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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Lovers and Stories
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“Good heavens.”
I hate it when a simple act of kindness gets twisted like this.
Things in this world rarely go my way.
“A lover…”
I shuddered. This was a development I hadn’t anticipated at all.
Even if I had the wealth and looks to keep multiple lovers, for someone like me who had lived an ordinary life in modern society, it was too much to handle.
It felt like a betrayal of a significant other.
Even if I never had one.
I guess my way of thinking is just too modern.
“…Is that so?”
Darcy asked after a moment of silence. He seemed quite concerned about my situation.
“I don't even meet with the troupe members anymore. I only go to the theater after ten, long after they've left.”
As I spoke, I wasn't sure if Darcy would actually believe me.
I slowly raised my gaze.
“Then that’s that.”
His answer was far more concise than I'd expected.
Darcy was staring at me with the same expressionless face as before.
But his gaze was softer than it had been.
I had told my story, and he had believed it.
The completely natural sequence of events felt bewildering.
“…You believe me?”
When I asked without thinking, Darcy let out a small laugh.
“I have no reason not to believe you. Unless you lied?”
“No.”
“Then that’s settled.”
He loosened his cravat and let out a weary breath.
Come to think of it, he did look a bit more tired than usual.
‘…His expression was a little dark from the start.’
It felt wrong to ignore him when he was so obviously showing how tired he was. Especially considering how much he'd cared for me until now.
I studied his expression for a moment before finally speaking up.
“Did something happen today?”
Darcy shrugged with a brazen smile.
“Not at all.”
But the smile was undeniably awkward.
‘I guess he doesn't want to talk about it.’
I didn't press him. I have no desire to force words from someone who doesn't want to speak.
If he wanted to hide something, I would let him.
Darcy's shoes clicked against the floor. With a frown, he ran a hand through his hair. Something else seemed to be bothering him.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized he was an enigma.
His strangely intimidating presence and the aura he exuded couldn't be explained by the word ‘merchant’.
At first, I thought I was mistaken, but it became clearer the more I met with him.
There was something about him that I didn't know.
If we kept meeting, something was bound to happen.
Even if I didn't know what.
‘I should probably start putting some distance between us, meet him less often.’
It's about time I started thinking about ending our deal. I could use his magic tools while I look for another magician.
As I was lost in thought, Darcy spoke to me.
“Is there anything else you need? My schedule is tight after this, so I don't think we'll be able to meet for a while. I can make you one more thing.”
Could the timing be any better? I answered right away.
“You must be very busy. Business must be good. Well, that can't be helped.”
At my words, Darcy crossed his arms and let out a dry laugh.
“You seem pretty happy about that, don't you?”
“Of course not. How often do I get to see someone as handsome as you, Darcy?”
A person's looks aren't everything, but since we wouldn't be seeing each other much longer, I figured it was best to avoid any unpleasantness and quickly added the compliment.
In response, Darcy crossed his arms with a bored expression.
“So, what magic tool do you want? I'm sure you've had quite a few things in mind.”
After pondering what to ask for, I made up my mind.
“Separate from the one that records video, I want a magic tool that can save a single moment and print it on paper.”
“So, a magic tool that can transfer a video frame into a picture.”
“Yes.”
“That should be easy compared to what I've made so far. All right.”
Darcy readily nodded at my request. He didn't even mention payment. It seemed he trusted that I would take care of it.
I'll have to give Darcy three times the usual amount of magic stones when he leaves today.
As I made a mental note, Darcy spoke.
“Aren't you curious when I'll be back?”
It would be rude not to ask when he put it like that.
“…When will you be back?”
“I don't know either.”
…Then why did you tell me to ask? I was baffled.
Darcy stood up from his seat.
“Well, let's go to the theater now.”
“…Huh?”
“We have to watch the play. Just the two of us, of course.”
The romantic line sounded like he was asking me on a date, but his tone was closer to a threat.
Wait, is this actually a date?
The way he told me about the rumor and worried about me today was a bit strange…
“I want to make this recorder more advanced than the last one. I need to watch a play to see how well it works.”
A date? Not a chance. Before I could even get my hopes up, Darcy finished his explanation.
“Oh, right.”
I almost got ahead of myself.
After all, there's no way Darcy would be interested in me, right? I felt at ease again.
I stood up.
“All right, then. Let's head to the viewing room.”
Since Darcy hated running into other people, I sent him to the viewing room ahead of me, then went to the theater to retrieve the recorder.
I didn't have to go myself, but I figured fetching it personally would be better for the servants' peace of mind than ordering them to do it. After all, the butlers and maids would tremble while moving the recorder once they heard its price. The negative perception of magic tools also played a part.
When I returned to my room with the magic tool, I found Darcy perched on the bed, reading a book. The wall next to the viewing screen was covered by a bookshelf I had custom-ordered.
The bookshelf was filled with my favorite genre novels. There were mystery novels and humanities books, but romance novels took up the most space.
“You like these kinds of novels?”
“Ah, yes.”
“That's unexpected. To think someone who's tired of people and can't even consider an engagement would like love stories.”
I enjoyed reading stories about love. I read widely across genres, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be romance. I shrugged, setting the recorder down on the table.
“I'm allowed to like them, aren't I?”
At my words, Darcy snapped the book shut and looked up at me.
His silver hair, falling on either side of his face, glittered dazzlingly in the light of the ceiling chandelier.
“Why do you like them?”
he asked, his tone laced with incomprehension. Darcy's questions were always direct. He never beat around the bush.
“I like watching the process of people who didn't even know the other existed become indispensable to each other's lives. It's romantic, isn't it?”
It was easy to speak my heart to Darcy.
Confiding in a complete stranger was easier than I thought, and more cathartic.
I grew up too fast.
In my past life, my parents gave me love, but our home was always troubled. Acting childish was never an option for me.
My parents weren't people I could lean on, but people I had to help. Those times cast a shadow over my life.
I longed to become irreplaceable in someone's life. Because I never had been.
I think that's also why I couldn't easily let go of the heroine, Reshuan.
“I suppose I'm projecting my own desire to lean on someone. While I read.”
“You're satisfied just by reading about it? You have quite the imagination.”
Can't he say things a little more nicely? I shot him a light glare.
“And your way of speaking is scathing.”
“It's part of my charm.”
Darcy stood up with a faint smile, book in hand, and came over to push it into my hands.
Darcy had a look of utter incomprehension on his face.
“Why? You could just have a love like that yourself, couldn't you? No one would refuse House Etoile.”
It's not like I'm starving for love anymore... Why bother?
After my experiences with Reshuan, Ryan, and Kaysen, all my illusions about love had been shattered.
Fiction is beautiful precisely because it's fiction…
I replied in a serious voice.
“I'll think about it if I get tired of being a shut-in.”
Right now, I'm busy enough planning my own future.
Finally, I attached the magic tool Darcy had brought to the front of the recorder.
But Darcy didn't seem to be finished talking.
I felt a sharp gaze from my side.
“…You, who walked a smooth path with no hardships in life. Was there anything that could have hurt you enough to choose seclusion?”
The one thing that leaves the deepest scars of all.
The surrounding noise faded, leaving just the two of us. He looked straight at me.
It seemed this was what Darcy had wanted to ask all along.
I answered simply.
“People.”
People.
“Ah.”
Darcy said nothing more. He seemed to understand.
His gaze shifted back to me. I didn't look away.
Darcy raised an eyebrow. His lips slowly parted.
I stayed quiet, thinking he was about to say something, but no sound came from his lips.
A subtle atmosphere settled between us. He was still staring at me.
I grew curious too.
“…I have a question for you, too.”
“Ask.”
His characteristic composure filled the air around him.
The most beautiful man I had ever met.
A man with a rather foul personality, shrouded in mystery.
“…Have you ever been in love?”
I wondered if he really had ever been in love.
“Never.”
Darcy's answer was concise.
“I never had the time for it.”
His gaze didn't waver in the slightest.
