VIP Chapter 479: “Absolutely Not” (3k)
“It doesn’t count? Then… alright.”
Although there was a hint of disappointment in her tone, Treya obediently complied with Will.
Then, Will pushed open the door to the council hall, stepping inside even before Treya.
The morning sunlight, broken by the windowpanes, shone in fragmented squares onto the long conference table, dividing it into sections.
This was much like the various factions discussing around the table, each holding their own positions.
Rather than Treya exuding an oppressive aura, this council hall, passed down from the Entak Royal Family, amplified feelings of suppression and discomfort to the extreme.
Sitting on the high-backed chair facing away from the light, even a dog would feel intimidated.
But Will didn’t need to—
“So, we’re going to shatter her illusions at this meeting, aren’t we?”
“You must think that if we do, His Majesty will become more agreeable.”
“Hush, she’s here?”
“…Why are there two people… Wait?!”
*Swish—*
All the eyes around one of the tables focused on Treya and Will standing at the door.
There were no special lights installed in the room; illumination came solely from the window, making their eyes gleam with suspicion.
Everyone’s eyes widened as they witnessed this scene.
“Hello! Subordinates, subjects, and acquaintances and strangers— Treya’s vassals!”
“I have returned.”
Will spread his arms and, amidst stunned gazes, elegantly bowed deeply.
Then he turned and extended a hand to Treya, inviting her forward.
The people in the council hall were seeing Will there for the first time. They had gathered early, waiting for Treya to convene the meeting, and the news of Will’s revival, which had already caused a stir among the palace servants, had not yet reached this part of the palace.
The gazes of those present did not leave Will.
They stared intently at the figure of her “fiancé,” trying to find a trace of illusion in his black suit.
Whether it was his shadow as he walked through the light or his action of taking Treya’s hand.
Unfortunately, there was none.
Walking to the center, to the seat reserved for “His Majesty,” Will was pleasantly surprised to find that Treya had also reserved a seat for him.
“Ahem… Speaking of which, indeed, when we have meetings, we should have two chairs.”
Will brushed the dust off the chair with his hand.
The meticulous royal servants seemed to have forgotten to clean this obscure chair in the council hall.
Perhaps the act of “cleaning a chair that should always be occupied” was intended to prove his absence to Treya.
However, Will sat down nonetheless.
“Let’s begin the meeting.” Treya looked at the wide eyes and slack jaws of everyone at the conference table, finding it strange. “Why do you all have that expression?”
“Yo-Your Majesty… Th-th-th-that person is…”
A terrified voice, seemingly from a corner, implied Will.
Treya turned to glance at Will, who was sitting casually in the副 (secondary) seat, and chuckled lightly.
“It’s the same as usual, isn’t it? Is this the first time you’ve seen Will attend a meeting?”
“Th-th-th—”
“Mmm, yes. Although I occasionally take leave, I’ve been here many times, haven’t I?”
“…It’s true it’s not the first time.”
After a long pause, the flustered minister could only utter this one sentence.
“It’s alright if not everyone is present; speak what you have to say. You see, Treya knows very well that I am magnanimous and will listen to anything.”
“Then… First is the location and general flow of the birthday banquet. As you mentioned before, according to Entak Family tradition and to demonstrate the Church’s power, it should be held at the chapel on the mountaintop.”
A trembling hand presented a document detailing the venue’s setup and itinerary.
Treya lowered her silver eyelids and looked at the venue setup description without a smile.
“At the same time, all birthday banquets after inheriting the Entak Royal Family require a certain amount of worship and recognition from the Church.”
But…
Will could see that she was displeased.
It was understandable; who would want to hold a birthday banquet in a place where they were almost devoured by a demon, and where a strange kettle was present? That would be the act of a masochist with too much free time.
Those who proposed this were likely the “royalists.” Adhering to traditions for royal matters, allowing no room for change, was also a way to display the royal family’s power.
“Mmm. It seems there are no issues.”
“Yes. The prosperity of the Entak Royal Family is achieved through such adherence to rules. Please bear with us…”
“I understand. The Church hasn’t been contacted recently. We won’t use the spirit pot; we’ll formally invite the priest of the Goddess.”
And clearly.
The place Treya truly wanted to hold the banquet was…
“Ah…”
Will sighed.
“No, no, absolutely not~”
In a teasing manner, Will waved his hand and shook his finger.
He picked up the meticulously handwritten plan and held it up.
*Riiip—*
He tore it.
A plan, in Will’s hands…
Torn in half!
“Will…”
Treya looked up, her previously blank expression finally showing a change.
“How dare you?!”
The person who submitted the plan exclaimed.
“Ah, I believe I have a veto power, don’t I? Then I shall tear it even more thoroughly.”
As if not satisfied with the tearing, WillReassembled the remaining two halves and tore them again.
This time, it wasn’t a waist-high tear, but a complete shredding.
“You… You you you you you this…”
“This what?” Will reached out, and the pieces of the plan fell like snowflakes from his fingertips. “This is absolutely unacceptable. Haven’t you realized? A birthday banquet is meant to make the birthday person happy. Do you think those decadent and outdated rules of the Entak Royal Family would make our progressive Queen happy?”
“Will, but…”
“There is no ‘but.’ I veto it.”
Will looked at Treya, who wanted to say something, but Will blocked her.
“Sigh, you can’t even see the displeasure on Queen Treya’s face, yet you’re presenting so many reasons, citing principles, the rules of the previous generation, and religious dogma to put her in a difficult position.”
“So this was Will’s intention? A new leader who overturns previous decisions does fit my positioning…”
Treya whispered, guessing.
But she was wrong.
These were made up on the spot by Will.
If you asked him to repeat what he just said, he couldn’t.
However, it didn’t matter…
When he mentioned the venue, Treya would understand. He had elevated Treya to such heights in a minute, and in a minute, he had torn up the previous banquet decision…
Purely for—
“Listen to me. Activate that old unused… Banquet Hall? Use it.”
“!”
Treya knew what that was…
That was where they first met, where they got engaged, and also… also the place he wrote about in his dreams.
In her own dreams, even though this Will acted very absurdly, in these places, he was still the real “Will.”
“Please! How is that possible?! That banquet hall is already considered a relic of the old era…”
“Renovate it inside and out. It’s precisely time to discard all the old things and declare that the new King has arrived.”
Will inwardly applauded his own nonsensical speech.
But he turned to look at Treya.
Only Treya, he thought, understood why he was doing this.
“As for how to proceed,” he turned to Treya, “it requires the Queen’s approval, right?”
“Yes.”
Treya nodded slightly.
“Let’s do it this way, Will.”
Then, she spoke words that absolutely no one dared to oppose.
…
……
For Treya, what she was currently experiencing was indeed a “beautiful dream” she had long prayed for but had never arrived.
In the banquet preparation meeting, for which she disliked but didn’t know how to offer suitable opinions, Will would strongly step forward and veto any of her slightly dissatisfied ideas.
He would silence those officials she disliked the most.
She would no longer have to taste a feast laid out for her alone in the desolate royal dining room.
Until night fell, she wouldn’t enter her room to see a black and white bedroom.
Lying quietly in bed, she could see his profile on the other side of the bed.
“Good night.”
He would say to her.
Then…
Then she would close her eyes…
Again…
Enter a dream?
Or wake up from this seemingly “beautiful dream”?
…
“Finally, we can drag her into Zero Demon City.” From 3.
“If this drags on, they’re already nearing the 200th floor over there!” From 4.
“200th floor, that won’t do… We have to get her assimilated quickly, at least so she’s not defeated on the 230th floor.” From 6.
“What’s with that man? Why did he suddenly attack Zero Demon City?” From 1.
“Besides that, we should first consider why, with him by her side, we can’t use any of our previous methods to pull her into Zero Demon City.” From 8.
“Because she feels ‘reality’ is more like an ‘illusion’? So until she falls asleep, she can’t enter Zero Demon City again?” From 9.
“A sinister person! Will is indeed the one who led her astray, only to bring her such a method.” From 10.
“Hehehe, then I’ve thought of a good way to counteract the influence that man brought. That is! To fight him head-on!” From 1.
“Use his method to defeat him!” From 2.
“Completely crush her psychological defenses, heh heh heh.” From 5.
“This way, she might be ‘devoured’ more easily than before?” From 7.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Is she asleep yet?”
But as the champion of all-nighters, Will certainly didn’t keep the same schedule as the well-behaved and healthy Little Princess.
Will looked at Treya beside her pillow.
She was in a peculiar state.
After falling asleep, her body emitted a faint purple light, becoming semi-transparent. Through her chest, the pattern on the bed could be vaguely seen.
Cough cough.
Of course, he wasn’t intentionally looking at her chest, but because it was the thickest part, the transparency there revealed what was going on.
“It bears some resemblance to what Teacher Iaar guessed from books. Treya is indeed being ‘assimilated’.”
Will reached out as if to touch the semi-transparent, purple-glowing Treya.
But just as he was about to touch her, he received a shock and recoiled.
The shock caused his fingertip to glow, and then a white light, similar to what one sees when dizzy, appeared in his eyes, fitting his imagination of demonic illusions.
“Intentionally rejecting me? It seems they’re taking advantage of my waning influence to drag her out, preventing me from entering Zero Demon City.”
Will was even more pleased by this.
The more the demons opposed him, the more he knew he was doing the right thing.
“Alas, regarding the matter of being conquered by Carver, some ‘things’ are more anxious than Treya and I are.”
He could roughly guess what the demons would do.
“However, if that’s the case, then you’ve fallen right into my trap.”
