Faust hesitated and asked, "Do we… know each other?"
The young woman smiled and shook her head. Her golden hair swayed with the movement.
"Mm-hmm. It is only that I know you. From various perspectives, this should be the first time you have ever seen me."
Faust wanted to ask more questions. However, the mysterious girl pressed her delicate body closer to him. Her pretty nose twitched as if she wanted to engrave the intoxicating scent of the man into her heart.
"Heh heh heh…"
她 let out a satisfied sigh and closed her eyes. She made a pleasant sound like a kitten. It was as if she were singing a tune while she enjoyed the intimacy and silence of the moment.
Faust saw this and could only cooperate with her dance steps. He waited for the dance to end.
However, her stamina seemed infinite. She had no intention of stopping. They danced one song after another. It was not until the night grew dark and midnight approached that the blonde girl finally separated from him reluctantly.
"Time is up. I must go back."
The girl wrapped a lock of hair around her slender finger. She revealed an expression of deep regret.
"Can you not stay a little longer?"
Faust tried to make her stay. He had barely spoken a few words to her.
The mysterious girl lowered her eyes and said nothing.
Faust saw this and sighed. "What a pity. Then, let me see you off."
However, she rejected this reasonable request. The girl shook her head gently and looked sad.
"Although I really want to invite you home with me, at that time… you would not like me."
She immediately lifted her skirt and turned to leave. She practically fled as she jumped into the carriage.
Clop. Clop. Clop.
The [Unicorn] immediately drove the carriage away from the palace. It possessed a speed that a horse carriage should not have.
Faust immediately chased after her but stopped at the palace gate.
The [Unicorn] carriage had crashed straight into the wall right before his eyes. It vanished amidst a series of ripples.
At that moment, Youshewude walked over. The blue eyes of the Princess stared at the tracks left by the carriage. A faint glow still flickered upon them.
"It is [Mystery]…"
"[Mystery]?"
Faust heard his sister and suddenly understood.
[Mystery] was the element that gave this world its fantasy color. It could be an internal talent, a deep skill, a strange item, or a blessing from a fairy. Everything supernatural could be called [Mystery].
A high-level [Warlock] like Youshewude was a given. Even Faust himself had received the inheritance of a monarch from his expensive foster father. He was a genuine [Noble] of the occult.
However, [Mystery] was divided into different ranks. Faust could not analyze the current situation at all. In the path of [Mystery], he followed the [Hero] route that had been passed down from the old King.
It was an extremely orthodox and traditional inheritance. It specialized in the ways of [Command], [Conquest], and [Subjugation].
However, his knowledge was far inferior to that of a [Warlock].
"Sister, can you tell which path this [Mystery] belongs to? Or can you track it directly?"
Youshewude rubbed the glowing dust left by the carriage with her slender fingers. She shook her head.
"It is a very profound [Mystery]. I cannot interfere with it or understand it."
The silver-haired Princess was no ordinary [Warlock]. She was a high-level [Warlock] with great achievements on the path of [Mystery]. It could be said that if Youshewude were not a member of the royal family, it would be difficult for the Qingxi Kingdom to make her serve them.
For a [Mystery] to be beyond her analysis, its specifications were truly extraordinary.
"Do you like that girl?"
Youshewude looked at him from the side. Her gaze was still calm. Her clear voice made it impossible to distinguish her emotions.
"Is it that obvious?"
Faust smiled and pressed his hand to his chest. He admitted it frankly. "Yes. It has been a long time… no, I should say I have never felt my heart flutter like this before. This happy feeling is truly rare."
Youshewude said slowly, "Your state is a bit strange. Do you truly only desire her beauty?"
"Even though I said you act like an unrefined monkey when you are in heat, you have always known your limits regardless of how much you enjoy pleasure. You said it yourself: a wise man does not fall in love."
When Faust spent time with the noble ladies in the capital, his attitude was always the same. It did not matter if they were pure, mature, noble, energetic, holy, or youthful.
'I will ravage all of you harlots!'
It seemed impossible for such a man to be so enchanted.
"Is beauty alone not enough?"
Faust felt displeased when he heard his sister's doubt. He instinctively argued back.
"Thank you for your concern, sister. But I am ninety or even one hundred percent certain that she is my destined partner!"
Youshewude said calmly, "Did you not say you wanted to find a Princess who could bring allies and assistance to the Kingdom?"
"Uh…"
Faust froze when she mentioned this. He seemed to realize that this conflicted deeply with his past philosophy. The Prince frowned and thought for a long time. Finally, he could only squeeze out one sentence.
"It does not necessarily have to be a foreign Princess. The key lies in value. Her talent for [Mystery] is so high. If the position of Queen can trade for a Great Warlock for the Kingdom, then it is not a loss."
"In short, she is different!"
He probably felt that this reason was not convincing enough. Faust hurried away under the pretext of dealing with official business. He was afraid the silver-haired Princess would question his heart again.
"Is that so?"
Youshewude lowered her eyes. She watched Faust's departing back with her beautiful blue eyes and shook her head.
…
The ball held by the King for his heir was not just a one-day event. It was a three-day festival open to the entire Kingdom.
However, although it was for the entire Kingdom, only the two hundred thousand people in the capital of Qingxi had the chance to arrive.
But that was still quite a lot. The population of the entire Qingxi Kingdom was less than five hundred thousand. Even in this fantasy world full of kingdoms, it was considered a small country with few people. Therefore, the number of nobles was small. They all knew each other.
Every noble family coveted the position of the Prince's wife. In the entire Qingxi Kingdom, any unmarried girl with a bit of confidence rushed to the banquet to compete.
Then, they all became background characters.
On the second night of the ball, the mysterious girl continued to arrive at midnight and leave when dawn approached.
During this time, the Prince only danced with her. The other beautiful noble ladies had zero presence in his eyes.
Seeing this, many women at the ball were greatly disappointed.
No one expected to win the Prince's heart anymore. Any bystander could see that Faust's mind was entirely on that mysterious blonde girl.
On the night of the final day, Faust arrived at the dance floor early. He talked absentmindedly with the guests while looking outside the palace gates from time to time.
Dong. Dong. Dong.
Finally, after the bell rang, the luxurious carriage pulled by the [Unicorn] appeared in his sight again.
Faust looked at his watch. It was exactly midnight.
The Prince naturally went to the carriage. He reached out his hand as the carriage door opened.
"Prince!"
A delicate hand was placed in the Prince's palm. The girl jumped out and landed in Faust's arms. She spun around lively before stepping down.
The mysterious girl had changed into a new dress. It was still unbelievably magnificent and dreamlike. It highlighted her extraordinary beauty perfectly. A smile played on her soft and charming face.
"I have kept you waiting."
"No, you arrived very punctually."
Faust bowed elegantly. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor plaza.
The girl's full chest pressed tightly against the Prince. Their fingers were locked together. They looked like a couple in a passionate relationship.
"Since the night we first met, I have been thinking of you all day and night. No matter how many times I look at you, I do not feel satisfied."
Faust stared at the girl's beautiful face and spoke softly.
Feeling the Prince's burning gaze, the mysterious girl's cheeks seemed to turn slightly red.
"I feel the same. I looked forward to meeting you… it is almost like a dream."
The blonde girl muttered to herself.
"A person like me is actually able to dance with the Prince."
The dim lights of the plaza hit the girl's cheeks. They made her already extraordinary beauty look even more dreamlike.
Faust felt his breath hitch just by looking at this scenery. He could not help but grab the girl's shoulders.
"What do you mean by 'a person like you'? If you are willing, you can stay in the palace after the ball ends. No… I mean, you can stay here. In this ball, there is only you…"
Before the Prince could finish, the girl frowned and shook her head.
"The charm I show will vanish after this ball. You would not like my original appearance. It is so dark and ridiculous. It would make you feel disgusted…"
"How is that possible!"
Faust interrupted her. He tightened his grip on his collar. "It does not matter what your identity is or what you look like!"
"Your existence makes me happy. You are better than anything in this world!"
The girl's purple eyes lit up slightly. A heartbreaking sadness appeared in her expression.
"Prince… hearing you say that makes me so happy. Although it is a bit greedy, I want one more kiss. Is that okay?"
"…Of course."
The Prince would naturally not refuse such a request. In fact, he had wanted to be close to her for a long time. He had only been afraid to cross the line out of a sense of affection.
Faust leaned down. He suppressed his wildly beating heart and kissed the blonde girl lightly.
The girl's lips were cool and soft. Faust's mind went blank the moment they touched. He felt like an ignorant and green youth who did not know what to do.
Therefore, he could only let the mysterious girl take the lead. However, she was visibly clumsy and awkward.
She did not know how to perform a proper kiss at all. She just rubbed her lips against his randomly and counted it as a kiss.
Even so, the mysterious girl was very satisfied with this childish kiss. She curved her eyes and smiled.
"Ah… this memory is enough for me to remember for a lifetime. Let it be like this, Prince. I am not ready to continue for now."
After saying that, she turned to leave. She left as resolutely as the previous two nights.
"Wait… wait!"
Faust woke up as if from a dream. He looked at the girl's back and suddenly became anxious.
The carriage pulled by the [Unicorn] was clearly a high-level [Mystery] vehicle. Rumor had it that such vehicles traveled through the Void Spirit Realm. Secular means could not track them at all.
If he let the mysterious girl leave, it would be too difficult to find her later. Faust could not allow such a thing to happen!
The Prince roared and immediately lunged forward. However, the girl intentionally pulled away. She tilted her head slightly and gave a meaningful smile.
"Since you desire me so much, then come and find me. If it is you, you can definitely find me, right?"
Clack.
A moment before she jumped onto the carriage, one of the girl's dancing shoes accidentally fell onto the ground.
However, in order to leave as quickly as possible, she could no longer worry about it. The carriage accelerated. it broke through the encirclement of the palace guards and rushed straight into the void, vanishing without a trace.
"She still left…"
Faust looked at the empty road and sighed unwillingly. He then picked up the dancing shoe the girl had left behind.
The mysterious girl wore different outfits every night. But no matter which night it was, she was incredibly beautiful. It was not just her dresses; her dancing shoes also changed constantly.
On the first day, she wore boots as bright as silver. On the second day, she wore gold-colored high heels. Today, it was a dancing shoe that looked like crystal.
Faust fell into deep thought as he rubbed this smooth crystal shoe.
He certainly did not want to give up easily. If the mysterious girl did not appear proactively again, he would go and search for her. Currently, only this shoe was a clue.
In that case, he would test who could wear 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 decision, he suddenly shuddered. His reddish-brown pupils expanded slightly.
Wait. A Prince… a dancing shoe… a mysterious girl at a banquet…
Cin… Cinderella?!
Thump.
When the familiar elements gathered in his mind, it was as if he had suddenly surfaced from the bottom of the sea. It was like a giant bell ringing. The Prince suddenly felt dizzy.
"Prince!"
The attendants around him were alarmed when they saw the Prince stagger as if he were about to fall. They supported him and sent Faust back to his bedroom.
They originally wanted to call a doctor, but Faust refused. After dismissing everyone, the Prince sat on the edge of the bed. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the crystal shoe in his hand with a grave expression.
He reviewed his experiences over the past three days. He began to break out in a cold sweat.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
The moment he saw that "Cinderella," he was like someone possessed. His mind was full of her. He could not eat or sleep, and he tossed and turned.
He had even cast aside his own principles. He had completely turned into a brainless lover. Was this normal?
Love at first sight? Stop joking with Brother Faust. I read Schopenhauer!
Even if the other party matched his preferences perfectly, Faust would never abandon his reason and self-respect to act like such a pathetic sycophant.
Furthermore, they had only just separated. Now, if Faust tried to recall the face of that "Cinderella," he realized he could not remember what she looked like at all.
Considering this was a fantasy world, Faust had every reason to believe that someone had played a dirty trick on him!
But it should not have happened. Although the Qingxi Kingdom was a small, remote kingdom, Faust had items specifically for protecting against [Mystery] as a member of the royal family. Even if they could not block it, they should have at least given a warning.
Not to mention, Youshewude was a high-level [Warlock] who was close to being a Great Warlock. Even if it were fairy magic, she should have been able to detect it. How did he fall for it so silently?
While Faust was puzzled, he felt the location of the curse mark on his arm begin to burn. A whisper sounded in his ear. The voice sounded like a song coming from a distant place.
[Son of Man, you have awakened from the Charm.]