Viviana

When Mephistopheles saw what Faust had written on the paper, the spirit spared no praise:

【Fate is not something so easily fathomed. Even an awakened one instinctively maintains a sense of awe, unable to guess the trajectory of destiny due to fear and confusion. Yet you... it is as if you knew the whole picture from the start, showing no sign of folly.】

'If you put it that way, then I truly did know the whole picture in advance. I never expected that, after all this time, I would actually have a sort of foreknowledge in this regard,' Faust thought.

Faust smiled and asked, "Mephistopheles, do you also think my summary is correct?"

【Who knows? We fairies do not speculate on fate, let alone pass judgment—especially regarding the fate of a witch... However, since you were able to break free from a witch's destiny, I shall trust your judgment.】

Mephistopheles's ethereal tone seemed to carry a hint of deeper meaning, but Faust simply took it as a gesture of agreement and stood up to stretch.

By now, the sky had brightened. A soft morning glow spilled through the window into the bedroom; Faust had actually gone the entire night without sleep.

Of course, after the barrage of events from the previous night, it was impossible to feel sleepy.

The prince put away his notes and then left the bedroom carrying the crystal shoe.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness! Are you alright?"

"Did you... not rest at all last night?"

"............"

As soon as Faust stepped out the door, he was surrounded by a group of attendants in the corridor. Looking at them, they had likely stood guard there all night.

It was not hard to understand. After all, the lives and honors of these subordinates were tied to him; they could not afford for any harm to come to him.

"There are no official duties today, Your Highness. You could rest a bit longer," the attendants advised, observing Faust's complexion.

Faust waved them off and smiled.

"I already said I am fine. On the contrary, I feel excellent right now. In fact, I have a task for you that will keep you quite busy."

His subordinates quickly pledged their loyalty.

"Please give us your orders. We will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"It is nothing so extreme. I want you to go and bring me my princess consort."

"Yes, sir. Which family's daughter do you favor? We shall make the preparations immediately."

Faust held up the crystal shoe and said, "The person who can wear this shoe shall be my princess consort."

"?"

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

Even though they felt the prince's request was somewhat abstract, Faust’s bureaucrats obeyed regardless.

There was no 'why.' Does a prince need to explain his choice of a bride? This was merely a small whim of power.

Before Faust had awakened, he already had the thought of searching every inch of the land for Cinderella; now, he was simply putting it into practice.

And before "Cinderella" had departed, she had also hinted for him to take the initiative to find her.

In short, to further advance the "script," it was necessary to find the other party. After much consideration, Faust decided to continue pretending he was still under a charm.

He made no secret of his goal to find the mysterious young woman from that night throughout the entire kingdom. Even though those in the know understood the situation, the number of applicants was endless.

After all, the prince only said the one who could wear the shoe would be the princess consort; he did not specify who it was.

Could a promise made by royalty be broken?

It did not even have to be a noble. If a commoner could seize this opportunity, they had the chance to become the princess consort.

No matter how custom-made it was, a shoe was the kind of object that would eventually fit someone; there was nothing wrong with this opportunistic thinking.

Thus, long lines formed before the palace. One after another, beautifully dressed and radiant young women arrived with confidence, firmly believing they were the lucky girl of destiny.

However, to everyone's astonishment, out of the hundred or so people who tried, not a single one could put on that crystal shoe.

The shoe size clearly looked normal, yet when it came time to try it on, all sorts of issues arose.

Either the toes were crushed, or the heel wouldn't fit in. In short, it was incompatible no matter what.

Every failure was met with utter devastation; some wept bitterly, some fainted, and others let out a roar, attempting to lunged toward Faust...

Even worse, some directly sliced off their own heels and toes, attempting to put on the dancing shoe regardless of the streaming blood.

"No! Let me try again! Let me try again!"

"I am the future princess consort! I am!! Hahaha!!"

"Your Highness! Your Highness! Do you see? I put it on!"

"............."

After such self-mutilation, they indeed managed to force it on, but the palace attendants couldn't bear to look.

They looked at the Prince of Qingxi and said awkwardly, "Your Highness, this..."

Faust frowned and waved his hand.

"What an outrage. Take her away! Secure the site; I do not want to see this happen again!"

After forcibly prohibiting any self-harming behavior, Faust temporarily left the scene. He realized that if he remained there, the atmosphere would only become more fanatical.

"There is definitely something wrong."

The prince rubbed his chin and pondered.

"Even if I am popular, they shouldn't be this insane. Is this also part of a witch's destiny?"

Faced with such a chaotic scene, Faust could only associate it with the influence of the witches' feast. Much like how he had been hopelessly infatuated with Cinderella before, it had the effect of distorting people's hearts without any logic.

"By the way... besides being a darling of fate, how is a witch in terms of personal strength?"

Faust suddenly thought of a crucial element and asked the fairy.

If it was said that common 【hero】 characters had the power to establish great feats, then a 【witch】 should be similar, right?

【That is hard to say. Fate only grants a witch the highest specification of 【mystery】, ensuring they will definitely obtain happiness. Some can turn the world upside down, while others remain simple country girls their entire lives. Regardless, I suggest you still watch your safety.】

Faust blinked. "What do you mean? Am I in any life-threatening danger?"

【I am merely remarking that witches from ancient times to the present have all had quite... difficult personalities.】

Mephistopheles spoke in riddles; for a fairy, this was already a subtle hint.

"Will I die?"

【Quite possibly.】

Faust nodded silently, signaling he understood.

Previously, he hadn't placed much importance on his personal safety. After all, Faust was an occult noble. Usually, even peerless experts capable of moving mountains and filling seas would have to show him some respect.

'To be safe, I should get a guard.'

Just as Faust was thinking this, an attendant beside him stepped forward and whispered:

"Your Highness, Lady Viviana has arrived."

"Ha, she arrived at just the right time."

Faust's lips curled slightly as he immediately looked up.

He saw his personal guard walking straight toward him.

It was an extremely beautiful figure. Silver light armor covered her arms and knees, while the front of her black lining was stretched taut by a high, full chest, standing tall in a proud manner that defied gravity.

Her cloak bore the Qingxi emblem embroidered in gold thread, and a pale blue belt circled her slender waist. Her rounded, slender, and incredibly straight legs were encased in tight trousers.

As for the girl's face, most of it was hidden by the hood attached to her cloak, leaving only the lower half visible. Even so, from that snowy-white, exquisite chin and beautiful nose, one could glimpse that she was undoubtedly a girl of stunning beauty.

In fact, it was true. As her childhood friend, Faust was the best person to attest to that.

"Good day, Your Highness."

The guard stopped before the prince and placed a hand lightly over her full, high chest in a greeting. Strands of slightly wavy, pale golden hair escaped the gaps of the hood and fell loosely over her shoulders.