Faust asked hesitantly, "Have we... met before?"
The girl smiled and shook her head, her golden tresses swaying with the motion.
"Mm-mm. It is only that I know you unilaterally... from various perspectives. This should be the first time you are seeing me."
Faust wanted to press further, but the mysterious girl leaned her delicate body closer. Her pretty nose twitched slightly, as if she wanted to carve the intoxicating scent of the man's pheromones into her heart.
"Hum hum hum..."
She let out a satisfied sigh and closed her eyes, making a cat-like sound of pleasure, as if she were humming a tune while enjoying this moment of intimacy and stillness.
Seeing this, Faust had no choice but to coordinate his steps with hers and wait for the dance to end.
However, her stamina seemed boundless; she showed no intention of stopping. They danced song after song. It wasn't until the night grew thick and approached the early hours of the morning that the golden-haired girl finally separated from him reluctantly.
"Time is up. I must return."
The girl's lily-white fingers toyed with a strand of hair by her shoulder, her expression full of lingering regret.
"Can't you stay a little longer?"
Faust tried to detain her; he had hardly exchanged a few sentences with her.
The mysterious girl lowered her gaze and said nothing.
Faust sighed. "A pity. Let me see you out, then."
However, this reasonable request was met with a rejection. The girl shook her head gently and said gloomily:
"Though I very much wish to invite you to come home with me, at that time... you would not like me."
She then gathered her skirts, turned, and left—practically fleeing as she jumped into the carriage.
Clatter, clatter—
The unicorns immediately pulled the carriage away from the palace with a swiftness a carriage shouldn't possess.
Faust gave chase immediately, only to stop at the palace gates.
Before his very eyes, the unicorn carriage drove straight into the perimeter wall and vanished amid a series of ripples.
At that moment, Yu Xuemu walked over. The Princess's holy azure eyes gazed at the tracks left by the carriage; they were still shimmering with flecks of luminescence.
"It is [Mystery]..."
"[Mystery]?"
Hearing his sister say this, Faust realized what was happening.
So-called [Mystery] was the element that bestowed "fantasy" upon this world.
Whether it be innate talent sought from within, techniques refined through deep study, miraculous and strange artifacts, or blessings bestowed by Fairies... all transcendent things could be called "Mystery."
High-level casters like Yu Xuemu went without saying, but even Faust himself had received the [Monarch] inheritance from his "precious foster father," making him a genuine member of the occult nobility.
However, [Mystery] was ranked into various tiers. In the current situation, Faust was completely unable to analyze it. In the path of [Mystery], he followed the [Hero] route passed down by the old King.
It was a very orthodox and kingly inheritance, specializing in the path of governance, conquest, and subjugation.
However, in the field of academic knowledge, it was far inferior to the [Caster] path.
"Royal Sister, can you tell which path this Mystery belongs to? Or perhaps you can track it directly?"
Yu Xuemu rubbed the glowing dust left by the unicorn carriage between her fingers and shook her head.
"A fairly profound Mystery. I am unable to interfere with or comprehend it."
The silver-haired princess was no ordinary caster; she was a high-level caster with extreme achievements in the path of Mystery. It could be said that if Yu Xuemu weren't a member of the royal family, the Kingdom of Qingxi would have a hard time securing her service.
For a [Mystery] to be beyond her analysis, the grade was certainly extraordinary.
"Do you like that girl?"
Yu Xuemu looked at him from the side. Her gaze remained as calm as ever, and her clear voice made it impossible to discern any emotion.
"Is it that obvious?"
Faust smiled and pressed a hand to his chest, admitting frankly: "Yes. It's been a long time since... no, I should say I have never had my heart flutter like this before. This joyous feeling is truly rare."
Yu Xuemu said slowly: "Your state is a bit off... Is it truly just her beauty that you crave?"
"Though I have said you act like an unrefined monkey when you are in heat, no matter how much you indulge in pleasure, you have always known your limits. You said it yourself: a wise man does not fall in love."
When Faust mingled with the noble ladies of the capital—be they pure and lovely, charming and mature, or dignified, energetic, holy, or youthful—the Prince's attitude from start to finish had been the same.
You're all just goods in a supermarket!
It seemed unlikely that such a man would be so utterly captivated.
"Is beauty alone not enough?"
Hearing his sister's doubt, Faust felt a sudden wave of displeasure and instinctively retorted:
"I thank Royal Sister for her concern, but I am ninety-nine percent certain she is my destined partner!"
Yu Xuemu said indifferently: "Didn't you say you wanted to find a princess who could bring an allied force to the kingdom?"
"Uh..."
At the mention of this, Faust paused. He seemed to realize this conflicted deeply with his past ideology. The Prince frowned and thought for a long time, finally squeezing out:
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a foreign princess. The key lies in value. Her talent in Mystery is so high; if the position of Queen can secure a Great Caster for the kingdom, it's not a loss."
"In short, she is different!"
Perhaps sensing that this reason lacked persuasiveness, Faust hurriedly left under the pretext of dealing with official business, for fear of having his "Dao heart" questioned further by the silver-haired princess.
"Hmm... is that so?"
Yu Xuemu's eyelids lowered slightly. Her holy azure eyes watched Faust's departing figure as she shook her head.
The consort selection ball held by the King for his heir was not just a one-day event, but a three-day grand festival open to the entire kingdom.
However, while it was said to be the "entire kingdom," in reality, only the 200,000 people in the capital of Qingxi had the chance to attend.
Even so, that was a lot. The population of the entire Kingdom of Qingxi was less than 500,000. Even in this fantasy world filled with kingdoms, it was considered a small country with few people. Consequently, the number of nobles was small, and they all knew each other.
The position of the Crown Prince's consort was something every noble family vied for. In the entire Kingdom of Qingxi, any unmarried girl with even a bit of self-confidence scrambled to attend the banquet to compete.
And then, they all became background characters.
On the second night of the ball, the mysterious girl arrived at midnight again and left as the sky began to brighten.
During this time, the Prince only danced with her; other beautiful noble ladies held no presence in Faust's eyes.
Seeing this, many women at the ball were deeply disappointed.
No one expected to win the Prince's favor anymore. Any observer could see that Faust's heart was entirely set on that mysterious golden-haired girl.
On the final night of the party, Faust arrived at the dance floor early. While absentmindedly chatting with guests, he looked toward the palace gates from time to time.
Dong, dong, dong—
Finally, after the clock struck, the luxurious carriage drawn by unicorns appeared in his sight once more.
Faust checked his watch; it was exactly midnight.
The Prince naturally approached the carriage and extended his hand as the door opened.
"Your Highness!"
A slender hand rested in the Prince's palm. The girl leaped forward, throwing herself into Faust's arms, twirling lively once before coming down.
The mysterious girl had changed into a brand new dress, but it was still unbelievably magnificent and dreamlike, accentuating her ethereal beauty to the fullest. Her soft and charming face wore a smile.
"I have kept you waiting."
"No, you arrived right on time."
Faust bowed elegantly and led her by the hand to the plaza dance floor.
The girl's full chest pressed tightly against the Prince; with fingers intertwined, the two looked like a couple in the heat of passion.
"Since the night we first met, I have been thinking of you day and night. No matter how many times I look at you, I feel I cannot be satisfied."
Faust spoke softly, his eyes fixed on the girl's beautiful and charming face.
Feeling the Prince's burning gaze, the mysterious girl's cheeks seemed to flush slightly.
"I feel the same, looking forward to meeting Your Highness... it is like a dream."
The golden-haired girl murmured to herself:
"That someone like me could actually dance with Your Highness."
The dim yellow lights on the plaza hit the girl's cheeks, making her already ethereal beauty appear even more dreamlike.
Just by gazing at this scenery, Faust felt his breath hitch. He couldn't help but grab the girl's shoulders:
"What do you mean 'someone like you'? If you are willing, after the ball ends, you can stay in the palace for a long visit... no, I mean, you can stay. This ball, it's only you..."
Before the Prince could finish, the girl frowned and shook her head:
"The charm I display will vanish after this ball. You would not like my original appearance—so gray and ridiculous, so loathsome to you..."
"How could that be!"
Faust interrupted, clutching his own collar. "No matter what your status is or what you look like, it doesn't matter!"
"Your existence makes me happy, more than anything else in the world!"
Hearing this, the girl's violet eyes lit up slightly, and a heartbreaking melancholy appeared in her expression.
"Your Highness... hearing you say that makes me so happy. Though it is a bit greedy, I would like another kiss. Is that okay?"
"...Of course."
The Prince naturally would not refuse such a request. In fact, he had long wanted to be close to her, but out of a feeling of tenderness, he hadn't dared to overstep.
Faust leaned down, suppressing his wildly thumping heart, and shared a light kiss with the golden-haired girl.
The girl's lips were cold and soft. At the moment of contact, Faust's mind went blank, as if he had become a naive and green virgin, at a loss for what to do.
Thus, he had to let the mysterious girl take the lead, but she was visibly even more clumsy and inexperienced.
She didn't know how to perform a proper kiss at all, just rubbing against him haphazardly and calling it a kiss.
Nevertheless, the mysterious girl was very satisfied with this child-like kiss. Her eyes curved slightly as she smiled:
"Ah... this memory is enough for me to remember for a lifetime. Let it be, Your Highness. I am not yet ready to go any further."
After speaking, she turned and left, as decisively as the previous two nights.
"Wait... wait!"
Faust snapped out of his daze. Looking at the girl's back, he suddenly grew anxious.
The carriage drawn by unicorns was clearly a high-level Mystery vehicle. Rumor had it that such vehicles traveled through the Void Spirit Realm, and mundane means could never track them.
If he allowed the mysterious girl to leave, finding her later would be too difficult. How could Faust allow such a thing to happen!
The Prince let out a roar and immediately lunged forward. The girl consciously kept her distance, tilted her head slightly, and smiled meaningfully:
"Since you crave me so much, then come find me. If it's you, you can surely find me, right?"
Clack—
A moment before jumping into the carriage, one of the girl's dancing shoes accidentally fell off.
However, in her rush to leave, she could no longer worry about it. The carriage accelerated, broke through the perimeter of the palace guards, and drove straight into the void, vanishing without a trace.
"She still left..."
Faust looked at the empty avenue and let out a frustrated sigh. Then, he picked up the dancing shoe the girl had left behind.
The mysterious girl had appeared in different outfits every night, but no matter the night, they were gorgeously beautiful. Not just the dresses, but the shoes were changed again and again.
On the first day, she wore boots that shone like silver; on the second, gold-colored high heels; and today, a dancing shoe that looked like crystal.
Fingering this smooth glass slipper, Faust fell into deep thought.
He certainly didn't want to give up easily. If the mysterious girl didn't take the initiative to appear again, he would go searching. For now, only this dancing shoe served as a clue.
Since that was the case, he would test who could fit into this shoe. Even if he had to dig three feet into the entire kingdom, he would—
Just as Faust was about to make a firm resolution, he suddenly felt a jolt, and his reddish-brown pupils dilated slightly.
Wait. A Prince... a dancing shoe... a mysterious girl attending a banquet...
Cin... Cinderella?!
Dong—
As the familiar elements converged in his mind, it was as if he had suddenly breached the surface from the deep sea, or like the tolling of a great bell. The Prince suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
"Your Highness!"
Seeing the Prince stagger as if about to fall, the attendants nearby hurriedly supported him and sent him back to his bedroom.
Originally, they wanted to call for a physician, but Faust refused. After dismissing everyone, the Prince sat on the edge of the bed, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at the glass slipper in his hand with a grave expression.
He reviewed his experiences over the past three days and began to sweat a little.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
The moment he saw that "Cinderella," he was like a man possessed; his mind was full of her image, he couldn't eat or sleep, and he tossed and turned.
He had even tossed his own principles aside, becoming completely shaped like a "love-brain." Was this normal?
Love at first sight? Stop joking with your big brother Faust; I read Schopenhauer!
Even if the other party hit his "fetishes" perfectly, Faust would never abandon reason and self-respect to be such an excessive "simp."
Furthermore, even though they had only just parted, if Faust tried to recall the face of that "Cinderella" now, he realized he couldn't remember what she looked like at all.
Considering this was a fantasy world, Faust had plenty of reason to believe he had been targeted with a dirty trick!
But it shouldn't be. Although the Kingdom of Qingxi was a small backwater kingdom, as a member of the royal family, Faust carried artifacts specifically designed to defend against Mystery. Even if they couldn't block it, they should at least give a warning.
Not to mention that Yu Xuemu—a high-level caster close to being a Great Caster—was present. Even if it were a Fairy's magic, she should have been able to detect it. How had he fallen into the trap so silently?
While Faust was at a loss for an explanation, he felt the location of the curse-seal on his arm grow hot, and a whisper sounded in his ear. The voice sounded like a song drifting from a misty distance:
[Human child, you have awakened from the enchantment.]