"...Understood. Following orders."
The frost-walker seemed to determine that the Midwinter princess's authorization was at the highest level. After the black-haired girl spoke, it obediently followed its orders and departed, not forgetting to carry away the box containing the white horse's heart.
Once the autonomous construct had left, Selena beckoned to Faust.
"Also, Faust... Prince, do you intend to stay on the other side of the river forever? If so, you won't be able to be of any help to me."
Selena's words were undoubtedly an affirmative response.
Knowing he had been accepted by Snow White, Faust immediately stepped onto the water, easily crossing the narrow river.
As he observed 【Snow White】 up close, Faust was even more stunned by the girl's beauty.
It was a clear, enchanting charm that almost transcended the mundane. Though her face was devoid of makeup, a sense of forbidden temptation was wrapped within that extreme purity, as if she were... a vivid, poisonous apple.
Comparing her to a forbidden fruit couldn't be more appropriate.
While Faust's 'superego' thought of many artistic expressions, the reaction of his 'id' was much simpler.
To put it bluntly, he was standing at attention and craving some vanilla.
"Haven't you seen enough?"
Selena naturally noticed Faust's undisguised gaze. It really was... entirely the look of a male toward a female.
But the princess didn't feel disgusted; rather, she seemed to enjoy this greedy coveting, secretly pleased.
Snow White tucked a lock of hair behind her shoulder, letting the dark strands slide through her fingers.
"Few men dare to look me directly in the eye. If anyone else were this rude, their eyeballs would have been gouged out."
Faust smiled and nodded. "Then I thank you for your magnanimity, Your Highness."
Selena tilted her head to look at a nearby treetop and spoke slowly.
"Your Highness... Your Highness... You aren't a subject of the Midwinter Kingdom, so there's no need to call me that. We should be considered allies. You can just call me by my name, and I shall call you Faust. How about that?"
Oh? Moving straight to first names? That seems a bit forward.
Though I'm being quite forward myself.
Mephistopheles explained as if hearing Faust's inner thoughts:
【It is only natural. Those loved by a witch are simply loved by a witch. Even if you have awakened from fate, you cannot resist innate impulses in the end.】
【If anything, this isn't even the doing of fate, but rather your constitutions attracting one another.】
It truly was so. Based on Faust's shallow experience of being a prince for over a decade and wandering through fields of flowers—
Whether two people could fall in love was basically decided the moment they first laid eyes on each other; it was hard to change much after that.
Especially for women, if it's someone they like, they'll find everything that person does pleasing to the eye. If it's someone they dislike, every pore of that person reeks of filth.
There's no such thing as being a 'slow burner'; they're only 'slow' with people they don't like. They're just teasing you!
When they meet someone they like, they want to stick together immediately, all lovey-dovey and sweet.
So even though Faust had basically slapped Selena's face earlier and made Snow White lose a lot of pride, she still didn't mind continuing to deepen their relationship.
Come to think of it, isn't this so-called fairy tale world just female-oriented webnovel logic?
Sigh, female-oriented tropes.
Faust sighed inwardly, thinking that the status of a traditional overlord was probably taking another hit.
"Then... Princess Selena, no... Selena."
Faust grew accustomed to calling Snow White by her name.
The black-haired girl's face, as serene and beautiful as ice and snow, overflowed with satisfaction upon hearing her name from Faust's mouth. She crossed her arms and said:
"While I don't mind you continuing to be obsessed with my beauty, shouldn't we discuss the matter of our partnership?"
"Of course. Let's talk while we walk. What was that you mentioned before—the execution and the pursuit? What was that about?"
Faust gestured for Selena to lead the way as he asked.
Although he knew the script of the story of "Snow White," that was strictly for reference and didn't apply to this magically modified world.
He couldn't exactly treat the Disney princess version as gospel, could he? If he did, he'd have to start singing and dancing intensely.
"Ah, that. Well, it starts with the curse. Do you know what kind of curse the dragon cast upon the Midwinter Kingdom back then?"
Snow White walked with her hands behind her back, telling the story while being escorted by Faust, her "knight."
"Long ago, that dragon swept across the continent. When its wings shrouded the skies of Midwinter, the Midwinter princess of that time stood forth to face it. Though she was ultimately no match, she managed to actually wound the dragon... well, just a single scale."
Hoh, to be able to shake a true dragon, who holds the status of a deity, with a mortal body? That Midwinter princess was something else.
Faust had thought the dragon could only be killed through the mechanics of the 【brave one】. He hadn't expected a mortal to be able to wound a giant dragon.
"Ordinarily, the Midwinter Kingdom should have been destroyed by the enraged dragon and become one of the many nations driven to mass extinction. But for some reason, perhaps because the strength and will shown by that Midwinter princess moved the dragon, it didn't strike. Instead, it cast a curse upon the rebel."
As if she had experienced it herself, Selena looked up and softly repeated the dragon's curse:
"【O darlings of fate, do you dare show such precious will before me? Then let us see exactly how firm that will is. I curse you; I curse you to slay your own spirit, to slay your own bloodline over and over again! Suffer the agony of kin murdering kin!】"
"【I curse your kingdom to be shrouded in ice and snow, bit by bit, until all is silent! Until you surrender and take your own life, only then shall this cycle reach its end.】"
Even though she was only repeating the curse, Selena's expression was terrifyingly cold. Such hatred shouldn't have appeared on such a flawless face.
Faust asked, "So, the curse specifically refers to..."
"That Midwinter princess, who was still a virgin, 'gave birth' after the battle. No, 'split' would be the most appropriate description. The infant that fell from her was the continuation of the Midwinter princess's life."
Selena spread her hands and sneered.
"As her daughter grew, she would take away the life belonging to the mother. Eventually, guided by the curse, she would kill the mother and become the new queen, only to then split off her own offspring. Essentially, every queen of the Midwinter royal family throughout history has been the same person. The dragon's curse is to force the original Midwinter princess to undergo a thousand years of self-lingchi."
"To let her know that she can never protect the loved ones she wishes to save."
The black-haired girl glanced sideways, smiling at the Prince of Qingxi.
"The next queen destined for matricide is 【Snow White】. Well? Is the fantasy shattered?"
Learning the truth behind the dragon's curse, Faust remained silent for a long while before offering his evaluation:
"That's a bit too twisted."
Rate on N.U.
