As expected, his arrogant face cracked.
‘Yeah, you don’t look like your father at all.’
If I had said this before, it might have been interpreted as a comment on his physical appearance not resembling his father.
But now that I’ve been identified as divine–
It was like saying divine power chose me as the legitimate successor, not you, the crown prince.
There was plenty of room for interpretation in this way.
Even if he pretended to be calm, it would hurt quite a bit since it stabbed his complex straight on.
Of course, I didn’t feel sorry at all.
‘Why did you take away my most precious thing?’
Tahar walked past me in disgust, then sneered as if he remembered something.
“I heard that Grand Duke Prause has a child out of wedlock. Your greed has caused the Grand Duke to get married when he doesn’t want to.”
“…”
I’m sorry, but I know the truth, so there was no big blow.
I knew that Daniel picking up abandoned children and taking care of them was just out of pity.
The moment he faced abandoned children, he must have been reminded of his own childhood, where he had no adult to turn to.
‘When he looked at the children, he remembered himself at the moment when he lost his parents, so he continued to support them even though he couldn’t approach them properly.’
No matter how much I thought about it, it was a noble personality that was wasted on someone like me.
But everyone else other than me would think the same as Tahar.
Grand Duke Prause said that he would not be able to marry the mother of his out-of-wedlock children because of the princess’s greed.
Because of the emperor’s absolute right to obey, he would outwardly marry the princess, but deep down, he would think of the woman who shared his bed every night.
‘In reality, he’s a modest man who dislikes women.’
A snort escaped me.
I don’t know who created the rumor and turned him into a promiscuous man, but they had remarkable skills.
As if he had no idea what I was thinking, Tahar continued to press me with a cold voice.
“The great right of the imperial family was used for your own sake, so it must be an unsatisfactory result for everyone.”
I snapped at him, hoping to silence him before I left.
“Tahar, with all due respect, the absolute obedience is not just an oath between the Prause family and the imperial family. Only those who possess divine power are allowed to issue commands.”
“What are you talking about now…?”
“If my father doesn’t use it, then it would be passed down to me, who possesses divine power, and I will make the decision in the end.”
He trembled with anger and gnashed his teeth. His eyes turned red with rage.
“If you’re thinking of using the children to gain the Grand Duke’s attention…”
“I have no intention of doing that.”
Tahar furrowed his brow.
It’s because he thinks I’m cutting him off.
However, the Crown Prince is mistaken, so I need to correct him.
“How could I do that to children? I’m not like you.”
My words wiped the smile off Tahar’s face.
The members of the noble faction who supported him had a similar reaction.
No one knew that the Crown Prince was giving his daughter, Lydia Obelir, an intensive education.
There was only one reason for it.
That was because Tahar’s daughter, Lydia, is one of the “chosen children” like the two children Daniel is protecting.
She was the heroine of this story…
‘It will only be a few years before the world knows that the two children the Grand Duke claims to be illegitimate are the chosen ones.’
Tahar thought that his daughter was the only child of prophecy authorized by the high priest.
So, on the pretext of developing his daughter’s talents, he was conducting intense theory classes and magic practice sessions.
His unforgiving attitude toward his daughter must have been seen favorably by others.
“I don’t know if you know, but I am kind to children. I won’t leave my child alone or lonely.”
“You must be very kind to the child that Grand Duke Prause made with another woman.”
“Well, I don’t particularly like the fact that my future husband has two illegitimate children, but…”
No, it doesn’t really matter.
“If I turn away and mistreat them, they will be sad and lonely. Little children shouldn’t feel that way.”
“What?”
“Children who were just born are innocent. They had no choice in choosing their parents.”
By the time I finished speaking, Tahar’s expression had become even more menacing than before.
How uncomfortable it must be for a lowly bloodline to dare to express its opinion in front of me.
There will be many days in the future when I will face off against Tahar and other members of the nobles faction, so I decided to leave at this point for today.
“Then I’ll go in first. I’m tired.”
“… “
The officials standing behind Tahar were concerned about my lack of decorum.
I stood up, casually adjusting my blonde hair, which bore a resemblance to the emperor’s.
Daniel Prause had arrived in the capital, so I needed to move even more quickly.
* * *
“She must have lost her mind after losing her mother.”
“To believe in the setting sun and stand tall…”
After Frey left, the noble ministers quickly began voicing their discomfort with Tahar.
These were the words that the princess had been holding back, fearing there would be retaliation.
“It’s ridiculous, but she inherited divine power.”’
“I didn’t expect the day to come where I’m trying to read Frey’s face.”’
Tahar, who was on edge due to the intense education he was giving his daughter, struggled to hide his discomfort.
At that time, Daniel, who had been quietly watching the confrontation, appeared.
“Greeting the Little Sun of the Empire.”
“Grand Duke Prause.”
Tahar put on the gentle prince’s mask on his crumpled face.
Daniel Prause.
A transcendent figure who protected the order of time.
However, from the perspective of the imperial family, the grand dukes of Praus were only priests who obeyed well.
He was honest in his actions and not skilled in deception.
Most of them were like docile animals, the same both inside and out, without any embellishments.
“I never thought I would see Prause’s family head in the capital. It wouldn’t have happened if the emperor hadn’t used the right of absolute obedience.”
“I never expected to see the head of the Prause family in the capital. It wouldn’t have happened if the emperor hadn’t exercised his right of absolute obedience.”
Thinking so, Tahar felt a little pity for Daniel.
“No matter how he uses the absolute right to obey, you faithfully follow every command.”
“It’s sudden for me as well, but a promise is a promise.”
Tahar gazed quietly into Daniel’s eyes.
They were eyes that Tahar couldn’t decipher, but they didn’t seem to be asking to overturn his marriage.
“Even if it’s terrible, are you saying you won’t reject it because it’s the emperor’s order? That’s indeed very Prause-like.”
“…”
“When I become Emperor, I will prioritize addressing your hardships. If you’re a noble Prause, you’ll never break your promise to the imperial family.”
{Tap-tap}
Tahar patted Daniel on the shoulder and left first.
Daniel stayed and pondered over the conversation between Tahar and Frey.
Specifically, the words that Frey seemed to say without much thought.
[“I won’t leave the child alone or let them feel lonely.”]
[“If I turn away and mistreat them, they will be sad and lonely. Little children shouldn’t feel that way.”]
Frey said that in front of Tahar.
Even if she had obtained divine power, would she have been able to make up words she hadn’t even thought about in a confrontation with the person who would become the next emperor?
‘They didn’t seem to notice that I was watching them.’
If that’s the case, it means…
‘It might be genuine.’
The princess was only slightly better than the rumors, but she didn’t seem to hold a special place. Her divine power was also weak compared to the bloodline of the imperial family.
But her suggestion was attractive.
Daniel imagined the northern region with the opening of a direct gateway to the capital. The mere thought of a prosperous estate was appealing to him.
If Frey divorced him in due time, he could benefit considerably from surrendering the title of Grand Duchess for a few years.
‘I need to check again to see if my ability to see the future returned to normal.’
He frowned as he remembered his future self clinging to Frey.
* * *
After using the right of absolute obedience to summon Daniel to the capital, things progressed quickly.
Those who received the emperor’s order hurriedly made preparations for the wedding.
Members of the noble faction tried to stop the wedding with all sorts of excuses, but their efforts were in vain.
The empress mobilized members of the Duke Gelon’s faction and repeatedly submitted petitions, but they could not change the result because they did not have divine power and were not parties to the contract.
‘Daniel avoided marriage by spreading rumors of promiscuity, but now he is quiet.’
I hoped he would accept my offer and remain silent.
Thinking so, I stepped out of the canopy and saw an expressionless maid standing there. It was the first time I had seen her face.
‘Where did Emma go?’
Besides, the woman in front of me was not kind to me.
She seemed to bear a heavy burden on her shoulders for a mere maid.
“Who sent you?
“I was originally an attendant of Her Majesty. Her Majesty the Queen has instructed Princess Frey to be prepared.”
Ah, so that’s it.
The queen used to replace my maids, claiming that the affairs of the women in the imperial family were under her jurisdiction.
The maids changed frequently, except for Emma, who had a connection to my mother and had been persistently by my side.
They would suddenly vanish or return home.
They would get married and move to a different region to live in their husband’s house.
That was the nature of the situation, and I couldn’t do anything about it.
‘I wasn’t a kind master either, so it wasn’t unreasonable for them to leave.’
Regardless of the circumstances, I couldn’t get a good look at the maid the queen had sent this time either.
“Oh, right. Did you unilaterally inform us of the schedule late yesterday?”
I barely fell asleep because of insomnia, but thanks to that, I had to wake up.
I paused as I tried to dip my hand in the wash water that the maid with a soulless face was pushing out.
Excessive heat rose to my fingertips, as if to scorch one’s flesh right off.
Steam rose, yet there wasn’t even an attempt to hide it.
I looked at the maid and spoke in a kind tone.
“I’m not fully awake. Can you put your hand in and check the temperature of the water?”
he queen used to send maids to subtly harass me.
Since the affairs of the women in the imperial palace were under the care of the queen, it must have been easy to control them.
Above all, the intensity of the bullying was tolerable, so it was ambiguous to tell my parents about it every time.
If they were to find out, my parents would take issue with it, and then the queen would subject me to even more relentless and malicious harassment.
‘Because I’ve always been afraid that the queen would retaliate with the backing of the Duke of Gelon.’
Since I didn’t run to my father, the queen might have had a small taste of success.
***
