VIP Chapter 255: The Demon Princess Offers You a Beautiful Dream (8)
The first rays of morning sunlight streamed into the room.
Will rubbed his eyes.
At least this morning he woke up without any disturbing dreams. Perhaps he was too tired last night; he had no memory of dreaming at all, leaving only a blank slate.
And then…
He felt a tickle on his chest, and upon opening his eyes slightly, he discovered…
A silver-haired head was resting on his shoulder. With slightly raised, pale blue eyes, Treya, who had woken up before him, had her head propped on his chest, looking up at him.
“…”
Perhaps it was because they had spent the night together, but the Empress, lying on him, seemed to possess less of her usual half-elf aloofness and more charm.
“Good morning…?”
“Good morning…”
She rubbed her eyes. Will noticed that although she had woken up before him, she still looked as though she hadn’t had enough sleep.
“Speaking of which, I’ve always wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it? Will.”
Treya’s pointed elf ears twitched.
“I remember when I fell asleep in the afternoon, I was still wearing clothes, right? Why were my clothes gone when evening came?”
“Mmm…”
Treya hummed and nuzzled against his chest, seemingly avoiding the question.
“So, you planned this all along, including sleeping next to me, right?”
“Because… we’re already engaged~”
Treya’s voice sounded soft, perhaps due to weariness and lack of sleep. Even to Will’s ears, this was an unusually gentle tone for Treya.
“Alright, then I need to get up.”
As he started to move, Treya hugged him from behind.
Treya pressed herself against his neck and said in a somewhat pleading tone:
“Today is the first day, and I don’t have any work yet. Why don’t you stay with me in bed for a little longer?”
“Will~”
“Alright, alright. Who would have thought their Empress would be so tenderly asking me like this in bed?”
“Mmm… Anyway, only you will know.”
A smile played on her lips. She shifted her body, entwined her arm with Will’s, and nuzzled her head against him.
Will gazed around Treya’s room. The air was mixed with a faint scent of Treya’s perspiration 5①零壹VII私吾韭飼疚捌铃萌.
He recalled reading in some cheap literature that half-elves’ sweat smelled sweet. However, born with elf blood from cold regions, they rarely sweated, and few people could smell their perspiration.
Except, after doing… everything.
Feeling the gentle morning sunlight filtering in, Will wondered…
Would all his future mornings begin with waking up as sweetly as this?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first rays of afternoon sunlight shone upon Princess Treya’s sword training ground—now it should be called Her Majesty Treya’s training ground.
Indeed, when they talked about “lingering,” they ended up staying in bed until noon lunch. If Will’s stomach hadn’t started growling from hunger, Treya likely wouldn’t have let him go.
Although it was a “rest,” although she had become the “Empress,” and although there should have been more “state affairs” to handle, Treya still picked up her sword and practiced her forms in the training ground.
Will sat by the side, ⒎玲巴伍⑷锍⒏奇妻裙聊 watching her practice her sword.
“Come to think of it, in my memory, she often swung her sword like this.”
The afternoon sun carried warmth as Treya began to swing the sword in her hand. Accompanied by her footwork, the Entak Style was practiced from the first form to the last.
Her silver hair scattered and danced in the sunlight. Her leaping sword tip and rapid footwork seemed to dance with the shadows beneath her feet.
It was a beautiful scene.
Ever since their first meeting three years ago, Will had watched Treya practice her sword like this. From being very unskillful at the beginning to gradually being able to complete a full set of forms.
The current Treya wasn’t doing this for the Crowning Festival; she was simply performing the entire set of forms for him alone.
The warm sunlight illuminated Will’s vision, casting a gentle filter over everything he saw, making it all seem incredibly sweet.
As if sensing Will’s gaze, Treya’s sword movement momentarily paused, and then she turned towards Will.
She swung her sword in Will’s direction…
She deliberately faced him, giving him a cool, frontal view.
Realizing that Treya didn’t forget to show off for him even while practicing, Will let out a laugh without even noticing.
In the future…
Would all their afternoons be spent leisurely like this, basking in the sun?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the evening royal meal, Treya and Will lit a lamp at the table and sat down.
Treya sat beside him, raising her hand. Her slender wrist bent slightly as she gently removed the silver and golden headdress and hairpin from her head.
Her silver hair, under the dim, ambiguous lamplight, seemed to have a golden edge.
After removing the headdresses that represented her status as “royalty” and “Empress,” she turned around with a light laugh. Now, she looked even more like she did last night.
“Whew… Nothing much to do today. Shall we… later again?”
Treya leaned onto Will’s shoulder and slowly took a newspaper from the table.
“…What is this?”
The newspaper’s date was today’s, from this morning, and it seemed to be reporting yesterday’s news…
Yesterday’s news…
Perhaps today had been too “peaceful,” so peaceful that it seemed like every day would be the same, that Will almost thought yesterday’s events happened a long time ago.
Yesterday’s news…
Of course, it was the “Coronation” and the “Engagement.”
But as a newspaper, it was self-evident which of these two would be more popular among the masses.
“Someone delivered it this morning, but we forgot to look.”
Treya wore a look of extreme satisfaction at the newspaper’s content.
Her smile was like that of someone who had finally succeeded in something and achieved victory. In Will’s eyes, it even carried a hint of mischief.
What was the headline of the newspaper?
Will took the newspaper and unfolded it before him—though perhaps it didn’t need unfolding, as the front-page headline, placed on top of the folded newspaper, was the photo he remembered.
He was scooped up in a princess carry, in Treya’s arms, under the flashbulbs of various reporters, in the gaze of everyone…
“To be carried by me in a newspaper seen by the entire nation, what do you think?”
Treya poked his cheek from the side.
“I…”
Will paused.
He had expected to have countless “complex” thoughts…
Regardless of his own status.
Regardless of his relationship with Treya.
Regardless of political stance.
Regardless of future developments…
There had to be a thought outside of all that, right?
But there wasn’t.
Why would he think about these things?
How could he possibly think about these things?
In his “memory,” he was never someone who thought about these things, right?
Right, right, right.
Judging by the memories of this life, the things he thought about…
Will narrowed his eyes, looking at the photo of himself standing in the middle, being carried, which flickered in the warm firelight of the room. His finger traced across Treya’s beautiful face.
—Only loving her.
—Without a doubt.
“I’m very happy. There aren’t many people who can be declared ownership of by someone like you on such an important occasion.”
He turned his head and kissed Treya’s forehead.
“Then I’ll answer your question from earlier, Will—”
“Let’s continue tonight, don’t stop.”
She reached out and unbuttoned her top.
“Especially that beautiful dream.”
…
In the future…
Would all their nights be spent like this, in Treya’s room?
