to gather information. She observes the diverse population of consorts and notes the emperor's collection of women from various races. She overhears a group of beastkin maids bullying a rabbit-eared maid named Ionella. Efienia intervenes, and after introducing herself as the Emperor's destined mate, the bullies flee. Efienia offers Ionella refuge and assistance, seeing an opportunity to gain an ally and gather intelligence about the harem.
Chapter 9 delves into Ionella's story. She was a maid to a consort named Leonore and was dismissed for repeated failures. Ionella explains her difficult circumstances as a rabbit beastkin from a large family, relying on her income from the harem. Efienia learns that Ionella was dismissed without proper procedure, which she plans to use to her advantage. She also discovers that as a new consort, she was not assigned a lady-in-waiting, a violation of harem rules. Efienia realizes that by offering Ionella a position as her lady-in-waiting, she can gain an ally and potentially leverage the rule violation against the head lady-in-waiting.
