Faust set down the documents and looked at Selena, waiting for her explanation.
The Snow White pressed her hand against the corsage on her collar and said faintly:
"Neither my mother nor I have ever sung in front of others, nor have we ever played any music. Our voices are enough to bewilder the human heart, driving those with weak wills into madness. The world sees it as a byproduct of the dragon's curse, unwilling and afraid to listen to our heavenly voices."
"As a result, the music in the river valley of the Midwinter capital has always lacked a truly beautiful melody. Alas, the curse that accompanies beauty is always constant."
Fine, I get it, you're truly beautiful. You don't need to keep emphasizing it.
Even though Selena was constantly boasting, Faust couldn't bring himself to criticize her narcissism.
Because... she really was that beautiful. How could such a beautiful girl exist in this world?
Human visual perception was laid bare before the Snow White; whatever she said felt right.
"...But even so, we naturally remember certain tunes that haunt our dreams. Perhaps they are things the first Midwinter princess remembered so deeply that she could never forget them. Looking at it now... they are the key to soothing the machine spirit."
Now that they knew how to soothe the machine spirit, Selena and Faust immediately set out to put it into practice. The sooner they tamed the frost-walker, the better; they were still being pursued, after all.
Although they had entered the 【Mountain Father】, the titans had explicitly stated they would not interfere in human struggles. It was unlikely they would stop the Queen's forces from coming in to join the fray.
With a clear goal and the help of the ancient search engine in the records room, they quickly found relevant entries among the vast sea of books.
"Annals of the Scorched Frost - Elegy of the Sacred Deity... So these tunes have such a name."
As Selena familiarized herself with the score, she pulled out a black-and-white bone flute from somewhere and twirled it between her fingers.
"I've almost got it. I'm going to practice once; you come over and accompany me."
Faust said in surprise, "I'm involved too? Just so you know, I haven't exactly studied music."
"Of course. If I don't have something beautiful before my eyes when I sing, I can't find the right emotions. Do you take me for a street performer? Someone who can just belt out a tune regardless of whether they have the desire to express themselves?"
Selena looked up, her silver eyes filled with disdain and dissatisfaction as she placed a hand on her hip.
"That's quite an insult. Can someone as lacking in refinement as you truly be called a knight who serves a princess?"
Faust bowed and said:
"My apologies, my Princess. If I were a jester, I would certainly echo your sentiments and say whatever makes you happy. But as your knight, I must speak the honest, if bitter, truth."
The Midwinter princess gave a satisfied hum, then brushed back her long hair, her slender fingers sliding through the dark strands.
"I need an eye-catching companion to accompany me. In the past, my mother took this role, and I would do the same for her. Now, I am entrusting this position to you."
Faust: "You and your mother seem to have a rather good relationship. That's a bit surprising."
"A good relationship... Yes, perhaps to outsiders, we are a royal family destined to kill one another, so our relationship should be cold and distant."
Selena smiled bitterly, stroking the bone flute.
"If we were truly enemies, then this so-called curse would be nothing more than that. I love my mother, just as she loves me. Even if we aren't a 'true' mother and daughter, but rather distorted existences under a curse, this familial bond... is never false! I remember every dusk spent on the balcony, discussing music, painting, and spells with her."
"Even knowing the final outcome, we still couldn't resist being close to each other. That feeling of hearts being intertwined is something no one else can understand."
Selena grit her teeth, looking at Faust with an incredibly sharp and determined gaze.
"That is why I will never allow myself to be led by the curse. If the moment truly comes where I might kill my mother, I hope you... can end my life beforehand."
The Snow White feigned composure as she added:
"Though it's not a death that fits my aesthetics, it can't be helped. At the very least, being killed by you is acceptable."
Faust first nodded calmly, then said:
"That won't happen. As long as you firmly refuse it, I will do everything in my power to achieve the result you desire."
Selena was stunned for a moment, then tossed the bone flute to the Qingxi prince.
"Faust, has anyone ever told you something?"
"Hmm?"
The Snow White walked to the window and sat down, propping her cheek with one hand.
"Don't make promises lightly, or someone might take them seriously. Or is it that you're so used to sweet talk that you can't help yourself?"
"Sweet talk... Alas, these days, no one believes the truth anymore."
Faust shook his head with a smile and picked up the flute.
"Just play whatever you like. I don't expect your prelude to be particularly pleasant. In fact, it's better if it's a bit grating; that will give me more of a desire to sing."
Her long, straight black hair fell like a waterfall, and her elegant white clothes traced the graceful curves of her slender body. Selena had a hint of a smile on her lips as she stared unblinkingly at her handsome knight.
Offering a humble prelude to invite a masterpiece, are we?
Faust ran his fingers over the bone flute and brought it to his lips—
Gradually, a melodious prelude rose, the tune soft and carrying a thread of melancholy.
"Oh, a dirge? Not bad. I quite like it."
Selena listened for a while, then closed her beautiful eyes.
"Only... why must it be so sad?"
She placed one hand on her chest and raised the other.
"Music is remembrance, a record, and a longing. Even if the song is mournful, I will not convey sadness—only being moved. Only that."
"My beauty is enough to move everything! Everyone, listen closely!"
After the prelude ended, the Midwinter princess began her chant with her eyes closed.
Hum—
The moment Selena opened her mouth, Faust felt his scalp tingle. An indescribable excitement pierced his mind, causing him to stop his accompaniment involuntarily and stare at the girl singing by the window.
It was an ancient song originating from a fragile soul, a tune filled with sensitive poetry and subtle grievances.
Sometimes melancholy and winding, other times passionate and stirring, the rhythmic female chant was holy and gentle, as if it were pulling the soul out, upward, and further upward...
Faust was completely immersed in Selena's singing, so much so that he didn't even notice a sigh echoing in his mind from Mephistopheles:
【This song... it's truly nostalgic.】
The Midwinter princess's voice was incredibly piercing. Not only Faust, but the frost-walkers around the villa also stopped in their tracks. The alchemical constructs transporting building materials stood still to listen.
And deep within the 【Mountain Father】, inside the hollowed-out warehouse, the titan frost-walkers who had retracted their massive bodies also lifted their visors, letting out a trembling sound that mindless objects should not possess:
"This is... the Elegy of the Sacred Deity..."
Rate on N.U.
