1885, I came to save Greece

This question struck Sofia like a heavy blow.

He wasn't asking a tourist's opinion.

He was asking if she understood his ambition, and whether she was willing to... share this almost insane dream with him.

Constantine's charm, a blend of classical romance and modern wildness, almost captivated her.

However, the steely, meticulous nature of the Hohenzollern family in her blood, coldly warned her in the midst of her surging emotions.

Romantic visions cannot fill an empty stomach, and grand plans cannot fix the muddy roads of Athens.

She remained silent for a moment.

When she looked up again, her beautiful azure eyes were stunningly clear in the twilight.

With a calm, almost cruel tone, she pointed out the most undeniable, and most embarrassing, reality.

"Your Highness, your dream is magnificent."

Sofia's voice was clear and cold, each word perfectly distinct, like ice shattering in winter.

"But my carriage almost got stuck in a mud pit on the streets of Athens just now."

The words fell.

The wind at the Parthenon seemed to stand still for a moment.

That grand blueprint, that impassioned declaration, that magnificent vision of "classical soul" and "modern industry" all seem incredibly awkward, even somewhat comical, in the face of this simple, straightforward statement.

That was like a resounding slap in the face!

The phrase "almost got stuck in the mud" brutally dragged all his rosy visions of the future back to that dirty, chaotic, and unbearable reality.

Any man who only talks about ideals would feel ashamed at this moment.

Any pampered prince would likely be enraged by such a blunt accusation from his fiancée.

If Constantine's courtiers had heard this, they would probably have been so frightened that they would have knelt down on the spot and begged the princess to take back this "disrespectful" remark.

After Sofia finished speaking, she just looked at him quietly, waiting for his reaction.

Was it anger? Was it an explanation? Or was it shame?

However, Constantine's reaction was completely beyond her expectations.

He was taken aback at first.

Then, he actually laughed.

It wasn't the kind of fake smile used to cover up embarrassment, but a hearty laugh that came from the bottom of his heart, incredibly cheerful, and even a little bit joyful.

"Haha...hahahaha!"

Laughter echoed across the empty acropolis peak, breaking the previous silence.

Sofia was completely stunned.

He...he's laughing?

Doesn't he feel embarrassed? Or has he gone mad with anger?

"Well said!"

Constantine stopped laughing and strode forward, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the twilight that almost completely enveloped Sophia.

His gaze was frighteningly bright, filled with undisguised admiration, without a trace of offended anger.

"That's the second reason I invited you here."

Sofia's heart skipped a beat.

The second reason?

Constantine gazed into her eyes, which were slightly wide with surprise, his tone fervent and sincere, each word carrying an irresistible force.

"That's why I need a princess from Germany!"

He spoke each word clearly and firmly, as if declaring an established fact.

"...Help me transform this muddy road into a smooth path to the new Rome!"

Sofia's mind went blank with a "buzz".

She was completely stunned by his words.

He did not evade the question.

He did not defend the ruins of Athens.

He didn't feel the slightest bit of shame.

He actually... he actually turned this humiliating question into an invitation to her! A supreme recognition of her and her German heritage!

He laid bare his country's "incompetence" and told her that it was precisely because of this that he needed her!

What incredible self-confidence!

What a cunning "scoundrel"!

"You think my invitation was just a whim?" Constantine curled his lips into a knowing smile. "Sophia, I've read your mother, Princess Victoria's, articles on education reform. I also know that when you were in Berlin, you argued endlessly with your court tutors about urban planning and public health."

Seeing her increasingly shocked face, he continued, "What I need is not just a princess with a Prussian title, but you, unique in your own right, possessing both British open-mindedness and German rigor!"

Sofia felt her cheeks burning. Her court education from childhood taught her how to deal with flattery and provocation, but it had never taught her how to deal with a man who used "national shortcomings" as a "reason for marriage proposal"!

Constantine's gaze became incredibly serious at that moment.

He looked at her no longer as a beautiful princess who needed to be cherished.

That look was directed at a partner who was evenly matched with him.

"Sophia, I hope that when you come to Greece, you don't just want a beautiful crown princess to host those boring court banquets for me, or to smile at me at celebrations."

His voice deepened, yet became even more penetrating.

"What I need is a comrade-in-arms!"

Comrades!

This word, like a bolt of lightning, shattered all the reserve and hesitation in Sofia's mind.

She thought of her mother, Princess Victoria of England, an open-minded and wise woman who always lamented in her letters that a woman's value should not be limited to the family and the court.

She thought of her maternal grandmother, Queen Victoria, the queen who ruled the British Empire, who was the best proof of female power.

And isn't this very opportunity that the man in front of me is offering?

An opportunity far grander and more thrilling than being a duchess of Prussia or the queen of any German state!

He wasn't giving her a crown studded with jewels.

He was handing her a shovel, a tool to create a new world!

Constantine watched the changing expressions on her face and knew that his words had struck at the deepest desires of her heart.

He extended his hand, not with the perfunctory invitation of royal etiquette, but with a firm, open palm, stretching it out in front of her.

"I alone might be able to win the war and persuade Parliament."

"But the city's sewer system, the precise planning of railways, the standardized processes of factories, the popularization of national education... these all require the rigor and order of Germany."

His last sentence was almost a whisper, carrying a seductive magic.

"I need you, Sofia."

"Athens needs you."