The Dali flower was a special flower that only grew near the small lake of Egelvamot.

Brewing tea with its small, transparent red petals was his hobby. It was truly a classy act, being very expensive and not something just anyone could do.

Of course, a lot of money was needed to continuously import Dali flowers, but Mahanas had no intention of compromising his class over mere material issues.

He was a Mevasa who didn’t need to give up anything. The royal family would soon be his, so what was the problem?

His father, King Dares, understood him. Although Mahanas thought his father, who coveted only material things, was a bit ignoble, he was still a great Mevasa after all, so there was an understanding between them.

However, Leden was too small a country to support a noble bloodline, and Mahanas was always displeased about that.

Why didn’t his people work harder and devote more to the nation? They were all too lazy.

What was even more displeasing was that there were those who took their side.

“Your Highness the Prince. A famine has struck the land. You must reduce the national taxes.”

Mahanas still felt unpleasant when he thought of the head of the Rakmata family. That woman talked too much. Just because her family was old and wealthy, she dared to try to match the royal authority.

It was a very impudent thing to do.

The Mevasa dynasty, along with the Sigrasil and Runtalis, were families blessed by the gods. The piece of divinity they possessed was proof of that.

Although it had no special function, the divine fragment symbolized the chosen ones. They were the apostles who received the blessing of the three gods.

Before humans flourished like this, there were countless gods. They were named solely by their unique characteristics.

Desire, Patience, and Hope were the most powerful among them. Because there was no place where those three did not exist.

But the gods were as belligerent as humans, split into two camps and fought endlessly. In the end, they fell after countless wars. Because the divinity that constantly overflowed while the gods waged war was fatal to each other.

In the end, when most of the gods died and only Desire, Patience, and Hope remained.

Since humans who followed a god would also lose their way if the god was annihilated, the three gods each gave a part of themselves to their apostles before vanishing.

Desire gave blood to Runtalis, Patience gave tears to Mevasa, and Hope left a kiss to Sigrasil.

There was meaning imbued in the three divine fragments. It meant to desire but not to the point of shedding blood, to endure but not to the point of shedding tears, and to never forget that hope is with you wherever you are.

So Mahanas did not endure for long. It was according to the divine teachings.

He punished the Rakmata who dared to interfere with the royal family’s will. He killed their heir. Because he happened to arrogantly stand in his way.

Haslen Rakmata, who had been haughty as the princess’s fiancé, had an arrogance that pierced the heavens.

Since his sister belonged to the royal family, naturally she was his – the women of the royal family were all possessions of the royal family – yet he dared to interfere in the discipline.

The price for that was, of course, a severed head.

Deos Rakmata, who lost her son, told him that he would someday pay the price for this action.

Mahanas made the woman, who was still impudent even after losing her son, pay the price for her tongue. He hung Haslen Rakmata’s head and had everyone throw stones at it.

Mahanas had never once regretted that act. The Rakmata, who were already declining, were a thorn in his side.

When they were wealthy, he had wanted to highly value their wealth and make them part of the royal family, but they no longer deserved to have what belonged to the royals.

And his choice was right.

The Rakmata, having lost their heir, left Leden, and a better marriage proposal came for his sister.

“Has the princess of Leden married?”

When the new Archduke of Aglante, whom he met at a conference held after a long time, asked him that, Mahanas immediately recognized it as a new opportunity.

His sister had a beautiful face befitting the royal family. Furthermore, she was a legitimate child who strongly inherited the Mevasa bloodline.

It was not a big problem that the new Archduke was not the biological son of the previous Archduchess and had gained the throne through rebellion. After all, he had the eyes of Sigrasil, and the dead had no say.

Since even the Runtalis imperial family, who had been close to the previous Archduke, recognized him, there was nothing wrong with allying with the new Archduke.

Mahanas told the new king that his sister was single and looking for a husband worthy of her status.

The young king seemed to understand his words well. Not long after, he sent a proposal to the princess of Leden.

It was a piece of good news as a time when a large sum of money was needed was approaching.

Mahanas explained well to the king, who was nearly ten years younger than him, how rare it was to find a beautiful, young woman with flawless bloodline and purity. He also properly informed him of how precious his sister was as a royal asset.

The Archduke immediately understood that he had to pay a proper price to take such a woman as his bride.

The man never bargained over the bride price. He paid everything as demanded by the bride’s side. When chests filled with gold and jewels piled up in the palace hall, Mahanas felt a thrill that his choice was right.

In fact, all of that was only half. The remaining half was scheduled to be paid after the ceremony was held.

And so, everything seemed to proceed without issue.

Until his stupid little sister caused an accident.

After her fiancé died, she did become a bit mentally unstable. But after being locked in her room, she quieted down, so Mahanas thought she would soon become docile like before.

But to think she would cause such an accident on the day the Archduke arrived.

The Archduke seemed deeply disappointed upon seeing what she had done. The man tried to leave without even looking at the king’s face. As it was already a situation where this marriage could not be delayed, Mahanas hurriedly followed to stop him.

Fortunately, the heavens were on his side.

“I was too hasty. Let us return and finish our discussion.”

Mahanas guided the Archduke to the reception room.

In the reception room, he had to gauge the mood of the youth who was at least ten years younger than him. Feeling a bit of humiliation, Mahanas felt anger towards his sister who made him experience this. She didn’t seem to properly realize for whom she existed.

Even if the marriage proposal went through, they would inevitably face a loss compared to the original terms. That thought made his head boil with rage.

Mahanas thought he would properly discipline his sister once the Archduke left. After indulging her for a while since her fiancé’s death, her manners were utterly lacking.

As he sat across from the Archduke, thinking about how he would re-teach her the hierarchy, the man spoke.

“I will pay the remaining bride price tomorrow.”

Momentarily taken aback by the completely unexpected words, Mahanas was about to respond when the man continued.

“In exchange, I will take the bride with me when I return.”

And the handsome youth leaned back and raised his head.

“What do you think?”

Mahanas observed the youth whose hair contrasted with the white leather covering the chair. The Archduke’s demeanor was much colder than the last time he saw him.

But seeing the state the bride was in, what man wouldn’t be?

And Mahanas fell into a brief dilemma.

Originally, Ophelia was supposed to cross the border in about two months. During that time, Mahanas had planned to obtain a few more things from the Archduke besides the bride price.

But if he sent Ophelia with the Archduke now… There was a possibility that the Archduke, having already obtained the bride, would not acquiesce to his demands.

However, such trivial matters were not a problem now that the marriage might fall through.

Finally reaching a conclusion, Mahanas said,

“If you pay in advance, there will be no issue.”

At that, the man raised the corner of his mouth as if he had expected it.

“Then I will take that as agreement.”

As if his business was done, the man stood up after those final words, and Mahanas suddenly felt doubt.

The fact that Ophelia had wrecked the room like a madwoman was something he already knew. In fact, he heard that she had even argued with the Archduke inside the room.

But the Archduke was acting as if nothing had happened, no, as if he had developed even more feelings for her. It was behavior that could not be understood with common sense.

That illogical situation stimulated his remaining curiosity. Mahanas carefully asked, so as not to offend the youth,

“But for what reason are you so… to Ophelia…”

The young man, who was already standing at the doorway, turned around upon hearing those words. Eyes as cold as metal swept over him. Eyes that held not a shred of goodwill.

Eventually, the Archduke spoke in a frigid voice,

“Even if I told you, would you understand, Prince?”

Before Mahanas could properly recognize the derision laced in those words, the sound of the door closing was heard.