The Prince of Yan had returned.
This news spread throughout the northern territories, igniting fervent cheers among the northern garrisons!
The day the Prince of Yan truly appeared in the city, the populace went wild. The Prince of Yan was a god in their hearts! Without him, the northern territories might have long since fallen.
He was the absolute guardian deity in the hearts of the northern people.
The Prince of Yan had truly returned!
His return was flawless; he was handsome and elegant, his demeanor even more refined than before, and he bore no injuries.
Previously, when the Prince of Yan had not appeared for an extended period, people had speculated that his injuries were too severe, preventing him from returning to his mansion.
They also guessed that the Prince of Yan might have lost an arm or a leg in the battle against the Rong tribe.
Now that he had returned completely whole, looking radiant and in excellent spirits, all prior speculations were naturally dispelled.
The Prince of Yan's return made the Crown Prince the most awkward.
He personally went to the Prince of Yan's mansion.
The moment he saw the handsome and aloof young man rise to greet him, his eyes instantly turned sinister, but he immediately reverted to his gentle demeanor, his face beaming with a smile as he said in greeting.
"It is good that Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, is well."
"When we, along with my father, the Emperor, heard of your disappearance, we were greatly concerned. My father even sent me here, repeatedly emphasizing that I must ascertain your whereabouts. Now that you have returned safely, a great weight has been lifted from my heart."
"I can report back to my father."
"However, I wonder where Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, went during your disappearance, and why the entire city's military and civilians could not find any trace of you?"
Upon hearing this, the youth opposite him met his gaze, making no pretense of cordiality, his expression cold and indifferent.
He stated directly.
"Where I went?"
He had no intention of telling the Crown Prince.
"That is my secret."
"However, since the Crown Prince has come to visit me, I can tell him one thing."
The Crown Prince opposite him blinked slightly, but seeing the smile that suddenly appeared on the extremely handsome and aloof face of the Prince of Yan, he felt an ominous premonition. He couldn't help but lower his voice.
"What... what is it?"
His tone was tinged with nervousness. The youth curved his lips and smiled.
"I intend to propose to Princess Mu Ci and make her my Princess Consort."
His words seemed to catch the Crown Prince completely off guard. He took a good while to digest the news before raising his voice.
"Impossible!"
After a pause, he calmed down, rubbed his face, and his voice trembled slightly.
"Mu Ci is still just a child, and she is my cousin. We grew up together..."
"How dare you covet her?"
"Have you even met her?"
"And you dare to propose to her?"
However, the Prince of Yan showed no anger whatsoever.
"What if I have met her, what if I haven't? I have heard that Princess Mu Ci is a renowned beauty in the capital, and her family background is so illustrious. She is more than qualified to be my Princess Consort."
The Prince of Yan's words stunned the Crown Prince. He had never expected that this cold, iron-blooded war god would suddenly become so shamelessly brazen! Princess Mu Ci was his cousin; he had watched her grow up. Moreover, the Crown Prince knew clearly that this princess was someone he valued!
Was the Prince of Yan trying to snatch her from him?
"More than qualified... but what if she is unwilling?"
The Prince of Yan smiled again.
"Why not ask her for her own opinion?"
"What if she also admires me?"
The Crown Prince was almost speechless with anger.
"She grew up in the capital and has never been here before. She has never met you before. How could she admire you? Do not speak such preposterous words and take advantage of my cousin."
But the Prince of Yan calmly said.
"There is no maiden in this city who does not admire me. In their hearts, I am a peerless hero."
"Princess Mu Ci, such a pampered noble lady, must also like someone like me who can protect her, mustn't she?"
A hint of amusement entered his tone, and he looked up at the Crown Prince.
"She will definitely like me. I will also treat her very, very well."
The Crown Prince was so infuriated he felt as if he would faint. He abandoned all pretense of dignity and began to curse loudly.
"Utter nonsense! My cousin would never like someone like you!"
"You should not hope... you should not hope to succeed."
What was supposed to be a banquet to welcome the Prince of Yan ended in disharmony before it even began.
The Prince of Yan stood by the corridor, watching the Crown Prince storm away, a faint smile playing on his lips.
His chief strategist walked to his side, looking at the young man's handsome face, and sighed softly.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, why did you need to provoke this Crown Prince with this matter? The entire capital knows how protective he is of his cousin... Those idle dandies in the capital are not allowed within half a step of his cousin."
"You provoking him like this will surely anger him."
"You clearly have no interest in that Princess Mu Ci—your Princess Consort should be someone who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you, not a pampered weak woman from the capital who would only scream in the face of trouble and offer no benefit to your grand ambitions."
Hearing his strategist speak to him thus, the Prince of Yan turned and met his gaze.
His words made his self-proclaimed intelligent strategist's heart leap.
"Who said I have no interest in that Princess Mu Ci?"
Upon hearing the young man's words, the strategist looked at him with a sense of bewilderment and trance.
"Not no interest..."
"How can this be?"
"But this princess's identity..."
He suddenly seemed to understand.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, intends to marry her and torment her mercilessly? I heard her aunt and her cousin, the Crown Prince, doted on her excessively, spoiling this noble lady of the capital to the point where she knows neither heaven nor earth... it could be considered over-indulgence..."
The strategist's voice began to falter.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, intends to use her as bait, as a hostage?"
"If that is the case, it can be considered a stratagem. It seems Your Highness thinks very deeply..."
The Prince of Yan chuckled again.
"Torment her?"
"I would like to torment her."
But alas—he seemed unwilling to do so. The image of the young girl kissing him flashed before his eyes. The girl's delicate eyelashes trembled finely, and he felt his breathing falter, as if he were floating in the clouds.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
To be kissed by a young girl.
He wanted to propose to her, not to torment her.
But sincerely, he wished to form a marital alliance with her.
After all, he had already signed a half-demon contract with her, and he could not leave her.
Therefore, he wanted to marry her.
To keep her by his side!