When Alice mentioned that Princess Laina had been poisoned before, Liu Xuan was shocked. He did not realize that the princess could be framed by someone.
But immediately his mind understood.
Because Princess Laina was the heir to the throne of this kingdom, there would naturally be many people trying to kill her in order to seize the throne.
"What happened after the poisoning incident?" Liu Xuan asked.
"The princess was lucky not to have eaten it. But the culprit has never been found. Some even say that the culprit is still lurking in the palace." Alice whispered, her face showing concern, "In fact, the princess has been in danger several times."
It turned out that there had been other assassination attempts on the princess.
It seems that the mastermind behind the scenes must be someone who covets the throne.
Thinking of this, Liu Xuan couldn't help but glance at the princess, who was smiling brightly and chatting with the ministers.
It was unexpected that she could still radiate such a beautiful smile under the heavy burden of her life being in danger at any moment. She truly was an optimistic and cheerful girl!
Liu Xuan praised the princess in his heart, and finally, dinner was served.
The dishes were very lavish, from beef and lamb chops to cod fish and salad with cheese, everything was available.
And the chef's craftsmanship was top-notch.
The lamb chops with golden juice, the tender and fresh cod fish, the colorful fruit salad, every dish looked both beautiful and delicious.
The red wine in the glass was also very fragrant and tasted unforgettable with just one sip.
At this moment, the fat Duke Pantage suddenly stood up on the opposite side. He raised his glass and said loudly with a happy smile on his face:
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's toast to the safe return of our future queen, Princess Laina!"
Upon hearing this, everyone stood up, and each person's face was filled with genuine joy. Excitedly, they raised their glasses to toast the princess.
Only Alice's face faintly showed a trace of worry, and her worry was also noticed by Radaff, the white-haired mage sitting across from her.
After everyone sat down, Liu Xuan noticed that Duke Pantage had still not sat down, but instead raised his glass again, this time towards Liu Xuan.
"Mr. Liu Xuan. Thank you very much for rescuing our princess. I would like to toast you for that." The Duke's words were very polite, without any airs of a duke, and he even referred to Liu Xuan, who was much younger than him, as "you" in a humble manner.
"You flatter me." Liu Xuan also stood up and raised his glass.
Both of them emptied their glasses.
However, after hearing Duke Pantage's praise, Alice's brows furrowed slightly, and Radaff, who was sitting opposite her, noticed everything.
By now, Liu Xuan had sat down, but he noticed that Duke Pantage still hadn't sat down, and instead, he had a curious expression on his face.
"By the way, Mr. Liu Xuan. I heard that you rescued the princess alone. And from what I understand, that tribe of orcs has thousands of orcs. So I'm very curious, how did you manage to rescue the princess alone?" Duke Pantage said, with General Kale, who had been silent, chiming in.
"Well..." Liu Xuan thought for a moment, he had prepared a story in advance.
He planned to portray himself as a powerful magician, with the battle process using more commonly used spells, such as battling the orc army for more than ten rounds with Ice Arrow spells, and completely hiding the part where he had red eyes and black wings.
"Duke Pantage." Just as Liu Xuan was about to speak, Princess Laina interrupted him, with a smile on her face as she said to the Duke, "This is Liu Xuan's magic secret. It isn't something that can be easily told to others, you know?"
"Oh. Ah..." Being interrupted by the princess in this way, Duke Pantage also understood that the princess was protecting Liu Xuan. He quickly smiled and sat back down, "Hahaha..."
Listening to the other party's awkward laughter, Liu Xuan felt that it was for the better, after all, lies could still be exposed. The best way was not to say anything.However, Duke Pont sat down and did not eat at all. Instead, he stared at the princess sitting across from him. After a while, he said to the princess again, "There is one more thing. Although Your Highness just suffered a lot, I still want to ask you, Princess."
"Go ahead." This time, although the princess still smiled, there was a kind of dignified and proud air in her bones.
"That is the matter of the marriage proposal from the prince of the neighboring Lote Empire that I asked you about before. I wonder how Your Highness feels about it now?"
"The marriage proposal?" Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the princess pretended to think for a moment. "It seems that you did mention this matter to me before. What does Lord Prime Minister think?"
The princess deliberately emphasized the words "Lord Prime Minister" in her speech.
"I apologize for offending you." Duke Pont replied earnestly, "A marriage alliance with the powerful Lote Empire would benefit us greatly. It would not only form an alliance between the two countries, but also reduce our concerns and strengthen our strength, which is advantageous in dealing with other hostile countries. Moreover, the prince on the other side is also the heir to the Lote Empire's throne. Once he becomes the king, the princess and his descendants can inherit both countries at the same time, undoubtedly making it the most powerful country in this region."
"What do you two think?" Princess Laina asked Chancellor Radoff and General Kale.
Radoff nodded, indicating that it would benefit their country and agreeing with the Prime Minister's opinion. General Kale said it should be decided by Princess Your Highness.
Seeing their discussion, Liu Xuan felt that diplomatic relations between kingdoms were indeed complex. For the prosperity of the country and the happiness of the people, the love and marriage of princes and princesses would become political accessories.
"What is Your Highness's opinion?" Duke Pont asked the princess again.
"Um..." Under the nervous gaze of everyone, the princess showed a thoughtful expression, but soon her furrowed brows relaxed, and a bright smile appeared on her face. "I think the Prime Minister's proposal is very good and very beneficial to our country. It is indeed an excellent alliance."
Upon hearing Princess Laina's words, smiles appeared on the faces of Duke Pont and others. They thought the princess agreed.
Alice next to Liu Xuan felt an unprecedented joy. She thought the marriage alliance with the neighboring prince was a wonderful idea. Not only could she get rid of Liu Xuan, but also the fact that Princess Your Highness agreed with Duke Pont's proposal meant that the princess was no longer infatuated with Liu Xuan and her mind was no longer under his manipulation.
However, just as everyone was rejoicing, Princess Laina suddenly frowned and showed a troubled expression on her face.
"But there is one question..." the princess said.
"What question?" Almost everyone, including Alice, asked in unison.
Liu Xuan, who was standing by, also listened curiously, not knowing what Princess Laina would say next.
But at this moment, the princess suddenly stood up, then slowly walked towards Liu Xuan on the side, and suddenly hugged him tightly from behind, to the surprise of everyone:
"I'm sorry, everyone. I already have someone I like in my heart. It's...him."
After speaking, Princess Laina's rosy cheek pressed tightly against Liu Xuan's surprised face.
