"What is my ideal wife?"
Hearing the Princess's question, Leon, who had never considered this question, was momentarily stunned but then began to ponder over it.
First of all, she definitely needed to share a common language with him and be easy to communicate with. At the very least, their values couldn't differ too much; otherwise, life would be filled with trivial conflicts, and he might as well stay single.
Secondly, her looks and figure couldn't be too poor. After all, finding a wife wasn't the same as making friends; if they weren't attracted to each other at all, there was no point in discussing anything further.
Lastly, she had to get along well with Anna and the others. The relationship with his sister-in-law had to be harmonious, she had to like children, and she also needed to accept his job at the Purification Bureau, being mentally prepared for a husband who might die at any time...
"Mind if I summarize a bit for you?"
After hearing Leon's words, the Princess couldn't help but smile, then cheerfully summed it up, "You talked a lot, but you only have three conditions—someone you can talk to, someone pleasing to the eye, and someone who can accept your family situation... Did I get that right?"
Seeing Leon nodding in agreement, the Princess, who had spent years navigating the political circles and knew how to negotiate, smiled and said, "Even though I haven't interacted much with you, I'm very satisfied with your family conditions, I get along with Anna, and you can't deny my charm. So, even if I'm not the ideal one, I meet two-thirds of your conditions, right?"
Unaware that the Princess swapped the concept, turning three veto criteria into scoring items, Leon thought for a bit and nodded again without opposition.
If you don't oppose at this stage, you won't be able to escape~
Seeing Leon already starting to follow her line of thought, the Princess's lips curled slightly as she continued her strategic approach, "As for the ability to talk, I feel you have slightly biased thoughts on this."
Hearing the Princess's words, Leon couldn't help but curiously ask, "What do you mean?"
"It's a bit too idealistic."
Her well-proportioned and firm legs crossed at one side, sitting gracefully on the sofa, the Princess gazed into Leon's eyes and seriously explained, "Between people, it's inherently impossible to 'talk' perfectly. Even if people have very similar views, there will inevitably be disagreements over some details.
Just like those who follow me, hoping to change the Kingdom, even if everyone's goal is the same, they will have their own ideas and some completely different, even conflicting, demands."
Using the "Princess's faction" as an example, she shared her perspective. Afterward, seeing Leon seemingly in deep thought, Princess Veronica spoke gently, "Building a family is the same, Leon. You can't expect to find a wife who thinks exactly like you, and never have arguments throughout your life; that possibility is really too low.
Even if you truly find one, as you both encounter different people and things, your thoughts will slowly change, and it's impossible to stay completely aligned. Then what will you do?"
"You will feel *pain* because of the constant conflicts, and you will also find it hard to completely let go due to the unwillingness to abandon all the *experiences* with her.
So rather than facing all this in the *future*, find a smart-thinking partner from the beginning, someone who, despite having differences with you, is willing to listen to your thoughts and knows how to reach a consensus with you... Am I right?"
It seemed like something was off... but apparently... nothing was seriously wrong either?
Following the Princess's line of thought for a while but finding no obvious flaw, Leon couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"Right? Such a pity, I'm clearly very fitting for your conditions, yet you still want to think it over."
With a light faux-angry complaint, the perfect candidate, who was both "smart and sensible," "pleasing to the eye," and could "accept family situations," didn't rush to reel in her fishing line but instead slightly loosened her grip, letting Leon reflect while grinningly changing the topic, "Speaking of considering... Leon, besides me, do you have any other 'candidates'? Could you tell me about them?"
Hearing the Princess's words, Leon's mind uncontrollably flashed several figures.
The first one that popped into his head was a striking redhead...
Stop! This one must be stopped early!
Recalling the piles of empty bottles in the director's office and the times he almost drowned in wine vats during drinking sessions, Leon felt a chill run down his back and quickly squashed this dangerous thought.
Excluding the director, which was no different from marrying a sea of wine, then it was Senior Emma, gentle, mature, good to him, fair-skinned and pretty, strong and capable, with a huge guillotine in the house... Uh...
Thinking of that room full of blood-stained torture tools and the 2.5-meter-high hanging execution guillotine, Leon shuddered and sensibly abandoned this idea.
But the secret police work is incredibly busy, undoubtedly leading to more separation than togetherness, and she was also a master of kicking, even though her character was excellent and she was very loyal, making her a number one friend. Yet, truly marrying her would mean a life of chaos, potentially breaking both the egg and the basket... No way! No way!
The little rich girl, Amy?
Uh... While she apparently had a bit of interest, he felt somewhat lacking on his side, and their current interaction wasn't much either, seemingly not too suitable as well...
After considering it in his mind, Leon found himself somewhat speechless that among the opposite sex he interacted with frequently, excluding his sister Anna, the most suitable candidate for a partnership appeared to be the Princess right in front of him.
Regardless of anything else, with the Princess's skills, keeping a peaceful household was at least guaranteed, and her acceptance of a possibly die-at-any-time husband was remarkably high. Furthermore, if anything actually happened to him, she could take good care of his siblings, so...
According to her previous investigation, if evaluated by those three standards, among the women Leon had access to, none could meet her conditions better than she did.
Noticing Leon's eyes wandering before finally settling back on her, the Princess, who had anticipated this, flashed a sly smile and slowly closed the loop, "Didn't you think it through a lot but realized eventually that I am the best option, right?"
"Relax, I'm not one of those love-obsessed little girls; I don't mind being your second choice. To me, the result is much more important than the process."
Scooching a little closer on the sofa, moving into a slightly more intimate distance, the Princess gently took Leon's hand and spoke softly, "I know, you might want a purer marriage, feeling that the engagement between us is mixed with too many other things and thinking my objectives are too strong.
But, except for you, all my other 'choices' would require leaving the Capital City, or even the Kingdom, abandoning everything I've worked so hard for over the years.
So whether you believe it or not, in my heart, none of these 'choices' compare to you; you are my only option for a Prince."
Pressing Leon's hand against her heart, letting him feel her heartbeat, the Princess lifted herself to kneel on the sofa, looking down at the avoiding Leon with seriousness, "Leon, I am very sure that you are my best choice, and I'm confident that I can be your best choice as well!
Trust me, even if you're not ready yet, don't outright reject this marriage. Give both me and yourself a chance!"
*Feels like we... might've gotten the script flipped, huh?*