The pale-gold-haired girl raised her snow-white chin, staring intently at Faust.
Under the sunlight, wearing clothes she had sewn with her own hands, the charm of the Prince of Qingxi washed over her, nearly taking Viviana's breath away.
The girl's magnificent purple eyes shone brilliantly. She clutched the lining of her chest with one hand, suppressing the throbbing that felt like it would burst through her heart, and clenched her teeth.
"I regret it, Your Highness. I really don't want you to leave."
"!!"
Faust nearly fell off his horse upon hearing that.
Sister, don't do this to me. Everything is ready and just needs the final push. If the protagonist of the 【Cinderella】 script is unwilling, all of Faust's actions will become a joke.
You still want to back out? Get back here! You really have to live out your happy and joyful days!
"Vivian?! You're..."
Fortunately, Viviana was not a fickle person. Since she had promised Faust, she would not break her word no matter what.
She slowly shook her head. "Your Highness, I do not mean to stop you. It is just... how long do you plan to be gone? How am I to pass the time while missing you?"
"It won't be too long. From the Qingxi Kingdom to Midwinter, it only takes a month by the short route. Moreover, if any situation arises, I will summon you."
The pale-gold-haired girl furrowed her slender brows.
"The Midwinter Kingdom has long been quite mysterious. Even if you are an occult noble and should have immunity, you might still encounter accidents... For example, being forcibly imprisoned. At that time, how would I receive the message you send?"
I've only been illegally imprisoned by you for three months in my life!
Faust looked at the girl's pretty face, full of worry and concern for him, and nearly laughed out loud.
However, what Viviana said was not without merit.
Faust also held no hope for the stability of this trip. Perhaps in the story of Snow White, the "prince" only makes a cameo at the end, but this fairy tale world could be modified. Who knew what would happen?
Based on his understanding of the wheel of destiny in this world, this unseen "will of heaven" would never be so kind.
Moreover, Faust would not allow himself to be a mere insignificant supporting character on the stage!
Faust thought for a moment and said to Viviana, "Then how about this? It is only early spring now. One summer is enough to complete the journey. If I have not returned by then, regardless of whether I have sent a signal, you come find me."
With a clear agreement, the gloom on the pale-gold-haired girl's eyes instantly dissipated, and she nodded vigorously.
Viviana grabbed Faust's hand and said solemnly, "In autumn, I will go to fetch you."
Aside from Viviana being very reluctant, the farewells to others were much more mundane.
After all, it was a very common activity in this world for a prince to wander around outside like a vagabond; it wasn't worth making a fuss over.
Even Faust's adoptive father didn't even bother to come over for a look, merely dropping a sentence as a parting blessing: "It's about time you got some practice. When I was your age, I was already a world-renowned adventurer."
Regardless, Faust finally set off.
.............
While the Prince of Qingxi set out for the Midwinter Kingdom with high aspirations, he had no idea what a massive shockwave the proposal letter he sent just to have an excuse to leave had created.
Perhaps in Faust's view, the Midwinter Kingdom would simply reject this absurd request without hesitation, at most laughing at his insanity in the royal court.
But in fact, it was not such a trivial matter at all.
In the royal capital of the Midwinter Kingdom, even though this ancient capital was immense, surrounded by the flower seas and trickling streams of the river valley, it always exuded a quiet atmosphere.
At the highest point of the capital stood a solemn and magnificent castle. That was the residence of the royal family and the hub of the Midwinter Kingdom. On the last day of every week, the kingdom's ministers would come to the castle's council hall to discuss government affairs.
However, at this weekly routine meeting, the kingdom's ministers had fallen into an unprecedented panic.
Inside the audience chamber, ministers dressed in silver-threaded black robes were filled with distress, constantly wringing their hands and sighing.
"Why... why has it come to this..."
"We clearly blocked all the news! We kept the princess under house arrest for so many years! No outsider should have ever seen her!"
"But... but the prince of the Qingxi Kingdom indeed sent a proposal letter, in the form of an official state document, seeking to marry the princess."
"What kind of kingdom is Qingxi? A shabby little country that only became independent a few decades ago! What right do they have to seek to marry our princess?! Is that prince insane?!"
"It is precisely because it should be impossible that it proves we have failed. Even if we suppress all the news and almost erase the princess's existence, it cannot stop her fame from spreading!"
"..................."
Just as the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly pessimistic, a tall, elegant young man stood up, suppressing the agitation of the room.
"Everyone, please remain calm."
The Midwinter ministers looked at the man with medium-length dark green hair and said, "Lord Arcturus, you are the prime minister. What insights do you have regarding the current situation?"
In the Midwinter Kingdom, when the queen did not bother with affairs, trivial administrative matters were handled by the prime minister. The man before them was undoubtedly the backbone of the ministers.
The young-looking prime minister kept one hand behind his back and nodded to his colleagues.
"The current situation is clear. Although we are very reluctant to admit it, our original plan has failed."
"Regardless of the reason, the princess's existence is known to the outside world. There is even a foreign prince who has never seen Her Highness, yet he proposed marriage out of admiration for her beauty. Such an abnormal occurrence only proves that the curse is still in effect."
Arcturus let out a long sigh, shaking his head repeatedly.
"I dare not assert that the curse truly has no solution, but at least this time, we have lost."
The ministers all showed unwilling expressions.
"We already know all this, Lord Arcturus. The key is, what should we do next? Do you have a suggestion?"
"Of course I do! As things stand, there is only one way left."
Arcturus said without hesitation. He looked around at his fellow ministers, then took a deep breath, knelt toward the head of the audience chamber, and slammed his forehead heavily onto the smooth, even floor tiles.
The force was so great that it even left a striking bloodstain.
"I beg Your Majesty... to execute the princess!"
"........."
Behind the heavy black curtains, there was a very charming and mature silhouette. Long jet-black hair draped behind her like a waterfall, reaching the floor. A semi-transparent veil hung from the edge of a black crown on her forehead, obscuring the queen's features.
This meeting did not only consist of ministers; the ruler of the Midwinter Kingdom had been there all along.
Only, during the meeting just now, the queen had not said a word. It was only when Arcturus knelt and made his request that the Queen of Midwinter was forced to respond:
"Execute... my daughter?"
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