Cinderella

Faust hesitated. "We... have we met before?"

The young girl smiled and shook her head, her golden hair swaying with the movement.

"Mhm, it is only me who knows you... in various ways. As for you, this should be the first time you have seen me."

Faust wanted to ask more, but the mysterious girl leaned in close. Her dainty nose twitched as if she were trying to carve the intoxicating scent of the man's pheromones into her heart.

"Heh heh heh..."

She let out a satisfied sigh and closed her eyes, making a contented, cat-like sound. It was as if she were humming a tune, enjoying the intimacy and tranquility of the moment.

Faust had no choice but to coordinate his steps with hers, waiting for the dance to conclude.

However, her stamina seemed bottomless. She showed no intention of stopping, dancing song after song. It wasn't until the night grew thick and the hour approached dawn that the golden-haired girl finally separated from him, her reluctance evident.

"Time is up. I must return."

The girl wound a strand of hair from her shoulder around her pale finger, an expression of deep regret on her face.

"Can't you stay a bit longer?"

Faust tried to keep her; he had barely spoken a few words to her yet.

The mysterious girl lowered her eyelids slightly, saying nothing.

Seeing this, Faust could only sigh. "What a pity. Then, let me see you off."

Yet, even this reasonable request was met with a refusal. The girl shook her head gently and said gloomily, "Though I wish I could invite you home with me, at that time... you would not like me."

She immediately lifted her hem, turned, and left, practically fleeing as she leaped into the carriage.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

The unicorn immediately drove the carriage away from the palace with a speed that no ordinary horse-drawn carriage should possess.

Faust gave chase at once, only to stop at the palace gates.

Before his very eyes, that unicorn carriage crashed headlong into the perimeter wall and vanished amidst a series of ripples.

Just then, Yusewood walked over. The princess's sea-blue eyes fixed on the ruts left by the unicorn carriage, which were still shimmering with flecks of light.

"It is 【mystery】..."

"【mystery】?"

Faust felt a flash of realization upon hearing his sister's words.

What was called 【mystery】 was the element that gave this world its 'fantasy' color. It could be an innate talent sought within, a craft honed to perfection, a wondrous and strange tool, or a blessing bestowed by a fairy... all extraordinary things could be termed 'mystery.'

A high warlock like Yusewood naturally needed no explanation. Even Faust himself had received a sovereign's inheritance from his esteemed foster father, making him a genuine aristocrat of occultism.

But 【mystery】 was also divided into ranks and types. In the current situation, Faust was completely unable to analyze it. On the path of 【mystery】, he followed the 【hero】 route passed down by the old king's lineage.

It was a highly orthodox and traditional mystery inheritance, specializing in the ways of governance, conquest, and subjugation.

However, in terms of scholarly knowledge, he was far inferior to a warlock.

"Sister, can you tell which path this mystery belongs to? Or can you track it directly?"

Yusewood rubbed the glowing dust left by the unicorn carriage with her pale fingers and shook her head.

"It is a considerably profound mystery. I cannot interfere with or understand it."

The silver-grey haired princess was no ordinary warlock; she was a high warlock with immense attainments on the path of mystery. It could be said that if Yusewood were not a member of the royal family, it would have been difficult for the Qingxi Kingdom to even secure her services.

For a 【mystery】 to be beyond her analysis, its specifications were truly extraordinary.

"You like that girl?"

Yusewood looked at him from the side. The silver-grey haired princess's gaze remained as calm as ever, and her clear, cool voice made it impossible to discern any emotion.

"Is it that obvious?"

Faust smiled and pressed a hand to his chest, admitting it frankly. "Yes. It has been a long time... no, I should say I have never felt such a fluttering of the heart. This joyful mood is truly rare."

Yusewood said slowly, "Your state is a bit unusual... is it really just a craving for her beauty?"

"Though I once said you act like an uncivilized monkey when you are in heat, no matter how much you indulge in pleasure, you have always known your limits. You said it yourself: a wise man never falls in love."

When Faust associated with the noble ladies in the capital—whether they were pure and lovely, mature and charming, or dignified, energetic, holy, or youthful—the prince's attitude had always been the same from start to finish.

'I’m just here to clear out the stock with you sluts!'

It seemed unlikely that such a man would be so captivated.

"Is beauty alone not enough?"

Hearing his sister's doubt, Faust felt a sudden surge of displeasure and countered subconsciously, "Thank you for your concern, sister, but I am ninety or even a hundred percent certain that she is my destined partner!"

Yusewood said flatly, "Did you not say you wanted to find a princess who could bring allies and support to the kingdom?"

"Uh..."

Mentioning this, Faust also froze for a moment, seemingly realizing that this conflicted deeply with his past ideals. The prince frowned and thought for a long time before finally squeezing out a sentence.

"It does not necessarily have to be a foreign princess. The key lies in value. Her mystery talent is so high that if the position of queen can exchange for a grand warlock for the kingdom, then it is not a loss."

"In short, she is different!"

Perhaps feeling that this reason was not convincing enough, Faust then left in a hurry on the pretext of having official business to handle, fearing that the silver-grey haired princess would continue to question his conviction.

"Hmm... is that so?"

Yusewood lowered her eyelids slightly. Her beautiful, sea-blue eyes watched Faust's departing figure as she shook her head.

.....................

The ball held by the king to select a consort for his heir was not just a one-day event, but a three-day grand festival open to the entire kingdom.

However, while it was said to be the entire kingdom, in reality, only the two hundred thousand people of the Qingxi capital had the chance to arrive.

But that was not a small number either. The population of the entire Qingxi Kingdom was less than five hundred thousand. Even in this fantasy world filled with many kingdoms, it was considered a small country with few people. Consequently, the number of nobles in the kingdom was also small, and they were all fairly well-acquainted.

The position of the crown prince's consort was something every noble family flocked to. In the entire Qingxi Kingdom, any unmarried girl with even a bit of self-confidence vied to attend the banquet and compete.

And then they all became background scenery.

On the second night of the ball, the mysterious girl continued to arrive at midnight and leave when the sky began to brighten.

During this time, the prince only danced with her. The other beautiful noblewomen held zero presence in Faust's eyes.

Seeing this, many women at the ball were greatly disappointed.

No one expected to win the prince's heart anymore. Any onlooker could see that Faust's mind was entirely on that mysterious golden-haired girl.

On the final night of the party, Faust arrived at the edge of the dance floor early, talking absentmindedly with the guests while occasionally glancing outside the palace gates.

Dong, dong, dong—

Finally, after the bell rang, that magnificent carriage drawn by the unicorn appeared in his vision once again.

Faust glanced at his watch. It was exactly three-quarters past eleven.

The prince naturally stepped up to the carriage and extended his hand just as the door opened.

"Prince!"

A slender, jade-like hand rested in the prince's palm. The girl leaped down, throwing herself into Faust's arms and spinning playfully once before stepping down.

The mysterious girl had changed into a brand-new dress, yet it was still unbelievably gorgeous and dreamlike, highlighting her otherworldly beauty to the fullest. A smile played on her soft, charming face.

"I kept you waiting."

"No, you arrived right on time."

Faust bowed elegantly and took her hand, leading her to the dance floor square.

The girl's full chest pressed tightly against the prince as their fingers intertwined. The two of them seemed like a couple in the heat of a passionate love.

"Since the night we first met, I have been thinking of you day and night. No matter how many times I look at you, I feel I can never be satisfied."

Faust stared fixedly at the girl's beautiful face and spoke softly.

Feeling the prince's burning gaze, the mysterious girl's cheeks seemed to flush with a slight crimson.

"I feel the same way, looking forward to meeting you... it is like a dream."

The golden-haired girl murmured to herself, "That someone like me could actually dance with the prince."

The dim yellow lights on the square hit the girl's cheeks, making her already otherworldly beauty look even more dreamlike.

Just looking at this beautiful scenery, Faust felt his breath catch. He couldn't help but grab the girl's shoulders.

"What do you mean 'someone like you'? If you wish, after the ball ends, you can stay in the palace. No... I mean, you can stay forever. This ball, it is only for you..."

Before the prince could finish, the girl frowned and shook her head.

"The charm I display will vanish completely after this ball. You would not like my original appearance. It is so gray and ridiculous, so repulsive to you..."

"How is that possible!"

Faust interrupted, clutching his collar. "Whatever your status, whatever you look like, it doesn't matter!"

"Your existence makes me happy, more than anything else in the world!"

Hearing this, the girl's violet eyes lit up slightly, and a heartbreaking melancholy appeared in her expression.

"Prince... hearing you say that truly makes me happy. Although it is a bit greedy, I would like another kiss. May I?"

"...Of course."

The prince would naturally not refuse such a request. In fact, he had long wanted to be close to her, but out of a sense of cherish, he hadn't dared to overstep.

Faust leaned down, suppressing the heart thumping wildly in his chest, and shared a light kiss with the golden-haired girl.

The girl's lips were cool and soft. The moment they touched, Faust's mind went blank, as if he had become a clueless, inexperienced boy, at a loss for what to do.

Thus, he could only let the mysterious girl take the lead, but she was visibly even more clumsy and inexperienced.

She had no idea how to conduct a proper kiss, just rubbing her lips against his randomly and calling it a kiss.

But even so, the mysterious girl was very satisfied with this child's play of a kiss. Her eyes crinkled into crescents as she smiled. "Ah... this memory is enough to last me a lifetime. Let it be, prince. I am not yet prepared to go further."

After speaking, she turned to leave, departing with the same decisiveness as the previous two nights.

"Wait... Wait!"

Faust snapped out of it like waking from a dream. Looking at the girl's back, he suddenly grew anxious.

The carriage drawn by the unicorn was clearly a high-level mystery vessel. Rumor had it that such vessels traveled through the void of the spirit realm, and mundane means could never track them.

If he let the mysterious girl leave, it would be too difficult to find her later. How could Faust allow such a thing to happen!

The prince let out a roar and immediately lunged forward, but the girl consciously maintained the distance. She tilted her head slightly and gave a meaningful smile.

"Since you desire me so much, then come find me. If it is you, you will surely be able to find me, right?"

Crack—

Just before leaping onto the carriage, one of the girl's dance shoes accidentally fell off.

However, to leave as quickly as possible, she could no longer worry about it. The carriage accelerated, breaking through the encirclement of the palace guards and charging straight into the void, vanishing without a trace.

"She still left..."

Faust looked at the empty road and let out an unwilling sigh, then picked up the dance shoe the girl had left behind.

The mysterious girl had attended in a different outfit every night, but no matter the night, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Not just the dresses, but the dance shoes were changed again and again.

On the first day, the girl wore boots as bright as silver. On the second, they were gold-colored high heels. And today, it was a dance shoe that looked like it was made of crystal.

Stroking this smooth crystal shoe, Faust fell into deep thought.

He definitely didn't want to give up easily. If the mysterious girl didn't take the initiative to appear again, he would go look for her. Right now, only this dance shoe served as a clue.

In that case, he would try and see who could fit into this dance shoe. Even if he had to dig three feet into the entire kingdom's soil, he would...

Just as Faust was about to make a firm resolution, he suddenly shuddered, his red-brown pupils expanding slightly.

Wait. Prince... dance shoe... mysterious girl at a banquet...

Cin... Cinderella?!

Dong—

When the familiar elements converged in his mind, it was like surfacing from deep water, or like the tolling of a great bell. The prince suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

"Prince!"

Seeing the prince stumble as if about to fall, the attendants around him frantically supported him and sent Faust back to his bedroom.

Originally, they wanted to call for a physician, but Faust refused. After dismissing everyone, the prince sat on the edge of the bed, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked grimly at the crystal shoe in his hand.

He reviewed his experiences over the past three days, and his back broke into a cold sweat.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

The moment he saw that 'Cinderella,' he was like a man possessed. His mind was filled with her image; he couldn't eat or sleep, tossing and turning.

He had even cast his own principles aside, completely turning into a brain-dead lover. Was this normal?

Love at first sight? Stop joking; he read Schopenhauer!

Even if the other party perfectly matched his tastes, Faust would never give up his reason and self-respect to be such an excessive simp.

Furthermore, even though they had only just parted, if Faust tried to recall the face of that 'Cinderella' now, he found himself completely unable to remember what she looked like.

Considering this was a fantasy world, Faust had plenty of reasons to believe that someone had played a dirty trick on him!

But it shouldn't be possible. Although the Qingxi Kingdom was a backwater, as a member of the royal family, Faust carried items specifically designed to protect against mystery. Even if they couldn't block it, they should have at least given a warning.

Not to mention Yusewood, a high warlock close to the rank of grand warlock, was present. Even if it were fairy magic, she should have been able to sense it. How had he been hit so silently?

Just as Faust was completely baffled, he felt the location of the sigil on his arm grow hot. Along with it, a whisper sounded in his ear, a voice like a song drifting from a misty distance.

【Son of man, you have awakened from the charm, I see.】