The situation was much worse than Shao Xuan had thought. It had been three days since he was summoned to Greenwich. He had walked around the town, scouting every nooks and corners while being accompanied by Hu Li, the lesser demon fox. During his observation, he had asked every enquiry that he had about the world as well.

The native locals had no special name for the world they lived in, and it was to be expected. Their technology level was still in the dark ages. With famine and war constantly at the back of their head, who would have the time to think about such pointless things.

The town was in a complete mess as well. It was a typical medieval town with a population of about three thousand. The people mostly consisting of human refugees were so impoverished that Shao Xuan saw several famished people, digging up roots and eating tree barks to fill up their stomachs at the outskirts of the town. The sight of it was hard to stomach as it reminded him of his past.

Manure and wastes from both human and demons alike filled and stank up the streets. Walking around the town felt like navigating through a minefield for him. It wouldn't surprise him if a plague was to be started from the horrible hygiene.

The houses were mostly built from low quality material with mud roads connecting them while the town walls were weathered down badly, almost to the brink of collapsing. Infrastructure was non-existent except for the lavish manors owned by the nobles centred around the keep. The disparity between the nobles and the commoners was apparent in sight.

During his three-days inspection, plenty of clashes between the demons and humans arose, leaving many of them injured or dead until the town guards broke them apart. If not for the sheer number of human refugees that were grouped together, the number of casualties would be even greater as the well-trained town guards would often side with the locals.

What the princess did as a good deed had completely backfired. It had completely alienated the local demon population.

The princess had asked for donations from the nobles in the form of monetary and grains, but all of them kept making excuses. As the flames of war kept burning, many nobles and their families left the principality towards the capital for safety, leaving only a few noble families left. It was not because of their bravery that they stayed; it was because their assets were tied down to Greenwich where the vast amount of farmlands belonged to them.

The citizens mainly engaged in barter trade, while the nobles used force to obtain what they want from the citizens. With the city guards under the control of Captain Shi Zi, and the princess being a puppet, they could do whatever they want as long as they bribed Captain Shi Zi.

Shao Xuan had asked Hu Li about the gold nuggets the princess had mentioned and gotten the answer that because the gold nuggets' value was too high, it was only used in the demon capital or trade between nobles. Upon further questioning, Shao Xuan found that they had been purchasing grains from the nobles at an exorbitant price because of the monopoly the nobles had on the farms.

Keeping all this information in mind, Shao Xuan looked straight into Princess Felix's eyes and asked while repeatedly tapping his index finger on the table, "Princess, do you trust me?”

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“O Hero, you can address me as Felix. I assure you that you have my absolute trust.” Princess Felix replied with a sincere face.

“Well then. Princess Felix, why do you trust me so much?” Shao Xuan probed further.

“It’s because I have the eyes of the royalty. It’s a power that only manifest in those that possesses the royal bloodline. I can sort of see through one’s heart and determine if they are a kind-hearted person or if they have an ulterior motive. I sense nothing but kindness from you, hero.” Felix replied after some hesitation, her pair of black mini wings extending from her back flapped as she revealed her "secret" to Shao Xuan.

“Princess… You do know that when you lie, your eyes have a habit of straying to the left side, right?” Shao Xuan gave an inexplicable smile.

“T —That’s impossible!” Princess Felix stood up in an agitated manner, slamming her hands on the dining table as she violently stood up from her chair.

“I lied. But judging from your reaction, you had lied as well. Now… princess, I hope that we’ll be honest with each other seeing that we are in the same boat now. In fact, I'd already found out from Hu Li that you'd sent her to spy on me, and that she was ordered to kill me if she ever deems me as dangerous. Besides, if you really have such power, the principality wouldn’t have fallen into such a state in the first place.”

“What? How can it be? She’s been by my side since young, she won’t ever betray me.” Princess Felix was flabbergasted. They had been together like real siblings since a young age. Hu Li was raised as her right-hand man by her father. There was no way she would ever betray her. Especially not to an unknown person.

“Alcohol is a miracle drug, my naïve princess. One sip at the tavern, and she spewed out everything. You’re smart, but not wise. Wisdom is required to rule a country, a useless leader like you will only be detrimental to its people. It won't be long till you lead them to demise." Shao Xuan mocked the princess while squinting his eyes.

"Here's lesson number one as a ruler. Never use a doubtful person, and never doubt the person that you have decided to use. Now tell me… why would I help you when you have proven to be such a terrible ruler? And how can I trust you when my life is at the mercy of your whim?" Shao Xuan pursed his lips.

He already had the solution to one of his questions from Hu Li's drunken blabbering. But the question is, if the princess is a person worthy of his services.

With tears nearly dripping down her cheeks, the princess desperately held back from crying and yelled, "I don't know how to be a good ruler! I know I'm terrible at it! But one thing I'm sure of is that you definitely qualify, because you are the complete opposite of me. As long as you can save the people, I'll grant you any wish! If you don't trust me, you can definitely trust the vow!"

The instant she finished her words, the princess slit her right palm and held her hand out. With crimson blood dripping down onto the floor, she spoke. "I'll make the vow of slavery. Slit your palm and touched mine."

"I Felix Von Trafalgar, hereby vows that the person in front of me to be the master of me. I'll obey his every command without fail. My life belongs to him and it will end if his ever ends."

"You learn fast, princess. And you have mastered the second lesson of being a ruler perfectly. It's not the ruler's job to solve the problems of its land. Their only job is to find capable people and delegate those tasks to them. I must say, you have successfully convinced me. However, I myself is an accountant. So, I would very much prefer a contract." Shao Xuan smiled as he approached the princess.

Using the blade of the princess's sword, he slit his palm as well, only to find that he had used too much force.

Acting as if everything is fine despite the tremendous blood loss stating otherwise, he grabbed Felix's hand and kneeled down on one knee whilst he kissed her hand.

"I Shao Xuan, hereby accept Felix's offer. I willingly enter a contract with the demon in front of me." With resoluteness in his eyes, he continued. "I shall give you the world in exchange for you giving yourself to me."

At the end of Shao Xuan's words, a magic circle containing runes appeared underneath both of them. With flashes of bright lights appearing from the circle, both of them could feel a special connection linked between them.

"Now then… let's get married, shall we?" Shao Xuan's lips curved into a wicked smile once he got up from his kneeling position.