The princess's gaze, cold and noble yet tinged with disgust, was an exquisite delicacy worth etching into the depths of his soul to savor slowly.
Thanks, that felt good.
Wait! You were clearly the one who pressed yourself against me, so how does it seem like I'm the one being a creep? Even for entrapment, isn't this a bit much?
For some reason, Eleanor harbored deep prejudice against him, always finding angles from which to attack and criticize the prince of Aurum.
Fortunately, Faust's mental fortitude was truly rock solid. Eleanor's belittling didn't faze him in the slightest.
He could only say the princess was still too refined, completely incapable of spewing truly vulgar profanity. If anything, her icy mockery felt more like a reward to Faust.
Like a refreshing spring breeze, truly refreshing.
Faust nodded gently and smiled.
"I do have something to discuss with you. Is now a good time, Eleanor?"
"Wait a moment."
Eleanor's sage-green eyes swept over Faust once, then she closed the door.
After a brief wait, the princess invited Faust inside.
This was Faust's first time entering his sister's room. Eleanor's chambers... how to put it?
They perfectly matched her temperament. There was no extravagant or expensive furniture.
The cool-toned décor of sky blue and pale gray created an atmosphere of restraint and mystery.
Where a vanity should have been stood an astronomical observatory.
The spacious floor-to-ceiling windows had no buildings obstructing the view, allowing direct observation of the heavens.
Various bookshelves lined the walls, scrolls and grimoires piled on small tables, with alchemical tools placed nearby.
If Faust hadn't caught the refreshing, subtle fragrance, he wouldn't have believed this was a young woman's room.
Faust didn't scrutinize the room too closely, as Eleanor's gaze was already turning cold.
The princess of Aurum was naturally beautiful. Even without any potions or makeup, she was impossibly gorgeous.
Though wearing only casual home clothes, her silver-gray hair cascading over her shoulders, she possessed an otherworldly, ethereal quality.
Mm, her figure was quite ethereal too.
For some reason, Eleanor had obviously just spent effort tidying the room but forgot to put on an outer layer. Her sleeveless shirt and short skirt were extremely light.
Faust tried his best to avert his eyes. He didn't need to think twice, if his gaze wandered, Eleanor would definitely catch him and show no mercy.
Eleanor sat down at the table and lifted her snow-white, delicate chin.
"So, what do you want to say?"
"Eleanor, I have a favor to ask..."
The prince of Aurum took a deep breath and explained his purpose.
He hoped Eleanor would serve as co-regent with him.
Being refused would be perfectly normal.
Faust had long prepared himself mentally for a harsh rebuke and had already drafted arguments in his mind for how to persuade Eleanor.
If persuasion failed, that was fine too. At least he had to try.
"..."
The silver-gray-haired princess quietly studied Faust for a long while, just as she did during their usual encounters. After a period of silence, she finally spoke slowly.
"I'm curious... Faust, not long ago, you were overjoyed celebrating your imminent ascension to the throne. Your purpose all along has been nothing more than satisfying greater ambition."
"To that end, you pretended to be wise and patient, showing concern for the people, treating them with care.
To that end, you overcame your lazy and pleasure-seeking nature to work day and night. To that end, you categorized everyone into hierarchies, calculating their worth."
"You craved prestige and glory so desperately, feared and loathed mediocrity so intensely. Why, in just a few short months, would you abandon everything you've fought for?"
Faust: "..."
Stop, stop talking! I'm sweating here!
Eleanor's words were like a sharp scalpel, precisely cutting open the prince's chest, analyzing the purpose behind Faust's every action, then pointing out the essence with piercing accuracy.
Faust had never felt so thoroughly seen through. Eleanor understood him far better than he'd imagined.
Now the excuses he'd prepared beforehand were completely useless. But that was fine. Honesty was his final trump card.
The prince of Aurum pressed his lips together and answered.
"I simply came to my senses and realized how ridiculous my previous methods were. I used tactics I thought were clever and felt smug about them. Looking back now, I never understood what was truly valuable."
These words were absolutely true. If he hadn't learned of the Wheel of Fate's existence, with Faust's approach, he probably would have sprinted straight toward a bad ending.
Eleanor blinked and said, "Is it because of Viviana? Did that girl... change you?"
"It's not entirely because of Viviana. More than that, I came to my senses on my own, plus the Fae's assistance."
"Is that so?"
The silver-gray-haired princess's sage-green eyes rippled with thought, pondering something unknown.
After a long moment, she suddenly looked at the prince of Aurum again and asked, "Faust, do you love Viviana?"
"Love... I don't like to throw that word around. It's quite a heavy word."
Faust frowned and said, "But to me, Viviana is worth more than a kingdom's wealth and power combined."
A lover with the "Witch" destiny who could grow infinitely, hesitating even a second would be disrespectful to such top-tier fate!
"That sounds like something you'd say. If you'd said 'more than anything,' that would have been surprising."
The corner of Eleanor's mouth lifted slightly, then she said, "Not bad. You really have changed. Go ahead then, enjoy what others your age enjoy."
The silver-gray-haired princess gently played with her ponytail and said, "My governance of the kingdom won't be as meticulous as yours. I'll just put in some effort when you're not around."
"Eleanor!"
Hearing these words that amounted to agreement, Faust called out joyfully.
Unlike his usual courteous greetings, this "sister" carried some genuine emotion.
Eleanor seemed startled as well. Her cold, reserved expression immediately changed. Her slender fingers twined through her hair as she looked away.
"Well... after all, I'm still your sister."
Faust didn't know if it was his imagination, but he saw a smile appear on Eleanor's exquisite, beautiful face.
Not a cold smile, not a mocking smile, but a genuine smile filled with joy.
Eleanor could show that kind of expression?
But with such a pleasant atmosphere, he didn't want to ask anything more. Satisfied, he took his leave.
After the prince of Aurum left, Eleanor retrieved a grimoire from the bookshelf and slowly opened it, while also taking a doll from a drawer.
The handmade doll looked quite adorable. If Faust were still here, he'd recognize at a glance that it was made to resemble him.
Eleanor placed the doll that looked like her brother against her neck, tilting her head to hold it there.
As she flipped through the grimoire and saw the text blur and change, she murmured softly, "The future... has changed."
But soon, Eleanor saw something in the book that made her fair face flush slightly. Her elegant brows furrowed as she cursed softly.
"But he's still a sleazy bastard!"