Chapter144

This counter question… Elara ignored the sarcasm in his tone, nodded, then looked at Leif. "Of course, if you're not in a hurry, I'd be more than happy for you to stay a bit longer."

Leif's snow-like expression softened slightly. He didn't respond to the polite words. He just glanced at Mr. Yu, gave Elara a slight bow, then turned and left with the excuse that he needed to go prepare the deposit.

Back in the private room with Mr. Yu, Elara didn't beat around the bush. She looked straight at him. "Didn't you just ask me to guess your identity? Compared to calling you Mr. Yu, I think calling you His Highness Prince Yu would be more accurate."

Mr. Yu, or rather Changpu Yu, raised his brow slightly when he heard her recognize him. But his expression didn't show much surprise. He just sat down at the tea table, his smiling fox-like eyes watching her closely.

"The Princess really is sharp. But could you tell me how you figured out who I am? I don't think I left many clues behind."

So he admitted it directly.

Changpu Yu's posture stayed relaxed, but something about his presence subtly changed. It was like a high-ranking figure had finally revealed a bit of his real self, making him seem more imposing.

If it were a prince or princess from a smaller country, even if they had the same rank in name, the huge power gap would still make them tread carefully around him. They'd be nervous, afraid of saying the wrong thing and bringing trouble to their nation.

But Elara had always been someone in power, both in her past life and this one. The pressure from Changpu Yu didn't bother her at all. It wasn't even enough to scratch her.

So she calmly sat back down at the tea table, poured herself some tea, took a sip, and said, "I guessed."

It wasn't exactly a lie. Kristof had told her it was only a possibility.

"Guessing again…"

Changpu Yu chuckled softly. He looked at the young girl across from him, who had only just come of age but already acted with the skill and maturity of someone much older.

He had often traveled under an alias across different countries. Unless someone had seen him in his true identity as the Prince of Dahlia, it was nearly impossible for them to recognize him. Being found out like this by someone who wasn't close to him was rare.

If it were someone else, he might need to reassess their value. Being able to sense his identity meant they had some real power behind them, enough to be a threat or an ally. But as he looked at the calm and beautiful girl before him, his first thought was that it wasn't that surprising.

Yes... ever since their first meeting over half a month ago, he had held a high opinion of her. Then after seeing the development of Marigold City, he raised her status in his mind even further. Thinking of this, Changpu Yu gave another soft laugh.

He hadn't become strong just because of his background. He had rebuilt Dahlia into a strong kingdom. He judged others by their ability, not their status.

Just like him in the past. Who would have thought a prince nearly cast aside by his mother would rise to where he was now?

And now, the disgraced princess sitting in front of him, from a crumbling country, seemed to hold even greater potential than he once did.

Changpu Yu stared at Elara's refined face for a long moment. When she finally looked back at him, he smiled.

"So, Princess, what is it that you stayed behind to speak to me about?"

Finally, they got to the main point. Elara lifted the jade pot and poured tea for them both. "Naturally, I have a deal I'd like to make with you."

Doing business but not with Leif? Changpu Yu's fox eyes curved again. "What kind of deal?"

He lifted the teacup she poured for him and was about to take a sip, but saw the girl across from him dip her chopsticks in the tea and start drawing on the table with the wet tips.

Changpu Yu's gaze shifted to her pale fingers holding the chopsticks, admiring them.

But a few seconds later, the admiration faded from his eyes, and even the smile on his lips weakened.

Because what she outlined on the table in just a few strokes was exactly the most dangerous and troubling area in Dahlia right now.

Elara finished the last stroke, put down her chopsticks, and pointed at the area marked with the character "Dahlia" on the map she had drawn.

"Dahlia is currently caught in a deadlock with the Petunia and Freesia kingdoms here." Her finger moved to the pointed intersection of the three nations and tapped it lightly. "This place is called Qian'an Ridge. Its terrain is extremely high, surrounded by steep cliffs and encircled by rivers and mountains. It's naturally easy to defend and hard to attack. People say it holds the power to protect the balance of the land. That's why it's named Qian'an Ridge."

"And Qian'an Ridge happens to be located exactly where your Dahlia, Petunia, and Freesia meet. Whoever gains control of it will dominate the mountain routes below and control all entry and exit points in the region. With the natural defenses of Qian'an Ridge, they could easily strike at the other two countries. Even before a battle begins, they'd already hold a major advantage. It's a key strategic location every army desires."

"But although everyone wants it, Petunia and Freesia are both weaker than you, Your Highness. If it were one on one, neither of them could match Dahlia. But the fact that they're currently holding you in check means they've joined forces. No matter how strong Dahlia is, it can't fight two powerful third-tier nations at once."

"That's why Qian'an Ridge still hasn't been taken by anyone. As long as they stay united and neither side backs down, you'll never gain control of it. And as their alliance strengthens, they'll pose a growing threat to you and to Dahlia."

"If someone can break the current deadlock for you, especially targeting the stronger one between the two countries, Marigold, then your country, Dahlia, will have a chance to breathe and fight back. You could break the alliance between those two and take control of this contested land. That would completely sever the connection between Marigold and Jin."

On the map, Marigold was on the left and Jin on the right. Dahlia was wedged in between, with their only connection being through the shared border at the Qian'an Ridge.

So once Dahlia took control of Qian'an Ridge, they would effectively cut off the link between Marigold and Jin from a strategic standpoint. They could use the terrain of the ridge to strike back at either country if attacked. Holding that ridge would be like grabbing the throat of the joint advance of both countries and securing Dahlia's most vulnerable border.

"And if Marigold and Jin can no longer join forces, they won't be much of a threat to you. On the contrary, you could use that moment to launch a counterattack into Marigold."

Elara tapped the spot marked Marigold on the map with her pale fingertip. "Marigold is strong, but besides you, there is no other powerful country nearby. If you break their link to Jin, they'll be completely isolated."

"Although Marigold is slightly weaker than you, it's still the second strongest among the independent third-tier countries in the southwest. If you don't take this chance to remove it, it will always be a threat. In the future, it may join forces with other countries to go after you, the strongest independent country, and then you'll be the one in danger."

"So I'm guessing this hidden threat, Marigold, is something Your Highness has wanted to remove for a long time but never had the opportunity."

"But if you take Qian'an Ridge this time, and Marigold becomes isolated from Jin, that's your best opportunity."

"You can use the chance to seize a few cities from them and weaken their strength. If the timing is right, you can even push deep into Marigold and completely destroy the threat it poses."

"As for Jin, it's even weaker than Marigold. And behind it is another third-tier power, the country of Feng, watching closely. After losing Qian'an Ridge, even if Jin sees you attacking Marigold, they'll be too cautious to make a move. You won't need to worry much about your rear."

"If you capture Qian'an Ridge and break into Marigold, your already strong nation will gain even more power. Marigold and Jin, who once threatened you, will become completely subdued and won't pose a threat to Dahlia again. After that, even when facing those powerful third-tier countries backed by second-tier overlords, you'll have the strength to negotiate."

Elara finished everything in one breath. She picked up the tea on the table and took a sip before finally looking across at Mr. Yu.

Mr. Yu's gaze remained fixed on the table that was gradually drying.

Only after a long pause did he slowly raise his head.

He looked at Elara with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Instead, it turned slightly cold.

"Princess, your cleverness always exceeds my expectations. Every time I think I've judged you correctly, I find I've still underestimated you. But since that's the case, surely you've also heard that people who are too clever often face an early end."

Mr. Yu narrowed his eyes slightly at her. His tall figure still leaned lazily against the back of the chair, but a powerful sense of danger seemed to press down like a heavy weight.

Even though he had already regarded her highly from the start, after hearing her speak just now and explain everything so clearly, Mr. Yu realized he had still underestimated this seemingly young girl in front of him.

The most troubling area of Dahlia was laid bare by her in just a few sentences. She not only analyzed the situation cleanly but even offered a clear plan with risks and benefits.

His face looked cold, but deep down, Mr. Yu felt a sudden wave of regret and frustration.

How could such a brilliant woman not be from Dahlia?

Those weak fools in the royal court always told him to think about the bigger picture. Yet when it came to real issues, they couldn't offer a single useful word.

If they had even half, no, even a third of her intelligence, would he, the Crown Prince, need to travel in disguise just to escape from those idiots who suffocate him every day?

He sighed quietly in his heart. On the surface, the pressure created by his internal strength didn't fade at all.

He was genuinely... a little heartbroken.

So... he felt like scaring the girl in front of him a little, the one who had unexpectedly made him feel this way.

But the girl across from him suddenly raised her hand. Her beautiful, delicate face showed no sign of fear. Instead, she looked at him like she was annoyed and said:

"Your Highness, even though there's no killing intent in your pressure, and I know you don't mean to make a move, if you don't withdraw it soon, I might not be able to hold my guards back."

Mr. Yu blinked, then suddenly snapped open the folding fan in his hand with a loud sound and laughed.

All the coldness he had purposely shown disappeared completely. His narrow fox-like eyes curved into a smile as he looked at Elara, his expression more open and sincere than before.

This girl had restored the decaying state of Marigold County in just over half a month. She not only had unmatched talent but also a powerful and sharp insight.

Mr. Yu couldn't even remember the last time someone had seen through his thoughts so accurately.

For some reason, his heart, which had just been hurt by her cleverness, suddenly felt a little happy again.

So Mr. Yu decided not to hide anything anymore. He pulled back his force and followed her lead with a curved smile, asking:

"So the deal you want to make today is to solve this problem for me? Then, how do you plan to do it, Princess? And what do I need to give in return for this deal?"

Elara's hand, which had just set down her cup, moved again and tapped on the fading watermark map on the table.

"Simple. Marigold is the overlord of Youtan. I'll take care of Youtan for you, then stir up some trouble at Marigold's rear. That disruption will spread and affect the frontline at Qian'an Ridge."

"And once there's a crack in their defense at Qian'an Ridge, you can seize the chance to break the alliance between them and Jin, take the ridge, and launch your counterattack into Marigold."