There are no Bad Transcendents in the World

When I mentioned the name ‘Grand Duke Prause’, Evelyn flinched as expected. She looked at my expression, as if she trying to figure out what I meant by bringing him up.

It was the same with my father, who showed his curiosity.

“As far as I know, Grand Duke Prause is in his mid-20s.

“It’s not that different from me. Both of us are of marriageable age.”

When the word marriage came out of my mouth, Evelyn’s expression hardened slightly.

‘Is it because she’s heard so many people around her say, ‘Daniel Prause is your future husband?’

It seems that she already regarded the Grand Duke her husband, despite there being no official engagement.

[“Lady Roselia, how do I seduce a man? I’m simply asking out of curiosity since you possessed the ability to cross status.”]

When she gently scratched my mother’s insides with such words, she always smiled but now she took off her mask just because I mentioned the grand duke.

‘Until now, I thought she was Tahar’s negotiating card, so I was vaguely afraid.’

Apparently, Evelyn has a crush on Grand Duke Prause. Considering his handsome face, high position, and noble character, it was not unreasonable.

Of all the young women in the Empire, I’m probably the only one who thinks of Daniel Prause as a potential ally to prevent ruin.

“Of course…”

As if she would not reveal her true feelings any longer, Evelyn lowered her head briefly and started walking.

I caught a glimpse of the Empress and the Crown Princess exchanging glances and conversing with each other, their faces turned towards me.

Patience snapped when I saw the empress offer my mother the chrysanthemums she had ordered a week ago.

But I held it in.

There would be many days ahead to witness Evelyn’s distorted face.

‘After a month, Evelyn will regret what happened today.’

I would definitely do that. I suppressed my anger and watched her flower arrangement until the end.

* * *

‘Leave the imperial palace and sleep peacefully. It didn’t suit you from the beginning.’

Evelyn suppressed a hidden giggle and gently placed the white chrysanthemum down.

You don’t know how much I’ve been looking forward to this moment since I heard about the chrysanthemum order from Crown Princess Garnet a week ago.

[“Evelyn. Mother ordered white chrysanthemums, so prepare them.”]

[“The fact that Her Majesty ordered chrysanthemums…”]

[“It means we will soon witness the true power of Gelon’s curse.”]

Evelyn had quietly smiled along with the Crown Princess.

Sooner or later, we would be able to see the end of Frey’s mother and Frey, who could be said to be the disruptors of the social ecosystem in the capital city.

‘But how did Frey survive?’

Gelon’s curse was powerful.

The previous Duke of Gelon had been able to deal with the current emperor’s brothers due to his mastery of curses.

There was no way the empress and the prince handled things carelessly.

‘Frey should have left this world before the emperor returned.’

The leaders of the aristocratic faction, including the Empress and the Crown Prince couple, could only laugh bitterly even though they regarded Frey’s survival as absurd.

It would be fun to watch the process of Frey drying up little by little, having lost the strong defense of her mother.

Evelyn thought the same until she went to the funeral home by order of the empress.

‘But what was that?’

It wasn’t Frey who froze when she encountered the main figures of the aristocratic faction at the funeral home.

She knew how to be scared, but she dared to ask the age of Grand Duke Prause…

[“It’s not that different from me. Both of us are of marriageable age.”]

She was intentionally provoking me with those meaningful words.

‘It’s annoying to see her intention to get revenge on me, but…’

Evelyn, who came out of the villa, revealed a mocking laugh that she had been suppressing.

‘I don’t think Grand Duke Prause would welcome such an insignificant woman.’

Evelyn prided herself on knowing Grand Duke Prause better than anyone else.

The first Grand Duke Prause was given a mission by God to keep the order of time.

The little bit of divine power given along with good character was the power of time and God’s gift to the transcendent Praus who was given the mission.

‘In order not to disobey the will of God, Duke Prause is trained to be sensitive to ethics and morality.’

Thanks to her manipulation, rumors had spread throughout the empire that half-princesses are terrible people who act hysterically.

Daniel Prause, who was said to be nobler than the commander of the Knights, would not be swayed by such a woman.

‘I’m going to report to Her Majesty the Empress. Even an insect wriggles when I step on it.’

Evelyn put on her graceful smile again and left.

But Evelyn wasn’t the only one looking at Frey with significance.

The emperor also looked at his daughter with eyes full of complex emotions.

‘Grand Duke Prause? The right age for marriage?’

Did my daughter ever think about getting married?

No, that was unlikely.

Wasn’t she locked in her room, buying all kinds of dresses, gold, and silver, and caring for the garden?

As a father, I felt that I had to correct my daughter, but on the other hand, I wanted to let her enjoy the luxury.

If living as an immature idiot would make her happier, he would prefer it that way.

‘Since you were born to Roselia and me, you won’t be free from the imperial family….’

I sighed deeply.

Frey had been quick-witted since childhood.

No matter how much he sheltered and protected her within the greenhouse, she would notice the disdain directed towards her.

Thus, even if she read books, she did so in the attic.

Even if she knew the answers to the questions asked by the officials, she kept her mouth shut to hide her cleverness.

My child was obviously afraid of being in the spotlight.

But then she suddenly mentioned marriage in front of many eyes.

Whenever Rosalia and I showed pictures of noblemen from other countries, she refused, saying that their faces were not to her taste.’

I tried a few times, thinking that if she married overseas, she would be safe from the imperial family, but each time she was rejected.

But if the reason for the sudden interest in marriage–

‘It’s probably meant to make Lady Vliette and the empress feel uncomfortable.’

The Emperor was well aware of his daughter’s character.

Now that her mother, who had been protecting her, was gone, she was just burning with vengeance.

She would not genuinely be considering starting a family.

‘As time passes, it will naturally become something that never happened.’

However, after the funeral, the situation unfolded contrary to the emperor’s expectations.

“Thoroughly investigate the Duke of Gelon and the Mage Tower.”

While investigations into Lady Roselia’s death were ongoing, Frey remained unusually quiet.

The Emperor and the ministers were puzzled by her uncharacteristic silence since she would usually use her father’s personal assets like water whenever she was depressed.

“Your Majesty, it seems Princess Frey is in shock.”

One loyalist said.

The emperor, whose complexion was not looking good because of his lover’s death, rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

“It must be a big shock since Roselia passed away so suddenly. Just seeing how she provoked Lady Vliette, whom she was so afraid of… … .”

“Seeing that she took action herself, it seems that the princess is also very angry this time.”

The Emperor turned his face away, worn out from several sleepless nights.

“Her actions?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I heard that she is collecting information about the Grand Duke Prause.”

“…”

The emperor was speechless.

‘Didn’t she bring up the story of Grand Duke Prause just to tease Lady Vliette?’

If Frey was really interested in starting a family…

The reason was simple.

‘Does she want to escape the threat to her life?’

She was saved, but Frey almost died too.

The Empress had used all her influence to cover up the assassination and then shamelessly taunted Frey by ordering white chrysanthemums in advance.

It was reasonable for Frey to want to leave the imperial palace where she was born and raised.

‘…If only I hadn’t left the palace that day.’

The emperor sighed and looked out the window.

I have already lost a loved one.

If Frey went astray, he had no confidence to live any longer.

‘If Grand Duke Prause were to love and protect my daughter, it would bring me some peace of mind.’

Prause was the only family capable of perfectly keeping Gelon and the members of the capital’s noblemen in check.

The problem was that Daniel Prause was unlikely to be attracted to Frey, whom he had only met a few times.

“I’ll ask you one question.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What do you think Grand Duke Prause will think of my daughter…?”

The eyes of the officials, who were troubled by my question, scattered here and there.

‘The princess’s reputation is probably too high to get involved with that noble Prause…’

‘Lady Frey’s personality is a bit…’

‘Considering her usual demeanor, I think it would be difficult to be attracted to any kind of man….’

The faces of the officials showed what they were thinking.

The Emperor’s expression darkened and quickly withdrew the question.

“That’s a wise response.”

Even as a father, it was unlikely that Grand Duke Prause, whose ethical standards were far higher than others, would like my daughter.

No matter how much Frey’s beauty resembled Roselia and me.

The reputation and rumors so far have been so spectacular.

It would be an even bigger scandal if my daughter, who had no political capacity to speak of, believed in love and went to the North only to be abandoned.

‘If Frey really wants to get married for safety, the only choice is to connect her with a foreign noble.’

If the crown prince became the emperor in the future, she would be in danger in this country.

The emperor organized his thoughts with a bitter face.

“Tell Frey to come here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Then the Grand Duke Prause is—”

“It is ruinous to head north without having the political capacity. Forget Grand Duke Prause and look for suitable nobles abroad.”

But the emperor did not know.

While he was grieving over losing a loved one, his daughter started moving forward.

* * *