The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 262 - Eye Contact

Shuna’s feelings were... complicated.

Good news: It was rare to find so many books with male leads resembling Will. She’d hit the jackpot.

Bad news: These books were collected by her rival.

And not just any rival—the one who had already successfully wooed the person she was interested in.

Not only had she lost the person physically, but she was also losing in the ‘demonstration of affection behind the scenes’ department too.

Shuna clutched the book, pouting as if she wanted to rip it to shreds.

`No, no. This is Treya’s incriminating evidence. Tearing it up now means no proof later, right?`

When she finally saw Will, she was planning to show him this stuff and complain— “See? The ‘perfectly behaved’ Empress next to you secretly fantasizes about doing this and that to you~”.

With that thought, Shuna flipped through a couple more pages.

And then...

She noticed something off about the books.

Many pages were dog-eared, and in those folded sections, specific sentences and plot points were circled in red ink.

“Even if that princess is super serious, does she really need to take notes and mark up romance novels while reading? Isn’t that a bit... too much of a model student...?”

“Hmmm...”

This page described the happy family life of a noble young master.

This page detailed how the male lead fell head over heels for the Empress at first sight.

This page explained the specific positions the female lead used in bed... okay, maybe skip this one for now.

“It looks like she’s piecing together someone’s entire desired life from these books.”

“And, if I remember correctly, Will’s actual life shares many similarities with these parts too.”

“Ugh...”

“Creating a memory from scratch is tough; it lacks details. The best way is probably...”

“To find ‘prototypes’ in existing fiction and then build upon them?”

This wasn’t just a theory Shuna conjured up.

She had read about it in some academic work detailing how demons manipulate memories and construct illusions—though research on demons was scarce, much of it hidden away by the Entark royal family. Finding such books required digging through obscure corners of libraries.

And...

After pulling out all the books, Shuna couldn’t believe what she saw...

Will’s Witch Ring—the one he always wore—and his staff, topped with a translucent crystal orb, half black and half white.

These two items were unmistakably Will’s signature gear.

They were expensive.

And incredibly hard to find.

These definitely belonged to him.

“These are some of the few pieces of dungeon gear he owns. Why are they here?”

“He would never leave these behind, especially not in a place abandoned two weeks ago...”

“Considering the ‘rumors’ about Will circulating outside... could it be...?”

Ding-a-ling—

Just as Shuna started connecting the dots, she heard the faint ringing of a bell echoing through the desolate building.

`?!`

Someone opened the door!

As a precaution, she had placed a small bell near the entrance when she came upstairs from the first floor.

If someone entered through the main door, the bell would be pushed, making a sound. The person entering would probably just assume they knocked something over and wouldn’t think much of it.

`Damn it.`

Someone’s here?

Is it the patrolling knights?

`No, no, this building doesn’t look like it’s regularly patrolled.`

She cautiously peeked out the window.

“Whoa, quite the welcoming party.”

Outside the window, the area was swarming with knights, and judging by the insignia on their shoulders, they were all high-ranking.

They held lanterns, completely surrounding the building.

Shuna methodically gathered the books scattered on the floor and stuffed them back under the bed exactly as she found them.

Then, she pocketed Will’s belongings. freewebnøvel.coɱ

She wasn’t planning on running...

Because she had a hunch that the person she was looking for had just walked right into her trap.

Shuna tucked the corner of the book box back under the bed and quickly cast a simple earth magic spell to cover her footprints in the dust.

Next...

She found a “safe” spot and hid.

...

Click.

After a long, tense silence, Shuna’s eyes widened. She saw the person entering...

It really was...

Will.

The Will she hadn’t seen in three weeks.

Her last memory was of the determined young man from three weeks ago, resolute on going to the palace alone to save Treya.

The Will who could understand others with just a glance and a few words.

“It’s... kinda dark in here, and... feels kinda bad. Treya? C-Can you go in first? I’m a little scared,” he whined.

`?!`

He stood at the doorway, holding a candle. The light streamed through the gap, but as he spoke, his shadow retreated a step.

Just hearing his voice, Shuna immediately sensed something was wrong.

His words sounded like something he’d playfully say when entering a dungeon.

Things like—

“Ooh, dark~ Feels like something scary’s in here! Shunaaa, pweeease? Can you go first? I’m suuuuper scared~ ♡”

That kind of tone.

Not because he genuinely needed help or was truly afraid, but purely because he felt his abilities and position required him to act cute in that situation.

In other words, it was “staged” vulnerability.

But this time, Shuna felt it was real.

Will actually seemed “afraid” and was genuinely acting spoiled towards Treya.

“This used to be my room. It’s perfectly safe, just a bit dark. Come in,” a voice replied.

Treya.

Shuna had only seen Treya in newspapers and had never heard her voice before. But hearing that slightly cold, exceptionally noble tone, she knew instantly who it was.

She had an aura more like a Dungeon Empress than a human Queen.

Very strange.

But there wasn’t another half-elf in Entark who spoke like that.

But why was she here at this exact moment?

`Did she already know I was here?` Shuna wondered. `Is she trying to corner me?`

“Mhm, Treya’s always so gentle. You really are the best~” Will chirped.

`???`

Shuna was completely bewildered.

`Will, buddy, what happened to you? Not only does that sentence sound like you’re being manipulated, but her voice was so cold! How is that ‘gentle’?!`

And then...

As they entered, Shuna observed Will’s expression.

Okay.

She wasn’t happy anymore.

She felt a pang of pity.

She had never seen Will look so exhausted and “chaotic” before, not even when she had rescued him from Leah.

He...

He looked like he was in pain.

Like someone trapped in sleep paralysis, stuck in a never-ending dream, unable to wake up, his mind a jumbled mess, his spirit utterly confused.

“Careful now, hold onto me,” Treya instructed, taking his hand.

Tap, tap, tap.

She walked slowly, deliberately, her high heels clicking on the wooden floor, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

Then...

She slowly crouched down.

Reaching her hand under the bed...

The room was eerily quiet; Shuna could even hear Treya’s fingers scraping against the floor.

Inch by inch...

Slowly feeling around...

Shuna thought...

`Is she looking for the books I just put back? That’s the only thing under there.`

`Is that her goal?!`

Wait, let’s connect the dots...

Treya needs materials from books to construct her “dreamscape.”

The Entark family possesses “demon-like” abilities.

Will currently seems off, completely lost.

All of Will’s dungeon gear is hidden somewhere only Treya knows.

Okay, the pieces clicked into place for Shuna, but the realization hit her hard.

Will had 100% messed up. He hadn’t controlled or saved Treya; instead, he was being toyed with through her “mind control.”

“Treya... are you done yet?” Will asked, huddling closer to Treya as if terrified of being far from her. The candle in his trembling hand caused the shadows in the room to flicker wildly.

“Mm, almost,” Treya replied, still feeling under the bed.

Her fingers brushed past the box but didn’t stop.

Shuna watched, suddenly realizing...

Treya wasn’t looking for the books... she was looking for... her.

Her hand searched under the bed, pushing the box further in rather than pulling it out, sweeping across the floorboards, exploring deeper.

Treya seemed convinced Shuna was hiding under the bed.

`Huff...`

Shuna held her breath, trying not to make a sound, and observed carefully—

Shuna looked at Will, pondering a question—

`Does he need me to save him?`

She knew the Will in front of her was skilled in dungeon exploration and wasn’t weak in combat.

He wasn’t the “useless Hysterm heir” most people thought him to be. Anyone at school would testify to his competence.

Like her, he wanted to understand the secrets of this world’s dungeons.

But...

Treya had used such a forceful method, completely disregarding emotional connection, resorting directly to memory swapping and dream manipulation, fundamentally changing him.

The Will now...

With his memories replaced, was he still the same Mr. W?

Shuna remembered the morning Will had insisted on leaving her, determined to go to the capital without hesitation for Treya.

If he had indeed messed up, she wouldn’t mind saving him again...

But...

What if he now... preferred this life of cuddling with the Empress?

Then...

Should she force Will back into the person she liked?

As Shuna wrestled with this question, before she could find an answer...

Will suddenly stepped back unnaturally.

And then...

He looked up.

`!?`

Yes, Shuna was hiding above them. It wasn’t difficult—using climbing skills combined with a little air-current magic made it easy.

She did this because...

In a room with such high ceilings, especially one you’re familiar with, people rarely “look up” when entering.

Even if they did, in this darkness, she had places to hide, even moving behind them—utilizing blind spots in their direct line of sight.

But...

Someone with “dungeon” experience wouldn’t fall for that.

Because in “dungeons,” you often encounter spaces with high ceilings where ambushes could come from above at any moment.

So...

You need to...

Step back, look up, scan the area.

Having someone watch your back reduces blind spots even more, but Will clearly had no one behind him.

His eyes met Shuna’s.

In an instant, the fog in his eyes cleared.