Chapter 66: Smile for Me

“Right now? Very well… I never thought Mr. Carver would be so impatient.”

“Oh, I’m not impatient, it’s just that…”

Carver deliberately glanced behind Queen Anna.

Eugenie had already blended into the social crowd, but Treya…

She stood off to the side, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Yet her gaze kept darting toward Will, inching closer to him step by step.

Will chuckled and waved at her.

“Princess Treya seems to be the impatient one.”

The moment Treya realized Will was looking at her, she quickly averted her gaze, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Understandable.

This wasn’t the right time for the two of them to lock eyes in such a complicated setting.

Will shifted his gaze slightly and noticed Eugenie, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold with a smug, expectant expression. She seemed to be waiting for Will to lose his temper, her jealousy toward Treya thinly veiled.

After all, Eugenie wasn’t exactly a seasoned adult. Despite orchestrating such an elaborate scheme, her emotions were still mostly written on her face.

Anna, too, noticed Treya’s unusual behavior.

“It’s rare for Treya to show such interest in someone.”

“Oh, perhaps it’s a sign that the two children are truly fated to be together?”

But…

Carver, observing Will’s actions, seemed to have already guessed something. He smiled knowingly.

“In such a formal setting, both of you should participate. Come along now.”

Anna waved at the two of them, signaling them to follow.

“Sir, earlier at the training grounds… was that you?” Treya asked hesitantly, lifting her slightly long skirt as she followed behind Will. Her tone was cautious, as if afraid of making a mistake.

“Hmm? Judging by your tone, does that mean… you didn’t recognize me?”

“I have a bit of face blindness. I might not remember people I meet for the first time. If I’ve offended you, I apologize.”

“Yes, it was me,” Will nodded. “But if you’re face-blind, what made you come up and ask?”

Treya pointed to his glasses.

“Your glasses. I remembered they were the same.”

“…I see.”

It seemed Carver’s genetic “gift” of nearsightedness occasionally had its uses.

They followed Anna up the grand staircase of the banquet hall. Anna, ever the queen of grandeur, seemed intent on making the engagement announcement as grand as possible, even though Treya wasn’t her biological child.

“So… Sir, you’re my fiancé, correct?” Treya asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

But given the current situation…

From Anna’s behavior and Will’s actions…

It was already clear.

This man, who had tried to sow discord between her and her sister, who had said so many terrible things about her family, and who had pretended to be knowledgeable about swordsmanship to deceive her…

This dark figure…

Was her fiancé?

For the first time in her fourteen years of life, Treya experienced the clash between her ideals and reality.

She… disliked this man.

He was the first person she had ever disliked.

Why was the fiancé she had been looking forward to for so long someone like this—

“In about five minutes, yes. But in about ten minutes, no,” Will replied.

“Huh? What does that mean—”

Before Treya could finish her question, Anna had already stepped onto the high platform. Though there was no microphone, Anna, a former singer, used the height difference and the banquet hall’s acoustics to project her voice over the murmurs of the guests.

“Everyone, may I have your attention. Thank you all for attending this banquet hosted by the royal family. I trust you’ve made many new acquaintances here. We’re delighted to see so many outstanding individuals from various fields gathered under one roof. On behalf of the royal family, I’d like to propose a toast to you all.”

Will observed Treya’s expression.

Of course…

She had no expression.

At this moment, Treya chose to listen to her mother’s speech instead of looking at him. Perhaps this already said something…

Maybe she had disliked him ever since their encounter at the training grounds?

“And so, today, we have an important announcement to make.”

“In consideration of the royal family’s future development and our commitment to supporting dungeon exploration, we have decided…”

Anna paused deliberately.

“The Entark royal family’s Princess Treya Entark and the Hysterm family’s Young Master Will Hysterm will be engaged to strengthen our mutual alliance.”

As her words echoed through the hall, the room fell silent before breaking into polite applause.

The applause was sparse and half-hearted, a clear indication that the guests weren’t particularly pleased.

Anna’s expression darkened, while Carver maintained his usual polite social smile, arms crossed.

It was expected. Both the Hysterm family and the royal family were powerful, and they had been in a cold war for some time. If the Hysterm family hadn’t made this move, it might have naturally balanced the overly dominant Entark royal family.

But this alliance would only lead to further monopolization and increased power.

Of course, conflicts between the two families were inevitable.

As for who would ultimately devour whom, that remained to be seen.

“Very well. That concludes the public announcement. Privately… why don’t the two of you get to know each other?”

Oh, right.

—Here were the two pawns caught between the two most powerful factions, now standing on stage, staring at each other!

“Treya, Treya Entark.”

Treya turned to face him. Her stiff movements and the way her gaze avoided his, flitting to other directions, made it clear she was extremely reluctant.

“Well then, let me formally introduce myself.”

Will extended his right hand. Unlike Treya’s obvious reluctance, he appeared warm and friendly.

“Will Hysterm. It’s a pleasure to meet you today.”

Will gave her the brightest, gentlest smile he could muster in his fourteen years of life.

Treya was momentarily taken aback.

But then she remembered. Though this fiancé of hers had been antagonistic—bringing up her sister and father, pretending to critique her swordsmanship as an outsider—

He had always greeted her with a smile.

What a strange person.

This “dark” villain, this liar with a mouth full of deceit, this suited scoundrel—he could still smile so brightly at her in a moment like this.

Treya recalled what Eugenie had told her: when meeting her fiancé, she should at least smile.

Yes, even though she didn’t like him, it was part of proper etiquette.

And since he had shown her courtesy…

As a princess who valued etiquette, she had to reciprocate.

Treya took a deep breath, gripping Will’s hand as tightly as if she were holding a sword hilt. Her grip made him wince slightly as he looked up—

And she forced a smile.

Will almost couldn’t hold back his laughter. The smile was so strained, so awkward, it looked like her facial muscles were entirely out of sync. No matter the angle, it was the epitome of a fake smile.

In a way, her smile could rival the Mona Lisa’s in its ambiguity. She was clearly “smiling,” yet it didn’t look like a smile from any perspective.

Now he understood why Treya rarely smiled in public—she simply didn’t know how!

Will glanced toward Eugenie in the audience.

She couldn’t hold back her laughter, covering her mouth as she laughed harder than anyone else.

Ah, so that’s whose terrible idea this was.

Eugenie, did you really have to sabotage Treya’s first impression with her fiancé like this?

But…

Will looked at Treya’s awkwardly forced “smile for her fiancé.”

Even in her clumsiness, she exuded an unexpected sincerity.

“You know, this makes it a bit harder for me to say what I’m about to say.”

“Hmm?”

Will released her hand but didn’t lower his right hand. Instead, he raised it, addressing both Treya and the audience below.

“Miss Treya, it’s an honor to be engaged to the royal family, but there’s one question I’d really like to ask.”