1885, I came to save Greece

The carriage started again, returning to Athens along the winding mountain road.

"Clang, clang."

The sound of wheels rolling over the stone road remained the same, but the atmosphere inside the carriage was completely different from when they arrived.

When they arrived, there was a silent tension and scrutiny.

The return is marked by a subtle silence and a budding tacit understanding.

Sophia was no longer sitting upright and stiffly resisting the swaying of the carriage as before. She leaned against the soft cushions of the carriage, her body rising and falling gently with the swaying, her posture much more relaxed. Her azure eyes no longer held a scrutinizing sharpness, but instead, she curiously observed the night view of Athens through the carriage window.

Chaos remains chaos, and noise remains noise.

But in her eyes, the drunken sailors, the chasing children, and the shrill cries of the vendors all seemed to carry a different meaning.

That was the vibrant, mundane life above the "immortal soul" that Constantine spoke of.

She suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

"Your Highness, I took a closer look when we were going up the mountain." Her voice was particularly clear in the carriage. "The roads in Athens are not just dilapidated; their drainage system is practically nonexistent."

Constantine's hand on the reins remained steady, but a hint of approval flashed across his face.

No wonder she is a princess with German blood.

After the romantic declaration, she immediately returned to the most practical and concrete issues.

"You're right." Constantine didn't give a long explanation of the reasons, but simply replied, "Decades of disorderly development, coupled with successive governments being preoccupied with partisan struggles and borrowing money from the great powers, meant that no one was willing to undertake such massive infrastructure projects that were difficult to see results during their term."

Sophia nodded. This was very similar to the descriptions of early nineteenth-century London she had read in books.

She continued, "Do you have plans to renovate it? This would require an astronomical sum of money and would affect the interests of almost all the shops and residences along the street. I'm afraid the council won't approve it easily."

She accurately pointed out two core problems: money and people.

Constantine chuckled and skillfully maneuvered the carriage around a puddle.

"I've made some progress on the money issue. As for the people issue..."

He turned his head and glanced at Sophia, the dim streetlights casting flickering light spots in his eyes.

"A complete urban underground pipe network system requires extremely precise surveying and budgeting. Its complexity is no less than that of building a railway. I think that in all of Greece, you can't find a more suitable chief planner than a meticulous German lady."

He once again deftly threw the question back at him.

Instead of giving a specific answer, he directly categorized her as part of the "problem-solving" camp.

Sofia was taken aback by his words.

This man always finds a way to leave her speechless.

She was silent for a moment, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly again.

She didn't ask any further questions.

Because she knew the answer was no longer important. What mattered was that he had already reserved an irreplaceable place for her in his future plans.

The carriage traveled smoothly all the way and soon returned to the secluded side gate of the palace.

Constantine jumped nimbly off the carriage.

Instead of opening the carriage door for Sophia immediately, he went around to the back of the carriage and took out the dark cashmere cloak she had been wearing.

He walked to the car door, opened it for her himself, and then unfolded his cloak and gently draped it over her shoulders.

"The night breeze is cool."

He only said those three words.

His movements were elegant and considerate, completely unlike the unruly manner he had when driving earlier, as if he had returned to being the courteous crown prince.

Sofia lowered her head, letting him straighten the collar of her cloak. His fingertips inadvertently brushed against the side of her neck, bringing a slightly cool touch that made her heart race.

She stepped down from the carriage and steadied herself.

"Good night, Your Highness." Constantine looked at her and gave a standard farewell.

Then, he naturally took her right hand, no longer in the tight grip of a "comrade-in-arms" gesture, but gently supporting the back of her hand.

He leaned down slightly, and his warm lips gently pressed against the back of her gloved hand.

An impeccable, royal hand-kissing gesture.

Instantly separate.

Goodnight, Sophia.

As he straightened up, he changed his address from "Your Highness" to her name.

Sophia's body felt as if it had been struck by a weak electric current.

She looked up and met his smiling eyes. There was no longer the fiery passion of the Parthenon, only a gentle and profound blue, like the Mediterranean night.

She opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't say anything.

In the end, she simply nodded hastily, turned around, and quickly walked through the side door.

Her retreating figure carried a hint of haste, even one she herself was unaware of, or perhaps... an attempt to escape.

Countess Wolf, who had been anxiously waiting behind the door, immediately came forward, her face full of worry and reproach.

"My Highness! You're finally back! Do you know how dangerous this was? His Highness the Crown Prince..."

The countess's incessant chatter came to an abrupt halt when Sophia raised a hand.

Sofia didn't look at her, but walked straight through the corridor and back to her suite.

She dismissed all the maids, including the countess whose face turned ashen.

She was left alone in the room.

She didn't turn on the lights, but walked to the huge French windows and looked at the palace courtyard by the moonlight streaming in from outside.

She saw that Constantine did not return directly to his palace, but instead walked towards another brightly lit building—the royal study, where he handled state affairs.

He is still working.

Sofia slowly raised her right hand and took off the white silk glove.

She looked at the back of her hand, the spot where he had kissed her.

There seemed to still be the warmth of his lips and a faint breath there.

With the fingers of her other hand, she gently stroked that spot again and again.

This man was far more dangerous than she had imagined.

His ambition, his honesty, his cunning, his remarks about "comrades-in-arms"... all are like an intricately woven net, and she is gradually moving towards the center of it.

but……

She also felt that all of this was...much more interesting than she had imagined.

She remembered the bumpy carriage, the chaos in the streets of Athens, the sunset over the Parthenon, and his eyes that burned with fire.

Originally, this political marriage was just a tedious and boring task that she had to complete.

But now, for the first time, she felt a small, personal expectation for the future of this marriage.

at the same time.

Inside the royal study.

Constantine stood before a huge map, which showed the detailed topography of all of Europe and the Mediterranean.

He picked up a black knight chess piece representing the German Empire and tapped it lightly on the __cpLocation of Berlin on the map.

Then, he picked up a white chess piece representing the queen's status and placed it steadily in the position of Athens.

Two chess pieces stand facing each other across the vast European continent.

A confident smile appeared on his face.

Conquering a Prussian princess was only the first step. Through her… that was his true purpose. However, as he gazed at the white chess piece representing the queen on the map, Constantine couldn't help but recall Sophia's clear blue eyes under the moonlight, and the slight tremor he felt in his palm.

"Comrade..." he murmured to himself, the pure calculation on his lips softening slightly without him even realizing it.

Perhaps this alliance, which began with calculations, will yield some unexpected results.