"Mephisto, quit messing with me. Besides, a little ambition isn't exactly a character flaw for someone in my position."
Faust pressed both hands to his temples.
"Knock, knock, knock."
A sharp rapping at the door made Faust's frown deepen.
He glanced toward the window. Night had already settled in. At this hour, no one would interrupt him unless it was truly urgent.
Faust stood and opened the door.
The woman before him had features like something out of a portrait, though her beauty was undercut by a permanent sadness in her eyes.
"Viviana?"
Faust blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected her to seek him out in person.
"Your Highness..."
She dipped into a small curtsy, her pale gold hair spilling over her shoulders and catching the lamplight from the palace corridor.
Viviana's long lashes lowered as she inclined her head.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Not at all. I was just passing the time."
"Really?"
Viviana looked genuinely surprised. She craned her neck and peered past him into the room.
"That's unexpected."
"...Did you need something?"
Faust could read between the lines. Yeah, given my track record, I can't really blame her for being shocked. Still stings a little, though.
But he had no grounds to complain, so he steered back to business.
Viviana never did anything without a reason. If she'd come looking for him this late, it had to be important.
Considering what he'd recently asked her to do, Faust had a pretty good idea what this was about.
"It's about the search you assigned me."
Called it.
Viviana placed a hand lightly over her chest, where her black bodice pulled tight.
"After screening and investigating every registered resident in the kingdom, I found someone who matches your description. If you're available, we could go tomorrow morning"
"That's perfect! Forget tomorrow, let's go right now!"
Anything connected to the [Witch's Feast] wasn't something Faust could afford to delay. He immediately grabbed his coat and followed her out of the palace.
Once they were seated in the carriage, Viviana rested both hands on her lap and spoke in a measured tone. "Following your instructions, I investigated everyone in the capital, narrowing it down layer by layer until I found someone who could wear the shoe properly."
Faust's excitement surged.
See? I knew tracking down "Cinderella" wouldn't be impossible. Those useless idiots working under me aren't worth a fraction of what Viviana's capable of. Look at her, she managed it in just a few days.
The prince couldn't help but clap his hands together.
"Excellent work! I knew I could count on you, Viviana. You never disappoint me!"
Viviana's eyelids lowered slightly, her violet eyes cold as winter frost.
She took a slow breath and nodded.
"...I only did my job."
Faust was too worked up to notice the ice in his childhood friend's voice.
Silence fell between them, lasting until the carriage stopped in front of a gated courtyard.
"We're here."
When Faust stepped out, he realized they'd arrived at the Roselyn family estate.
Still, he wasn't confused. Knowing how thorough Viviana was, she'd probably brought "Cinderella" to her own home right away for safekeeping.
"Your Highness, this way."
Viviana smoothed her skirt and gestured forward.
The prince followed her through the central courtyard, down a columned walkway, and deeper into the estate.
But the farther they walked, the more uneasy Faust felt.
It was too quiet.
True, the Roselyn family was known throughout the kingdom for their humility and simple lifestyle. Their estate wasn't lavish, and they lived modestly. But surely there should be at least a few servants around?
His suspicion peaked when they entered a basement room.
He looked around. Wooden bookshelves lined the walls, crammed with haphazard stacks of tomes and scrolls. White candles on the table provided the only illumination in the dim space.
Faust's frown deepened.
"Viviana, where are we? Where's the girl?"
At his question, the young woman stopped walking. Viviana, who had been eerily silent the entire way here, suddenly went still.
"She's right here, Your Highness..."
"BANG."
As the words left Viviana's lips, the door behind Faust slammed shut. Light erupted from the cracks between the floor tiles, and several chains of condensed magic shot upward, binding and immobilizing him where he stood.
Faust struggled, only to find he couldn't break free. Worse, every magical artifact he carried had stopped functioning. His face drained of color.
"I came here to see Cinderella, what the hell are you doing?!"
A coup? Treason? Rebellion?
A dozen possibilities flashed through Faust's mind, but none of them made sense. Nothing could explain what was happening.
In the face of his anger and alarm, Viviana remained perfectly calm. She simply turned around, removing her hooded cloak as she spoke evenly.
"I'm only following your orders, bringing you to meet the person you're looking for."
Faust's stomach dropped. He swallowed hard.
"...So where is she?"
Viviana answered by retrieving something from the cabinet.
The dazzling, exquisite crystal slipper, the very one Faust had given her to find "Cinderella."
Viviana removed her white knee-high boots, then peeled off the stockings that covered her slender, shapely calves. She slipped the crystal shoe onto her bare foot.
A perfect fit. Not even slightly off.
Viviana was Cinderella. Cinderella was Viviana.
BOOM.
It felt like someone had slammed a sledgehammer into Faust's chest. His breath caught. His eyes widened as he stared at Viviana, words failing him.
"But... but..."
The evidence was right in front of him, yet Faust still couldn't reconcile his childhood friend with the Cinderella from that night.
"Oh, right. This is probably what you need to recognize me."
Viviana seemed to remember something. She lowered her head and took a deep breath, then looked up again.
The pale-haired girl's entire presence transformed. She lifted her beautiful face toward Faust.
"Your Highness, you really did find me. No, I suppose I should say I found you."
That pure, radiant smile hit Faust like a truck.
Oh. Oh, right. This was the "Cinderella" he'd met that night.
The moment he saw that expression, it was as if a sealed memory had been unlocked. The prince immediately recalled Cinderella's image.
Comparing it to Viviana now, Faust realized there was no difference whatsoever. They were one and the same.
"Just as I thought, Your Highness..."
The pale-haired girl's eyes lowered. She walked up to Faust and gently rested her head against his shoulder, her smile tinged with bitterness and grief.
"Do you... really hate me that much?"