Chapter 2: I Truly Like This One
“Faust, what is it that pleases you so?”
At that calm question, Faust immediately looked toward Yosewood, who was waiting outside the king’s bedchamber.
Her crystalline beautiful eyes resembled sacred teal gemstones, reflecting iridescent hues.
Those splendid pupils were so gorgeous that they could almost be called ornate.
The princess stared intently at the prince, as though he were the only person in the world.
“It is nothing, Royal Sister. I simply learned quite a few things all at once, so I was a little excited.”
Pressing a hand to his forehead, Faust gave a sigh and briefly explained the situation to the silver-gray-haired princess.
When they had still been competitors for the throne, Faust had felt a measure of wariness and caution toward her. But now that the struggle for succession had ended, the prince felt he could place complete trust in this elder sister of his.
Yosewood looked at the sigil on Faust’s arm and said slowly, “The Fae… I knew Father had contracted with one of the Fae, but I had never heard Him speak of it. Faust, I had never imagined you possessed such talent as to win the Fae’s favor.”
Does that count as talent? Well… in this world, I suppose it really does.
But Faust would never place his hopes in the favor of a transcendent being. Compared with a contract with the Fae, he cared more about things he could truly grasp with his own hands.
“Even so, I still do not know what kind of attitude the Fae actually have. They have not spoken to me yet. Compared to that, the throne of Cleartide is what can truly display my talents.”
“Congratulations.”
After hearing the implication in Faust’s words, the cold-faced princess responded flatly. Even beneath her veil, no emotion could be read from her face.
Did she truly not care, or is she suppressing her resentment?
At that, Faust lowered his eyes slightly and tested the waters. “Ahem… Father’s intention is for you to assist me.”
The prince looked at his sister. As the two royal heirs of the Kingdom of Cleartide, both Faust and Yosewood had their own factions beneath them.
Most of Faust’s followers were technical bureaucrats, while Yosewood held the kingdom’s only mage corps in her grasp. She herself was the Kingdom of Cleartide’s Chief Court Mage.
Faust certainly wanted control of the kingdom’s corps of mages. But he could not quite read his sister’s attitude. If she refused to cooperate, his administration would not be able to unfold as he wished.
“Mm…”
Miss Princess stared fixedly at the man’s profile, as though she wanted to engrave this very moment into her eyes forever.
Only after a long while did Yosewood draw a deep breath and say, “I have no objection.”
“Hm?”
Yosewood replied evenly, “You always choose to judge others by the worst possible assumptions. Perhaps such a dark temperament is the very disposition required of a king. But I have no desire for the throne, so you need not harbor any reservations on that account.”
Oh, is that so?
Based on what he knew of her in the past, Faust had in fact also felt that Yosewood was indifferent to fame and power.
But if she did not admit it herself, then he could not state that with certainty.
Now, at last, the prince was fully at ease. With a grand sweep of his hand, he declared, “In that case, then tonight at the ball, I shall announce to the entirety of the royal capital my unquestionable position as heir apparent!”
…
That night, the palace gates were opened, and all manner of carriages and guests arrived along the broad avenue.
After learning that Faust’s position as heir apparent had been established, the many nobles of the Kingdom of Cleartide all rushed to attend the banquet, whether to show their loyalty or merely to make themselves familiar faces.
The entire royal palace became the venue of the feast. Beyond the magnificent hall lay the dance floor, where a three-tiered circular banquet platform floated at its center, and from it a champagne tower poured downward.
Servants pushed dining carts through the crowd, offering fine dishes and wine to every guest, while the court musicians played soft and graceful melodies.
As the star of the evening, Faust was surrounded by his trusted followers. Goblets clinked, and no one had the attention to spare for the fact that Yosewood, the true royal bloodline, was standing right there as well. Instead, they offered the prince endless praise and flattery.
“Your Highness, congratulations, congratulations.”
“As expected, you are the kingdom’s future!”
“We never once doubted your position. His Majesty must feel the same. Only Your Highness can lead the kingdom into glory!”
“…”
Surrounded by acclaim, Faust raised his glass. He was not ordinarily much of a drinker.
But on a day as joyous as this, to refuse even a drop would have been far too spoilsportish.
With a smile on his lips, the prince declared in a ringing voice, “Without the support of all of you, I would never have achieved what I have today. But this is only the first step. We will not stop here. The Kingdom of Cleartide shall become great!”
“And I will never enjoy that glory alone!”
His confidants raised their glasses as well and shouted, “Long live Cleartide! Long live Your Highness!”
After lifting everyone’s spirits, most of his inner circle began to enjoy the atmosphere of the banquet, while Faust leaned against a table and basked in the cool night wind.
At this moment, he could truly be said to be riding high on success. Good. I suppose what comes next is the part where I devote myself to governance and display my full abilities!
Hee hee. I am definitely going to conquer the world!
Caught up in his excitement, Faust drank a few extra glasses, then turned his gaze toward the dance floor in the plaza.
Tonight’s ball was the king’s consort-selection banquet for the prince, and what it lacked least were beauties of every kind: mature and sexy older women, pure and refined dark-haired young ladies, and sweet-faced girls with youthful looks and astonishingly full figures…
In order to win the favor of the prince on his white horse, every wealthy merchant’s daughter and noble young lady in the capital had attended in splendid attire, forming a truly dazzling sight.
Though it resembled a medieval world of swords and magic, the civilization of this world possessed a prosperity and splendor beyond imagination. How should he put it… even the world of a fairy tale would hardly surpass this.
And Faust felt this was excellent. If it were truly as crude and barbaric as the real Middle Ages, then as a modern man, he simply could not have endured it.
“Do you have someone in mind?”
Yosewood stepped lightly to Faust’s side. Seeing her younger brother’s gaze fixed upon the female guests at the banquet, she asked,
“Or are you still planning to do as you always do—mount those girls and behave as recklessly as a monkey in heat?”
Faust had long since grown accustomed to Yosewood’s razor-edged manner of speaking. Raising a brow, he smiled.
“If we are speaking only of companions for a night of spring pleasure, then they are all quite good. I imagine it would make for a wonderfully delightful evening. But as for a wife… I ought to have a better choice.”
Though this world imposed no restriction of monogamy, and it would not be a problem at all for a prince of a kingdom to take five or six secondary consorts, marriage was, in Faust’s eyes, a precious political resource.
The Kingdom of Cleartide was, after all, only a small nation that had won its independence a few decades ago.
Even after all his careful cultivation, he had done no more than make the royal capital moderately prosperous, enough that foreigners would not look down upon it too openly. Its overall national strength was still frail.
Because of that, Faust was more inclined toward a political marriage with a foreign princess, preferably one that could secure a reliable ally for the Kingdom of Cleartide.
With open disdain, Faust said, “No domestic faction is worth a political marriage from me, because what I intend to establish afterward is centralized royal power. How could I possibly compromise with the great noble houses within the kingdom?”
In other words, anything that held no value for political consolidation was not worth any extra effort from him.
Yosewood came to a sudden understanding. “I see. So that was why you broke off your engagement with the daughter of Count Roseline’s house?”
Faust raised a brow at that and said, “Oh, you mean Vivianna? Indeed, that was the reason.”
The prince had once had a fiancée.
But to be honest, he had been deeply resistant to that marriage arranged by his exceedingly valuable adoptive father. Resistant on every possible level.
So Faust had been left with no choice but to use a small trick or two to get the engagement called off.
“Come to think of it, I was not especially upright in the way I handled that. But it does not matter. She is very easy to deal with anyway.”
“As for tonight, I should simply find some amusement and relax.”
Though he had no wish to marry, the prince was by no means an ascetic. On the contrary, his lust was known to all.
There was even a rumor in the capital that the reason there were so many noblewomen among the prince’s supporters was that he had conquered them with overwhelming masculine charm, causing the aristocratic ladies of the capital to submit to him completely and devote themselves to him with all their hearts.
Faust felt obliged to clarify that this was not a rumor.
After all, I am already a prince. Am I supposed to wrong myself now? If something ought to be enjoyed, then it ought to be enjoyed.
Just as Faust’s gaze moved through the blossoming beauties, selecting among them, the great bell of the palace rang. Along with the lingering chime, a sudden commotion arose at the palace gates.
Dong, dong—
“What is happening?”
The prince passed through the crowd and looked toward the source of the disturbance.
A carriage of incomparable luxury had drawn up before the palace gates. The coach, drawn by no fewer than four unicorns, was a work of art in itself, carved with exquisite craftsmanship.
Fashioned from white marble and oak, every line and every relief sculpture was vivid and lifelike.
A carriage of such extravagant opulence would have seemed luxurious even at an imperial gathering of the Empire’s royal family, much less in a backwater like the Kingdom of Cleartide.
A little place like Cleartide does not possess this kind of grandeur. Could this be a foreign visitor?
That would actually make sense.
After the reforms in the Kingdom of Cleartide and the opening of a railway line, the royal capital could at least be said to have become somewhat “internationalized.” Cleartide’s scenery was exceptionally beautiful, and Faust had developed the tourism industry vigorously in accordance with local conditions.
As a result, large numbers of foreign nobles had come to Cleartide for holidays.
Though this ball was meant to choose a partner for the prince, foreigners were naturally welcome to come join the festivities—or even participate. Indeed, that would be for the best.
For the Kingdom of Cleartide, any kingdom at all had value as a potential ally.
Click—
The carriage door slowly opened.
Then a young girl leaped lightly out from within.
The first thing to enter everyone’s sight was a head of incomparably pure golden hair, like fragments of the sun itself……utterly flawless, without the slightest impurity, draping over her back and shoulders.
The girl lifted an exquisitely delicate and gentle face. Pale lashes shaded her slightly lowered eyes, while her dark violet pupils were crystalline, gorgeous, and profound.
Her formal gown was outlined in gold and pure white, simple yet splendid in tone. One sleeve was broad and flowing, the other fitted and gathered close, and the asymmetrical design lent her an added air of grace. Golden embroidery traced patterns across her white shawl.
The black inner lining at the front of her bodice was stretched taut by her lofty, full breasts, leaving not the slightest wrinkle.
A pale blue sash encircled her slender waist, while her long, rounded, astonishingly straight legs were wrapped in over-the-knee stockings.
Good heavens, she is beautiful.
Even Faust, who was accustomed to seeing beauties in his daily life, could not help losing himself for a moment. He stared at the girl, lovely as a painting, with widened eyes, unable to recover for a very long time.
As for the other guests at the banquet, they immediately began whispering among themselves.
“Who is she?”
“What a beautiful girl…”
“Do we have someone like that in Cleartide?”
“Could she be a foreign princess?”
…
The suddenly appearing girl had stolen every gaze in the hall. Standing at the very center of all those looks, she pressed her cherry-colored lips together tightly and clasped both hands before her ample chest.
Her violet eyes blinked again and again, as though she were hoping for something.
No one went to speak to her. Everyone knew that at this ball, any beautifully dressed young lady could only have one purpose.
That purpose was to win the favor of His Highness the Prince.
And at that moment, the star of the ball was already standing there in a daze, staring at that lovely figure.
He wanted to hear her voice, wanted to look upon her face, wanted to touch her skin… From the very first glance he cast upon the mysterious girl, such fierce longing surged within the prince’s chest.
Everything he had previously thought he knew seemed to have been reduced to ashes by blazing fire, and all that remained was incomparable passion roaring within him.
“Faust… you…”
Noticing her younger brother’s somewhat heavy breathing, Yosewood drew her elegant brows together slightly.
“Royal Sister, this one I truly like.”
Faust pressed a hand to his chest and smiled. Then he strode quickly to stand before the mysterious girl.
Looking at her from close up, he discovered that her beauty was even more astonishing than he had imagined. Her exquisitely lovely face tilted slightly upward, moonlight flowing across the charming bridge of her nose like poetry brought to life.
And yet… the prince felt that this face seemed strangely familiar, as though he had seen it somewhere before.
But no matter how hard Faust racked his brains, he could not remember where.
Forget it… perhaps beautiful things are always alike.
“Your Highness?”
Just as Faust was lost in thought, the mysterious girl tilted her head and called softly to him.
Only then did the prince break free from his reverie. He displayed a flawless smile and said, “My apologies. Your beauty is so overwhelming that it quite robs one of reason. Might I have the honor of inviting you to dance?”
He had been born with a face capable of haunting women’s dreams. This was no boast. Faust’s appearance was the perfect embodiment of the words “Prince Charming.”
“At once with pleasure.”
The golden-haired girl immediately widened her beautiful eyes upon hearing the invitation, revealing a shy yet delighted smile. Then she laid her slender hand, wrapped in a ringed glove, upon the man’s palm.
Thus, beneath the regretful and jealous gazes of the noble ladies around them, the two pressed close together and began to dance gracefully across the floor.
“How should I address you?”
As he breathed in the fragrance drifting from her golden hair, Faust asked the mysterious girl for her name.
“Mhm…”
But she merely smiled and shook her head, keeping her lips sealed.
She does not wish to tell me her name? Does she have some unspoken difficulty, or is her identity especially sensitive?
Faust continued probing from the side. “Have you only recently come to Cleartide?”
Slightly to the prince’s surprise, the girl shook her head and denied it.
“I am from Cleartide.”
“Hm?”
Shaking his head with a smile, Faust said, “I have never seen you in the royal capital. If a girl as beautiful as you were here, how could you possibly have remained unknown?!”
“There is nothing like that. You are praising me far too much!”
At such praise, the mysterious girl lifted the corners of her eyes happily, bit down lightly on her lower lip with her white teeth, and explained softly,
“I was never allowed to leave the house before. Today… today was my first time. I sneaked out. In order to meet you, Your Highness.”
The girl raised her fair and lovely chin, and her gorgeous violet eyes shone brilliantly. Anyone could see the deep affection within them.
Though with Faust’s charm, love at first sight was hardly anything unusual, the Prince of Cleartide’s instincts told him that it was not so simple. This mysterious girl was surely not someone so shallow.