Chapter 8: A Genius Beyond Compare
“Never been more serious in my life!”
A witch’s fate was not something that could be handled perfunctorily. According to Mephistopheles, although 「Witches’ Banquet」 was destined to come to pass, the process within it was entirely beyond control. It was by no means the kind of script one could rest easy beneath.
If left to ferment unchecked, then never mind whether it might bring turmoil sweeping across the world—even wiping out a small kingdom like Clear Tide would be effortless.
“Is that so…”
Vivianna’s long, curling lashes fluttered once. “Then I wish Your Highness every success in getting what you desire.”
The Prince of Clear Tide shrugged. “Even so, the only clue I have at present is that dance shoe she left behind. Finding her really will not be easy.”
Vivianna looked toward the front of the palace. Though the palace guards had imposed firm control, nearly every young woman who tried on the dance shoe showed signs of hysteria.
That shoe seemed almost bewitched. Everyone had gone mad with the desire to wear it, willing to pay any price for the chance.
Faust’s temporary departure had not improved matters in the slightest. On the contrary, the situation was only growing worse.
The sight made Faust frown. The influence of 「Witches’ Banquet」had exceeded his expectations. He was already beginning to regret using this method as a means of screening candidates.
At this rate, was the entire kingdom going to have its minds twisted?
Just as Faust was worrying over it, Vivianna came to his side and quietly removed her hood.
Faust cast her a somewhat surprised glance.
For reasons unknown, ever since the engagement had been broken off, Vivianna had always hidden her face whenever she was in front of him.
At least in Faust’s memory, it had already been a long time since this childhood friend had shown herself to him openly.
Now, with a sudden look, Faust was genuinely struck by Vivianna’s beauty.
Her features were so exquisite that they bordered on madness, and upon that incomparably lovely face they formed a harmony so perfect that the slightest alteration would have been a desecration of something flawless.
Her pale golden hair fell loosely over her shoulders and brushed against her cheeks, reflecting a spellbinding glow beneath the sunlight and making the girl’s skin seem all the fairer, all the purer.
The scene was so beautiful it resembled a painting or a poem, and Faust found himself unconsciously holding his breath.
Vivianna looked at the Prince of Clear Tide with those violet eyes of hers, heavy with melancholy, and asked, “What is it, Your Highness? You look as though you have never seen me before.”
Faust came back to himself and drew in a sharp breath. “Hiss… perhaps it has simply been too long. Vivianna, why do I feel that you… have become much prettier? Have you been using some kind of beauty potion?”
Heaven and earth could bear witness: he was not flattering his childhood friend. Faust truly felt that way.
Vivianna shook her head. “You are overthinking it. I am exactly the same as always. I have never changed.”
When she spoke the last few words, the girl deliberately stressed them.
Faust tried hard to recall it. In his memory, Vivianna really had always looked like this; her appearance had not changed. And yet the feeling she gave him was entirely different.
How should he put it? Even before, though he had known full well that Vivianna possessed beauty capable of toppling a kingdom, the notoriously amorous prince had almost never regarded her as a woman.
But now… now he truly felt his heart stir.
To put it bluntly, even his body had reacted.
Just as Faust was frowning in thought, Vivianna spoke.
“Do you truly believe this will let you find her?”
“All I see is a pack of people, crazed by vulgar love. If she does not wish to come see you, then all of this will amount to nothing.”
Faust immediately gave a bitter smile. “There is no helping it. I can only assume that she does wish to see me, but is unable to do so for one reason or another.”
“But if I must say it… I do have a few clues.”
Under the calm gaze of his childhood friend, Faust said, “Though the time we spent together was short, I have a rough guess about her circumstances. That girl was likely being treated unjustly.”
Vivianna’s willow-like brows lifted. “You saw that much?”
“It is partly a gamble, but beyond having people try on the dance shoe, send others out to investigate as well. Search throughout the kingdom for a pitiful girl who is diligent and resilient, and who has suffered unfair treatment.”
As he stroked his chin, Faust looked toward the girl. “Can I leave this matter to you, Vivianna?”
The Prince of Clear Tide had many loyal subordinates, but among them, there were very few truly capable of standing on their own. Vivianna, without question, was the one most worthy of reliance.
Because Vivianna was a genius—and not merely an ordinary genius, but a genius beyond compare!
Whether it was the mystic path, martial prowess and swordsmanship, administrative governance, troop deployment and battle formations, or even the arts and literature, there was almost nothing that Vivianna did not excel in.
Such talent had once even made the old king consider naming Vivianna as heir to the throne.
Yes, Faust’s esteemed foster father had spoken to her openly about precisely this matter.
For to the king, a royal line belonging to one family and one surname meant nothing at all. What he wanted was simply a sovereign who could lead the Kingdom of Clear Tide away from destruction and toward greatness.
If the throne could be passed to an adopted son, then there was no reason it could not be given to a friend’s daughter as well.
Back then, Faust had very nearly believed that even his position as heir apparent might no longer be secure.
But in the end, for reasons unknown, the king abandoned that bold idea and merely shook his head. “To be exalted as a genius beyond compare at such a young age is not a good thing.”
Now, of course, Faust knew that his true core advantage lay in the favor of the fae spirit. But at the time, the prince had known no such thing, and he had been thoroughly frightened by the whole affair.
That was why, when the king settled for the next best option and tried to pair his adopted son with Vivianna, Faust had reacted with such intense resistance.
What a joke. The Roseline family already held command over the kingdom’s Royal Guard.
If Vivianna also became the princess consort, then in the end, would this kingdom bear the name of Clear Tide or the name of Roseline?!
In the old king’s eyes, what surname the kingdom bore truly did not matter. He wanted only for the kingdom to survive.
But Faust did not think that way. The Kingdom of Clear Tide had to become great in his hands. Otherwise, it meant nothing.
Though none of this was Vivianna’s fault, it had to be admitted that after that incident, a rift had formed in Faust’s heart toward his childhood friend.
Ah, my ugly lust for power.
Faust sighed inwardly, then said to Vivianna in a low voice, “I know this request is asking a great deal of you, but it truly matters to me.”
Because of the Roseline family’s special position within the kingdom, Vivianna was not Faust’s subordinate in the purest sense, but stood in a relationship closer to that of a ruler sharing the realm with a great house. Even as the heir to the throne, it was difficult for him to order her about in an absolutely commanding tone.
So he could only play the emotional card.
Vivianna quietly held the prince’s gaze. Only after a long while did those beautiful, profound violet eyes slowly close. One hand pressed lightly to her chest as she nodded in salute.
“Your Highness, if this is your true wish… then I will make it happen.”
“However…”
The girl stepped forward. That incomparably beautiful face drew close to Faust’s, and strands of golden hair brushed against the man’s neck as her breath, soft and fragrant as orchids, spilled from her lips.
“I will require your absolute support—permission for anything I do, no matter what it may be.”