Rebirth: The unfavored Princess is the Tyrant King's favorite

"If I may be allowed to speak, I think Your Highness has a higher chance to become the crown prince since the eldest prince is continuously losing the favor among the ministers due to his aloof nature," Eric said and paused as if hesitating. 

"Go on," 2nd Prince David urged. 

"His self-righteous disposition and his fondness for the common people, plus his targeting of the corrupt government officials, would incite their dislike sooner or later. There have also been rumors that the crimes he reported against the king of Serenevale were false and that the true reason behind his massacre of Serenevale was due to his mother." 

"The ministers had overlooked that incident due to the evidence against the king and the spoils of war he brought, but they might not be too happy if the eldest prince insists on doing things on his terms," Eric added. 

"Also, the Noble Consort, your mother, is from the prestigious Wallace family, and the current minister of war, tax minister, and deputy general of Gloryland are all from your maternal family. Being the crown prince should be a piece of cake. I think Your Highness shouldn't worry about people like the 3rd prince, whose mother was just a former maid of the empress. Speaking of the empress, her mental condition is also a big hindrance on the eldest prince's almost perfect record," Eric concluded.

"My main focus has never been on the 3rd prince; he's just a pawn I'm using to get to the eldest prince. Nicholas is undoubtedly the emperor's favorite. Don't you think my father indulges him too much? The emperor had even gotten him married to princesses of many influential kingdoms to give him an equal chance against me since he knew my family had a lot of influence and support in Gloryland," Prince David said. 

He didn't understand why the emperor claimed his mother was his favorite consort but didn't want the son of his favorite consort to be on the throne. Anytime his mother asked, he would say Nicholas was his first son and that it was his birthright, and he would allow nature to take its course.

"That's why I think Your Highness should agree to the marriage proposal the Noble Consort suggested. The country of Wazuzu might be a desert, but they are one of the richest countries in the Windermere continent. The eldest prince is already about to become a father; your Highness shouldn't delay in finding a suitable match. The princess of Serenevale might not be alive, and all your efforts to find her might be in vain," Eric said. 

"Shut up! All of you are incompetent. Can't you people even find a little girl?" Prince David snapped his earlier good mood gone. 

"Your Highness, we have been trying to search for the princess of Serenevale, but the portrait we have of her only shows half of her face, so it makes it difficult. Your Highness, please reconsider; there are rumors that the princess of Serenevale is disfigured. That's why she always covers half of her face with a veil. Only the inner palace guards and a few maids knew her real appearance, and they were all dead. Besides, a princess of a ruined country might hinder your chances of becoming the crown prince," Eric explained. 

"Impudent! Leave my presence; I want to be alone," Prince David said. 

"Please forgive this servant, your highness," Eric said. 

"Leave!" 

Upon hearing the seriousness in his voice, Eric bowed and left his presence. 

2nd Prince David pulled out a pendant and stared at it. If Luciana had been around, she would have realized that this pendant looked identical to the pendant that she had lost and was later returned to her by the second prince. 

"Are you really her?" He whispered as he stared at the pendant. 

"If you are her, how did you end up being the princess of Florendel? Why did fate send you to him and not me?" He added. 

10 years ago, he met the princess of Serenevale; she was about 8 years old, and he had just turned 10. When he first received his supernatural gift after his 10th birthday, it was discovered that he could change the weather conditions at will. 

It had been a happy discovery, except that he found it difficult to control the power within him, and due to his lack of control over the power within him, he would unintentionally cause it to rain out of nowhere in summer, causing typhoons and hurricanes due to emotional outbursts and nearly causing a natural disaster. 

He had been sent to Serenevale, where a master would help him control what was within him. Serenevale was close to the sea, and the country was surrounded by mountains, so it was a good location for his training. Since he was a prince of the great Gloryland, he was given a residence in the palace where he and his guards and servants resided under the special care of the king of Serenevale, except that he was never addressed as a prince due to security reasons. 

He had met the little princess Luciana, who was a very beautiful and lively little girl. She had mistakenly wandered into his courtyard, and they had become friends due to her persistence. 

In that bleak time of his life, when he had been staying in a strange environment without his mother and all the luxuries he was used to, that little girl had brought a source of light into his life. His young heart had been captured by her. 

He knew she was too young to understand what her presence in his life had meant to him at that time. Her constant presence had made him more peaceful and more calm, and it didn't take long for him to master his supernatural gift. Even after he left Serenevale, he had always thought of the little girl who had always come to find him and be by his side. 

Two years ago, he had visited Serenevale only to see her with half of her face covered in a veil. She didn't remember him and treated him like a stranger. There were even rumors that she covered part of her face because she was disfigured. 

But he didn't care; even if she was disfigured, he would always remember her beautiful face as a child. He loved her regardless. If he knew the eldest prince had his eyes on the palace of Serenevale, he would have taken her away from there a long time ago. 

But it was strange. Why did the new princess consort remind him of the princess of Serenevale? They had the same name, and he could see a faint resemblance between her and the little girl in his memory, her eyes especially. He couldn't forget the bright eyes of the veiled princess of Serenevale; it was uncanny. They looked too similar, but how did she end up as the princess of Florendel? He needed to verify: could it be that she was the one he had been searching for? 

~~~ 

"My lady has beautiful and fair skin; if all those haughty princes and suitors in Serenevale saw you now, they would slap their faces so hard for thinking you were disfigured because you always covered your face with a veil," Dora said as she combed Luciana's hair and dressed her for the day. 

"Shhh, do you want to blow our cover? I have told you to stop speaking about things in Serenevale," Luciana scolded. 

Dora nodded and said, "I'm sorry, I won't bring it up again. I'm just curious why the queen would insist you always cover your face with a veil when you look so beautiful. One would think she is hiding you from someone and didn't want them to recognize you." 

Luciana felt a headache coming on. 

"It seems I have indulged you too much, and you are forgetting your place. I have taught you how to read and write, so you read those outrageous novels, and your head is always up in the sky," Luciana said. 

"But your life is indeed too similar to the story; the woman stole her friend's baby and passed it off as hers but would always make the child wear a mask because the child was too identical to her birth mother," Dora said, pouting. 

"Have you said enough? Leave my presence this instant!"