As the person involved, Faust could swear that the blazing fire in Cinderella's eyes was no joke.
This state was absolutely abnormal. One had to know that the original Viviana could be described with many virtues.
Diligent, capable, elegant, upright, and decisive...
Viviana almost never revealed her inner heart, always maintaining a cold and melancholy posture.
Even Faust thought his childhood friend was naturally indifferent; he had never imagined that such deep obsession was brewing within her.
Ten years of accumulated longing, lust, resentment, and hatred... the Cinderella born from this, even if she wasn't a second personality in the truest sense but merely a mask, was terrifying enough.
Faust doubted he could withstand it. After all, Viviana's path, the 【royal guard knight】, was a fairly ancient 【hero】 class. This path didn't have many special features other than having exceptionally cold attributes.
He was afraid he was about to witness a level of suppression beyond his imagination (sadly).
"What are you saying?"
Cinderella smiled sweetly, biting his earlobe.
"It was clearly Your Highness who said you would find me. It was Your Highness who seduced me first, so you must take responsibility."
The girl spoke words that made the Qingxi prince shudder in an incredibly soft and gentle tone:
"Anyway, didn't you used to order Viviana around like a maid? In that case, let me take care of everything for you. You just need to look at me, look at me... just keep looking at me."
"Viviana will accept your demands without limit, and I will only make demands of you without limit. It's fair, isn't it?"
Faust's face was pale. "Can we reach a settlement?"
"At this very moment? Your Highness, you must be joking, right?"
Smiling, Cinderella tied her long hair into a ponytail behind her head and crouched down.
....................
In the basement of the Roselin family mansion, a place where no signal could reach and where no one could find them.
This was originally Viviana's private laboratory, but at this moment, it had become a 'prison.'
The prince had come to endure the torment normally.
Don't misunderstand—it wasn't because Cinderella bore him any ill will.
In all honesty, Viviana wasn't some terrifying yandere after putting on the Cinderella mask.
At least in Faust's eyes, Cinderella couldn't be called a yandere; her behavior was more like that of a simple, beautiful girl in love.
She was just too repressed.
As if wanting to reclaim all the romance and sweetness she had lacked, in this tiny world of the basement, Cinderella did exactly what she said she would.
Demands.
Unlimited demands.
At times, she would kiss Faust's skin and cheeks, whispering in his ear to confess her love;
At times, she would lean shoulder to shoulder with Faust, holding a book of poetry to share her favorite lines and plays;
At times, she would play the piano or pull at the strings, singing softly in the man's ear with a voice as beautiful as a nightingale's;
At times, she would cook the pastries and dishes Faust liked, feeding them to him mouth-to-mouth, bit by bit;
.....................
Every minute, every second, had to be spent with her beloved.
On the sofa, on the bed, in the bathroom, under the dining table... in every place and time that should or should not be, she demanded greedily and insatiably.
As if she had obtained a long-dreamed-of treasure, Cinderella played with it beautifully and incessantly, clinging to him like glue.
It sounded like it might be acceptable; after all, Faust was no ordinary man.
Possessing the 【monarch of greed】 occult trait, no matter how terrifying the demands, it should have been a paradise in front of him.
But things were not that simple.
While Cinderella's care could be described as meticulous, she absolutely did not allow Faust to ignore her.
Just as she had said before, she wanted Faust to look at her always, whether it was love, hate, affection, or disgust—it all had to be conveyed to her.
This meant the poor Qingxi prince could hardly rest. Countless times, just as Faust's eyelids drooped, he would be jolted awake by bright lights or loud noises.
Sometimes, as soon as hot water entered his mouth, Faust would fall asleep, but when he woke up, the water was still warm.
"I'm begging you, let me sleep for a while. Just a little while. I'll agree to whatever you say after I wake up."
Faust looked at the childhood friend sitting in his lap and spoke weakly.
Her pale golden hair draped down in a messy, lazy fashion. Cinderella tilted her head with a confused look in her eyes, but then lowered her head again to suck on the prince's collarbone.
Fine, in this state, Viviana probably didn't have much reason left. Pleading was useless; he could only wait until she completely calmed down.
'How long has it been?'
'Since Viviana skillfully laid her interlocking traps and Faust mistakenly entered the subterranean hall, three months have already passed.'
Mephistopheles's schadenfreude-filled voice surfaced in his mind, making Faust give a bitter laugh.
'It's actually been that long? Well, at least it hasn't been years.'
Being confined in the basement all day, Faust had almost lost his sense of time.
Cinderella had openly taken him away from the palace. Logically, it should have attracted attention. Being discovered the next day would be considered slow, let alone three whole months.
The regent prince and his personal guard had vanished from the face of the earth for three months. Did the entire country not have even a single reaction?
Faust almost wanted to curse his subordinates as a bunch of useless fools—if Viviana weren't a witch.
But because she was a witch, there really was no way around it.
After all, a witch is a favorite of fate. The common logic of the world is something they can cross at will. Especially when they are within a fate script, everything they do seems to have divine assistance.
Don't ask; the answer is that the plot requires it, so twisting the laws of nature and the will of the human heart is a trivial matter.
'You don't seem very resentful, despite being treated like this.'
"It is indeed difficult, but it's not Viviana's fault."
Faust shook his head. Even though he had suffered what could be called inhuman torment, he didn't feel the slightest resentment toward Viviana in his heart.
Putting himself in her shoes, Viviana's actions were completely understandable. Faust's previous insults to her were a hundred times worse than this!
'So, it's your fault?'
"It certainly can't be my fault either!"
Faust ground his teeth, expressing that he would absolutely not take the blame.
The Qingxi prince had one virtue: he never engaged in self-internalization. He immediately found the culprit.
"It's all fate's fault!"
If not for the influence of the wheel of destiny, how could he have failed to notice Viviana's feelings? How could he have treated his childhood friend so harshly? And how could so much resentment have accumulated in Viviana's heart?
Viviana was clearly such an elegant and well-behaved girl, yet under the mockery of fate, she was driven mad by repression.
Sigh, how can fate be so wicked!
'Even if you blame fate again, it is merely an abstract concept that cannot accept your resentment. Or perhaps... do you intend to commit an act of fate-defying blasphemy?'
Mephistopheles's tone was somewhat subtle. Rather than accusation or warning, it seemed to carry a faint hint of expectation, as if hoping Faust would become a fate-defier.
The Qingxi prince replied without hesitation:
"If resisting being played with and twisted like this is called defying fate, then I really must defy it!"
However, the prince was truly too sleepy, and even his thoughts were becoming sluggish, unable to think much further.
Even though he knew he would be startled awake, he couldn't help but close his eyes.
................
When Faust regained consciousness again, the first thing he felt was a sense of comfort and satisfaction overflowing throughout his body.
Even with the 【monarch of greed】 trait, not being able to rest properly for so long had left Faust frustrated beyond belief.
Wait, I actually fell asleep?! No, I should say I was actually allowed to fall asleep!
Faust immediately became alert after a brief moment of daze. Opening his eyes, he saw a tranquil and soft face. The girl's eyes were tightly closed, beautiful as a painting.
And he was resting his head on a pair of elastic, firm, and rounded thighs.
"Viviana!"
Faust's movement caught the girl's attention. When she opened her eyes, the Qingxi prince felt relieved instead.
Because those beautiful purple eyes were no longer as hot as a blazing fire, but were as calm and melancholic as usual.
That exquisite and soft face no longer wore the sweet smile that made his heart tremble; she had returned to the static beauty that Faust was most familiar with, like a doll or a painting.
It meant that at this moment, Viviana was no longer in her Cinderella form.
After understanding this, Faust spoke in a tone of relief:
"You're finally awake?"
"I'm sorry."
Her pale golden bangs could not hide the girl's gaze. Viviana nodded gently to Faust:
"She went too far. It was simply tormenting you, even though I didn't want to hurt you no matter what..."
Divine Sunderer!
The first thing Viviana said to Faust was to make a clean cut between who she was yesterday and who she was today.
As if the Cinderella who had wanted to suck the marrow from Faust's bones over the past three months wasn't her.
Never mind whether Cinderella was just a mask for Viviana; even if it really was a 'second personality,' it made Faust laugh with anger.
You're done having your fun and now you won't take responsibility? Just forgetting about yesterday once the sun rises?
Viviana! I don't remember when you became like this!
Faust almost blurted out the retort, but having learned his lesson from last time, the prince swallowed the words at his throat and nodded instead:
"I know. After all, you're the good girl who considers companionship the most enduring confession of love. How could you have any bad intentions?"
The girl's dark purple eyes widened slightly. "Companionship... is a confession?"
"Yeah. During this time, I fully understood your heart."
Faust tried his best not to grind his teeth while saying this.
The knight girl's eyes lit up upon hearing the words she had long dreamed of. She helped Faust up and looked him over seriously, as if she were getting to know the prince all over again.
Viviana pressed a hand to her heart and said, "Your Highness, I'm very happy that you can say that... truly, very happy."
"So now, can we leave this place?"
Faust asked tentatively. Now that Viviana had vented ten years of accumulated emotions, there should be room for negotiation.
Upon hearing this, Viviana did not answer for a long time. After an eerie silence, the girl spoke:
"And then?"
"What?"
Viviana reached out to brush Faust's cheek, straightening his hair. Her naturally melancholic eyes looked even sadder:
"Once we leave this place, you probably won't keep up the act anymore. Your Highness, I know you too well. You can say any sweet words against your heart, and you can laugh off your own experiences."
"Perhaps in your heart, you've always thought I was an easy woman to handle, that as long as you asked, I would inevitably accept the task. But only in this matter, I do not want to follow your will."
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Faust... how can I believe that you've truly changed?"
So that's it. She doesn't trust me?
It was normal. Faust was aware of his own character, and Viviana, his childhood friend, knew him too well—sometimes even better than the prince knew himself.
Questioning his facade was perfectly logical. If he hadn't learned the truth, he really would have done exactly that!
Seeing Faust fall silent, Viviana's eyes instantly dimmed:
"If it means returning to those years where you used me as a tool and treated me coldly, then I'd rather continue to restrain you. At least your disgust and hatred can belong entirely to me."
"!!"
Faust was drenched in sweat.
If he couldn't convince her, it wasn't hard to imagine what would happen.
Even if the ending of Cinderella was harmonious and happy, being locked up for three or five years would be far too difficult to endure, and his great ambition would die before even starting.
Think! Quickly! Think of how to convince Viviana. He had to throw down a heavy enough weight to dispel all of the other party's doubts.
Vows of eternal love? But the girl had always seen through whether Faust's words were true or false; in the past, she just liked hearing them and didn't point it out, but that wouldn't pass in this situation.
Promises of wealth and glory? Don't make her laugh. If Viviana had the heart, it wasn't certain who would sit on the throne of the Qingxi Kingdom.
Perhaps even the position of prince consort wouldn't satisfy Viviana, because that was something Cinderella already had within her reach.
What other promise?! What other condition?! What else could prove his determination?!
Under immense pressure, Faust thought rapidly, and then... he came up with a perfect answer.
The prince took a deep breath and said:
"I will give up the throne."
"Ugh!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Viviana's eyes widened in disbelief. No matter how many guesses the girl had in her heart, she had never expected Faust to say that.
Faust continued:
"After we go out, I will give the position of heir apparent to my royal sister. I won't become the king of Qingxi; I'll just stay a prince forever."
Viviana's gaze locked tightly onto Faust's face, trying to find any sign of deception. She couldn't believe Faust would do such a thing.
But the pale gold-haired girl couldn't see a single lie. Based on her understanding of the prince, these words were indeed sincere, without a single bit of verbal trickery.
"Why?"
The knight girl bit her lip and couldn't help but ask:
"You would actually... pay such a price?"
No one knew better than Viviana what the throne and power meant to Faust. On how many late nights had Faust put in countless efforts just to become a great monarch?
In a sense, Faust's harshness and coldness toward her had been for that very reason.
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