VIP Chapter 263: Eye Contact
She felt a complex mix of emotions. Good news was, it was rare to find so many books similar to the male lead and Will’s. She truly struck gold. Bad news was, these books were collected by her love rival, one who had already won him over. It wasn’t just a physical defeat, but also a loss in expressing affection from behind the scenes.
Clutching the paper, she pouted, wishing she could tear the book apart. No, this was Treya’s evidence. Tearing it now would mean no proof. When she met Will, she planned to use this to complain—”See? The demure Empress beside you actually has these thoughts about you.”
Lost in thought, Shuna turned a couple more pages. And then… she noticed something peculiar about the books. Many pages were dog-eared, and certain sentences and plots were highlighted in red ink. “Does that princess really need to take notes and mark things up when reading these books? Isn’t she being too much of a good student…”
“Hmm…” This page detailed what a noble young master’s happy family was like. This page described the male lead’s instant love at first sight for the Empress. This page… detailed the female lead’s bedroom posture… Well, let’s skip that. “It’s as if she’s piecing together the complete life of someone she desires from these books.” “And, if I recall correctly, Will’s life shares many similarities with these highlighted parts.”
“Hmm…” “Fabricating memories from scratch is difficult; it lacks detail. The best method is…” “To find a ‘prototype’ from existing fiction and then create?” This theory wasn’t Shuna’s invention. She’d encountered it before in an academic work about how demons influence memories and construct illusions. However, research on demons was scarce, and much of it was secretly hidden by the Entak Royal Family. Such books had to be dug out from the library’s forgotten corners.
And… as Shuna pulled out all the books, she couldn’t believe what she saw… It was the Witch’s Ring that Will always wore, and the staff he used, which had a semi-transparent crystal ball with a black side and a white side in the middle. These two items Will used were highly distinctive. And expensive. And hard to obtain. These two items were definitely his.
“As some of his few pieces of equipment crafted for the Dungeon, why are they here?” “He would never be separated from these two items, especially in a place no one has entered for two weeks…” “Considering the ‘rumors’ about Will outside, could it be…”
*Jingle—*
Just as Shuna was starting to piece things together, she suddenly heard the faint sound of rolling bells in the empty, desolate house. “?!” Someone opened the door! When she came up from the first floor, she had placed bells at the entrance as a precaution. If someone entered through the main door, the bells would be disturbed and make a sound. The person opening the door probably just thought they knocked something over and didn’t pay it any mind. This is bad.
Someone is coming? Is it the patrol knights? No, no, this building doesn’t seem to have fixed patrols. She sidled over to the window. “Wow, quite a show.” Outside the window, the house was surrounded by knights, and judging by the insignia on their shoulders, they were all of the highest rank. They lit lamps, completely surrounding the house.
Shuna calmly tidied up the books she had pulled out, placing them back under the bed exactly as they were. Then she packed up Will’s items herself. She wasn’t planning to escape… Because vaguely, she felt the person she was looking for had come to her. Shuna tucked in another corner of the books under the bed, and then used a common earth-attribute dust magic to smooth over the footprints she had made in the dust. Then… she found a “safe” place and hid.
…
*Click.*
In the long, drawn-out silence, Shuna’s eyes widened. She saw the person walking in… It was indeed… Will. She hadn’t seen Will for three weeks. Her impression of him was from three weeks ago, the determined youth who insisted on going to the Royal Palace alone to rescue Treya. Will, who could always understand the other person with just a gaze or a few words.
“It’s… a bit dark, and… there’s a bad aura. Treya, can you go in first? I’m a little scared.”
?!
He stood at the entrance, holding a candle. Its light shone through the gap in the door. But as he spoke, his shadow took a step back. Just hearing him say that, Shuna felt something was wrong. What he said did sound like something he might playfully say when entering a dungeon. For example—
“It’s a bit dark~ I feel like there’s something scary! Shuna, please, can you go in first? I’m super scared~” That kind of tone. Not out of dependence, nor genuine fear, but purely because he believed his position and capabilities warranted acting spoiled. In other words, it was a performative cuteness. But this time, Shuna felt it was real. Will was actually “scared” and acting cute towards Treya.
“This used to be my room, it’s very safe, just a little dark. Come in.” Treya. Shuna had only seen Treya once in the newspapers and had never heard her voice. But just hearing that cool, exceptionally noble voice, she knew who it was. She had an aura more like an Empress of a Dungeon than a human Empress. It was strange. But here, on Entak territory, there weren’t many other Half-elves who spoke like that. But why was she here at this exact time? Shuna wondered if she already knew she was here? And was trying to intercept her?
“Mhm, Treya is still so gentle, as always. The best.” ??? Shuna was full of questions. What happened to you, Will? This part sounds like an abduction, and his voice is so cold. Where does it sound “gentle”?
Then… as they walked in, Shuna observed Will’s demeanor. Alright. She wasn’t happy. She felt a pang of heartache. She had never seen Will look so tired and “chaotic,” not even when she just pulled him out of Liya’s hands. He… was in pain. As if he was being pressed down by a ghost, trapped in a dream, unable to wake up, his mind in utter confusion, his spirit deeply clouded.
“Be careful, hold me.” Treya took his hand and moved forward. *Tap, tap, tap.* She walked slowly, as if deliberately creating pressure. Her heels struck the wooden floor as she advanced. Then… she slowly squatted down. She reached her hand under the bed… The entire room was eerily quiet; one could even hear the sound of her fingers on the floor. Little by little, deeper inside… she fumbled…
Shuna thought… Was she looking for the books she had just put under the bed? There was only that item underneath. Was her goal this?! Wait, let’s connect the dots… Treya seeks from books the material to construct a “dreamscape.” The Entak Family possesses abilities similar to “demons.” Will currently appears extremely strange and absent-minded. All of Will’s Dungeon equipment was placed in a location only Treya knew.
Alright, the stone in Shuna’s heart settled, though it hit her foot. Will had definitely messed up. He didn’t control or save Treya, but was instead manipulated by her “mind control.”
“Treya… are you done?” Will moved closer to Treya, as if afraid she would move away. The candle in his hand trembled, causing the light and shadows in the room to sway with his shaking hand. “Mhm, almost.” Treya fumbled under the bed. Her fingers brushed past the box, but she didn’t stop.
Shuna watched, and she realized… Treya was using the excuse of looking for books to look for… herself. Her hand explored under the bed, but instead of pulling out the box she had already found, she Pushed it further in, following the floor’s markings, exploring little by little. Treya seemed to believe Shuna must be hiding under the bed.
“Hoo…” Shuna took a light breath, trying not to make a sound, and observed carefully. Shuna looked at Will, pondering a question—Did he need her to save him? She knew well that the Will before her had considerable experience exploring Dungeons, and his combat prowess was not weak. He was not the “Hysterm Family’s trash” that most people described. If one inquired at school, they would surely hear appraisals of his capabilities. Like her, he wanted to understand the secrets of this world’s Dungeons. But… Treya used such a forceful method, completely disregarding emotional strategies, directly employing memory alteration and dream control, changing him entirely. The current Will… with his memories swapped, was he still Mr. W?
Shuna thought back to that morning when Will insisted on parting ways with her and going to the capital, so resolute and with no hesitation towards Treya. If he had indeed messed up, she wouldn’t mind saving him again… But… what if he now… yearned for a life of being intimate with the Empress? Then… would she have to force Will back into his favorite form?
While Shuna pondered this question, without an answer… Will suddenly took two steps back unnaturally. Then… he raised his head.
!?
Yes, Shuna was hiding above them, which was not difficult. With climbing skills and a little air-control magic, it could be done easily. The reason she did this was… in a room with such a high ceiling, in her most familiar room, people often don’t “look up” when entering. Even if they looked up, in this darkness, she had hidden spots, and could even move behind them—blind spots from eye-level or looking up. But… someone with “Dungeon” experience wouldn’t fall for it. Because it was a “Dungeon,” they would often encounter spaces with such high ceilings, but ambushes could occur from the air at any moment. Therefore… one needed to… step back, look up, and survey the surroundings. If someone was behind them, it would reduce blind spots, but there was clearly no one behind Will. His eyes met Shuna’s. In an instant, the fog in his eyes cleared.
