I, the heir of the great Eastern nation

"Your Highness...you mean that Prince Liu Zhao wasn't lying?"

Avril smiled slightly and pointed to her smooth forehead.

"You know about the divine magical talent bestowed upon me by the God of Light."

"From the very beginning, I maintained my divine connection with him. Every word he said came from the heart, without a single falsehood."

Daphne fell silent.

As Avril's personal guardian paladin, she had seen all sorts of nobles.

Some appear virtuous but are actually full of scheming; others seem pious on the surface but secretly despise ordinary people.

She had assumed that Liu Zhao was just one of those kinds of people.

"Among the nobility, there are actually people with such a bright and kind heart."

Daphne still found it hard to believe.

"The principles he spoke of, such as 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,' and 'Do not refrain from doing good because it is small,' I originally thought he was just trying to please the Holy Maiden and deliberately made up to win your favor."

She looked at Avril, her gaze now more serious.

"I never expected that he would genuinely believe in these things."

Avril smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I didn't expect that either."

She turned and looked out the window at the night sky, where the moonlight was bright and clear.

"Daphne, don't you think that every single one of the principles and philosophies he spoke of today coincides with the doctrines of my Holy Light Church?"

"Do you think this might be guidance from the God of Light?"

The girl's voice was gentle yet resolute, and her red eyes shone with a devout light.

"Through his words, the God of Light showed me more possibilities for putting the doctrine into practice."

Daphne was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"If that's the case, then this Prince Liu Zhao is indeed different from ordinary nobles."

She paused, then added.

"However, Your Highness, even so, you must still be careful."

"After all, people's hearts are hard to fathom."

Avril turned around and gave a gentle smile.

"I know, Daphne."

……

Meanwhile, at the royal palace.

The atmosphere in Prince Thor's bedroom was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

"What did you say?"

Saul sat at his desk, slamming his wine glass down on the table, spilling wine that stained the tablecloth red.

The servant, kneeling on one knee, bowed his head, his voice trembling slightly.

"Your Highness, Prince Liu Zhao just left the Holy Light Cathedral."

"He and Princess Avril have been talking ever since."

silence.

Dead silence.

Thor's facial muscles twitched slightly, and his eyes blazed with barely suppressed rage.

"I've been trying to please her for so long, giving her gifts, being attentive, and discussing doctrine with her, but she's always been polite but indifferent to me."

His voice was very low.

"That Liu Zhao, you met him on the first day, and you were able to chat with him until late at night?"

He suddenly stood up and swept the wine glasses off the table.

bang~

The sound of the glass shattering was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

"He's just a prince from a remote, small country who's fallen on hard times! Who does he think he is!"

The servants knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

Thor took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

After a long while, he sat back down in his chair, his face ashen.

"Alright, you can go now."

"Bring Rick to me."

The servant, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly rose and withdrew.

Shortly after, Knight Rick strode in.

"Your Highness, you wanted to see me?"

Thor leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling with a somber expression, and slowly began to speak.

"Ian has long had close ties with the Church of Storms, and I must rely on the Church of Holy Light to rival him."

"As for the Radiant family, Grand Duke Alpha, as the ruler of the North, commands the Iron Cavalry, which is the strongest fighting force in the entire Kingdom of Os."

"In order to secure my position as crown prince, I must win over both of these factions."

He turned around and looked at Rick.

"But now, Avril's heart has clearly been captivated by that Liu Zhao."

"If she causes the Holy Light Church to waver in its support for me because of that kid, or even changes the stance of the Radiant Family..."

Thor's eyes turned cold.

"Then my situation will become very troublesome."

Rick's expression hardened.

"Your Highness is right."

"so……"

Saul walked back to his desk and sat down, his brow furrowed.

"I need to think carefully about how to deal with this Liu Zhao."

Just then, he suddenly remembered something, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"By the way, Rick."

"I remember, my good uncle, the Marquis Riley, didn't both of his sons have a grudge against that Liu Zhao?"

Rick thought for a moment and nodded.

"Yes, Your Highness. Marquis Riley's two sons, the eldest son Daniel and the second son Arthur, both clashed with Liu Zhao at the Magic Academy. They were eliminated by Liu Zhao in the Trial Tournament and the Chief Competition, respectively, and lost face."

Thor's lips slowly curled into a smile.

"interesting."

He rested his chin on his hands, a calculating glint in his eyes.

"Marquis Riley is my mother's younger brother. Although his power is not as great as that of the Grand Dukes, his connections and influence in the noble circles of the capital should not be underestimated."

Rick immediately understood what Thor meant.

"Does Your Highness mean... through Marquis Riley?"

"No."

Thor shook his head, his smile deepening.

"Using someone else to do the dirty work is too obvious and will easily give others grounds for criticism."

What I need to do is create opportunities for them.

"Let Daniel and Arthur take their own revenge."

"That way, it would be best if it worked out, but even if it didn't, whatever happened would have nothing to do with me."

Rick bowed.

"Your Highness is wise."

Thor waved his hand.

"Go ahead, send a message to my uncle first thing tomorrow morning."

"So... my nephew hasn't seen his two cousins ​​in a long time, and he'd like to invite them to the palace to catch up."

Rick respectfully withdrew.

Saul sat back down in his chair and poured himself another glass of wine.

"Liu Zhao..."

He murmured the name, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Let's see how long you can keep jumping around."

The next day, early in the morning.

Sunlight streamed onto the spire of the Cathedral of Holy Light, and the melodious chimes echoed through the capital.

As soon as Liu Zhaogang reached the church entrance, he saw Avril already waiting there.

The silver-haired girl was still wearing a white robe of holy light, with golden threads embroidered with patterns of holy light wings on the cuffs and collar, which shimmered in the sunlight.

Good morning, Your Highness Liu Zhao.

Good morning, Your Highness.

Liu Zhao smiled and returned the greeting.

Avril stepped forward and spoke somewhat shyly.

"Your Highness, I thought about what you said about Red Fruit Village all night, and the more I thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed."

She looked up, her eyes full of anticipation.

"So, could you take me to see it today? I want to see the workshop you mentioned and see the villagers who have learned new skills."

Liu Zhao smiled slightly.

"Of course, Your Highness is interested, I would be delighted."

Daphne stepped forward, frowning.

"Your Highness, are you leaving the city? Isn't this too hasty? I haven't arranged any guards yet."

Avril shook her head.

"We don't need to assign too many people; having you along is enough."

She turned to look at Liu Zhao and gave him a gentle smile.

"With Prince Liu Zhao here, there won't be any problems."

Daphne glanced at Liu Zhao, hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Hongguo Village.

The carriage stopped at the village entrance, and Avril was immediately captivated by the scene before her as soon as she stepped out.

This place was completely different from the other villages she had visited. There were no dilapidated houses, no emaciated villagers, and the air was filled not with the smell of decay, but with a sweet fruity fragrance.

"Your Highness, here..."

"plz follow me."

Liu Zhao walked ahead with a smile, leading Avril through the village paths to the workshop on the east side of the village.

Even before you enter, you can hear the sounds of busy activity coming from inside.

Pushing open the door, Avril witnessed a scene she would never forget.

About twenty villagers were sitting in the workshop. Some were sorting the red fruit, some were washing the fruit, and some were operating simple equipment. Everyone was busy and sweating profusely, but their faces were full of bright smiles.

When some villagers saw Liu Zhao, they were so excited that they immediately bowed in respect, but Liu Zhao waved them off, telling them to continue working.

The villagers, though unable to contain their excitement, bowed repeatedly and continued working with flushed faces.

Liu Zhao turned to look at Avril and said softly.

"Your Highness, this is the workshop I was referring to."

"This period of time is the season when hawthorns ripen, and most of the villagers come here to work."

"Although we can't make them truly wealthy yet, at least they can all have enough to eat."

Avril stared blankly at the busy villagers before her, her heart stirred by the smiles on their faces.

She traveled through many impoverished villages and saw countless poor people.

But on those people's faces, all she ever saw was exhaustion and pain, numbness and despair.

there has never been.

I've never seen a smile like that before.

Full of energy, full of hope, and full of anticipation for tomorrow.

"Your Highness Liu Zhao."

Avril took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly.

"I never knew that poor people could have such an expression."

She turned her head to look at Liu Zhao, her red eyes filled with emotion and admiration.

"You have accomplished something that even the church could not do."

"You gave them hope and let them know that they can live with dignity on their own."

"This, this is just like the ideal kingdom described in the doctrines of the Holy Light."

She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, closed her eyes, and whispered.

"By the God of Light, you must be the one chosen by the Holy Light."

"Otherwise, you could never have done all this."

Daphne stood aside, watching the scene unfold before her, her shock equally indescribable.

She finally understood why Avril thought so highly of Liu Zhao.

Because this young man is truly putting the teachings of the Holy Light into practice through his actions.

It's not just talk; it's real action.

One person changed the fate of a village.

"Her Highness is right."

Daphne murmured softly.

"This Prince Liu Zhao may truly be the one guided by the God of Light."