Chapter 2

  In the heart of Dahlia Palace's garden, within a small pavilion, Ingrid sat languidly on a carpet made of the softest fur. Her long, curly golden-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders as she read the book she was holding. However she seemed to be stuck on a single page for almost an hour now, her brows furrowed in concentration, as though she was reading an extremely complicated passage.

  "My Lady?" Lily called when she saw Ingrid’s hand curl against the page of the book.

  Realizing what she had done, Ingrid panicked and began smoothing the crumpled page with her hands. She treasures books and is very careful when handling them, to the point that she even has designated maids whose sole task was to care for them. Yet, look at her being distracted and careless with her hand.

  A pained expression appeared on Ingrid’s face when she saw the ruined page. She couldn’t help but sigh in resignation and hand the book to one of her maids.

  "Is something bothering you, my lady?" Lily asked with a worried expression.

  Ever since the ball at the Emperor’s palace, the young lady has been acting odd. Although she doesn’t normally talk a lot, Lily has noticed that she has become even quieter than before. More often, she would catch the lady staring into space with a crease on her brow.

  Just yesterday, Ingrid accidentally spilled her tea, causing a flurry of panic among the servants. Thankfully, she didn’t burn her skin, or who knows how they would answer to the grand duke. This was all thanks to a young maid who quickly flung the tea cup away when she saw it tipping over. Cruel as it may be, everyone was relieved that it was the young maid who got burnt instead of Ingrid, including the young maid herself.

  "Lily, do you think it will affect the empire if a noble from our kingdom declines a marriage offer from another empire?" Ingrid asked in a trance.

  Lily couldn’t understand why her mistress was asking such a question. Ever since young, Lady Ingrid had so much love for learning that Grand Duke Rasmus had an entire library built for her. She is well-versed in many subjects, including politics.

  If one were to ask, she is as knowledgeable as the top scholars of the academy. Thus, Lily was confused with her question that she herself knew the answer to. Still Lily answered. As someone who has been on Ingrid's side since young, she also managed to pick up a little knowledge here and there.

  "I guess it depends on who is offering it and who it is offered to, my lady. If it is marriage between nobility that holds little to no sway in the kingdom, I guess it wouldn’t affect the relationship between the two empires that much. However, it would be different if it were between households that are capable of changing the tides of politics within the empire."

  "Right."

  Ingrid looked toward the distance with an unreadable expression on her beautiful face. Remembering those purple eyes that looked at her like a cunning predator playing with their prey made her feel uneasy.

  Looking back, Prince Aleric doesn't seem to be that much interested in her beauty. It was a surprise as much as it isn't.

  In this world there indeed are men whose loyalty to their wives is so much so that Ingrid was like a pebble in their eyes. But Prince Aleric was the first unmarried man unaffected by her charm. Could it be that his heart already belongs to someone?

  In that case, why does he want her hand?For political gains?

  The only other thing she could think would attract the crown prince apart from her beauty was her father's vast army. But what would he need her father's army for?

  The prince known as a savage conqueror has an unusual hobby of ravaging lands and kingdoms. There are rumors that he likes to toss a coin to determine which kingdom he would lay waste next. He has hundreds of thousands of soldiers in his beck and call.

  Although Grand Duke Rasmus' army is vast and powerful, it surely could not compare to the prince’s army. However, she couldn’t think of any other reason why a man, whose heart may already belong to someone else, would wish to marry her.

  Well, there is also the possibility that she is just overthinking things. Perhaps she had simply misinterpreted his highness' previous words. Yes, that must be it. Fully convincing herself, she stretched her arms like a sleepy cat and stood.

  "I’m tired; let’s head back," Ingrid decided. All the thinking drained her energy, making her sleepy.

  However, if Ingrid knew what awaited in her bedroom, she would never have chosen to return, even if she was threatened with a knife.

  Within the spacious chamber, a man was sitting nonchalantly on a chair, his long legs crossed with an air of effortless confidence. His violet eyes, like the sapphire galaxy held a mysterious depth that captivates whomever dare meet his gaze. His face possessed a striking handsomeness that turned heads in all directions. Though it pales against Ingrid’s ethereal beauty, his mystery and danger add flavor to his attractiveness, which women just seem to not get enough of.

  "By the way, how is Emerald's hand?" Ingrid asked, remembering the poor young maid who scalded her hand in her place when she accidentally spilled her tea. She felt really guilty for what happened towards the young maid. At the same time she was uncomfortable with how that young maid was still worried about her when clearly, she was the one who was injured.

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  "Don't worry, my lady. The physician said that the burn wasn't that serious and would heal in a weeks time."

  Ingrid nodded her head in relief.

  "I think there are salves good for burns and removing scars among the gifts I received. Give her one of those."

  "Yes my lady. Have a good rest, my lady. I shall come and wake you when dinner's ready," Lily said as she opened the door for her mistress.

  Ingrid hummed in response. Her eyelids like delicate butterfly wings droop with a subtle hint of drowsiness. She walked inside her room with elegant steps when, at the corner of her eyes, she noticed someone who wasn’t supposed to be there and instantly, her sleepiness flew out the window.

  Noticing the presence of another person, the man lifted his head.

  Ingrid's footsteps halted, and her body froze in an instant, like a rabbit caught in headlights. A pair of piercing purple eyes met her emerald orbs, which were wide with surprise.

  "You’re back early," he remarked, the edge of his lips tugging upward. "They said you tend to stay in your little garden until the sun sets. Was the information wrong?"

  "Prince Aleric!" Ingrid gasped as she nervously looked behind her. Thankfully, the chair in which he was sitting was placed at a certain angle, so Lily did not see him when she was opening and closing the door. "What are you doing here?"

  "Have I not told you I’d be visiting?"

  Ingrid clenched her trembling fists. Hundreds of questions ran through her mind as she looked at the prince casually leaning on the chair without an ounce of shame. It was as though he owned the place.

  Her residence is as guarded as a fortress in a war-torn city. Hundreds of knights patrol the area. Furthermore, a powerful grand mage that worked for their family placed detection spells and layers of barriers throughout the palace. No intruder has ever entered her residence undetected, until today.

  "Still, don’t you think it’s inappropriate for a man to barge into an unmarried woman’s chamber?"

  "That won’t matter if I’m marrying the woman."

  Ingrid choked on her own saliva. Her face flushed red as she coughed while beating her own chest. Yet, as though the word ugly never existed for her, she still manages to look pretty despite the inelegance of her actions.

  Ingrid glared begrudgingly at Aleric. She did hear rumors about the prince lacking etiquette since he lived most of his life on the battlefield. But she never expected it to be true. After all, the prince she met during the ball seemed... behaved.

  "And when was it decided that I'd marry you?" She spat after she regained her composure.

  "When I came to this faraway empire for you," he answered with absolute confidence.

  Ingrid’s skin crawled. His word would have come across as romantic if not for the detachment in his voice as he said it.

  "Does your woman know you had such plans?" Ingrid remarked sarcastically as he sat on the chair across from him.

  Prince Aleric's brow furrowed in confusion.

  "I'm unsure of the source of such a baseless rumor. But I assure you that apart from my mother, I hold no other woman dear in my heart. We Aradhyans hold marriage in high regard and extra marital affairs in great contempt. I would never suggest marriage while coveting another woman in my heart."

  It was Ingrid's turn to be confused. Why was he immune to her beauty then? How a young man whose heart is without an owner isn't charmed by her beautiful look is beyond her comprehension.

  Ingrid combed her soft and lustrous hair with her fingers—a habit she unconsciously does when she’s preoccupied or nervous.

  "As you've said your people hold marriage in high regard. You have no interest in me. So why ask for my hand?"

  Prince Aleric looked at her with complex emotion. As much as Ingrid believed that no man is capable of resisting hr beauty unless blind, Prince Aleric also believed that she had nothing to offer apart from her beauty. So her keen observation was a big surprise for him.

  He didn’t expect that a woman deemed the most beautiful in the world knew how to look through people. After all with a face that can bring the world to its feet, she need not look at people, they only needed to look at her and their very souls would be hers for the taking.

  Furthermore, Prince Aleric is a man adept in hiding his emotions. It was rather commendable for Ingrid to see through the layers of mask he constantly wore. Had it been someone else who had seen through his disguise he would have become wary of the person. But because it was Ingrid, he did not give it much thought.

  What kind of danger can the greatest beauty in the world pose anyway.

  Prince Aleric shifted in his seat and bore Ingrid with probing eyes. "I require your father’s military might for my latest conquest." There was no use deceiving her. She must’ve guessed his true intentions anyway.

  And he was right. Ingrid showed not the slightest bit of surprise after hearing his answer. Instead, she seemed disgruntled at guessing it correctly.

  "Why go through an unnecessary marriage that would destroy your values and beliefs when you could just go and ask my father to lend you his army?"

  "Do you know why your father kept expanding his army?"

  Ingrid would be heartless if she didn't. His father was not someone greedy for wealth and power. But for her sake he had been expanding his influence.

  "He would never lend his power to an outsider no matter how salivating the reward and leave his precious daughter unprotected."

  Ingrid fell silent unable to find a way to retort.

  "But I am confident I can protect you from all the bugs that dare crawl at your feet," he expressed with absolute confidence. "Have you heard of the Palace of Arquez."

  Ingrid's ears perked up at the mention of the name. Of course she was familiar with that palace!

  There was a famous palace in the myths believed to have been built by a powerful magician long ago, to protect her beautiful wife. Ingrid was particularly drawn to that myth because of how much the story of the wife was similar to her situation.

  It is said that the wife was beautiful beyond compare. This caused her to attract a lot of suitors—both good and vile ones. Even marriage wasn't enough to stop the men from flocking at her feet.

  Constantly faced with threats, abduction and men who just can't take no for an answer, her husband dedicated his life to creating a place where his wife can live in peace and happiness. That's how the Palace of Arquez was built.

  But that myth had a tragic ending. The husband sacrificed his magic and lifespan to make the palace an impregnable fortress not even the most powerful and greatest magicians can break.

  No one knew when the husband died. Some said it was short of a month after the completion of her palace. Others believed that he lived a few years more. But one thing is for sure. The wife did not live a solitary and lonely life after her husband died, for she chose to follow him shortly after.

  All that was known about the Palace of Arquez are those written in myths. There were no conclusive evidence that could prove that the palace truly existed. So Ingrid wondered why Prince Aleric mentioned it.

  "The Palace of Arquez exists," Prince Aleric revealed.

  Ingrid's wide eyes focused on Prince Aleric. She looked at him, searching for the slightest bit of a lie. But she failed to find any. Her hand flew to her mouth in disbelief.