Crown Prince Aleric of the Empire of Aradhya—the prince who, at the tender age of 14, overthrew an entire kingdom to revenge his dear mother—the prince, who, at 16, swallowed the lands and kingdoms surrounding theirs.
Crown Prince Aleric’s sole might and power turned the once peaceful and meek kingdom of Aradhya into one of the largest empires on the continent. It is believed that the crown prince has never once tasted defeat since he started his conquest. He is best known for his tyranny—a man cruel to his friends but crueler to his enemies. What he wants, he always gets, regardless of whether it means destroying an entire country to get it.
Ingrid could still remember his uncle, the emperor, being extremely careful when speaking towards crown prince Aleric, despite the empire of Learia having the same standing as the empire of Aradhya. It was as though his uncle’s arrogance that comes from being an emperor diminished in the face of not even the emperor of the other empire himself but of a mere crown prince.
If she marries that monster of a man, what kind of life will she lead?
Well, it’s no use thinking about those possibilities now. After all, her fate had been sealed. The ultimatum he had given her wasn’t for her to decide whether to reject him or not, but to prepare herself for the future he had already decided. A bitter smile formed on her lips.
Everyone called her a blessed child because of her unparalleled beauty. But for her, it’s more accurate to call it a curse. As arrogant as it may sound, she has lost count of the number of times this beautiful face of hers has caused her trouble.
Because she was too beautiful for her own good, her father raised a strong army to protect her. And that army ended up attracting the power-hungry crown prince instead. In the end, it was still because of her accursed beauty that this inescapable situation occurred.
Just like how she almost caused an entire kingdom to fall all thanks to her tears, a wrong word from her mouth will surely cause unnecessary blood to spill.
"My lady, the grand duke has arrived."
Ingrid was awakened from her stupor. Slowly, her eyes regained their glow. All the helplessness she felt while her father was away from the capital completely vanished the moment she heard of his return. She quickly stood from her seat and ran out of her bed chamber.
The maids, shocked by her action, were dazed for a moment before they quickly followed behind her. They had never seen the young lady run before. Even when she’s excited or happy, she always retains her calm and elegant demeanor, so they were extremely baffled.
It was only Lily who had noticed her young lady's changes lately and looked at Ingrid with eyes full of worry. However, every time she asked Ingrid about it, the latter would always dismiss her and tell her not to worry. But it only makes Lily worry even more, knowing that her mistress is the kind who likes to keep things to herself.
"Papa!" Ingrid exclaimed when she saw the giant man clad in silver armor walking towards her.
The Grand Duke quickened his steps when he saw the beautiful face of his daughter greeting him. The pieces of his armor trailed behind him as he removed them one by one before wrapping his precious child in his embrace.
All of Ingrid’s worry got washed away the moment his father’s arms wrapped around her like a protective shield. It was the only safe place she had in this cruel world.
"Is there something wrong? Why were your eyes gloomy? Did something happen while I was away?" Her father asked gently while rubbing her hair. Ingrid froze for a moment.
Ingrid’s face is like a blinding spell. When people look at her, they get so enchanted by her face that they can’t see past it. Even when she expressed an obvious disappointment or anger in her eyes, it was as though her face was a wall that stopped them from seeing those emotions.
Only her father and her closest aid, Lily, are attentive to her feelings. For some reason, she suddenly remembered that man who didn’t seem to care about her beauty again. When he looked at her, it was as though he was staring right through her soul, dissecting her very being.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Ingrid looked up and saw worry on her father’s face, whose handsomeness seemed unaffected by time. Her aunt told her that no one took notice of how good-looking his father was until her mother died. It was because her mother was extremely beautiful that she made everyone look unattractive when standing next to her.
They say she looked exactly like her mother, except for her eyes, which she got from her father. But Ingrid never saw her mother, and for some odd reason, there is not a single portrait of her in their house or any traces of her existence. She once asked her father about it, but the pain on his face when she mentioned it stopped her from prying further.
Ingrid plastered a heart-shaking smile on her face as she teasingly asked, "How can Father tell?"
"Hmmp, how can I even be called a father if I can’t tell the changes in my own daughter’s emotions?" his father grumbled. "Are you looking down on this father of yours?"
Ingrid couldn’t hold her laughter. It was such a sight to see an almost 7-foot-muscled man with a giant sword on his hip, pouting like a stubborn child. Even the close aids of the grand duke turned red from holding their laughter.
The grand duke, Rasmus Lennox, is an entity that even the emperor does not dare stand against. He had once almost destroyed an entire kingdom after its prince tried to abduct his precious daughter. If not for Ingrid intervening and begging her father to stop his carnage, that kingdom would have been wiped off the map.
His fame does not pale compared to that of the savage crown prince. If he had wished, he could have become the great emperor of Learia and not his brother. Unfortunately, the throne does not interest the grand duke for even a little. But who would ever think that the same grand duke who puts fear in the hearts of the people likes to act childishly behind closed doors?
"To our usual walk?"
Ingrid nodded her head and hooked her arms on the grand Duke's elbow as they headed for the garden.
Despite his busy schedule, as long as he was in the capital, Grand Duke Rasmus would always find time to eat breakfast and take a short walk with his daughter every morning. But despite racing towards the capital at top speed, he still did not manage to arrive on time for breakfast today, which made the grand duke a bit regretful.
"So, would you like to tell this father of yours what’s bothering you, my princess?"
Ingrid flinched upon hearing the word "my princess". It suddenly reminded her of that arrogant crown prince and the sly look on his face.
"So there is someone bothering my precious daughter," her father, who was quick to notice the slight ripple in her eyes, said in a dangerous voice.
"Papa! It’s not really like that!" Ingrid exclaimed as she gripped her father’s arm to appease his anger.
Her father is quite sensitive when it comes to her. The number of people who attempted to steal her ever since she was a child was so numerous that the grand duke became excessively protective. At least it did not go to a point where he did not allow people to look at her. Although he can’t stop himself from glaring at any man who tries to approach Ingrid, he tries the best he can.
During the ball at the emperor’s palace, if his brother and daughter hadn’t made him swear an oath to not cause a scene beforehand, the grand duke would have beheaded that audacious crown prince for daring to ask her daughter for a dance. It’s not that he doesn’t want anyone approaching his daughter. Despite his protectiveness, he still values her freedom and hopes that she can live a somewhat normal life.
However, there are certain kinds of people whom he will never allow to approach Ingrid. Power-hungry, manipulative, controlling, self-serving, cruel, and violent are among the people he tries to shield his child from. And the crown prince of Arahdya happens to check all of the boxes.
"My child, you are too beautiful for this world," the duke said in a voice full of worry. "You’ve experienced it yourself; people covet your beauty."
Ingrid flinched as certain memories flashed through her mind. She could still remember the look in the eyes of those people who tried to harm her before: twisted love, lust, possessiveness, greed, and perversion. That's why she’s adept at reading people’s eyes. It was a talent she acquired in her desperation to survive this world so cruel to the different and the beautiful.
"As your father, it is my duty to protect you from this cruel world. However, no matter how much wealth and power I amass, I am still limited by my humanity. There are things that are beyond my control, and I always fear that someday you'll get stolen by someone I am not powerful enough to fend off."
Ingrid wrapped her father in a tight embrace and buried her face on his broad chest. She hates to see the helplessness in her father’s eyes. She wanted to see him remain as the man who stood valiantly—a strong shield who managed to deter every enemy that dared to harm her.
But this time, she will be the one to protect him. She will not let any harm come to her father, who has done nothing but love her.
"It’s really not like that, papa. I mean, who would even dare bother me? The precious daughter of the powerful grand duke of Lennox?"
"Then why do you look so down and gloomy then?"
Ingrid buried herself deeper in her father’s embrace. "It’s just... there is this person that caught my eye."