The imperial princess named Charlotte possessed the same impeccable, exquisite features as the rest of the Radiant royal family.
Despite her soft features, her incredibly haughty and noble temperament gave her an air of sharp brilliance.
Even Faust, whose standards were exceptionally high after being accustomed to beauties like Viviana and Yusewood, had to admit that the princess before him was indeed extraordinary in her appearance.
She was only slightly inferior to Cinderella, who was bolstered by the supernatural charm of destiny.
And Charlotte...
"So it is her."
Expecting Faust to remember every royal family of every kingdom was simply asking too much; it was impossible.
However, it was necessary to at least understand the important leaders of the empire.
This was because the royalty of the Radiant Dynasty had firmly controlled the empire's power for centuries.
There was no other reason than this: the dragon-slaying ancestor of the empire had personally carved out a path that only those with the imperial royal bloodline could inherit. This was the painstaking effort of the empire's forefather to ensure his descendants would remain great and noble forever.
In this fairy-tale world, while most occult nobles possessed bloodlines that were stronger than commoners from the start, most were not too excessive—at most, it was a case of "like father, like son."
But the Radiant Dynasty was a true heavyweight. Their royal blood was nearly equivalent to the divine. Regardless of their natural talent, descendants of the dragonslayer could smoothly inherit the path of the 【Radiant King】 passed down by their ancestor and would automatically achieve transcendence upon reaching adulthood.
It was just there, brother, it really was just there.
Because of this, to maximize the advantages of their bloodline, the empire had no single emperor besides the first. Every member of the royal family was a governor-commander guarding a region, and together, all royalty formed a co-governing council.
And this "Charlotte" was one of the few royalty of the Second Empire who had shone brilliantly during the previous imperial civil war.
"I have heard your name. After all, every member of the imperial royalty is quite famous."
Faust reached out and shook hands with the princess of the Second Empire, while simultaneously observing Charlotte without leaving a trace.
He suddenly noticed that while her long, flowing hair was apricot-yellow, most of the tips and roots were sky-blue.
But it didn't look like dyed highlights; the sky-blue strands were more vibrant than her original apricot-yellow hair.
As if sensing Faust's gaze on the abnormality of her hair, Charlotte wound a strand from her shoulder around her finger and smiled:
"Are you curious about this? This is a gift from Lord Lian, a mark that only a dragon's kin possesses."
The princess tilted her face up slightly, her expression filled with immense pride, as if being a traitor to humanity or a "dragon's minion" was some incredibly glorious thing.
"I see."
Faust nodded. Unless one truly respected true dragons from the heart, it would be impossible to become a follower of the dragon and make an enemy of the whole world.
Charlotte walked slowly down the train aisle, lightly stroking the tabletop, and clicked her tongue:
"Actually, when I accepted the mission from Lord Lian, I was prepared to cross the border on foot. I didn't expect that in such a remote border area, there would actually be such a modern city."
Hearing someone praise his political achievements, Faust's spirit immediately lifted, and his eyes brightened:
"I spent a lot of connections and effort to build this railway, but the rewards have been worth it. The Qingxi Kingdom is now a trade hub recognized by the surrounding small kingdoms. Qingxi's allies all conduct large-scale transactions here. Given time, the Qingxi Kingdom's voice and status will gradually rise until it becomes... forget it, those were just half-baked ideas from before."
Faust's original plan was to bring neighboring allies together to form a league of small nations and then slowly exert influence to rule collectively. Only in this way could he compensate for the Qingxi Kingdom's inherent deficiencies and weakness.
However, now that the alliance with the Second Empire was a settled matter, there was no need to speak of that plan.
Charlotte rested her chin on her knuckles and nodded thoughtfully:
"Could you take me to see your kingdom's development? Although the alliance was Lord Lian's instruction, I am still here as a special envoy. I hope to understand our future ally."
"As it should be."
Faust agreed that he should indeed fulfill his duty as a host by taking the delegation from the Second Empire on an inspection of the capital.
The imperial royalty naturally didn't need a welcoming ceremony; a few dozen hours of travel were insignificant to Charlotte. Together, they visited the commercial streets, the trade center, the workshop district...
Faust explained to Charlotte how he had planned the construction, and the imperial princess nodded frequently, constantly offering questions and suggestions, which made the prince of Qingxi grow excited.
You should know that before this, the people around him had no interest in such topics. Whether it was his father, his royal sister, or his childhood friend, they were all indifferent to statecraft.
"I have a general understanding of this kingdom now."
Outside the weapons workshop, Charlotte leaned against the railing, feeling the night wind blowing against her face:
"Even though I've only looked for this short while, I am certain that even in the empire, you would have the ability to serve as a governor of a core province."
Despite her tone carrying the innate arrogance of imperial royalty, Charlotte's evaluation was definitely not low. A core province of the empire could match three or four Qingxi Kingdoms!
Faust waved his hand with high spirits:
"This is just the beginning. Once we set foot on the path of rise, Qingxi will bring peace, tranquility, glory, and prosperity to every subject under its command!"
However, to the prince's surprise, the princess who had just been full of praise suddenly shook her head:
"It cannot be done."
Charlotte's beautiful, glassy eyes looked meaningfully at Faust as she stepped closer to him and whispered:
"No nation can possess more than fifty years of prosperity and peace. It is absolutely impossible."
"Lord Lian told me that you are also an awakened one from destiny. If so, you should know that destiny will not allow such a thing to happen. No matter how much one longs for peace, disputes and conflicts will arise. No matter how much effort is put into management, unforeseen disasters will strike."
Faust saw an indescribable rage in the imperial princess's eyes. Charlotte spoke with a voice that was almost trembling:
"Whether it is a small nation like Qingxi or a great nation like the Radiant Dynasty, they are all slaves, all prisoners!"
After whispering those words of hatred into Faust's ear, the imperial princess's expression returned to normal. She clasped her hands behind her back and stood on her tiptoes.
"In our chat just now, you mentioned wanting to import several production lines from the empire?"
Faust nodded. "Yes. The empire should have the most advanced technology. As an ally, I hope to obtain technology and supporting facilities from you, and ideally weapons technology, if you can provide it."
Charlotte raised a brow. "Of course it can be given. You are the ally designated by Lord Lian; there is nothing that cannot be given... But the problem is, it's useless even if it's given. It will only drag your country into the abyss."
What kind of riddles are you talking about now?
Seeing Faust slightly furrow his brow, Charlotte smiled:
"Let's find a place to sit down and talk slowly."
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