"Did you have a pleasant vacation, Vivianna?"
Faust looked at his childhood friend and asked with a smile.
"It was indeed a vacation worth remembering. Please allow me to return to my post."
Her voice was like a flowing spring. It was cold and calm. Just listening to her was a pleasure.
Faust nodded. "Of course. I am not used to being without your company and protection."
Vivianna Roselin.
She was the leader of the Kingdom Guard. She was also the heir to the Roselin family.
The Qingxi Kingdom was a small country that was only a few decades old. It did not have many ancient Noble families. In fact, there were very few true Nobles in the Kingdom. Most were rich merchants who bought their titles with money. There was no other way. A remote place like this needed to sell titles to develop.
It was not a shameful way to make money.
Faust did not think honorary titles were precious. A Noble without a mystical heritage was not a real Noble. He felt the more honorary titles there were, the better. He did not need to reward them with land. Instead, he could constantly take wealth from that group.
However, even with many fake Nobles, there were still powerful families.
Count Roselin, the father of Vivianna, was one of them. He was a close friend of the King. During the war for independence that swept the empire, he gathered many people to start an uprising.
They fought as guerrillas in the southeast border of the empire. They slowly grew stronger and laid the foundation for the Qingxi Kingdom.
It was said that a group of companions from Qingxi built a hut in the Southeast Mountains.
After the brutal struggle, only the old man and the King survived. The Count became the most powerful Noble in the Kingdom besides the royal family. He was the only one with real power.
Because of the bond forged in blood and fire, the King trusted his old comrade. He gave Count Roselin command of the only Guard unit in the Kingdom.
Because of the relationship between the two old men, Faust and Vivianna were childhood friends. Their relationship was actually more than that.
Vivianna was once the fiancée of Faust.
This was easy to understand. Count Roselin and the King were as close as brothers. It was a logical decision to have the next generation marry. It was a union of two powerful families.
However, Faust was not happy about it. He did not hate Vivianna. In fact, she was satisfying in every way. The problem was that she was from Qingxi.
The Prince had the Myriads of lands in his heart. He had the ambition to rule the universe. If he only wanted to rule the Qingxi Kingdom, marrying Vivianna would be the best way to gain power.
But if he wanted to expand, this marriage offered no benefit. The Qingxi Kingdom had many friendly neighbors. They could unite or even rule together. Faust could not accept wasting a valuable marriage resource. He preferred to marry foreigners for political gain.
So, the Prince hinted that he did not like Vivianna.
The engagement was not purely political. It was mostly the wish of two friends. Since the younger generation was unwilling, the engagement ended.
Faust felt a little sorry for Vivianna, but he believed he was doing the right thing.
The Prince looked at the beautiful face under the hood. He spoke softly.
"I feel at ease now that you are guarding me. I really cannot do without you."
The broken engagement did not ruin their relationship. When Count Roselin retired, his daughter naturally became the leader of the Guard.
Her loyalty was beyond doubt. Faust was also certain that Vivianna liked him. Their ten years of deep feelings were real.
The personality of this Guard leader was easy to handle.
"That may not be true, Your Highness."
Faust was surprised. His flattery did not work as usual. Vivianna spoke plainly.
"I heard you met a girl you liked at the ball. Now you are searching the streets for her, are you not?"
'Is she... jealous?'
Faust lowered his eyes. He tried to see her expression under the hood. Her beautiful face looked a bit cold.
This was rare. Vivianna usually did not show negative emotions. She even stood guard outside when the Prince had his wild parties. Why would she care about this?
Faust could not figure it out. He decided to brush it off.
"You could say that. However, I am mostly curious. Those nights felt like a dream. I need to know who she was."
Vivianna seemed to accept this. She nodded slightly.
"Then why do you not use a portrait to find her?"
Faust pointed at the shoe trial in front of the palace.
"If I still remembered her, I would not use this method. I have completely forgotten her face and her voice."
This was the truth. After the girl left, the memories of Faust were erased. He remembered their interactions, but he could not remember anything else about her.
Vivianna pouted. "Can you call it love if you forgot her face? If she stood in front of you, you would not recognize her."
Faust kept a polite smile.
"Even so, I want to find her. I will find her. Even if I forget her again and again, my love and obsession will lead me to her."
These words were a bit out of character for the Prince. He did not usually talk about love. His sweet words were usually vague.
However, Faust had a reason to say this. He knew he was in the `[Witch's Banquet]` script. He had to play his role perfectly. He did not plan to resist fate for now. There was no reason to fight the `[Cinderella]` script.
Mephisto had warned him. Do not try to be clever. Do not think the wheel of fate cannot crush you.
Faust followed the advice. He acted according to his role.
This was not hard. Being awakened did not mean he was immune to fate. If he did not stay focused, he would easily fall back into his obsessed state.
Vivianna was stunned. She raised her chin slightly and let out a small sound.
"...Your Highness, it seems you are serious this time."