"Whew..."
Shoving Mephisto's Fallen Dragon scheme out of his mind, Faust decided not to ask about it for now. He reached out and pushed open the chamber doors.
It was still that warm, dimly lit study. The difference was that the medicinal smell in the room had grown even stronger, making Faust cough lightly a couple of times.
"Father, good day."
The Prince of Aurum walked forward two steps and greeted the old man lying on the daybed.
The old king, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them and glanced at the prince.
"Faust... my child, what is it?"
The king slowly sat up straight and said, "I heard you spent quite a while at Viviana's place, lingering there for months.
I thought you didn't like that girl. You even broke off the engagement over it, embarrassing me and my old friend."
"How could I not like her? I absolutely adore her!"
Faust hastily denied it. Regardless of the past, if anyone said he had no feelings for Viviana now, the Prince of Aurum would throw down with them!
"It's precisely because this relationship is so important that I couldn't accept the arranged marriage so carelessly.
I couldn't in good conscience inherit the bond between our fathers' generation and pass it down to ours. I had to spend time with her myself to understand my own heart."
"I see. It seems you've thought things through."
Faust's excuse was too perfect. The old king accepted this explanation and clapped his hands together.
"Good. Viviana is a fine girl. The throne of Aurum rightfully includes a share for the Roselyn family.
Ah, if they had still been alive back then, we wouldn't have been the ones to bear the name of Aurum."
Seeing his adoptive father about to launch into reminiscing about hardships and reliving past glories, Faust knew full well that once he got started, it wouldn't end in just a few hours.
In the past, His Highness would have listened attentively for the sake of his father's favor. But now there were more important matters at hand, so Faust interrupted immediately.
"Speaking of the throne... Father, there's something I need to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
"I... can't become the King of Aurum."
"BANG!"
The old king slammed his palm on the table. The expensive marble table immediately shattered into pieces.
Faust's eyelid twitched at the sight. Worthy of a legendary warrior indeed. Even aged and frail to this degree, his casual burst of strength was nothing to sneeze at.
The king braced himself on the armrests and stood up. Those eyes, like an aged hawk's, crimson and sharp, stared directly at Faust.
"Child... what did you say?"
"I'm not planning to ascend the throne."
Under his father's displeased gaze, Faust steeled himself and explained, "But that doesn't mean I'm giving up leading the Kingdom of Aurum. It's just... for certain reasons, I'd better not actually become king. Instead, I should continue serving as regent prince."
Wasn't that pointless? Faust's current authority was equivalent to the king's. What difference did one crown make?
But the difference was enormous. Apart from his Mephisto-designated constitution as "one beloved by the Witch," the most valuable thing about Faust was his identity as the Prince.
The King of Aurum didn't know this, but he frowned and quickly thought of something.
"Is this... the will of Her Grace?"
"You could say that."
Faust openly raised Mephisto's banner. To the traditionally-minded King of Aurum, the Fae was no different from a deity. The Fae's endorsement was divine revelation.
Do you know how useful a Fae contract is?!
Sure enough, upon hearing it was "the Fae's guidance," the king's expression instantly improved. He sat back down, returning to the posture of a leisurely old man.
Faust continued, "Also... I may be away from the country for extended periods.
Therefore, I plan to share authority with Sister. During the months I was absent, Sister was the one handling state affairs. I've reviewed everything, and she's more than capable of this work."
This was also an unexpected delight the prince had discovered recently.
He'd always thought Eleanor had no interest in state affairs, yet she turned out to be remarkably adept at handling them.
Not only that, but the silver-haired princess had left suggestions on the projects Faust was focused on.
How to put it? It was as if he'd written them himself.
The approach was virtually identical. Without long-term attention and consideration, this effect would be absolutely impossible.
The prince's bold and sweeping reforms had never received positive feedback from Eleanor. More accurately, her response to almost any of Faust's actions was cold mockery.
Comments like "So eager for quick success, utterly repulsive," "You're drowning in lust for power, in way too deep," and "Shameless, disgusting wretch, is your brain filled with nothing but monkey-like desires?" were practically personal attacks at this point.
Who would've thought her private research ran so deep? He had no idea why.
The old king stroked his graying beard and laughed knowingly.
"I see. What Her Grace the Fae is guiding you toward is the path of the Hero King."
Hero King?
Faust hadn't thought that far ahead. His proposal to travel was more about leaving himself an escape route. Because logically, if he always stayed in the Kingdom of Aurum, he'd basically be stuck within the framework of the Cinderella script.
If he wanted to add variables to the script, the best method was to do things he absolutely wouldn't have done otherwise.
The king said leisurely, "Child, what do you think is needed to lead a kingdom to rise?"
Faust thought for a moment and answered, "Training armies, encouraging production, reforming institutions, expanding trade routes, playing all sides?"
These were all things Faust had worked hard to accomplish. Governing a great nation was like cooking a delicate fish.
Though the Kingdom of Aurum wasn't large, managing it was no easy task. For ten years, His Highness had poured his heart and soul into it, working tirelessly day and night to make this small independent nation flourish.
"Those are indeed one path. But with only that, Aurum will never truly be independent. Child, do you think I'm a wise sage skilled at governance?"
Of course not.
Quite the opposite. As a warrior-turned-king, this adoptive father of Faust's, even though he'd tried his hardest to learn, had managed the country rather questionably over the decades.
High EQ translation: governing through non-action, ruling the realm with folded arms!
Low EQ translation: accomplished nothing, stayed very busy, just no idea what he was busy with.
The old king said calmly, "There's another path. That is to reach the pinnacle on the path of the Hero, achieving great deeds through charisma that rallies hearts, invincible martial prowess, and heaven-ordained luck."
"To advance in mysticism, some heirs to thrones leave their kingdoms, explore magical realms, adventure and battle, punish evil and uphold justice, and even achieve legendary feats under the Fae's guidance that are sung of by the world."
"This is the Hero King of divine right, ruling the kingdom through their own absolute power and charisma."
In a word: all power unto oneself.