Faust: "I've never been more serious!"
The destiny of a Witch was not something to be dealt with perfunctorily. According to Mephisto, although the [Witches' Feast] was destined to manifest, the process was entirely uncontrollable; it was not a script one could simply relax through.
If allowed to ferment, to say nothing of causing world-sweeping chaos, it could easily wipe out a small kingdom like Qingxi.
"Is that so..."
Viviana's curved long eyelashes blinked as she spoke:
"Then I wish for Your Highness to obtain your heart's desire."
The Prince of Qingxi shrugged and said, "Though you say that, the only clue I have at the moment is that leftover dancing shoe. Finding her is truly difficult."
Viviana looked toward the front of the palace. Despite the strict control of the court guards, almost every girl who tried on the shoe exhibited symptoms of hysteria.
The dancing shoe seemed to possess a demonic quality; everyone was driven mad with the desire to put it on, willing to pay any price to do so.
Faust's temporary departure had not improved the situation; instead, it had intensified.
The scene made Faust furrow his brow; the influence of the [Witches' Feast] had exceeded his expectations. He was starting to regret using this method for screening.
At this rate, would the minds of the entire kingdom be twisted?
While Faust was fretting, Viviana came to his side and quietly lowered her hood.
Faust glanced at the knight-maiden with slight surprise.
For some reason, since the cancellation of the engagement, Viviana always masked her appearance when in front of him. At least in Faust's memory, it had been a long time since he and his childhood friend had met face-to-face without reservation.
Looking at her now so suddenly, Faust was genuinely stunned by Viviana's beauty.
Her features, exquisite to the point of madness, formed a perfect harmony on her soft face; it seemed any modification would be a desecration of such a flawless thing.
Her pale-gold hair fell loosely over her shoulders and framed her face, reflecting an intoxicating halo in the sunlight, making her skin appear even more fair and pure.
This picture-perfect sight made Faust involuntarily hold his breath.
Viviana looked at the Prince of Qingxi with her melancholic purple eyes and asked:
"What is it, Your Highness? You look as if you've never seen me before."
Faust snapped out of it and took a sharp breath:
"Hiss... perhaps it's because it's been too long, Viviana. Why do I feel like you've... become much more beautiful? Are you using some kind of beauty potion?"
Heaven be my witness, this was not a mere compliment to his childhood friend; Faust truly felt this way.
Viviana shook her head and said:
"You are overthinking it. I am exactly as I usually am, never changed."
As she reached the final words, the girl pointedly emphasized her tone.
Faust tried hard to remember. In his impression, Viviana indeed always looked like this; her appearance hadn't changed, but the feeling was vastly different.
To put it bluntly, even though he knew Viviana possessed world-tilting beauty, the playboy Prince had almost never viewed her as a woman before. But now, his heart was actually fluttering.
To be even more blunt: my pants were stirred.
While Faust was frowning in deep thought, Viviana spoke up:
"Do you truly believe you can find her this way?"
"I only see a crowd of people driven mad by vulgar love. If she does not wish to see you, you will have worked in vain."
Faust gave a bitter smile. "I have no choice. I can only assume she is willing to see me, but is simply unable to do so for certain reasons."
"However, if you must know... I probably have a few more clues."
Under his childhood friend's calm gaze, Faust said:
"Although our time together was short, I have a general guess regarding her circumstances. That girl should be someone who has suffered unfair treatment."
Viviana's brows rose. "Did you figure that out yourself?"
"Call it a lucky guess, but besides the shoe-fitting, send people out to search. See if there is a hardworking, resilient, and poor girl in the kingdom who has suffered injustice."
Faust stroked his chin and looked at the girl:
"Can I leave this matter to you, Viviana?"
Although the Prince of Qingxi had many loyal subordinates, few possessed the ability to handle things independently, and Viviana was undoubtedly the most reliable person to depend on.
Because Viviana was a genius—and not just a common genius, but a true one!
Whether it was the path of Mystery, martial arts and swordsmanship, administrative management, military strategy, or even art and literature, Viviana was proficient in almost everything.
Such talent had once made the old King consider naming Viviana as the heir to the throne.
Yes, Faust's "precious foster father" had talked quite openly with him about this. After all, to the King, the royal power of a single surname was of no consequence; he only wanted a monarch who could lead the Kingdom of Qingxi to avoid destruction and move toward greatness.
Since the throne could be passed to an adopted son, giving it to the daughter of a friend was not out of the question.
Back then, Faust almost thought his status as Crown Prince was in jeopardy, but eventually, for reasons unknown, the King abandoned this bold idea, shaking his head and saying:
"Gaining great fame at a young age is not a good thing."
Now, Faust naturally knew that his core advantage lay in the favor of a Fairy, but back then, the Prince was unaware of this and had been thoroughly spooked by that maneuver.
Therefore, when the King settled for the next best thing and tried to arrange a match between his adopted son and Viviana, Faust had appeared incredibly resistant.
What a joke. The Roselin family already controlled the kingdom's Palace Guard. If Viviana became the Princess, would this kingdom be named Qingxi or Roselin?!
In the old King's eyes, the name truly didn't matter; he only wanted the kingdom to survive.
But Faust didn't think that way. The Kingdom of Qingxi had to become great in his hands; otherwise, it would be meaningless.
Although it wasn't Viviana's fault, it had to be admitted that a rift had formed between Faust and his childhood friend after this incident.
Too bad, my bad lust for power.
Faust sighed inwardly and said softly to Viviana:
"I know this task is asking much of you, but it is truly important to me."
Due to the Roselin family's special status in the kingdom, Viviana was not purely Faust's subordinate, but rather something closer to a partner in governing. Even as the Crown Prince, it was difficult to use absolute commands to order her around.
He could only play the emotional card.
Viviana stared quietly at the Prince. After a long while, her beautiful, deep purple eyes closed slightly. She placed a hand over her chest and bowed in salute:
"Your Highness, if this is your true expectation... I will fulfill it."
"However..."
The girl took a step forward, her peerless face drawing close to Faust. Golden locks brushed against the man's neck as she breathed softly:
"I require your absolute support—a permit that grants approval for whatever I must do."