The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 81 - Desire

Thinking back to being in Treya’s bedroom, Will couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction. The personal space of the empire’s most beloved little princess was truly something special.

Plush toys? Hehehe.

A soft, fluffy bed? Hehehe.

Cushiony little pillows? Hehehe.

…Wait, no. He felt a twinge of fear.

Treya must have overheard his dream-talk about wanting her to become the Empress.

Surely, she wouldn’t take that seriously and march up to the king, saying, “Old man, step down—Will says I should take over”… right?

No, no, he couldn’t dwell on that thought.

The more he thought about it, the more he could imagine the reckless Treya actually doing it with her trademark blank expression!

But…

Letting her know that “such a goal exists in this world”…

Might not be a bad thing.

If Treya continued growing in the direction he had planned for her…

One day, her goal wouldn’t just be “revenge against her sister,” but to ascend to the throne of Entark.

It was her destiny as someone born into the Entark royal family. Unlike others who fought tooth and nail for the throne, she would either rise to claim it or sink into the abyss, surviving in the cracks of betrayal and conspiracy.

From the night of the banquet onward, she could no longer be the sheltered little princess of the Entark family.

Now, Treya had mastered how to wield her sword gracefully while wearing slippery black stockings, even executing the fluid movements of five-year-old swordsmanship.

And Will had learned an important lesson: even when someone is practicing such a basic sword technique, it’s best to wear a helmet and armor and observe from a safe distance.

Treya’s talent for swordsmanship was undeniable.

Even a simple, almost childishly basic sword technique meant for physical exercise had, under her meticulous practice, gained a certain elegance and flair.

Especially when her silver hair flowed with each forward step and swing of her sword, adding a captivating visual element to the otherwise elementary routine.

“Huff… that’s the twentieth set.”

She raised her sword, then sheathed it in one smooth motion.

Though the routine was far less demanding than her usual training, the repetitive nature of it left Treya mentally fatigued.

But…

Immersing herself fully in the practice allowed her to momentarily forget Will’s earlier dream-talk.

Otherwise, if that sentence kept replaying in her mind…

Her thoughts would grow increasingly tangled…

She wouldn’t know what to think anymore…

She’d start to feel… strange…

Him…

Was everything he was doing really to make her… the Empress?

He wasn’t a particularly complicated person. His goal was so simple.

So, he was this straightforward.

So, he wasn’t that hard to understand.

So, he was this easy to please.

“Empress, Empress, Empress…” Such a goal… didn’t seem all that difficult.

But…

Why did knowing his thoughts make her feel more excited?

It was as if…

As if the enigma that was him had suddenly become clear, laid bare before her. And all she had to do… was become the Empress…

And he would be hers to hold onto forever.

“Huff…”

Treya steadied her breathing.

Something was stirring within her.

A powerful, unfamiliar desire—a yearning she had never felt before.

The desire to grasp something…

To hold onto something…

To claim something…

What was this desire?

Treya lowered her head, as if she could see something black and shadowy spreading beneath her silver and white-clad feet…

“Very good.”

Will snapped his fingers, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Next, remember to swap out your silver light armor for something gray or black. And those boots—if the metal soles are still uncomfortable, maybe we should consider adding anti-slip features or switching to leather ones?”

“Understood.”

“As for everything else… your talent is just too high. At first, I could give you pointers, but now I can’t find any flaws. Your movements are exactly like the ones in the book.”

“No, I still have a long way to go. This swordsmanship is far from ready for dungeon exploration.”

Treya completely brushed off Will’s praise, her face not even turning red.

“Classic you…”

Will thought this girl was the ultimate overachiever.

Give her a short assignment, and she’d finish the entire book.

No wonder she had gone so far down the wrong path before—she’d kept walking it with relentless determination.

Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at ƒrēenovelkiss.com Only.

“Don’t overthink it. At your age, dungeon exploration is still a bit premature. Besides… with your current skills, you’d have no problem handling the slimes on the first ten floors of weaker dungeons.”

—In truth, most B-rank adventurers would struggle to manage that. For a fourteen-year-old princess, she was already doing exceptionally well.

To maintain the illusion of adventurers as towering figures in Treya’s mind, Will refrained from saying the last part.

“I still need to sharpen myself…”

—Because becoming the Empress is still so far away. At the very least, I need to take down Eugenie first!

Remembering Will’s plea to forget his dream-talk, Treya swallowed the second half of her sentence.

“Why not take a break? Sometimes, a little rest can lead to greater insights.”

Will said this as he patted the small wooden table he had brought to the training grounds for note-taking.

“Come have some tea. Let me tell you, Eir’s tea is fantastic. One sip refreshes the soul, two sips make you feel like you’re floating, and three sips will have you dozing off.”

“Y-young Master…?! Ugh… don’t praise me so suddenly… I’ll get embarrassed. And… are you sure you’re talking about tea?”

Eir, startled by the unexpected compliment, first perked her tail up in excitement, then let it droop shyly as it began to wag.

“Well then, Young Master…”

She quickly grabbed her portable teapot and poured Will a cup.

“This is the afternoon tea. Please enjoy it.”

“And… Miss Treya, here’s yours.”

Will picked up his cup and took a small sip.

Eir watched his expression closely. She had hoped that bumping his head earlier might jog his memory and remind him that today was his birthday.

It seemed the books were wrong—hitting your head doesn’t make you remember things!

But…

Could it be…

That the bump wasn’t hard enough?

“Not bad. Eir’s tea is as excellent as ever.”

Will’s calm expression as he drank the tea only solidified Eir’s conclusion.

The tea he was drinking now was the same one she had brewed for his past birthdays, paired with sweet, indulgent cakes. It was made with the same water temperature, the same proportions, and leaves picked from the same tree.

And yet, he hadn’t noticed!

He really hadn’t remembered that today was his birthday.

From leaving the house to training all afternoon, he hadn’t thought of it once.

This Young Master was simply too focused on his “work,” teaching Treya swordsmanship as her instructor.

—If that’s the case…

—Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to catch him off guard with a birthday surprise?

Eir’s tail wagged even more enthusiastically at the thought.

However…

Her plans were almost ruined in the very next moment.

Treya picked up her tea, sniffed it cautiously as if it were too hot, then set it back down.

Then, she looked up, the strand of hair sticking up from her head swaying slightly from her earlier training.

“By the way, Will-sensei, today is your bir—”

Eir’s instincts kicked in.

“No—”

The moment she heard the first syllable, she put her teacup down and, moving at a speed that left only a blur of her tail, dashed over to Treya.

In an instant, she stood on tiptoes and clamped her hand over Treya’s mouth.

“Huh? Eir, could you pour me some more water—wait, when did you get over there?”

Will, startled by Eir’s sudden movement, nearly spilled his tea.

“N-nothing! Oh, it seems I burned my tail on the tea. Ouch… ouch… I’ll just take Miss Treya to deal with it.”

Eir, using every ounce of her brainpower, clutched her tail and quickly dragged Treya away.

“Um… Will… bir—”

Eir covered her mouth again.

“Bir… raw tails aren’t edible!”

“…?”

Will was left sitting there, utterly baffled.