The One I Truly Like

"Faust, why are you so pleased?"

A calm inquiry came, and Faust immediately looked at Yusewood, who was waiting outside his bedroom.

Her crystal-clear eyes were like saint-blue jewels, reflecting iridescent colors; those magnificent pupils could almost be described as gorgeous.

The princess stared intently at the prince, as if the entire world contained only this one person.

"It is nothing, Sister, I just suddenly learned many things. I could not help but be a bit excited."

Faust sighed, resting his hand on his forehead as he briefly explained the situation to the silver-gray-haired princess.

When he was still a competitor for the throne, Faust had felt a measure of wariness and vigilance, but now that the struggle for succession had ended, the prince could fully place his trust in his sister.

Yusewood stared at the contract sigil on Faust's arm and said slowly, "A fairy... I knew Father had contracted a fairy, but I have never spoken with it. To be favored by a fairy, Faust, I never imagined you possessed such talent."

Is this considered talent? Well... in this world, it certainly counts as an extraordinary one.

But Faust would not pin his hopes on the gifts of transcendent beings; compared to the contract with a fairy, he cared more about tangible things he could actually grasp.

Faust said, "That being said, I do not know what the fairy's attitude is yet. It has not communicated with me. Compared to that, the throne of the Qingxi Kingdom is a better stage for my talents."

"Congratulations."

Upon hearing Faust's hint, the cool-natured princess spoke flatly. Her face beneath the veil remained devoid of emotion.

Was she truly indifferent, or was she suppressing resentment?

Faust lowered his eyes slightly at the sight and said tentatively, "Ahem... Father's intention is for you to assist me."

The prince looked at his sister. As the two royal heirs of the Qingxi Kingdom, both Faust and Yusewood had their own factions.

Faust’s followers were mostly technocrats, while Yusewood held the kingdom's only team of mages; she herself was the chief court mage of the Qingxi Kingdom.

Faust certainly wanted to control the kingdom's mage team, but he was unsure of his sister's attitude. If she did not cooperate, his administration would be unable to make any progress.

"Mm..."

The princess stared unblinkingly at the man's profile, as if trying to carve this scene into her pupils.

After a long while, Yusewood took a deep breath and said, "I have no objection."

"Hmm?"

Yusewood said calmly, "You always assume the worst when speculating about others. Perhaps such a dark mind is the nature of a king. But I have no desire for the throne; you do not need to have any misgivings in that regard."

Oh, is that so?

Based on his past perceptions, Faust actually felt that Yusewood was indifferent to fame and fortune, but unless she admitted it herself, he could not be certain.

Now the prince finally felt at ease and waved his hand grandly, "In that case, let it be at tonight's ball! I shall announce my indisputable status as the crown prince to the entire capital at the ball!"

That night, the palace gates opened, and the wide boulevard welcomed various carriages and visitors.

After learning that Faust's status as the heir had been established, many nobles of the Qingxi Kingdom hurried to attend the banquet, whether to express their loyalty or simply to make themselves known.

The entire palace became a venue for the party. Outside the magnificent hall was the dance floor, with a three-tier circular banquet platform floating in the center, from which a champagne tower cascaded down.

Attendants pushed food carts, handing out delicacies and fine wine to every guest, while court musicians played soft and beautiful music.

As the protagonist of the ball, Faust was surrounded by his confidants. Everyone was clinking glasses, ignoring the presence of Yusewood—the legitimate royal bloodline—as they showered the prince with endless praise and flattery.

"Your Highness, congratulations."

"As expected, you are the future of the kingdom!"

"We never questioned your status, and surely His Majesty felt the same. Only Your Highness can lead the kingdom to glory!"

Surrounded by praise, Faust raised his glass. He generally did not drink much, but on such a happy day, it would be a mood-killer to stay completely sober.

The prince wore a smile and spoke with a resonant voice, "Without the support of all of you, I would not have achieved what I have today. But this is only the first step. We will not stop here. The Qingxi Kingdom shall be great!"

"And this glory, I shall never enjoy alone!"

His core supporters also raised their glasses and shouted, "Long live Qingxi! Long live His Highness!"

After boosting morale, most of his inner circle began to enjoy the atmosphere of the banquet, while Faust leaned against a dining table, bathing in the cool night breeze.

He was currently riding a wave of success. Good, surely the next part of the script involves me working hard and showing my strength!

Hee-hee, I must dominate the world!

In his excitement, Faust could not help but drink a few more glasses, then turned his gaze toward the plaza's dance floor.

Today's ball was a bride-selection event organized by the king for the prince, and there was no shortage of beauties of all kinds: glamorous and sexy mature women, pure young ladies with long black hair, and sweet-looking girls with doll-like faces...

To win the favor of the prince charming, both the daughters of wealthy merchants and noble ladies in the capital had dressed in their finest, forming a truly beautiful sight.

Despite appearing like a medieval world of swords and magic, the civilization of this world possessed unimaginable prosperity and beauty. How should he put it... it was just like a world from a fairy tale.

However, Faust felt this was excellent. If it were as crude and barbaric as the real Middle Ages, he, as a modern man, would not be able to stand it.

"Do you have a preferred candidate?"

Yusewood moved with graceful steps to Faust's side. Seeing her brother's gaze fixed on the female guests of the banquet, she asked, "Or do you still just intend to act like a monkey in heat, riding those girls as you please?"

Faust had already grown accustomed to Yusewood's sharp tongue. He quirked an eyebrow and smiled. "If it is just a partner for a night, they are all quite good. I imagine there would be a very wonderful night. But as for a wife... I should have better choices."

Although this world had no monogamy restrictions and it was no problem for a prince to marry five or six secondary consorts, Faust saw marriage as a precious political resource.

The Qingxi Kingdom was, after all, a small nation that had only been independent for a few decades. Even after his meticulous efforts, it was only barely enough to make the capital wealthy so that foreigners wouldn't look down on them. The overall national strength remained weak.

Therefore, Faust was more inclined to enter a political marriage with a foreign princess, preferably one that could secure a reliable ally for the Qingxi Kingdom.

Faust said dismissively, "No domestic faction is worth a marriage alliance, because I intend to centralize power later. How could I possibly compromise with the great noble factions within the country?"

In other words, things without political value were not worth his time!

Yusewood was enlightened by his words. "I see. Is that why you broke off your engagement with Count Roselin's daughter?"

Faust raised an eyebrow at the mention and said, "Oh, you mean Viviana. Indeed so."

The prince had previously had a fiancée, but truthfully, he was very resistant to this marriage arranged by his expensive adoptive father—resistant on many levels.

So, Faust had resorted to a small trick to break the engagement.

"Speaking of which, what I did back then was a bit underhanded, but it doesn't matter. She is easy to handle anyway."

"As for tonight, let's just find some fun and relax."

Though he did not want to marry yet, the prince was by no means an ascetic. On the contrary, his strong desires were well-known.

There were even rumors in the capital that the reason there were so many noblewomen among the prince's supporters was that the prince had conquered them with overwhelming masculine charm, causing the noble ladies of the capital to submit completely.

Faust had to clarify—that was not a rumor.

After all, now that he was a prince, could he really wrong himself? He had to enjoy what was available.

Just as Faust's gaze was darting through the blooming flowers of the crowd to make a selection, the palace's great clock chimed. Along with the melodious sound, a sudden commotion broke out at the palace gates.

Dong, dong—

"What happened?"

The prince pushed through the crowd and looked toward the source of the disturbance.

He saw an incredibly luxurious carriage parked before the palace gates. The carriage, drawn by four unicorns, was practically a finely crafted work of art. Made of pure white marble and oak, every line and every relief was lifelike.

This kind of extremely opulent carriage would be considered luxurious even at an imperial royal gathering, let alone in this backwater of the Qingxi Kingdom.

A small place like Qingxi wasn't this extravagant. Could this be a foreign friend?

That would make sense.

After the reforms in the Qingxi Kingdom and the opening of a train line, the capital could be considered somewhat "international." The scenery of the Qingxi Kingdom was very beautiful, and Faust had adapted to local conditions to vigorously develop the tourism industry. Consequently, many foreign nobles came to Qingxi for vacation.

Although this ball was for the prince to choose a partner, foreigners were also welcome to join the fun and participate... or rather, that was for the best.

For the Qingxi Kingdom, no matter which kingdom they were from, they all had the value of becoming an ally.

Click—

The carriage door slowly opened, and then a young girl leaped lightly from the carriage.

What first appeared in everyone's sight was a head of pure golden long hair, like fragments of the sun, pure without a single impurity, draped over her back and shoulders.

The girl looked up with an extremely exquisite and soft face. Her light-colored long eyelashes covered her slightly lowered eyelids, and her navy-purple eyes were crystal clear, magnificent, and deep.

Her dress was outlined with lines of radiant gold and pure white, a style that was both simple and magnificent. One sleeve was wide while the other was tapered—an asymmetrical design that appeared even more dashing. The white shawl had patterns embroidered in gold thread.

The front of the black lining was filled out by a high, full chest, leaving not a single wrinkle.

A pale blue belt circled her slender waist, while her rounded, slender, and impossibly straight legs were wrapped in over-the-knee stockings.

Wow, truly beautiful.

Even Faust, who was used to seeing beauties, could not help but be dazed at this moment, staring wide-eyed at the girl who looked like a painting, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

As for the others at the banquet, they began to whisper among themselves:

"Who is she?"

"What a beautiful person..."

"Does our Qingxi have someone like this?"

"Is she a foreign princess?"

The sudden appearance of the girl stole all the attention. At the center of those gazes, the girl pressed her cherry-colored lips together, her hands clasped together against her full chest.

Her violet-like eyes blinked and blinked, as if she were anticipating something.

No one went to strike up a conversation with her. Everyone knew that in this banquet, any beautiful girl dressed in her finest would have only one purpose.

That was to gain the prince's favor.

And the protagonist of the ball was currently staring blankly at that beautiful silhouette.

He wanted to hear her voice, wanted to gaze at her face, wanted to touch her skin... From the first moment he saw the mysterious girl, such a strong desire surged in the prince's chest.

All past perceptions seemed to be burned away by scorching flames, leaving only unparalleled passion roaring within him.

"Faust... you..."

Yusewood noticed her brother's slightly heavy breathing, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly.

"Sister, this one, I truly like."

Faust pressed his hand to his chest and smiled, then quickly walked over to the mysterious girl.

Observing her up close, he found the girl's beauty to be even more stunning than he had imagined. Her exquisite, maddeningly beautiful face was slightly tilted up, and the moonlight flowed over her pretty nose, making her look like a poem or a painting.

However... the prince felt that this face seemed somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

But Faust racked his brain and could not think of where he had seen her.

Forget it... perhaps beautiful things are always similar.

"Your Highness?"

While Faust was lost in thought, the mysterious girl tilted her head and called out softly.

The prince finally broke free from his contemplation and revealed an impeccable smile, saying, "Forgive me, your beauty is truly distracting. Might I have the honor of inviting you for a dance?"

He was born with a fine appearance that could make women dream of him. It was no empty boast—Faust's image was the perfect interpretation of the term "prince charming."

"With pleasure."

Upon hearing the invitation, the golden-haired girl's eyes widened immediately. She revealed a shy and happy smile, placing her delicate hand, encased in a ring-finger glove, into the man's palm.

Thus, under the regretful and jealous eyes of many noblewomen, the two pressed their bodies close and began to dance gracefully on the dance floor.

"How should I address you?"

While catching the fragrance wafting from her golden hair, Faust asked for the mysterious girl's name.

"Mm-mm..."

However, the other party kept smiling and shook her head, remaining silent.

She was unwilling to say her name? Was there some secret difficulty, or was her identity sensitive?

Faust continued to probe, "Did you just recently arrive in Qingxi?"

To the prince's slight surprise, the girl shook her head and denied it. "I am a native of Qingxi."

"Hmm?"

Faust shook his head and laughed. "I have never seen you in the capital. If there were a girl as beautiful as you, how could you be unknown?!"

"That is not true, you are exaggerating!"

Hearing such praise, the mysterious girl raised the corners of her eyes happily and lightly bit her lower lip, explaining softly, "I was never allowed to go out before. Today... today is the first time. I sneaked out. Just to see you, Your Highness."

The girl tilted up her snowy-white, pretty chin. Those magnificent purple eyes were shining brightly, and anyone could see the deep affection they contained.

Although, given Faust's charm, falling in love at first sight was perfectly normal, the prince's intuition vaguely felt that it was not that simple. This mysterious girl should not be such a shallow person.