The establishment of a kingdom relies on the recognition of the fairies; a kingdom without such recognition is an illegitimate nation. Anyone could raise an army to subjugate it and destroy such a usurper kingdom.
If someone dared to use court intrigue to seize a nation, it would be an even greater act of treason, intolerable by heaven and earth, and they would find themselves facing a declaration of war from an encirclement network in a matter of minutes.
The only legal way to "usurp" the throne is for a vassal to achieve great merit. For instance, a general on a campaign might slay a great fiend through some miraculous encounter and return to the court cloaked in blessings and glory, bringing his sword into the hall to argue his case.
Then, with a fixed gaze, it becomes clear that the current king does not look like a sovereign at all.
Since the general is both divine and saintly, why not follow the will of heaven and the people by succeeding the throne through the rites of the ancient sages?
Thus, they naturally become the new king, and such a change of power is considered flawless.
To prevent themselves from becoming stepping stones, royal families generally do not entrust important subjugation missions to others. This kind of authority is the one thing that cannot be delegated.
As for tedious political affairs or personnel appointments, those do not matter as much. No one has ever heard of a palace minister usurping a nation; that would imply a total lack of martial virtue!
Since Faust had made his judgment, the others had no objections.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness..."
Seeing Lola and the others approach, Arcturus immediately spoke in a raspy voice.
"I will not defend my crimes. As a minister, regardless of the reason, the mere thought of slaying the crown princess is an indisputable act of defiance and betrayal. I am willing to accept any punishment, and I would welcome even the most extreme penalty."
The young sage pleaded for punishment, but there was no sorrow in his voice. Instead, he wept with joy and bowed his head.
"Because everything I did was for the Midwinter Kingdom. Now that the curse has vanished and the ice and snow that have shrouded Midwinter for a millennium are melting, the people of Midwinter... will never again have to worry about losing spring and summer. With this... I am satisfied! My gratitude is beyond words!"
He wasn't acting; it was a genuine outpouring of emotion, a display of absolute loyalty.
Viewing the prime minister of Midwinter through the lens of a monarch, Faust truly could not find any fault with him. He didn't care about their previous hostility; after all, under the arrangement of the wheel of destiny, reconciliations were common unless someone truly enraged him.
But as for a stepping stone... what was there to be angry about?
Lola looked at the prime minister of Midwinter and said calmly.
"Count Arcturus, you should thank Faust. He has pardoned your offense and your guilt."
The green-haired young man looked up, slightly confused, as if he did not understand what right this foreign prince had to "pardon" him.
Selena stood with her hands behind her back and said, "Because Faust will become the co-ruler of the Midwinter Kingdom through a marriage contract."
So that was it!
Arcturus had a sudden realization. He wasn't surprised by this situation; it was entirely within the realm of reason.
After all, given the relationship between Faust and Princess Selena, it would be difficult to resolve the situation if they didn't marry. The title of "co-ruler" was rarely used and only adopted in extremely special circumstances.
Having been pardoned for his crimes, Arcturus finally stood up from the steps. However, the first thing he said was not an expression of gratitude, but a blunt question.
"Your Majesty, do you intend to abdicate early and have Prince Faust and the princess marry? If so, I need to make preparations..."
"Count Arcturus, why do you assume the one entering a marriage contract with Faust is Selena?"
The green-haired prime minister froze. "Then... is it you, Your Majesty?"
Lola did not speak. She simply folded her hands elegantly in front of her waist, radiating the cold and dignified aura of a queen.
He had suspected it before; was taking the prince of Qingxi away from the princess back then just a way to steal her love?
Sigh, he had stumbled into the messy affairs of the royal family.
However, before Arcturus could finish his lament, he heard a cold snort from Selena.
Arcturus's gaze shifted back and forth between Faust and the two royal women of Midwinter, and he quickly realized something.
Suddenly, his pupils shrank, and he quickly lowered his head.
"My apologies. I have overstepped."
I was wondering why all of you smelled like the same shampoo. I can't even imagine what the queen and the princess were doing while we were kneeling on the steps begging for forgiveness!
This... this is the total collapse of etiquette and morals!
The prime minister of Midwinter was indeed shocked, but he quickly regained his composure.
Whatever, since the kingdom has returned to normal, the Midwinter royal family, having been suppressed for so long, certainly has a need to relax.
Even if you lot host parties every day, it's none of my business!
Arcturus let out a long breath and said to Faust.
"In that case, His Majesty Faust..."
Faust interrupted, "Ahem, do not call me 'Your Majesty.' Although I will hold the position of co-ruler of Midwinter, I am still a pure prince of Qingxi. Just call me Prince Faust."
Even though he held a title equivalent to a king, he insisted on his primary title being "Prince of Qingxi" to keep the buffs of being a "fairy tale prince."
As long as I consider myself a prince and others call me a prince, then I am still a simple prince!
As for how many other titles I have... why do you keep dwelling on that!
Faust didn't even plan to have a formal wedding. Don't misunderstand; it wasn't that he was so scummy that he didn't want to take responsibility, but rather there was a deeper meaning.
Holding a wedding was a critical turning point that usually only occurred at the end of a story. If a grand wedding were held, Faust had every reason to suspect that the hand of fate would start to exert its power, using various means to restrict his activities.
For example, making the witches give birth to eighteen children at once to fast-forward to a life of domestic bliss.
Conversely, as long as there was no formal marriage, he still had a reason for "adventures and travels."
However, Arcturus did not know of Faust's foresight. Therefore, the prince's words did not sound very pleasant to the prime minister's ears.
Arcturus frowned and said meaningfully.
"Even if the royal family is one family, the two kingdoms consist of several palaces and government offices. We still have to cook our meals in separate pots."
Faust's identity was still tied to the Qingxi Kingdom. If he became the co-ruler and united the crowns of Midwinter, he would inevitably be biased. It would be fine if his focus was simply not on Midwinter, but the fear was that this foreign prince had selfish intentions...
Using Midwinter's resources to win Qingxi's favor!
That must not happen! The Midwinter Kingdom had finally returned to normal; it wasn't meant to be a blood bag for a small kingdom in the middle of nowhere.
The green-haired young man stopped pretending. He looked down on the Qingxi Kingdom and looked the prince in the eye as he spoke frankly.
"Prince Faust, if your orders conflict with the interests of Midwinter, please forgive me, but I cannot accept them."
He could no longer count on his own queen and princess. Judging by their appearance, they were already head over heels for Faust. Even if he were to sell out the country, they probably wouldn't even blink.
Seeing that Arcturus dared to voice his opposition so firmly, Faust couldn't help but smile and say:
"I know what you're worried about. Rest assured, I have never harbored such dark thoughts."
Rate on N.U.
