"I... I don't understand"
Irene stammered, her voice trembling as she searched Liam's face for some semblance of understanding.
However, what greeted her was nothing else but a cold glance that looked deep into her eyes.
"Naturally, you don't"
Liam replied, his expression condescending.
"You are naive... Unbearably naive"
The weight of Liam's words hung heavy in the air, leaving Irene feeling small and vulnerable.
She had poured her heart into her vision for her territory, only to have it dismissed so callously by someone she had hoped would understand.
Yes, she was hoping that Liam would be able to accept her ideas.
As Irene struggled to find the right words to refute Liam's claims, he took a step forward, closing the distance between them. His words seemed to loom over her like a dark cloud, casting a shadow of doubt.
"Your goal is impossible to achieve, a dream of a canary"
"A foolish canary at that"
Liam asserted, his voice unwavering.
"W-what do you mean, it is achievable"
"All it took is patience and kindness... "
"And the people will open up their hearts for a better future"
"No matter how much hatred there is, there must be light in their hearts"
"And gradually, everyone will let go of their evil thoughts"
"There is salvation for everything"
Irene countered, her resolve faltering slightly as Liam drew nearer.
But Liam pressed on, closing the gap until Irene's back was against the wall, leaving her feeling trapped.
Her cheeks flushed in red as she met his gaze, searching for some warmth or reassurance, but found none.
"And how are you going to do so?"
Liam's question hung in the air, challenging Irene to defend her aspirations.
"W-with strength and enough kindness"
Irene mustered up her courage to reply, her voice trembling slightly.
"Y-yes, with strength and kindness, I will be able to achieve this"
"I will open the people's hearts for them to see my ideas"
Liam scoffed at her response and lifted her chin with his finger, catching her off guard.
Irene's eyes widened in puzzlement and a blush crept onto her cheeks as her body trembled under their proximity.
"With strength, you say?"
"Kindness you say?"
Liam repeated, his tone laced with skepticism.
"Y-yes"
Irene stuttered, her confidence wavering.
Liam's next words struck her like a bolt of lightning, leaving her speechless.
"Then, if I were to destroy your territory now, can you defend it?"
"Will you be able to defend your people as I bring death upon them?"
"With the so-called strength of yours, will you be able to protect your dream?"
"Will the so-called Kindness, can you prevent me from eradicating your people from the face of this world?"
"How about your maids?"
"Your trusted advisor?"
"And even..."
His eyes trailed down her body momentarily, causing Irene to shiver with discomfort and also a slight embarrassment.
"You, yourself."
Irene's breath caught in her throat, her mind reeling with the weight of Liam's words. She struggled to find a response, but Liam continued, his voice cutting through the air like a knife.
"If I so wish, I can take you by force, and you won't be able to do anything to resist."
"If I were to build a cage to trap you in, you wouldn't even be able to fight back"
"I can even build palaces for you to reside in, and strip you away from your dream...and in the end"
"Your resistance will amount to nothing. Not even death can pardon you"
"Your ideals are fragile before me, a man that knows no boundaries"
"Your kindness is useless to me, a person that possesses no fixed emotions"
"Your strength is childish to me, a person that was granted the Pandora's box for desires"
"I am cold... I am kind... I am evil... I am all, and yet none"
"I want everything within my palm and also nothing to be within it"
"W-what are you talking about"
Irene tried to interject as she sensed something was wrong with Liam's eyes. Though Liam continued with an expressionless face.
"Naive... pitiful, that is you"
"Perhaps you were just a normal person back then in the past life, no?"
And hearing this, Irene's eyes averted to the side a little.
And through this reaction, Liam confirmed it with a single glance.
"A pretense of a beauty saving the cursed... "
"You have no idea what true cruelty is"
The gravity of Liam's words hung heavy in the air, leaving Irene feeling helpless and vulnerable in the face of his power.
"Now then, with all those being said"
Liam's voice was low and commanding, sending a shiver down Irene's spine.
As he closed the distance between them even closer, his head looking down onto her face, Irene could feel the intensity of his presence pressing in on her.
His breath thumped against her skin, it was scalding and yet cold.
With her back against the wall, Irene's heart raced in her chest, her breath catching in her throat.
Liam's words hung in the air, heavy with implication, leaving Irene feeling exposed and vulnerable.
"Will your dream still be... achievable?"
Liam's voice was a whisper, but it reverberated in Irene's ears, filling her with doubt and uncertainty.
"I-I don't know"
"But... I want it to happen"
Irene stammered, her voice barely audible amidst the tumult of her emotions. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision as she struggled to find the strength to meet Liam's gaze upwards.
Noticing her tears, Liam frowned a little and in the end, he gently wiped them away with a soft touch of his finger, his expression softened momentarily by the sight of Irene's distress.
Stepping back, he created some distance between them, his demeanor once again composed and distant.
"human's greed knows no bounds, Irene"
Liam spoke solemnly, his voice carrying the weight of his words.
"I don't even trust the people of my territory"
"I simply give them the illusion of hope and awe under my strength"
"But should the balance ever tip, should I falter for even a day, the so-called harmony you dream of... will instantly shatter under the weight of people's desires"
"You must have never felt true despair, true chaos, true hopelessness"
"I felt them, I knew it very well"
"I was born out of these emotions"
He sighed.
"No matter which world it is, when given free will, there are consequences. And the same applies to me"
"For there to be trust, there must be a reason behind it. And that is unparalleled strength. An absolute power... "
"So that no one else will dare to question the ideas that we have"
"And such, before possessing such a state, your ideas are imaginary"
"Even if I were to create such a place, true peace can never be achieved"
"At most, they will cower in fear and fake pretense of obedience under my presence"
His words hung in the air, a somber reminder of the harsh realities of power and human nature.
He had seen it with his own eyes back then, he was even a part of a bigger ordeal himself.
After so many years of living as if not living, Liam knows best that humans... are the true monsters when given the emotion called desires.
"Then... "
"C-can you grant me the strength to do this?"
Irene's plea caught Liam off guard, his usually composed demeanor faltering for a moment as he processed her request.