"I didn't ask it to do that!"
Confronted by the heart-throb of a handsome young man, Selena puffed out her cheeks and said:
"It acted on its own. If anything, I was against it."
"However..."
Snow White tapped her cheek with a fair, slender finger and paced back and forth:
"To say I bear no responsibility at all would be pretending to be far too virtuous. Although this frost-walker's duty was to execute me, it ultimately didn't. The reason it killed your horse was, in the end, to protect me."
"In that case, I do indeed bear some responsibility."
"Execute?"
Faust froze for a moment, immediately remembering what was going on.
So this was the node he had accidentally entered—the plot where the "Hunter" defies orders and spares Snow White.
Was the Hunter actually an autonomous construct? It was a bit surprising, yet it made sense.
Damn it, wasn't it supposed to be a beast's heart used as a substitute? How was my horse innocent in all this? It hadn't been put out to pasture for even a single day; it was a pure royal court horse.
But since it was a sacrifice for the witches' feast, there was no helping it. Rest in peace; the fate of a white horse is usually a one-way trip anyway.
Faust immediately pulled himself out of his grief over the dead horse. Truth be told, he hadn't developed that deep an affection for a mount he'd only ridden for a few days.
"Forget it, forget it. It wasn't you two who harmed it; it was these chaotic times that killed it."
Faust waved his hand and sighed:
"It was my own lack of supervision. On such a journey of tempering, a mount always runs the risk of encountering accidents. Even if you are ninety-nine percent in the wrong, do I not bear at least one percent of the blame?"
So reasonable?
Faust's change of face was simply too fast. One minute he was fuming, raging, and incensed over the death of his horse; now he was deeply reflecting on his own mistakes.
Such a stark contrast made Snow White stare in a daze. She then broke into a smile and performed a courtly bow toward Faust:
"How interesting... Let me introduce myself. I am the princess of the Midwinter Kingdom, Selena Midwinter."
"If we had met in the castle of the royal capital, I would have been more than happy to invite you to dinner. But unfortunately, I can't even guarantee my own safety right now."
Faust pretended to have just realized the girl's identity and said in surprise:
"A princess of Midwinter? That means... Snow White? Why would you say that? What happened to the Midwinter Kingdom?"
Selena didn't answer Faust's question. Instead, she observed him with a subtle smile:
"The formal entry process doesn't go through here. Looking at you, it seems you're trying to smuggle yourself into Midwinter? That's not very common."
Faust admitted, "I am indeed a smuggler of sorts."
Snow White arched a delicate eyebrow. "You look like a decent man. Why would you do such a thing?"
Faust clenched his fist and raised it, looking as if he were about to speak but stopped. He then lowered it and placed a hand over his chest:
"I forgot to introduce myself. I am Faust, a prince of the Qingxi Kingdom. I have come to the Midwinter Kingdom to demand an explanation from your court. My previous proposal was rejected far too hastily."
As soon as he finished speaking, Selena's clear silver eyes visibly brightened.
She took out the crumpled proposal letter, covered her mouth and nose with it, and said:
"Faust... is this letter the proposal you're talking about?"
Oh my god, you're actually carrying it with you!
Faust was suddenly a bit embarrassed. Although he had written the letter himself, to be honest, he hadn't expected Snow White to actually see its contents. He thought it would be good enough if the ministers of Midwinter didn't tear such an absurd, nonsensical proposal letter to pieces right then and there.
Noticing the embarrassment surfacing on the prince's handsome face, the smile on Snow White's face grew even more radiant.
"What a coincidence..."
Selena had originally intended to go see this proposing prince and see if he could catch her eye. As it turned out, before she could even set out, the man himself had appeared before her.
But that glimpse just now—it was more than just being pleasing to the eye. That electric thrill of excitement was something Snow White had never experienced in her life.
Even now, her heart was thumping with joy.
Although she hadn't seen many decent peers of the opposite sex, Selena possessed the inherited memories of generations of "Snow White." She held herself to very high standards and wasn't someone who would think highly of just any pretty face.
He had to be exceptionally good-looking.
Selena tilted her pretty face up, the pad of her index finger lightly stroking the envelope.
"Faust... prince of Qingxi, do you really like me that much? You not only wrote a special proposal letter but also traveled thousands of miles to smuggle yourself into Midwinter just to see me?"
The prince of Qingxi looked quietly at Selena. The black-haired girl's face was like a peach blossom in bloom; her extreme beauty, coupled with a hint of bashfulness and nobility, was enough to make anyone breathless with infatuation.
Following this development, it would be logical for Faust to admit it and express his adoration for Snow White.
Being a simp in a fairy tale world wasn't shameful. As long as you both genuinely liked each other, being a simp until the end would give you everything you wanted.
Of course, those who shamelessly clung to someone didn't count; in stories, they were just clowns used to highlight the female lead's beauty and charm, destined to be stepped on.
But Faust hesitated. He quickly weighed the pros and cons.
This Snow White... she doesn't feel like a good woman. She's not as well-behaved as Viviana.
【Witches weren't exactly 'good women' to begin with. The only reason you have a good impression of Viviana is because your childhood filters are too thick.】
Mephistopheles' snark made Faust deeply agree. Although he needed to borrow the power of a witch's fate-star, he wouldn't do anything just for favor. At the very least, in terms of their relationship, he needed to maintain a subtle position of superiority.
It wasn't a matter of male chauvinism; it was a matter of necessity.
If he truly became the princess's white knight, wouldn't he have to do whatever his lover said in the future, being completely submissive?
Forget about achieving overlordship; he wouldn't even be able to use the witch's fate-star to exploit a bug in the wheel of destiny. Even if he couldn't drive the witches as he pleased, he at least needed these proud daughters of heaven to be able to agree to his requests.
Viviana had already been more or less "adjusted." The knightly girl was a pure admirer of the prince, viewing the prince of Qingxi as the sole meaning of her life. As long as Faust didn't violate his promise from back then, Cinderella would be his most reliable support.
But this stranger, Snow White, didn't seem so innocent.
He could tell just by looking at her eyes. They... were the same kind of people.
"Princess Selena, I apologize."
Faust pondered for a moment before looking up and bowing to the royal daughter of Midwinter.
"There is something I must clarify with you. My proposal was not born entirely out of feelings of adoration; rather, it was mixed with some political considerations."
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