When Faust emerged from the basement of the Roselyn estate and saw sunlight for the first time in three months, he felt like he'd stepped into another world.
As rude as it sounded, he genuinely felt like a prisoner who'd just been released.
It was a first for him. Faust clicked his tongue and immediately made his way from the estate back to the palace.
With the regent prince missing for three months, the palace was probably in complete chaos.
Sure, there was still the king, but his health had deteriorated to the point where he could barely handle state affairs anymore.
Besides, the old warrior-king's talent for governance left much to be desired.
Faust could hardly imagine what kind of mess he'd be inheriting, or how he'd explain his three-month disappearance to everyone.
He couldn't exactly tell them the truth, could he? That Viviana had pinned him down in a basement and thoroughly loved him for three months straight?
Yeah, some things were better left unsaid.
However, when His Highness stepped into the palace, he didn't encounter the chaos he'd expected. In fact, there wasn't even anyone there to greet him.
Even when servants and officials caught sight of him, they only gave him peculiar glances before hurrying off about their business.
This left Faust deeply confused. He headed toward the side hall where state affairs were handled, only to find someone completely unexpected there.
A cascade of silver-gray hair, an elegant and noble princess sitting in Faust's seat.
Her slender, jade-like hands traced lightly through the air, and glowing blue magical trajectories appeared, organizing and sorting various documents and letters.
The princess herself sat quietly working through the paperwork.
"Well, well. Looks like our crown prince has finally decided to drag himself out of his love nest."
Eleanor glanced up slightly, her sacred blue eyes fixed on Faust as she spoke coolly:
"You spent three months at the Roselyn estate. Even for a vacation, that's excessive."
Faust's brow furrowed deeply as he asked:
"Sister, you knew I was at the Roselyn estate? You've been handling state affairs this whole time?"
The silver-haired princess's eyelids lowered slightly, and her already cold gaze took on an edge of anger:
"...You irresponsibly dumped your work on me and ran off to fool around with Viviana. What, are you going to pretend you don't remember now?"
I genuinely don't remember!
Faust immediately realized there was a disconnect in their understanding and promptly shut his mouth.
Seeing this, Eleanor reined in her anger and stood up:
"I've handled all the trivial matters. The projects you care about, I've annotated those as well. They're on the desk."
With that, the silver-haired princess prepared to leave. Just as Faust was about to bow in farewell, Eleanor paused beside her brother.
"Though... this really surprised me."
Eleanor's sacred blue eyes shimmered with meaning as she gazed at the prince, her voice seemingly softening:
"Faust, I thought you cared deeply about power and position. I never imagined you'd actually get lost in the joy of romance..."
After Eleanor left, Faust immediately summoned his subordinates to investigate what had happened over the past three months.
After making his rounds of inquiries, Faust fell silent.
In everyone else's perception, he hadn't been tricked into going to the estate and imprisoned by Viviana.
Instead, he had voluntarily gone to see Viviana and spent day after day at the estate, playing around for three whole months!
What was even more bizarre was that in everyone's memory, they didn't recall any mysterious blonde girl appearing at His Highness's matchmaking ball.
Therefore, there had been no slipper-fitting selection event either.
How strange.
Faust had personally witnessed hundreds of self-harm incidents in a kingdom-wide matchmaking event that had made such a huge commotion, and now it had all been erased?
If it weren't for Mephisto's archived records and the bone-deep memories of those three months, Faust would've started questioning his own sanity.
"Damn... is this what fate is capable of? That's seriously insane."
Faust's expression grew grave. If even reality itself could be painted over and rewritten, what couldn't the Wheel of Fate twist and distort?!
Over the next few days, Faust worked to resolve the issues that had piled up over the past three months while considering how to fulfill the promise he'd made to Viviana: transferring his position as crown prince to Eleanor.
This was something he absolutely had to do, and he couldn't delay it at all.
The reason... Faust glanced at the knight girl standing beside him.
Viviana still wore that same inorganic, calm expression, as if the three months had left no mark on her whatsoever.
Though there were changes. For instance, the knight no longer used her hood to conceal her face, and the distance she'd once maintained with the prince of Aurum had clearly vanished.
The girl's arm pressed tightly against Faust's, almost deliberately pushing against him, forcing His Highness to wrestle with her just to maintain his balance.
We're number one in the world.jpg
Faust tentatively asked: "So... Viviana, are you okay now? I mean, how is 'she' doing?"
After being loved by "Cinderella" for three months, while Faust didn't feel fear or resentment, it was impossible to say he had no psychological scars.
When Viviana wore that mask, she dared to ignore and trample all laws and taboos.
She only wanted to pour out her love and possess her beloved, that pure, burning intensity impossible to reason with, it gave Faust endless headaches.
Just thinking about Cinderella possibly reappearing to drag him off again nearly made Faust cry.
Love-Faust District, you win!
Hearing this, Viviana tilted her head and lightly stroked her full, prominent chest:
"There's no problem anymore. As long as Your Highness doesn't act like before and can follow through on the changes you promised, she probably won't appear again."
The knight girl's purple eyes were gorgeous and clear, carrying the faintest hint of a smile.
But the meaning between the lines was crystal clear.
Terrifying. What kind of threatening ultimatum was this?
Faust understood his childhood friend's hint and his mouth twitched.
This wasn't right. When did his considerate, well-behaved childhood friend become like this? Or had she been hiding her true nature all along?
[Witches are inherently like this. Any witch, regardless of her background, her past, or what script she carries, their nature is self-centered and obsessive]
[This is why they're called witches. While I don't know where your speculation about fate came from, to the vast majority of mortals, witches are disasters that act on whim]
[Among the witches of ages past, those who could behave themselves were the minority. But if a script cannot be completed smoothly, a witch will unleash a storm. It's just that mortal history cannot record such truths]
Mephisto's words echoed in Faust's mind. Just as the prince of Aurum nodded thoughtfully, the fae suddenly added:
[This "Witch's Feast" you've been caught up in is probably over now... I suppose]
Hearing this, Faust's heart sank:
"What do you mean 'probably'? Don't tell me there's going to be some bonus content?"