Chapter 16: Love-Faith Zone, You Win
Stepping out of the basement of the Roselin residence and seeing sunlight again after three months, Faust felt as though a lifetime had passed.
Though it might sound a bit improper to say, he truly felt like someone who had just been released from prison.
It was a sensation he had never experienced before. Clicking his tongue, Faust immediately set off from the residence and returned to the royal palace.
The Regent Prince had disappeared for three months—surely the palace must be in utter chaos by now.
Although the king was still present, due to his physical condition, the old king was gradually becoming unable to handle state affairs. Moreover, as a monarch of warrior origin, his talent for governance was, frankly speaking, rather unimpressive.
Faust could hardly imagine what kind of mess he would be inheriting, nor how he would explain his disappearance over the past three months.
He certainly could not tell the truth, could he? That he had been pinned down in a basement by Vivianna and “loved” intensely for three whole months?
Sigh… such matters were not to be spoken of.
However, when the prince stepped into the palace, he did not see the chaos he had expected.
There was not even anyone there to welcome him.
Even when servants and officials saw him, they merely cast him a subtle glance before hurriedly moving on.
This left Faust deeply puzzled. He headed toward the side hall where state affairs were handled, only to encounter someone completely unexpected.
With silver-gray hair cascading down and an air of elegant nobility, the princess sat in Faust’s seat. With a gentle sweep of her slender hand through the air, glowing blue traces of magic lifted and sorted various documents and letters, while she calmly processed the paperwork herself.
“Heh, it seems our crown prince has finally decided to emerge from his tender paradise.”
Yoshewood raised her head slightly, her sacred azure eyes settling on Faust as she spoke coolly, “You stayed at the Roselin household for three whole months. Even for a vacation, that is far too long.”
Faust frowned and asked, “Sister, you knew I was at the Roselin residence? And you’ve been handling state affairs during this time?”
The silver-haired princess lowered her gaze, her already cold eyes now tinged with irritation.
“You irresponsibly dumped your duties on me and ran off to dally with Vivianna. What, are you pretending not to remember now?”
I really don’t remember!
Faust immediately realized there was a discrepancy in their perceptions and chose to remain silent.
Seeing this, Yoshewood withdrew her anger and stood up. “I have dealt with the trivial matters I could handle. The few projects you care about—I’ve annotated them and left them on your desk.”
With that, the silver-haired princess moved to leave. Just as Faust was about to bow in farewell, she paused beside him.
“Still… I must say, I’m rather surprised.”
Her sacred azure eyes shimmered as she looked at him meaningfully, her voice softening ever so slightly:
“Faust, I thought you cared deeply about power and position. I didn’t expect you to become so immersed in the joy of love…”
After Yoshewood left, Faust immediately summoned his subordinates to investigate what had happened over the past three months.
After asking around, Faust fell silent.
In the eyes of the outside world, he had not been deceived and imprisoned by Vivianna in the residence. Rather, he had gone there of his own accord and spent three entire months indulging himself!
Even more bizarrely, no one remembered that at the prince’s bride selection ball, there had ever been a mysterious blonde girl.
Thus, there had been no glass slipper fitting event at all.
It was utterly absurd. Faust had personally witnessed hundreds of self-harm incidents, a grand selection event that had swept across the entire kingdom—yet it had all been erased?
If not for Mephistopheles’ recorded archives and the unforgettable experiences of those three months, Faust would have suspected that something was wrong with his own mind.
“…So this is fate, huh? Truly absurd to this extent.”
Faust’s expression turned grave. Even reality that had already occurred could be overwritten and altered—what, then, could the wheel of fate not twist?!
Over the following days, Faust began dealing with the backlog of issues left over from the past three months, while also considering how to fulfill the promise he had made to Vivianna—to transfer the position of crown prince to Yoshewood.
This was something he had to do, and without delay.
As for the reason…
Faust glanced at the knight girl by his side.
Vivianna still wore that same expressionless calm, as if the past three months had not affected her at all.
But there were changes. For instance, the royal guard knight no longer concealed her appearance beneath a hood, and the sense of distance between her and the Prince of Qingxi had clearly vanished.
Her arm pressed tightly against Faust’s, almost deliberately pushing against him, forcing the prince to subtly struggle just to maintain his balance.
We’re the best in the world.jpg
Faust tentatively asked, “Um… Vivianna, are you alright now? I mean… how is ‘she’?”
Having been “loved” by Cinderella for three months, while Faust did not develop fear or resentment, it would be impossible for him to say he had no psychological shadow at all.
The masked Vivianna had dared to ignore and trample over all worldly laws and taboos, driven only by the desire to express love and possess her beloved. That kind of uncontrollable, pure intensity gave Faust a terrible headache.
At the mere thought that Cinderella might appear again and abduct him, Faust nearly burst into tears.
Love-Faith Zone, you win!
Hearing this, Vivianna tilted her head slightly, one hand gently resting against her full chest as she said, “There is no problem now. As long as Your Highness does not act as you did before and fulfills the changes you promised, she likely will not appear again.”
The knight girl’s violet eyes were clear and radiant, carrying a faint smile.
But the meaning behind her words could not have been more obvious.
How terrifying—what kind of coercive regulation was that?
Faust understood the implication of his childhood friend’s words, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
This was not right. When had that considerate and gentle childhood friend become like this?
Or… had she always been hiding her true nature?
【Such is the nature of witches. Any witch, regardless of origin, past, or the script they hold, is inherently self-centered and obsessive…】
【That is why they are called witches. Though I do not know where your speculation about fate comes from, to most Children of Man, witches are disasters that act as they please…】
【In ages past, only a minority of witches could remain well-behaved. But if their scripts fail to proceed smoothly, they will unleash chaos—though such truths can never be recorded in the history of mankind…】
Mephistopheles’ voice echoed in Faust’s mind. Just as the Prince of Qingxi nodded thoughtfully, the spirit suddenly added:
【The “Witch Banquet” you are involved in… is probably over】
Faust’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean ‘probably’? Don’t tell me there’s more to this—like some kind of additional plot?”