Chapter 5
“I heard you called for me, Father.”
“Yes. Come here.”
My father gestured toward the soft sofa and had refreshments prepared.
It was quite late to be having tea together, but I sat down without saying anything.
That made the distance between us feel much closer.
In my past life, I didn’t even know my real father’s face…
With affection, I carefully studied his face.
He looked far more gaunt than I had expected.
Losing Mother alone would have filled him with grief and guilt, and he still hadn’t found any concrete evidence of the assassination.
Even when he sleeps, he must be plagued by terrible nightmares.
I hadn’t been able to rest peacefully for days either.
I kept remembering the sight of Mother clutching her throat and slowly stiffening during the meal, and it made my body tremble.
Even picking up utensils scared me, but I forced myself to chew and swallow.
There was too much I had to do—I couldn’t let my strength weaken any further.
At least I managed to gather quite a bit of information about Daniel Praus instead of wasting time in shock.
Things like him being the guardian of time, or the head of his house having dragon blood, were already widely known and useless.
Even the fact that he was a handsome man with an innocent face and a not-so-innocent body wasn’t particularly important to me.
Though I am grateful that he’s handsome.
Still, by persistently researching through the imperial library, I was able to obtain the information I needed.
After taking a brief moment to mourn my mother,
I looked my father in the eyes and spoke.
“Father, I have a request.”
“…A request?”
For some reason, his voice sounded tense.
I could roughly guess why.
My father was generous enough to build a villa just to comfort his daughter when the twelfth pony he gifted her caught a cold.
Having grown up watching that, I had been even more extravagant than him despite not having any money of my own.
Back then, I had spent the Emperor’s personal wealth freely and thought it was only natural.
So it makes sense he’d be nervous when I formally say I have a request.
When I even poured him tea, his expression clearly said here it comes.
“Frey, it seems you need something again to overcome your grief. Perhaps Reverse Island in the south…?”
Come to think of it, I once asked for that island as a coming-of-age gift.
An island even bigger and more beautiful than Jeju—without a hint of hesitation.
“Um, it’s not that.”
“Then you must want the Labels Plains after all. I’ll look into how long the acquisition would take.”
The empire’s largest grain-producing region?
Once again, I realized how grand my father’s scale was.
Of course, it would be nice to have it…
But now that Mother was gone, I didn’t want to act like a spoiled brat anymore.
No gift could ease the grief of losing her.
More importantly, I can’t afford to look immature if I want to survive what’s coming.
When I shook my head, the shadow on my father’s face deepened.
He seemed to think I wanted something even bigger.
Before the misunderstanding grew, I carefully got to the point.
“Mother told me almost every day that she was happy, marrying you.”
Even though she had suffered constant attacks for becoming the Emperor’s lover,
she said her marriage was happy enough to endure it all.
“So she always told me about the good things about marriage. And Father, you’ve introduced me to foreign nobles before, haven’t you?”
As if he realized what I was about to say, my father looked slightly regretful.
“Frey, it seems you’ve started thinking about marriage. It feels like just yesterday you said you’d live in the palace with me forever…”
He didn’t react strongly, which meant he had already expected this possibility.
That made it easier for me to continue shamelessly.
“It’ll be fine if I marry within the empire. You know who I have in mind.”
So it’s come to this.
That was the look on his face again.
“Frey, people are naturally drawn to certain others.”
And that pure-hearted Grand Duke probably wouldn’t feel the slightest attraction toward you.
It felt like I could hear his unspoken thoughts full of concern.
Well, after I showed interest in the Grand Duke at the funeral, he must have spoken with his loyal officials.
And none of them would have said we suit each other.
Honestly, I thought the same.
We were complete opposites.
But if I wanted to change the future, I had no other choice.
“The Grand Duke and I have opposite personalities, so we might actually complement each other.”
“Frey, I don’t think you’ve ever even met the Grand Duke.”
The northern region was the only place not connected to the capital by gates.
That was because undead monsters frequently appeared throughout the territory.
That’s also why its development is slower.
So it was rare for the Grand Duke, who lived far away, to visit the capital.
The only time I saw him was at Crown Prince Tachar’s wedding.
Even then, he was surrounded by attention, and I had to remain unnoticed as a princess—so I only watched from afar.
Maybe for three minutes, and he looked as small as a cotton swab.
Still, I did see him.
As I was about to respond, my father took my hand with a worried expression.
“Frey, I understand your anger over losing Roselia and your concerns about your safety.”
“……”
“But it troubles me that you seem to see marriage as merely a means.”
His rough hand, hardened from years of wielding a sword, gently stroked mine.
Feeling that warmth, I thought—
If I told him I was marrying for revenge and survival, it would break his heart.
He would never forgive himself for failing to stop that assassination.
Because he always loved Mother and me with everything he had.
People in the world didn’t think highly of my father.
They said he had almost no magical power and was overshadowed by the House of Zelon in everything except divine power.
That was true.
But to me, he had always been the best father.
I can’t make him worry.
Now I understood just how fortunate I was to have him.
So, like a shy girl in love, I spoke.
“I’ve seen the Grand Duke before.”
“…Hmm?”
“At the Crown Prince’s wedding. He opened a gate himself and came to the capital, remember? The Holy Knights temporarily guarded the north.”
“That’s right.”
“I didn’t see him up close, but I realized it then. That I fell in love with him at first sight.”
“…?”
My father’s eyes widened in surprise.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to confess something like that.
I had to keep pushing.
“What woman wouldn’t be captivated by Daniel Praus? He’s handsome, has a flawless personality, and is capable.”
“That may be true, but…”
“I know this must be sudden. But now that Mother has been assassinated, I don’t want to hide my desires anymore.”
I had already thought of the perfect scenario to persuade him.
In short:
- I’ve secretly loved the Grand Duke for a long time.
- But I hid it because the Empress and Crown Prince were trying to bring him to their side.
- Now they’ve attacked my mother first.
- So I won’t hide my feelings anymore and will act as I please.
It was exactly the kind of logic an ignorant, sheltered princess might come up with.
When I added baseless confidence that I could win Daniel Praus over if I tried, my father’s expression twisted strangely.
“I know you’re worried about my safety. But if I become the Grand Duchess of Praus, that won’t be an issue anymore.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Also, if I take that position, the Empress’s faction won’t be able to form a marriage alliance with him.”
And as a bonus, Ivril Bliette—who believed she would marry him—would be shut out.
Moreover, if the neutral Praus family allied with the imperial family first, it would check the Empress and Crown Prince.
The only problem with this scenario was—
“Frey, to be honest, I don’t know if the Grand Duke would even be interested in this marriage. I’ve heard he has rejected every proposal so far.”
Exactly.
Daniel Praus would have zero interest in me.
If he rejected even refined and wise noble ladies, there was no way he’d choose a hysterical, cowardly princess like me.
But that only matters if I want his love.
If what I needed was the title of Grand Duchess and time to build power—
there was another way.
Click.
I set down my teacup and met my father’s eyes.
“Father, I read in a book that there is a pact between the previous Grand Duke Praus and the Emperor.”
At my calm words, his eyes shook.
“According to the records, the Grand Duke promised that once per generation, he would absolutely obey a command from an emperor who possesses divine power.”
The right of absolute obedience.
The only weakness of the Praus family, who could otherwise establish an independent empire if they wished.
In exchange for help from the first Grand Duke, he had sworn to obey one command from the Emperor per generation—no matter what it was.
In your generation, Father, it hasn’t been used yet. And Tachar can’t use it since he has no divine power.
Emperors had always understood the value of this right.
After all, it was the power to command a bloodline descended from dragons.
My father was no different.
“Frey. I’d rather give you an island and fertile plains. You must not use the right of absolute obedience like this.”
As expected, he was firm.
After all, it was a power that could even force the Grand Duke to take his own life if misused.
“Daughter, even if I used that right to force him into marriage with you, it would not be a happy union.”
“……”
“Even if you somehow gained his love, the north is not like the capital. It’s not a place you can go to based on a one-sided love alone.”
His eyes, fixed on me, were filled with genuine concern.
I knew.
There was no one in this world who cared about me as much as he did.
That was why I had to be firm.
“If you give me time, I’ll prove it.”
“Prove what exactly—?”
“That using the right of absolute obedience to make him my husband… is the right choice.”
