Chapter 63: Blackening
“Your sister… has been deceiving you? From the very beginning?”
As Will spoke, Treya visibly flinched.
Then, she raised her head, her gaze, as always, clear and watery but lacking emotion, met Will’s.
“Sir, you cannot say that.”
“As expected… that’s how you’d respond.”
Will brushed the dust off his clothes, a remnant from fiddling with the long-neglected mannequins.
“You don’t understand my sister. She wouldn’t lie to me. She raised me from when I was small. All the sword skills I possess now, she taught me after demonstrating them herself.”
Treya spoke with utmost seriousness, yet the reason she gave made Will want to laugh and cry.
“You trust her too easily. Precisely because she taught you all your sword skills, and you had no external avenues to learn, you’ve been mistaken all along.”
He easily pointed out Treya’s vulnerability.
“Impossible. She has no reason to lie to me.”
“Because doing so brings her benefits.”
“…Benefits?”
Treya tilted her head in confusion, seemingly not grasping his meaning.
Will sighed.
However…
It was fine. He was mentally prepared to start from here.
Treya’s pure gaze rested on him, quietly awaiting his words. Her eyes were easy to read, so clear they seemed to hold nothing but trust.
Will recalled how he had racked his brain, drafting three or four plans with the premise that “Eugenie is the mastermind,” replaying missions multiple times, none of which he was satisfied with. He rejected them all.
Finally, a flash of inspiration struck him—
Make Treya believe him?
Keep Treya from breaking off the engagement?
Forge an alliance with Treya?
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
Thinking about these questions from the very beginning had set him in the wrong direction!
Whether these options were even possible was another matter, considering how easily that Treya could be swayed with a few words. She was a good child, after all.
But looking back, it seemed he had forgotten the original objective.
Blackening!
On the pure white Treya, this word was truly being used correctly!
【Mission 86 (Amended): Make Treya doubt her sister, doubt her father, and even doubt herself from the past, causing her to change her perspective from now on.】
【Quest Reward: Eugenie’s Failed Resentment x1】
He needed to make the silver-haired half-elf see the true face of her sister, the true face of the Royal Family, and realize that she had been mired in filth all along!
She needed to personally handle matters concerning her sister.
That was the true essence.
As for how she viewed him…
It didn’t matter.
He wasn’t going to become her future husband anyway, so why should he care what she thought?
“You trust your sister too much. Think about it. Currently, among the Royal Family, your eight sisters and twelve brothers, only Eugenie and you—though you haven’t embarked on this path yet—are dedicated to making a name for yourselves in the dungeon exploration sector.”
Will walked around her with his hands behind his back.
“Thinking about it this way, in a field where she has unique advantages, having a sister who is similar to her in career positioning and future plans, possesses even greater talent, and is even… more beautiful than her.”
As Will spoke, he stopped behind Treya.
“She has long passed the age where marrying into a suitable noble family to stabilize some relationships would be beneficial. Yet, you, at such a young age, have managed to latch onto the now-popular Hysterm Family without any effort.”
He spoke in a voice akin to a villain’s temptation:
“For her, who wants to contend for the throne, you are the number one threat that needs to be eliminated, right?”
Treya’s thought process ground to a halt.
Her mind went blank.
She knew Will’s words made sense, but…
Was Sister Eugenie someone who had been preparing for this day for so long?
Was Entak a Royal Family that required sisterly strife? Was Father a father who would allow such things to happen?
Her sister, red like the sun…
And her father, blue like the deep sky…
Were all these colors false?
Impossible… this can’t be… It can’t be like this!
Then there was only one conclusion…
Treya looked up.
In her eyes, Will, who so recklessly judged her family, and even tried to make her think the same way…
Became the sole black presence amidst the bright colors she perceived.
“You…”
Treya murmured, and the glint of a sword flashed.
Will felt a chill on his neck.
Looking down, he saw a gleaming silver sword pressed against his throat.
However, Treya didn’t use the blade; she pressed the flat of the sword against his neck. Despite how fast she drew her sword, it didn’t cut his skin or even his clothes.
“No matter who you are, you are not allowed to speculate about my sister so carelessly.”
“You must not understand her as an outsider.”
“Next time I hear you say something like that, your neck will be the one seeing red.”
Treya’s sword tip lightly flicked, swiping down a few centimeters from his hairline, a gesture of threat.
Will remained calm. He wasn’t scared, nor did he raise his hands in surrender. In fact, he chuckled because of it.
“It’s fine, I’m not angry.”
Because Treya was flustered.
As a princess known for her composure and high cultivation, she only drew her sword to threaten when she was truly agitated and couldn’t think of a solution.
This proved…
Treya herself was beginning to waver slightly about her sister’s intentions, and she made Will back down to prevent her own beliefs from collapsing.
“However, Sir, I acknowledge that you keenly pointed out the shortcomings in my sword skills. If you have any other advice related to swordsmanship, I will listen.”
“You are clear-headed about that part…” Will was about to speak when he glanced at the time on his watch. “But you’re going to meet your fiancé, aren’t you?”
“Huh? How did you know again…”
“If you go change and prepare now, I wonder if it won’t be too late.”
Hearing this, Treya quickly looked up at the clock hanging in the training ground.
“Indeed. Then, Sir, please excuse me for today. I hope you can leave your contact information. That way, I can hear the reason for my failure next time…”
“No need. You’ll find out tonight for sure.”
“Hm?”
Will waved his hand.
“Oh… and…”
He pointed at the mannequin left on the field, the one Treya had reduced to a single remaining piece.
“You must remember, if someone places a mannequin in this manner and asks you to showcase your current sword skills…”
He stopped, smiling as if anticipating something.
“You absolutely must refuse. Don’t be foolish enough to step up.”
“Thank you… for your advice.”
Although somewhat reluctant, Treya still thanked Will.
“Then… I’ll see you tonight.”
Watching Treya’s hurried back as she left in her training clothes, he was quite confident that his plan was more than half complete.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the banquet that night,
Will arrived early and searched around, but he didn’t see Treya.
He shouldn’t have kept her talking for so long. Treya was probably undergoing the complex grooming and dressing process of the Royal Family and hadn’t appeared yet.
He leaned against a pastry stall, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
There were too many people.
The sheer number of people was one thing, but everyone wore masks, speaking politely. Upon meeting, regardless of status, a few pleasantries were exchanged first.
This was utterly exhausting for Will.
However…
Thinking about it, his father—or rather, “Young Master Will’s” father—had never intended for him to take over the Hysterm Family’s business from the beginning.
As a merchant, he should have adapted to such social settings early on, but it was clear that Carver had no intention of letting Will learn. He had never allowed Will to attend such banquets before.
“Hmph, isn’t this Will? What a rare sight. To see Young Master Will at a banquet is truly unusual.”
Will looked back…
This person…
Wearing a deep blue suit, his golden hair slicked back.
It was the second young master of the Brandon Family.
The true mastermind who might have been ordered by Eugenie to bully him!
