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Chapter 5: Viola's POV
4,416 Words
I've never told anyone this, not even my family, but when I was a young girl, I went through a rather dark phase of mild misanthropy. For a time, I genuinely despised the people around me.
The root cause of this secret hatred was the fact that I had become a Devil Fruit ability user.
When I was so young I can barely even remember the taste, I ate the Glare-Glare Fruit. It was a bizarre, swirling thing that permanently altered my perception of reality, granting me the supernatural ability to see through everything—including people's minds.
To an outsider, being able to read minds might sound like an incredibly convenient, almost god-like ability. A perfect tool for a princess.
But back then, my mind was fragile. I wasn't able to control the power very well. It would activate on its own, and I was constantly, forcibly subjected to the darkest, ugliest thoughts of the people whose smiling faces I saw every day.
That guy, acting so high and mighty just because he got promoted to squad captain. I'll stuff rotting garbage in his boots and see how he likes marching in that...!
Sigh, I know acting like a doting caretaker is necessary for the sake of my future promotion, but why do I have to wipe the tears of this annoying little brat...?
Complaining about the seasoning on my cooking... Well, here's what arrogant royals get to eat! I dropped it on the floor! Serves you right!
The handsome castle soldier I thought was kind and brave... he was actually a petty, vindictive man who secretly harassed his fellow soldiers out of jealousy.
The gentle elderly butler who I thought loved children and took such good care of me... deep down, he was constantly sighing, thinking I was an insufferable, demanding brat.
The sweet, plump cafeteria lady who always made my favorite delicious meals... she was the kind of twisted person who would spit or put boogers in the food of people she disliked before serving it with a warm smile.
I don't... want to see people's hearts anymore. Everyone is a liar. Everyone is dirty on the inside.
That was how I lived, closing myself off, on the verge of falling into complete misanthropy. The world felt like a suffocating room full of masked monsters.
And that was exactly when it happened. That was when a tiny hurricane crashed into my life.
When I met Line.
"Yo! Are you the Second Princess they told me about, Viola? I'm Line. Nice to meet ya! Let's be friends!"
"..."
Small...
That was my immediate first impression of Line as he stood boldly on my windowsill, hands on his hips. I had heard fantastical stories from Father and Sister about the legendary Tontatta dwarves living in hiding within this country, and I knew from peering into the minds of the castle guards that the stories weren't lies...
But seeing an actual dwarf in the flesh for the first time in my life—a creature standing barely twenty centimeters tall with a giant fluffy tail—I still thought it was a rare and unusual sight.
"What's wrong? Staring so intently at me like that. Am I too handsome?" he grinned, puffing out his tiny chest.
Come to think of it, Father had once told me that the Tontatta Tribe was a race with the purest, most untainted hearts in the entire world. They were incapable of deception. But given everything I had seen of the world, I didn't believe Father's words for a second.
He looks like he has a carefree, innocent smile, but I bet his heart is just as filthy and hypocritical on the inside as everyone else's...!
Glaring sharply at the tiny creature, I activated my ability. The world shifted into a clairvoyant lens as I peered forcefully into Line's mind, expecting to find the usual greed or malice. And then—
!!?? I-... Indecent!!!
The inside of Line's head was way, way too dirty...
Living in a castle full of adults, I had unfortunately seen a few other people having dirty, private fantasies before, but this was my very first time seeing someone who had thought them out so clearly, so distinctly, and in such terrifyingly incredible detail as Line. It was like watching a high-budget romance theater in his head.
Inside Line's brain, he didn't look like a dwarf. He took the form of a very tall, incredibly muscular human man. ...He was shamelessly beautifying himself.
Tall Line, in his hyper-realistic fantasy, was passionately pinning a very sexy, scantily-clad woman against a wall. He was smoothly rattling off incredibly cheesy, honey-dripping sweet words that made my face burn and my toes curl just watching...
After effortlessly winning the swooning woman over, Line went on a romantic date with her. They held hands under the moonlight, kissed deeply, embraced on a bed, did that to that, and this to this... Clap, clap, clap!!!!
"IYAAAAHHHHH!!" I screamed, covering my eyes and falling backward onto the floor.
"? What's wrong? Did you see a bug?" Line tilted his head, completely oblivious.
What's wrong, he asks!? What on earth are you constantly thinking about, you massively perverted dwarf!?
For me, a sheltered girl who was only six years old at the time, the inside of Line's brain was far too stimulating. It was an absolute sensory overload of adult concepts. ...Or rather, what made it even worse was the math. The fact that I was six meant that Line, as a dwarf, was technically only two years old at the time!
How on earth could he spin such incredibly indecent, graphic adult fantasies when he was only two years old!?
"T-The man's... the man's thing went... like that, and then that happened... and then she made that noise, and then...!!!!" I stammered, my face as red as a tomato, pointing a trembling finger at him.
"Huh? You okay? You look like you've got a fever."
Regardless, the sheer, paralyzing shock of accidentally peering into Line's head back then completely blew away all my gloomy feelings of misanthropy in an instant. There was no room left for existential dread when my brain was trying to process what I had just witnessed.
You could even say my entire worldview was forcefully turned upside down.
If there's anyone to blame for twisting my personality and shaping the person I am today, it would undoubtedly be Line.
"U-Uuu~! Indecent! You're so indecent! Indecent~!!" I cried, throwing a soft pillow at him.
"Whoa, what's wrong all of a sudden? Don't throw things at me!" he yelped, dodging the massive projectile.
Dirty things are bad things... I knew that. The governesses always said so. But I couldn't help but be curious... That's just how a child's mind works when exposed to the forbidden.
From then on, every single time I met Line, I was forced to look at his indecent brain. ...Actually, if I'm being completely honest with myself, I feel like I was actively taking the initiative to peek into it the moment he arrived...
I kept looking because, despite the scandalous nature of his thoughts, the Line in his fantasies looked so incredibly, genuinely happy. There was no malice. No hatred. No deception. Just a pure, unadulterated desire for love and affection... and seeing that unguarded joy ended up making me feel warm and happy too... That was the biggest reason I kept looking.
The other Tontatta dwarves I eventually met, just as Father had said, were pure and knew no corruption; their minds were like peaceful flower fields.
Compared to them, the inside of Line's head was... vulgar, hopelessly dirty, full of petty lies, but beneath it all, actually incredibly kind and protective...
The more I looked into his soul, the less he seemed like a Tontatta. I genuinely think he must be some sort of mutant.
"Alright, Viola! The coast is clear! We're gonna go sneak into the kitchens and steal some of the royal chef's special snacks for today! Follow me!" Line whispered, sneaking across my carpet.
"Yeah! Let's go!"
I often played together with him like that, running barefoot through the castle halls. He was deeply indecent in his mind, but his heart felt somewhat comfortable... like a warm hearth.
He was the very first person in my entire life, other than Father and Sister, whom I felt I wanted to be with all the time. He didn't care that I was a princess. He just treated me like Viola.
We played together, pulled elaborate pranks on the guards, and got caught and scolded by Father, over and over again...
Because of his bad influence, the two of us were frequently locked in the cold, stone "punishment room" in the chapel to reflect on our actions...
And every time we sat there, shivering and hungry, Sister would inevitably come to save us. Scarlet would sneak past the guards, bringing sweet, crisp apples for us since she knew we were starving... and she would kneel down, smile gently at us, and stroke our hair, reassuring us by asking, "Are you two okay?"
I wonder if that was the exact moment it happened...
The moment when Line fell hopelessly in love with my older sister...
"Viola, your sister... she's a total babe! An absolute goddess!" Line whispered to me one day from my shoulder, watching Scarlet walk through the gardens. "She's kind, she's cute, she smells nice! And the fact that her boobs have been getting noticeably bigger lately is a huge plus! Thumbs up!"
"..."
Kind, beautiful, and with a heart as pure as spun gold... my proud, perfect older sister...
Feeling Line's entire heart being steadily, irreversibly stolen away by her smile...
That was the very first time in my life I ever felt the bitter, heavy emotion known as "jealousy" settle into my stomach.
"I like you! Please go out with me!!"
A few years later, mustering all the courage in his tiny body, Line stood on a garden table and loudly confessed to Sister.
But the result was exactly what reality dictated...
"I'm so happy about your feelings... you're very sweet. But I'm sorry, Line." Scarlet smiled sadly, her eyes full of genuine affection but devoid of romance. "I'm a human and you're a dwarf. I think the difference in our body size... our height... is just too great for a romantic relationship..."
"...!!"
Sister rejected Line's confession.
...Honestly, I knew that was going to happen. I had read Sister's mind long ago. Because Sister didn't see Line as a romantic interest at all.
Line was six years old at the time, and Sister was sixteen.
Line was drastically smaller in height and much younger in age, and Sister only saw him as a cute, slightly troublesome little brother.
"Guh...! Ugh...! Height... height again...! What is this cursed, tiny body... uuuu...! If only I had the height...! Dammit...!" Line choked out later when we were alone, punching a tree root until his knuckles bled.
"Line..." I whispered, unable to comfort him.
Sister had rejected his confession by gently using the physical difference in their body sizes as the reason, trying to hurt his pride as little as possible.
But that backfired terribly.
I, who could constantly peer into Line's mind, knew the truth. I couldn't help but know...
Line, who was usually so carefree, constantly thinking about dirty things, and always acting so elusive to avoid serious emotions, was hurt more deeply by Sister's words than he had ever been before. It struck a primal nerve.
Inside Line's brain, he always took the form of a tall man.
He had been constantly, obsessively worrying about it. The fact that he was a dwarf, the fact that he was physically small... he cared about it so, so much...
Because he was rejected by the person he loved most in the world for that exact, unchangeable reason, Line's heart shattered. It was hurt so badly, bleeding with such intense inadequacy and self-loathing, that it made me want to cry just looking at it...
"...H-Hehe, w-whatever! Her loss, right!?" Line suddenly spun around, forcing a massive, trembling grin onto his face. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to look for my next crush~, hehe~!"
"..."
After witnessing that absolute heartbreak masked by a smile, I stopped recklessly peering into Line's... no, into people's hearts.
Except for strict emergencies regarding national security, I try my hardest not to look into people's minds anymore. Because... seeing someone smiling so brightly on the outside while screaming and crying on the inside is an incredibly sad thing to witness...
—————
This is a story from a few months later.
Kyros, the undefeated, legendary hero of the Colosseum, was officially appointed as the Army Commander of the Dressrosa Riku Royal Army.
His main duty was acting as Sister's personal bodyguard.
At first, Sister was highly suspicious of his intimidating presence and violent past. But after he risked his life to save her when she was kidnapped by vicious pirates, the way she looked at him completely changed.
Sister fell deeply, madly in love with Kyros. The women of Dressrosa are famously passionate when it comes to romance... and that cultural trait naturally applied to her as well. She started making excessively aggressive, undeniable advances toward Kyros at every opportunity.
In response, Kyros maintained a very stiff, noncommittal attitude, constantly reminding her of his unworthiness. I intentionally didn't look into his heart out of respect for their privacy, but by observing his flushed ears, I knew Kyros definitely harbored feelings for Sister too.
...And the one who started aggressively pushing Kyros forward to accept her love was none other than Line.
"Kyros, you massive idiot! Scarlet woke up at dawn and made a handmade bento just for you! What are you doing acting all shy and refusing it out of 'duty'!?"
"Scarlet actually invited you on a date to town?! Then go without complaining, you shaggy-haired idiot! What!? You can't because you're her bodyguard? Who cares! Guard her while holding her hand! Go! Don't refuse her feelings!"
"Huh? You think you might have actually fallen in love with Scarlet? Then confess to her like a man! And get rejected like the beast you are! But if things miraculously go well... I'm gonna beat the absolute crap out of you, so hurry up and go to her!"
It was always something like that.
Even while constantly complaining out loud, picking fights with Kyros, and acting like a nuisance... he fully supported the romance of the sister who had rejected him...
He prioritized Sister's happiness over his own broken heart...
Line was cheering for them from the shadows the entire time.
"..."
Perhaps because of that constant pushing... I don't know for sure, but Sister and Kyros finally broke down their walls and became lovers. They started talking about getting married in secret.
...However, the immovable wall standing in the way of their marriage was their respective "status."
Sister, the First Princess of the royal bloodline, and Kyros, a commoner Colosseum hero who had committed murder in his youth...
In order for those two to officially get married and live peacefully, Sister had to renounce her title as Princess entirely.
Father, trying to protect her reputation, proposed a drastic measure: making it look like Sister had tragically died to the public. However, Line furiously opposed that idea until the very bitter end...
"Huh? They're just a man and a woman in love trying to get married, so why do they have to do something so dark and convoluted! Faking Scarlet's death!? Kicking her out of her own home, the Royal Palace!? Are you kidding me! Scarlet loves this shaggy-haired guy, so they're getting married! Isn't that beautiful enough! You're a father before you're a king, aren't you, Riku!? Faking your own daughter's death just for public image is insane, isn't it!?"
In the end, Line's desperate shouts were in vain. The political pressure was too great, and it was officially announced to the weeping country that Sister had died of a sudden illness to deceive the public eye.
Line's face at that time, as he stood in the rain during her fake funeral... looked so incredibly, devastatingly pained. He had lost his first love completely.
"..."
After that, Sister built a rustic little house in the hidden Flower Field with Kyros and started living there in peaceful exile.
It's a tiny, humble house compared to the sprawling luxury of the Royal Palace, but whenever I visit them, they both look so radiantly happy.
...I'm so jealous.
Sister got to be with the person she loves most in the world, but Line couldn't, could he?
I wonder how Line is feeling right now, deep down?
I would know immediately if I just used my Glare-Glare ability, but I'm somewhat too scared to use it. I'm afraid of seeing the lingering pain he hides behind his perverted jokes.
I want Line to find a good person other than Sister, someone who will look at him and love him for who he is, and I want him to be truly happy with them.
—————
...And then, a few more years later.
A scholarly woman named Monet, who is one year older than me, came to work at our Royal Palace.
It's hard to tell at first glance because of her thick, round glasses and conservative clothing, but she's a very cute, striking, and beautiful person. Her breasts are also very, very big, so I immediately thought she was exactly Line's physical type.
I begged Father and pulled some strings to make Monet my personal, exclusive maid. I did this because keeping her close to me in my private chambers meant she would inevitably encounter Line whenever he snuck in.
"Whoa there!? Who's this busty, green-haired lady!? Hello there, gorgeous! My name is Line! Nice to meet ya! Wanna get a drink sometime?"
"Eh? What? A-A dwarf...?!" Monet gasped, dropping her clipboard.
As expected, Line immediately took an intense, vocal interest in Monet.
Monet seemed to take an intellectual interest in Line too, treating him like a fascinating creature, but... as expected of a normal human, a relationship in a romantic sense seemed impossible to her.
...Or so I thought, but...
Monet has been acting very strange lately.
"Man, Monet is so cute~. She's smart, has a great body, and her casual kindness is a huge plus! I love a girl in glasses!" Line would boldly declare from the table.
"...!!"
Monet would furiously blush, quickly turning away and using a book to cover her mouth in response to Line's teasing words.
The fact that she was unexpectedly shy and easily embarrassed was something we figured out pretty early on, but even taking that baseline into account, Monet's recent attitude toward Line feels a little more than just strange.
Whenever she knows Line is coming to the Royal Palace, she casually fixes her wavy hair in the mirror and meticulously checks her appearance.
She spends her free time in the kitchens, practicing making elaborate dishes and pastries using apples, explicitly because they are Line's favorite food.
Monet is known throughout the castle staff for her cool tone and icy expression, almost like unmelting snow, but only when she's talking directly to Line does she let her guard down and smile so naturally...
There are many times lately, watching them interact, that make me think, Eh? Wait a minute.
Could it be that Monet is actually, genuinely conscious of Line as a man?
I haven't peered into her head even once yet out of respect, but if I were to look inside Monet's mind with my ability right now, what kind of things would she be thinking about him?
Could it be that this beautiful, intelligent woman is genuinely falling in love with my tiny childhood friend?
"..."
If that's the case... if her feelings are real, Line would gladly become lovers with Monet. He'd be ecstatic.
Then Line could finally be happy. He could obtain real, tangible happiness, not just a fantasy inside his head. That should be a very joyous thing for me to witness... and yet... my chest feels so tight.
"..."
I somewhat aimlessly moved away from my desk, standing in front of the ornate full-length mirror in my bedroom. Then, I quietly checked my own reflection in the glass.
Objectively speaking, I... think I'm on the cute side. Actually, I know I'm beautiful. My body has matured. My breasts are also vastly different from 'back then' when I was a flat-chested child. They've become full and womanly enough not to lose to Monet or even Sister.
...I wonder what kind of hairstyle Line actually likes on girls? About as long as Sister's braided ponytail? Then maybe I should stop cutting mine and grow it out more...
"Eh? No, wait, wait..." I gasped, my hands flying to my cheeks. They were burning hot.
What am I thinking? Why on earth am I critically analyzing myself to see if I can become a girl that fits Line's preferences?
Wait, wait. Seriously, wait. This is Line we're talking about. The perverted, lying, troublesome dwarf. It's not like that. I said it's not. Stop it. I don't like him. I don't... like... N-Nnngh! I said it's not like that! We're just friends!
"Hah, hah, hah...!" I panted, gripping the edges of the mirror. "How do I... feel about Line...?"
I looked deeply into my own dark eyes in the mirror.
Even using the omnipotent power of my Glare-Glare ability, I couldn't look into my own heart to find the answer.
—————
And now...
Right now, the heavy oak doors to my chambers had flown open. Monet and I had just been told by a tearful Leo that Line had departed the island, sailing out to the unforgiving sea in search of a mythical Devil Fruit.
"Lies..." I whispered, the blood draining from my face.
"It's not a lie, Lady Viola, resu," Leo sobbed, rubbing his eyes with his goggles.
Line had left this country.
Line was gone.
Is that true? Is it really not a lie? I panicked. I instinctively peeked into Leo's mind without any physical tell, desperately searching for a prank, but the devastating truth was violently slammed into my brain.
"No way..."
My legs suddenly gave out beneath me, the strength leaving my body, and I fell to my knees right there on the plush carpet.
What is this horrible, suffocating sense of loss? Line is gone. Line, who boldly climbed through my window to play at this Royal Palace every single day...
He won't come anymore. He's gone somewhere far, far away across the dangerous ocean...
Leaving me behind...
"This is a letter Line told me to give to you and Miss Monet, Lady Viola, resu," Leo sniffled, holding out a thick, sealed envelope.
"!!"
I almost snatched the letter from Leo's tiny hands and tore it open with trembling fingertips.
Monet immediately knelt down beside me, peering at the parchment over my shoulder, her usual cool demeanor completely shattered by anxiety.
『 To Viola & Monet.
It's sudden, I know, but I'm setting off on a journey. Because I found out there's a Devil Fruit out there called the Huge Huge Fruit that lets you become a giant. I don't know how many years it will take, but I will absolutely find the Huge Huge Fruit and come back to Dressrosa as a bigger man than anyone else.
So I won't be able to return for a while, but well, don't worry about me. I'll be doing fine over here, so you guys make sure you stay healthy over there too.
Viola, do your best with your princess duties~. But don't work too hard~.
Monet, as a maid, make sure you protect the princess properly. But make sure you take good care of yourself too.
I have a lot of other things I want to say to you guys, but it's a bit embarrassing to write it down, so I'll talk about it face-to-face when I get back. See ya later!
P.S. When I get back as a tall man, if either or both of you are still single, please go on a date with me. 』
After reading the final lines of the letter, a choked sound escaped my throat. I couldn't help but let out a small, watery chuckle.
"...Honestly, what an absurd, selfish letter. It's so painfully typical of Line... Asking two women out on a date at the exact same time... fufu..."
Tears are pouring out of my eyes, so I must be laughing incredibly hard right now. Even if it doesn't look or sound like it, I'm sure that's what's happening.
He really did look at me... not just as a princess, or a little girl... but as a woman...
I hugged the parchment to my chest. I hugged it so tightly it crinkled against my dress.
Then, reluctantly, I handed the letter to Monet. Because this letter was addressed not just to me, but to her as well. She took it with trembling hands, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks as she read the postscript for herself.
"Hey, Monet," I said softly, wiping my eyes.
"...What is it, Princess Viola?" she replied, her voice thick with emotion.
"Father mentioned the other day that a formal marriage proposal came for me from the Prince of the Ateuma Kingdom, right?"
"...Yes. He did."
"Do you think it would be okay if I completely broke off that engagement?"
Monet looked up from the letter, pushing her thick glasses up her nose. A small, genuine smile graced her lips. "...If Line were here right now, I think he would say... do whatever you want, Princess Viola..."
"Fufu."
I couldn't help but laugh out loud, knowing that he really, truly would say exactly something like that while picking his nose.
Alright, Line. I've found something incredibly important I want to say to you too. So I'll break the engagement and stay single until that time comes.
So no matter how dangerous the sea is, and no matter how many years it takes... make sure you come back to me.
—————
Three days later, the peaceful kingdom of Dressrosa would violently fall into the tyrannical hands of the Donquixote Family, completely destroying the lives of everyone I loved... but sitting there, crying happily over a letter in my sunlit bedroom, I had no way of knowing that yet.
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