After revealing his identity at a banquet at the Royal Academy, Crown Prince Philippe Blanche became the most desirable groom in the whole country.

Since then, many young ladies, and even the older one, have sent him hundreds of declarations of love in the hope that he will answer someone. Each of them aspired to be the first to take the place of the crown Princess, which was still vacant.

It so happened that, unlike many of his predecessors, Prince Philip was not engaged from birth. It was the last wish of his mother, the late Queen, who wanted her son to marry for love. After all, she herself knew how hard the fate of a marriage concluded against her will was.

Philip and Razor's parents have been married for many years, but have never loved each other. These were long years of loneliness, filled with greyness and despair. And the last thing the queen wanted was for her sons to follow the same path.

"It doesn't matter who it will be," she said, "A noble lady or a commoner. If my son loves her, then so be it."

Since this was the only wish of his wife, the king agreed to fulfill it. Moreover, by that time, Azeroth had already become one of the most influential empires on the continent, and support in the form of a dynastic marriage could be put on the back burner. Despite the protests of ministers who adhered to the old tradition, the king refused to enter into an engagement with anyone unless the Crown Prince wished it.

Meanwhile, this year, Philippe Blanche will be eighteen years old. There was not much time left before he would inherit the throne, but the fundamentally important place of the future queen was still empty. This caused understandable concerns among officials. After all, in modern times, the queen performed the function of not only the continuer of the family, but also the mother of the people. In the kingdom of Azeroth, this position was as important as the king himself.

But despite the noise around all this, Philip was not interested in women until this year. He never used his beautiful face to attract women's attention, and up until his debut he did not think about it at all. But the meeting with Lerina Ashford changed everything.

Only then did Philip understand what his mother meant when she said that a love marriage is the best thing that can happen in life. After all, it turned out to be really so.

Despite the fact that nothing like this had ever happened to him before, the Crown Prince fell in love with Lady Ashford at first sight. It seemed to him that she was the one he had been waiting for all his life.

Unlike other noble ladies of her age, Leriana never boasted of her status, although she was the daughter of the first archduke of the country. She had a kind heart, which was extremely rare among aristocrats of high birth. At their first meeting, despite the fact that she didn't know anything about Philip, Leriana treated him as her friend. She didn't care what family he came from or how high his status was.

With her selfless attitude, the girl finally took a place in his heart. This is exactly how the Crown Prince saw the future "mother" of his people. And if Leriana Ashford does not become her, then no one will take this place.

That's what Philip thought when he decided to win her favor. At first, it seemed to him that it would not be so long before Leriana would reciprocate him. But then, an unexpected obstacle appeared in front of the prince. He didn't even want to think about her, because these thoughts immediately made him angry.

Since the beginning of the ball, Philip has been continuously watching her. Leriana became truly the main star of this evening, and many nobles came up to talk to her, to which the girl embarrassingly agreed. Against the background of all the others, Leriana was like a precious flower. No other lady could compare to her.

The Crown Prince only looked at her, but tried to do it so that she would not notice. He didn't give a damn about the other guests.

All this went on until the king, sitting on the side, addressed him:

— Phil, my boy, why don't you go to the others? You're the crown Prince, and you can't stay away.

— Yes, I know, Father... — the guy sighed, — I was just thinking about something.

— Hmm? And what is it?

Philip did not immediately decide whether to tell him or not. But then… One good idea came to mind.

"Father, what do you think of the Duke of Ashford's daughter?" "What is it?" he asked.

The king drew attention to a beautiful lady with emerald hair, who was surrounded by a whole crowd of aristocrats. There was a polite smile on her face, and in general, she made a very pleasant impression.

—A wonderful girl," the man replied, "And how could it be otherwise if this is the daughter of my old friend.

"So you like her?"

— Hmm ... — as if remembering something, the king smiled nostalgically, — Of course. She looks a lot like her mother. In the old days, the whole kingdom was fascinated by her. Many men wanted to marry her, until she chose Henry. What can I say, I myself could not remain indifferent when I was a boy," he grinned, "I thought I would never meet a woman as beautiful as her again. But Leriana is really her exact copy. No, in the future, she may become even more beautiful.

Noticing the thoughtful expression on his son's face, the king asked with a laugh:

"What's the matter?" Are you interested in her?

The prince looked at him with embarrassment, but decided to remain frank in front of his father.

— Perhaps it really is.

The King blinked in surprise.

— It can't be! "Has my humble son finally fallen in love with a girl?" he chuckled.

Philip was still confused.

— Father, you won't mind our relationship, will you?

— What are you talking about? Of course not! — the king rejoiced, - I will only be glad to be related to an old friend. The whole empire will bless you.

"In that case..." the Crown Prince coughed, "What do you think about a possible engagement date?"

— Hmm... such cases are not solved alone. I have to discuss this with Henry," he smiled, "For sure, he will also be very happy for your union.

Philip nodded to him, although deep down he could hardly contain his delight. Of course, he expected his father to agree. It couldn't have been any other way. After all, Leriana Ashford is the most ideal candidate for the Crown Princess, among all the ladies.

It was in this way that Philippe Blanche hoped to get rid of the annoying problem in the form of Rachel Cassius. If they enter into an official engagement, and Leriana becomes a member of the imperial family, then this damned girl will no longer be able to prevent them. No matter how influential her family is, it will still never be able to compare with the ruling one. It will be a battle lost in advance.

This damn contract will no longer matter to anyone when Leriana is under the protection of the monarchy. Rachel will not be able to threaten and force her to be with her, thereby endangering her own family. And when Philip ascends the throne and becomes the next king… Then just get rid of it.

This perfect plan, matured in his head, made the guy grin.

Rachel Cassius... did this girl really think she could compete with the Crown Prince? Even Leriana could be forced to be with her only by tricks. While he, she loved for real.

It's time to end this protracted performance. At today's ball, Philip will show the whole empire that Leriana belongs only to him.

"Father, I have to do something.

With these words, after an approving nod from the king, the guy got up and headed to the hall. A lot of young ladies turned around and tried to call him, but he ignored them all. He had only one goal.

By that time, most of the guests had finally weeded out from Leriana, and she was left almost alone. It was the perfect moment to do it.

Neither the Archduke nor the cursed Cassia was there. Therefore, the girl was completely in his hands. This time, no one will be able to stop the two of them.

The irresistible Crown Prince of the kingdom appeared before her and offered his hand:

"Lady Ashford, would you do me the honor of dancing with you?"

Leriana, who was standing at the table at ease earlier, almost choked on punch when he uttered these words.

The girl stared at him dumbfounded, as if not quite understanding what he was doing. Philip, meanwhile, continued to stand with the same smile, naturally expecting that she would agree.

Members of the imperial family never invited someone to dance just like that. This was done only if the lady was already his potential bride. In other words, by publicly offering Leriana to become his partner, Philip will make the whole secular society filled with rumors about their impending engagement. That way, he would show all the other aristocrats claiming her heart that she was already engaged. But no one would dare cross the Crown Prince's path?

This is exactly what Philip was counting on, considering his plan to be infallible.

When he said it loudly in front of the whole hall, the audience paid attention to them. The whispers and gossip immediately subsided. Everyone froze, waiting for Lady Ashford to respond.

The girl herself hesitated, not knowing what to say. A direct refusal to the Crown Prince would be considered disrespectful to the imperial family. That was why she couldn't answer for so long when even the king himself was watching what was happening.

—I—" Leriana faltered, looking at him nervously.

Apparently, she wanted to say something to him, but did not dare, because so many people were looking at them.

It seemed that the girl even resigned herself, and was about to extend a trembling hand to him, but ... at that moment, someone suddenly blocked her.

Philip was taken aback when Rachel Cassius stepped between them out of nowhere.

The girl gave him an icy look, and without further ado said:

— You can't do that.

— What...?

"Claiming a lady who is already engaged," Rachel said clearly, "Is that, in your opinion, within the bounds of decency?"

Both Philip and Leriana were taken aback when the girl said it so bluntly. The whole hall was looking at them. People froze in shock, not realizing what was happening now.

— You...!

The Crown Prince was ready to choke with indignation. Does this girl at least understand what she's doing...?! Or is she really insane?

"Stop it right now!" — he began threateningly, — Or I…

"I've already warned you that you won't get off so easily next time," Rachel cut him off coldly, "If you want to preserve your pathetic dignity, you'd better get out."

Rachel calmly threatened him in front of all this crowd. This has long gone beyond any norms. And if it wasn't for the fact that this scene was on public display, they would have fought a long time ago.

However… Philip, being the crown Prince, could not allow himself to behave unworthily. Therefore, he could only purse his lips and slowly lower his outstretched hand.

Rachel Cassius, standing in front of him, was like a stone mountain that could not be moved. No amount of persuasion and threats will help here. Realizing this, Philip decided on the last chance.

"Then let Leriana have the choice," he said, "and if she chooses me, I won't leave."

Instead of using his advantage, Philip decided to bring this scoundrel to the surface himself. If in this situation Leriana publicly chooses him, then only Cassius will remain the disgraced party in the end.

The Crown Prince was confident of his victory.

— Hmm? Is that so?

Rachel grinned and turned to the girl.

— And what will you do?

Leriana flinched when the two looked at her at the same time.

The Crown Prince and the daughter of the cursed duke were in the same position in front of her, and both believed in their victory. But there could be only one choice. And Leriana didn't think for a long time.