(If you have doubts about the originality, head to the book community, where the author has dropped in. It really is Shuomao!)
On July 13, 1980, all of the United Kingdom was swept up in immense joy-
The queen had given birth to a little prince!
That day, His Majesty the King stood alone before Buckingham Palace in a dark gray suit, holding the little prince.
The press cameras flashed endlessly.
Afterward, the royal household released a photograph of the little prince.
The baby in the photograph sat sweetly in a comfortable white outfit with a large ruffled collar. His skin was fair, his expression intent, and his blond hair lay softly against his forehead. He looked like an angel.
Most astonishing were his eyes. A halo shimmered within those gentle, Sea Blue eyes, like sunlight falling across the ocean and refracting into a breathtaking color.
His name was Alan Cornwall Windsor.
He would be this country's next king.
The entire nation erupted with excitement.
That day, television ratings across the United Kingdom reached another record high, and newspapers sold out everywhere.
Many people cut the baby's photograph out of their newspapers and carefully kept it in their photo albums.
The following day, the royal household announced the queen's death.
After its joyous celebrations, the entire nation sank into grief.
Although the public did not even know who the queen was, that did nothing to diminish their admiration for the royal family.
The internet was flooded with tributes. Everyone felt deeply for the little prince, who had lost his mother at birth, and for their own majestic, gentle king.
Edward held the little prince as he watched the grand funeral and saw his wife's coffin lowered deep beneath the church.
The queen's passing brought the king immense sorrow.
Edward withdrew from public life and went several days without eating, leaving the entire royal staff beside themselves with worry.
But soon, Edward had no time to mourn his beloved's untimely death-
His only son, Allen, began displaying extraordinary abilities.
As the royal family's rightful heir, Allen naturally received meticulous care. Yet no matter how careful and thorough everyone was, lapses were inevitable.
According to the butler's report, Allen nearly fell out of his crib one night.
Terrified that Allen would hurt himself, a maid lunged toward the crib, only to see their little prince float into the air on his own and slowly settle onto the carpet.
The ability frightened the maid so badly that she resolutely asked the king to accept her resignation.
Refusing to believe it, Edward watched his son closely. Only after witnessing Allen's ability himself did he reluctantly acknowledge that Allen was different.
Thus, His Majesty had no choice but to set aside his royal dignity, learn all manner of infant-care skills and knowledge, and raise the baby himself.
His Majesty had to admit that he had made the right decision-
Allen's unusual incidents were far from isolated. They grew more frequent as he got older.
When he was eight months old, a maid accidentally broke a tea set.
Just as the scalding tea was about to splash onto Allen, he suddenly rolled over, his Sea Blue eyes darkening slightly.
In that instant, every toy, piece of porcelain, and glass object in the room burst apart, yet Allen remained unharmed at its center.
There was not even a trace of tea on him.
A few months later, just after his first birthday, Allen could already speak in complete sentences.
Naturally, this was considered a sign of genius and took up an entire newspaper page.
Since the war ended, there had been no particularly significant royal events worth reporting-
The royal family had not welcomed a new member in many years.
The king's engagement and wedding, which should have been publicized with great fanfare, had never materialized. Nor had the queen, who should have appeared...
All along, His Majesty had been the only legitimate member of the royal family active in the public eye and featured by the major media outlets.
Now that there was finally a little prince, the press would have loved to follow him around the clock.
Around-the-clock coverage was out of the question.
His Majesty also kept Allen's unusual abilities carefully under wraps.
What appeared on the official homepage, then, was how clever, quick-witted, graceful, and well-mannered the little prince was. The whole nation adored him.
After all, His Majesty had once topped the nation's "Most Wanted Husband" rankings, not merely for his noble elegance, gentle, gentlemanly conduct, and perfectly proportioned 185-centimeter frame,
But also for his astonishingly handsome face, which captivated men and women alike at a single glance.
Clearly, the little prince was unlikely to turn out anything less than handsome.
Especially with those beautiful eyes of his, gentle and elegant, noble and imposing.
Under the entire nation's watchful gaze, Allen grew up healthy and accomplished.
The public had always known how exceptional Allen was, but the prime minister knew a little more.
The reason was unclear. Perhaps it was his longing for his late wife and the importance he placed on the little prince.
After discovering the little prince's genius, His Majesty packed his schedule full. Not only was he required to attend events and diplomatic functions, but he also had lessons from morning until night.
Fortunately, the little prince loved learning. Otherwise, he would long since have been driven to rebellion.
His Majesty's expectations were exceedingly strict. The standards for the little prince's etiquette and knowledge were set at university level, and he even took him along when listening to cabinet reports.
This was already something everyone tacitly understood.
Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince lived up to his reputation as a genius-
Whenever the king and prime minister spoke in private, he could always offer the prime minister constructive suggestions.
Allen gradually reached the age of eleven, growing into a courteous young gentleman, elegant and noble.
During that time, several prime ministers came and went.
Allen, who should not have been involved in political affairs, became an occasional secret adviser to each of them.
His Majesty turned a blind eye, pretending to know nothing.
On July 13, 1991, Buckingham Palace was decorated with exceptional grandeur, and the entire nation was especially excited-
Prince Allen was to be formally invested with his title!
Allen wore a duke's formal attire, its deep blue lending him an air of composure,
The golden sash upon it shone with glory, perfectly complementing his noble authority and matching his eyes beautifully.
Wearing a distinguished black hat with a long plume, a knee-length mink cloak, and gleaming black leather boots, with glittering decorations on his chest, he stepped down from the carriage carved from solid gold alongside the king.
One step behind the king, he entered the sumptuous hall and received everyone's blessings.
Resplendent in his finery, Allen knelt on one knee upon a cushion and placed a hand over his heart.
His black plumed hat was removed, and his blond hair shone like the sun beneath the lights.
Wearing his crown and robes, the king personally placed the Crown Prince's Diadem upon his precious son's head.
Then the king lifted a sword and laid it upon the crown prince's shoulder, solemnly admonishing the young prince and asking him to make his vows for the future.
The young crown prince raised his eyes and looked straight at his father. "I, the Prince of Cornwall, shall forever remain loyal to the king, the law, and my people, until death takes my life."
Holding the king's hand, he rose and stood upon the dais, his coronet gleaming as he looked down upon the subjects below.
After standing all day, his eleven-year-old body was already somewhat tired. Still observing every courtesy, he turned toward the public and reporters, placed a hand over his heart, and bowed slightly.
The countless citizens watching before their televisions were deeply moved-
Their little prince had grown up. Dressed in formal attire, he was dignified and elegant. His face still bore the softness of childhood, yet his bearing was composed and unhurried.
This was the bearing of a crown prince.
Camera flashes lit up his face. The reporters watched him with excitement and admiration, exchanging remarks such as, "Prince Allen is always so gentlemanly and elegant. Exactly what you would expect of someone taught by the king himself."
Allen smiled at them, allowing the flashes to catch the light in his eyes.
He was already accustomed to this. As crown prince, he had to remain graceful and presentable at all times, never giving the public anything to ridicule.
He had attracted attention from the moment he was born, not merely because of his royal status, but also because he was the only little prince in a hundred years whom the king had personally held, alone, for photographs outside the delivery room.
And his mother-the rightful queen-had never appeared before the public. There had not even been a wedding.
For a royal family whose meals were exposed to public scrutiny, this was an extraordinary curiosity.
King Edward was now said to harbor an ocean-deep love for that hidden queen, yet he had never once answered a question about her.
Apart from suddenly announcing one day that the king had a queen, that the queen had given birth, and then, when Allen was three days old, that she had died of illness,
The royal household had never released a single piece of news concerning the queen.
Even he did not know what his own mother looked like.
This gave rise to all manner of conspiracy theories among the press and public. Edward collected every piece of information concerning the queen, yet never made any statement.
Ever since his birth, Alan had attended all kinds of royal political and diplomatic functions and gatherings among the nobility. Their etiquette had long since become second nature to him.
The moment the doors of Buckingham Palace closed behind him, he let out a soft breath.
Edward's gaze softened a little. He sat in a high-backed chair, watched the attendants remove Allen's coronet, cloak, and outer garments, and beckoned to him.
Somewhat puzzled, Allen nevertheless sat down beside his father.
Edward asked, "Are you tired after today?"
Allen chuckled. "I'm not tired. The coronet was just heavier than I expected."
"He who would wear the crown must bear its weight," the king told him. "This is our responsibility. When you become king, you will have an even heavier crown and greater responsibilities!"
Allen answered obediently. Seeing his father's expression soften, Edward pointed to his knee. "Remember to ask Triss to apply a warm compress for you. You were kneeling for quite some time today."
"Yes, Father!"
Allen answered with perfect propriety, displaying all the bearing expected of a crown prince.
The next day, father and son moved to Balmoral to escape the summer heat and attend to their work. The sun rose and set, faithfully carrying out its duties.
Until one day, an owl knocked on the window.
Before you continue