Treya had always believed that this was another dream leading her to ruin, just like the dream where she saw her black and white self. It was as if the black and white in the mirror symbolized that she had accepted that she was someone who could be abandoned.
Now, the overly “illusory” colors before her…
The brown-haired man sitting in front of her, his deep blue eyes reflecting her shadow. In all the meetings within the “dream,” he was the only one who could see her true emotions, the only one willing to fight for her.
“Ah—”
He opened his mouth, and Treya nervously fed him the duck meat on her fork.
“It’s delicious, right?”
“Truly. The oil is perfectly rendered, and the skin is crispy.”
“Strange… This dish usually appears on the menu…”
The fork in Treya’s hand trembled slightly. She took another piece for herself, put it in her mouth, and savored it. As she ate, the corner of her mouth, where she swallowed the roasted duck, slowly turned up, revealing a faint smile.
Just like before, she was not good at expressing herself, not good at showing her emotions. But when she genuinely felt something, her smile was never fake.
It must be that the “dream” was too real, or perhaps she had taken another step closer to abandoning herself… Otherwise, why would her taste buds be more sensitive than before? She… Suddenly felt a flicker of a thought – because this dish tasted so good, and she would get to taste another bite two seconds later, perhaps she should exist in this world for a few more seconds?
“But it’s exceptionally delicious today… Why?”
She turned her head to look at Will beside her, hoping to find the answer in his eyes.
“It’s nothing, maybe they changed the chef? Oh, don’t worry about it. When you eat, don’t think about anything, just open your mouth, and swallow.”
“?”
Will didn’t seem to provide the answer she was looking for. Yet, Treya was precisely the kind of person who didn’t need his hints and could always decipher the correct answer from his actions.
“Of course, perhaps you’ve changed from the past few days. At least now you look… Mmm, you’re happy.”
Treya could now even properly arrange her hairpins, no longer having a messy bird’s nest for hair.
“Because you’re here?”
“You’re saying it’s because of me so directly?”
“I really… really hate those preachy guys who argue over trivial gains in front of me. Will has already severely reprimanded them and taught them a lesson.”
Listening to Treya’s tone, Will thought she was being childish for once.
“And then? Most importantly, those guys didn’t care about what you wanted at all?”
“What I want…?” Treya tilted her head. “That… seems unimportant.”
“No! It’s very important! In meetings, if you don’t know what interests you can secure, you’ll naturally suffer losses.”
“But…”
Treya’s heart ached. She had also realized it. She was never good at finding her own “desires.” If Will weren’t here, if Will didn’t want her to sit here, she might not have come at all.
“But… for me, apart from you, the entire world is black and white.”
“…”
“I remember, in your eyes, everything unimportant, everything you think can be discarded, is black and white, right?”
Will remembered when he and Treya had shared her perception of the world. Only he was in color. Of course… perhaps it wasn’t because Treya wanted to abandon this world, or was indifferent to it, but perhaps simply because…
“For me… I’ve been constantly betrayed, deceived, and lost…”
Treya looked at her palm. “I wouldn’t have gotten here without fiercely abandoning things. My surroundings are always filled with self-interest, and no one considers me. It feels like I’m always losing, but… never gaining anything.”
Perhaps it was because only the two of them were here. Or perhaps it was because Will was by her side. Or maybe… she could only fully pour out her heart because she had always believed this was just a dream.
“I’ve discovered that I actually hate this world. It’s given me nothing; instead, it’s always hurt me… In the end, I feel like even I myself…”
“Then what about me? You said that besides me, I’m actually in color?”
“You…!”
Treya became incredibly agitated at this question, her eyes widening as she looked at Will. Then, entirely without preamble, she blurted out a bombshell confession—
“You are the person I love most in this world that I hate the most.”
Silence. Although it was just the two of them, and one of them was Treya, it was easy for silence to fall. However, Will was startled by her profoundly heavy confession, rendering him speechless. It was just that… Will felt a strong sense of “martyrdom” from her. That feeling of, “Since I might not live much longer, might as well say everything I want to say.”
“Wow…”
“What’s wrong? Did I… did I say too much about myself, like… like I’ve been the only one expressing myself?”
“No. Isn’t being able to express yourself exactly what I wanted?”
Will smiled with relief instead. He felt that Treya had indeed shown some “growth.” He didn’t know what Treya had been through, but her thinking this way… was certainly because she had never received any positive affirmation. And every time she tried to move forward and gain something… she was met with severe “negative feedback.”
The engagement she had looked forward to was a deceitful scheme to exploit her. The familial love she had acknowledged was from Entak, who was most fond of infighting. The throne she thought she could clear everything for was a beginning placed on a pyre of ambition, which even tainted her purity. Even… perhaps the wedding she wanted with Will – obtained through the most extreme means – had caused Will himself to flee.
“But, I still… don’t quite understand what I’ve gained by continuing to make these choices forever. Even though I’ve abandoned the world, and even myself… I don’t seem to have gained anything.”
“Treya.”
Will picked up a small, palate-cleansing cherry tomato from beside the duck dish and aimed it at Treya’s lips. He forcefully stuffed it into her mouth.
*Plop.*
Treya bit down and swallowed.
“Hm?”
She was a little flustered by the sudden feeding of the cherry tomato.
“Listen carefully. You shouldn’t have to go through this. I promise you.”
“—You will eventually gain the whole world.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Absurd beautiful dreams do not last long. However, everyone except Treya knew that the “Risen Phantom” that shrouded the Royal Family would eventually end. Because… in the meeting on “Adventurer’s Guild Legislative Power Filing” that afternoon… The one who “declared Will’s death,” “personally held Will’s funeral,” and “restrained Will by status”… Carver Hysterm, would be present.
“Whether it’s a phantom, a double, or a representative for Treya, it will be invalid here.”
Will sat beside Treya, looking towards the entrance of the assembly hall. He was also anticipating this “father-son” meeting. Counting the time, he hadn’t spoken to Carver in a long time; after all, he was the kind of parent who wouldn’t even attend a graduation ceremony.
“They probably think so.”
“It’s just a shame…”
“I have truly come back to life.”
“Hehe~”
