Chapter 6: Vivianna
When Mephistopheles saw what Faust had written on the paper, he did not stint in his praise:
【Fate is not something so easily fathomed. Even those who have awakened instinctively treat it with reverence, unable to trace its course because of fear and bewilderment. And yet you… are as though you knew the whole picture from the very beginning, without the slightest folly…】
If he put it that way, then Faust really had known the full picture in advance. Who would have thought that, after all this, he would count as clairvoyant in that regard?
Faust smiled. “Mephistopheles, then you also think my conclusion is correct?”
【Who can say? We fae spirits do not speculate about fate, much less pass judgment on it, least of all when it concerns a witch’s fate… Still, since you managed to break free from a witch’s fate, trust your own judgment…】
There seemed to be a deeper meaning hidden within Mephistopheles’s ethereal tone.
Faust simply took it as agreement. He rose to his feet and stretched lazily.
By now, the sky had already brightened. Gentle morning light streamed in through the window and spilled across the bedchamber. Faust had not slept the entire night.
Of course, after being battered by so many events in succession the night before, there had been no chance of feeling sleepy.
The prince put away his notes, then left the bedchamber with the crystal shoe in hand.
“Your Highness!”
“Your Highness! Are you all right?”
“You… were awake all night?”
“…” The moment Faust stepped outside, he was surrounded by a group of attendants in the corridor.
Judging by their appearance, they had likely stood watch here all night.
It was not hard to understand. The lives, honor, and futures of everyone under him were bound to his own. They could not afford for anything to happen to him.
“There is little official business today, Your Highness. You could rest a while longer.”
The attendants studied Faust’s complexion and tried to persuade him.
Faust waved a hand and smiled. “I already told you I’m fine. On the contrary, I feel excellent right now. In fact, I have something for you to do, and it will keep you quite busy.”
His subordinates immediately declared their loyalty. “Please give the order, Your Highness. We would brave fire and water without hesitation!”
“It is nothing so dramatic. I want you to bring me my princess consort.”
“Yes, sir. Which young lady of which house has caught Your Highness’s eye? We shall make the preparations at once.”
Faust raised the crystal shoe and said, “Whoever can wear this shoe will be my princess consort.”
“?”
…
Though they found the prince’s demand rather abstract, the bureaucrats under Faust still carried it out.
There was no need to ask why. Did the prince need to explain himself when choosing a bride? It was merely one small indulgence of power.
Even before his awakening, Faust had already harbored the thought of digging three feet into the earth to find Cinderella. Now he was only putting that idea into practice.
And before leaving, 「Cinderella」 had also hinted that he should come seek her out himself.
In any case, if he wanted to push the 「script」 forward, he had to find her. After much consideration, Faust decided to continue pretending that he was still under her charm.
He made no attempt to hide his intention of searching the entire kingdom for the mysterious girl from that night.
Even though those who knew the truth understood exactly what this meant, the applicants still came in an endless stream.
After all, the prince had only said that whoever could wear the shoe would be the princess consort. He had not named anyone in particular.
Surely a promise made by royal word would not be broken.
She did not even have to be a noble. If a commoner seized this chance, she too could become the princess consort.
No matter how tailored a shoe might be, there would always be a range of feet it could fit. There was nothing strange about that sort of opportunistic thinking.
And so, a long line formed outside the palace. One after another, young women in splendid dress, radiant and full of confidence, came to this place, convinced that they would be the fortunate maiden chosen by destiny.
Yet to everyone’s astonishment, out of more than a hundred women who came to try, not a single one could put on the crystal shoe.
The shoe size was perfectly ordinary, and yet when the moment came to try it on, mishaps arose one after another.
Either their toes struck against the front, or their heels would not go in. In short, no matter what they did, the shoe simply would not fit.
Every failed candidate looked utterly bereaved. Some burst into tears, some fainted on the spot, and some even let out a scream and tried to throw themselves at Faust…
Still worse, there were those who directly cut off their own heels and toes, then tried to force the dance slipper onto their bloody feet.
“No! Let me try again! Please, let me try again!”
“I am the future princess consort! I am!! Hahaha!!”
“Your Highness! Your Highness! Do you see? I’ve put it on!”
“…” After that kind of self-mutilation, it was indeed possible to force the shoe on, but even the palace attendants could no longer hold their composure.
They turned toward the Prince of Clear Tide and said awkwardly, “Your Highness, this…”
Faust frowned and waved his hand. “This is disgraceful. Take her away. Keep order here. I do not wish to see something like this happen again!”
After strictly forbidding any further self-harm, Faust temporarily left the scene. He realized that if he remained there, the atmosphere would only grow even more frenzied.
“There is definitely something wrong here.”
The prince stroked his chin and pondered. “No matter how popular I may be, they should not be this insane. Is this also part of a witch’s fate?”
Faced with such chaos, the only thing Faust could think of was that 「Witches’ Banquet」 was at work.
Just as it had once made him hopelessly obsessed with Cinderella, it possessed an utterly unreasonable power to twist human hearts.
“By the way… aside from being fate’s favorites, how strong are witches in terms of personal power?”
Faust suddenly thought of a rather crucial point and turned to ask the fae spirit.
If ordinary 「heroes」 possessed the strength to establish great deeds, then 「witches」 ought to be much the same, should they not?
【There is no telling. Fate merely grants witches the highest order of mystery and guarantees that they will obtain happiness. Some can turn the world upside down, while others remain no more than village girls for their entire lives. No matter what, I still advise you to pay attention to your safety…】
Faust blinked. “What do you mean? Am I actually in danger of losing my life?”
【I merely mean that, from ancient times until now, witches have all had rather awkward temperaments…】
Mephistopheles spoke evasively. For a fae spirit, that was already a very blunt hint.
“Could I die?”
【Quite possibly.】
Faust silently nodded to show that he understood.
He had never paid much attention to his personal safety before. After all, Faust was a noble of mystic blood. By all customary logic, even a peerless powerhouse capable of moving mountains and filling seas ought to give him some measure of face.
“To be safe, I had better find myself a guard.”
Just as Faust was thinking this, an attendant at his side stepped forward and said in a low voice, “Your Highness, Lady Vivianna has arrived.”
“Ha, perfect timing.”
The corners of Faust’s lips lifted at once, and he raised his head.
At a glance, he saw the royal guard walking straight toward him.
She was an exceedingly lovely young woman. Silver light armor covered her arms and knees, while the front of her black inner garment was stretched taut by the proud fullness of her chest, which rose in a manner almost insulting to gravity itself.
Golden thread embroidered the crest of Clear Tide upon her cloak. A pale blue belt circled her slender waist, and her long, shapely legs—so straight as to seem unreal—were wrapped in tight-fitting trousers.
As for her face, it was mostly concealed beneath the hood attached to the cloak, leaving only the lower half visible.
Even so, from that snow-white, delicate chin and that pretty nose alone, one could already tell that she must be a young woman of astonishing beauty.
And that was indeed the case. As her childhood friend, no one was more qualified than Faust to say so.
“Good day, Your Highness.”
The guard stopped before the prince and greeted him with a bow, one hand lightly resting against her ample chest. Strands of slightly curled pale-gold hair slipped from the opening of her hood and fell loosely over her shoulders.