"Mephistopheles, stop teasing me. Greed isn't exactly a bad thing for a monarch anyway."
Faust said, pressing his hands against his temples.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just then, a series of short knocks came from the door, causing Faust to frown.
He looked out the window; the sky had already turned completely dark. Normally at this hour, unless there was truly urgent news to report, no one would break the rules and disturb the prince.
Faust stood up and opened the door.
His eyes were met with a face as exquisite as a painting, yet carrying an unshakable melancholy.
"Viviana?"
Faust was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected her to come looking for him personally.
"Your Highness..."
The young woman's slightly wavy, pale golden hair shimmered under the palace lamps as it draped over her shoulders.
Viviana blinked her thick eyelashes and curtsied to Faust.
"I hope I am not interrupting your evening's amusement."
"Not at all, I'm actually quite free right now."
"Is that so?"
Viviana seemed a bit surprised. She stretched her swan-like, snow-white neck to peer into the room and said, "How unexpected."
"...Is there something you need?"
Faust could tell at a glance what Viviana was implying. Sigh, although my past behavior was indeed like that, this still hurts a little.
However, the prince knew he wasn't in a position to defend himself, so he returned to the main topic. Viviana wasn't someone to act without reason; for her to seek him out late at night meant there must be something urgent.
Considering the task he had recently given her, Faust had already guessed what it was.
"Regarding the search task you entrusted to me earlier."
As expected.
Viviana lightly touched her full chest, which was clad in a black lining, and said, "After filtering and investigating the kingdom's entire household registry, I have found the person who meets your conditions. If it is convenient for you, we could go tomorrow morning..."
"That's great! Don't wait until tomorrow, let's head there right now!"
As this involved the witches' feast, Faust didn't dare delay for a second. He threw on his coat immediately and followed the young woman out of the palace.
After they boarded the carriage, Viviana rested her hands on her shapely thighs and said softly, "According to your instructions, I investigated the information of everyone in the royal capital, filtering through them layer by layer until I found someone who could fit into the shoe."
Hearing the young woman say this, Faust's heart grew even more fervent.
I knew Cinderella couldn't be that hard to find! Compared to that bunch of useless good-for-nothings under my command, they aren't worth one of Viviana's fingers. Look at her—she got it done in just a few days.
The prince of Qingxi couldn't help but clap his hands.
"Good, good, good! It had to be you, Vivian. You really didn't let me down!"
Viviana's eyelids lowered slightly, her violet eyes turning incredibly cold.
The girl took a deep breath and nodded. "...I have simply fulfilled my duty."
Faust was far too excited to notice that his childhood friend's tone had become quite icy.
A period of silence followed until the carriage stopped at a courtyard.
"We've arrived."
When Faust stepped out of the carriage, he realized they had reached the Roselin family mansion.
He wasn't confused, however; knowing Viviana's meticulous nature, she likely had brought Cinderella to her own home to protect her immediately.
"Your Highness, please follow me."
Viviana smoothed her skirt and spoke to Faust.
The prince followed the girl through the central courtyard, past the colonnade, and deep into the mansion.
But as they walked, Faust sensed something was wrong.
It was too quiet.
Granted, as high nobility of the kingdom, the Roselin family was known for their humility and simplicity; both the scale of their mansion and their daily expenses were quite ordinary, but it shouldn't be to the point where not a single servant could be seen.
This suspicion reached its peak when Faust followed her into a basement.
He scanned the surroundings. Brown wooden bookshelves stood tight against the walls, filled with various disorganized ancient texts and scrolls. White candles were placed on the table one after another, providing the only light for the dim basement.
The prince frowned. "Vivian, where are we? Where is the girl?"
The royal guard girl stopped walking. Having maintained a weird silence along the way, Viviana suddenly halted her steps.
"She is right here, Your Highness..."
Boom—
As soon as Viviana finished speaking, the door behind Faust slammed shut. Immediately after, spirit light overflowed from the gaps between the floor tiles, and several chains forged of concentrated mana instantly bound and imprisoned the prince.
Faust struggled a few times, finding that he was completely unable to break free from the chains' constraints. Even the occult relics on his person had all lost their effect. He was instantly struck with alarm.
"I'm here to see Cinderella! What are you doing?!"
A seizure of power? Usurpation? A coup?!
A series of thoughts flashed through Faust's mind, but each one seemed unbelievable, unable to convince the prince at all.
Facing her monarch's anger and shock, the girl remained calm. She simply turned around, and while undoing her hooded cloak, she said peacefully:
"I am merely following your orders, bringing you to see the person you were looking for."
Faust's heart skipped a beat. He swallowed hard and asked, "...So, where is she?"
Viviana took a shoe out of a cabinet to answer the prince's question.
It was the brilliant and exquisite crystal shoe, the very prop Faust had given her to find Cinderella.
Viviana took off her white boots, then removed the over-the-knee socks that covered her shapely calves, and slid her jade-like foot into the crystal shoe.
It was a perfect fit, without the slightest discrepancy.
Viviana was Cinderella! Cinderella was Viviana!
Boom—
It was as if a heavy hammer had smashed into Faust's chest. His breath hitched as he stared wide-eyed at Viviana, stammering, "But... but..."
The ironclad truth was right before his eyes, yet Faust still couldn't connect his childhood friend with the Cinderella of that night.
"Oh, that's right. Only like this will you be able to recognize me."
As if remembering something, Viviana lowered her head and took a deep breath before looking up again.
The golden-haired girl's aura changed abruptly. She lifted her beautiful face and said to Faust, "Your Highness, you really did find me. No, I should say I have found you."
That pure and sweet smile struck Faust, leaving him dazed.
Yes, this was it! This was the Cinderella he had seen that night!
At the moment he saw her, it was as if a sealed memory had been unlocked, and he immediately recalled Cinderella's image.
And comparing it to Viviana, Faust realized there was fundamentally no difference in their appearance; they were one and the same!
"As expected, Your Highness..."
The golden-haired girl's eyelids lowered. She walked up to Faust and gently leaned her head against the man's shoulder, a bitter smile showing her immense sadness and desolation.
"Do you... loathe me that much?"
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