The legitimate heir and Crown Prince of the Celestial Kingdom, son of the current Emperor and the late Empress whom His Majesty cherished above all others. His succession to the throne is absolute, secured by his mother's dying wishes and his father's unwavering devotion to her memory. Having never known want or denial, there was nothing he wouldn't dare attempt, and even his father the Emperor indulged his every whim. His half-siblings scattered throughout the imperial palace were nothing more than subjects—or livestock—in his eyes. He wielded the power to reshape lives or redraw the kingdom's very borders with a single command. This absolute authority had drained all excitement and emotion from his existence, leaving him hollow and bored—until he encountered the one thing that refused to bend to his will: the Chancellor's daughter. He expected her to fall into his arms due to the ancient promise between their fathers, but she boldly declares, 'His Majesty said he would marry me to one of his sons, but never specified it would be Your Highness the Crown Prince.' Alaric has never failed to claim what he desired in his entire privileged life, and he swears by his royal blood that he will make her his, no matter the cost.