Twisted Wonderland Book 6: The Watchman of the Underworld

Chapter 6: Taking Responsibility

Everyone in the Ramshackle Dorm remains quiet after hearing Vil's statement.

"Vil, I understand your point," Jamil says, breaking the silence, "But as we saw during our SDC rehearsal... Neige's group was already popular. Our performance wasn't going to change that. If we'd been at our best, that doesn't mean we would've performed perfectly. And even if we had, we still could've lost. You can't always beat someone that popular with hard work or a solid performance."

"Jamil's right. You don't have to worry, Vil. It's not your fault!" Kalim says.

"I suppose," Vil responds, "Though bear in mind, Neige's group has struggled and worked hard as well."

That surprised Kalim and Jamil.

Then Vil says, "I dismissed their performance in the heat of the moment when I first saw it, but... Endearing yourselves to the masses and impressing them with skill are equally valid approaches. We simply emphasized different things. None of you have an inkling how much work Neige's group put in, do you?"

"What do you mean by that?" Epel asks.

"The first time I co-starred in a movie with Neige..." Vil says, "He would always leave and say he had chores to do, while I stuck around for rehearsal. It made me SO angry. I judged him for coasting on his natural talent. But later, I learned something. Those kids Neige performed with at SDC? He's lived with them for years. They've all been supporting each other without any help since long before he and I met."

"Whoa. You mean like since his child actor days?" Deuce asks, surprised

"Yes," Vil answers, "I don't know the particulars beyond that, mind you. He would do his chores, attend rehearsal, then go home and do more chores. He'd practice in what spare time he could find. And yet he'd always greet me with a cheerful, singsongy 'good morning.' I can't imagine how hard he's had it. After all, my life's been quite different."

"Golly..." Epel says, surprised.

"He must work very hard to perform as an actor and still has time to do the house chores," Sereia adds

"Neige has never divulged his personal history to the press," Vil says.

Then turns to Rook, "But I'm guessing you knew the truth, Rook?"

"... Oui," Rook says, "Much of Roi des Neige's charm comes from his endearing smile. But it's also the smile of someone who's overcome untold hardships. That's why so many people are drawn to it. I also hear he donates most of his pay to charity."

"... You certainly have the inside scoop. I'm fairly certain that fact hasn't been made public either," Vil says.

"It's well-known among his most dedicated fans," Rook says with a smile.

"I see..." Vil replies.

He then says, "Well, I have it on good authority that he donated his SDC prize money too.

To aid underprivileged children with their futures."

"I had no idea they'd been through all that together..." Kalim says, surprised.

Vil sighs, "There, you see? If you had known of Neige's background before SDC... Would you have fought to win? Could you have voted for yourselves in good conscience? Would you have been able to judge Neige's group on merit alone, without sympathy getting in the way?"

Deuce and Epel remain silent.

"I won't speak for the others, but Kalim definitely couldn't have done that," Jamil says.

"Hey, that's not true... I mean... Oof, this is hard..." Kalim replies.

Then Ace says, "I still woulda voted for myself in a heartbeat. SDC isn't a competition for saddest backstory. It's about who performs best on stage."

"And there you've struck the heart of the matter," Vil says.

"I have?" Ace questions.

"You. Me. Neige. Everyone on that stage has their own story. Which is why results are what matters in show business," Vil says.

"Oh..." Briar and Epel replies.

Then Vil says, "NRC Tribe's performance lost to Royal Sword Academy's. That's all there is to it. And my actions had a direct, negative impact on us. It was a blunder of epic proportions. So I'd like to offer you all a token of apology."

"You don't need to worry about that. You've already apologized enough," Briar says.

"She's right. You don't need to do anything else," Tanzanite says.

Even Trinket nods her head

.Vil shakes his head and says, "I insist on offering you all a token of apology."

He then turns to the others, "Do you recall what was written on the SDC recruitment poster?"

"Uh, lemme think..." Ace says, and starts to think, "Something about 'your shot at the big time'..."

"It also mentioned a 50,000 thaumark prize to be split among the winners," Deuce remembers.

"Precisely," Vil answers.

Then says, "That was to entice people to audition. Since I was responsible for our team losing out on the prize money... I'll be paying out the 50,000 myself."

That causes everyone to exclaim in shock and surprise, "WHAAA?!"