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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Lying Side by Side
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Leticia didn't answer this time, either.
I was helplessly swept away by the wave of emotions that crashed over me. Standing there dazedly, as if I’d forgotten how to breathe, I let out a hollow laugh.
…Wow, so there really wasn't a single person on my side.
To think that even the connection I thought I’d built with my own hands was nothing but a lie—how utterly ridiculous.
The pent-up emotions surged in an instant. I let out a deep breath and stared at Ryan.
“Your Highness. Are you expressing hostility toward the Marquisate out of personal feelings?”
I’d disliked Ryan before, but I had never hated him as much as I did now. I never knew he was foolish enough to meddle in my personal relationships.
Daring to plant his own person in the Marquisate… it was fair to call him a love-blind fool.
“It seems you're the one expressing hostility toward me right now.”
Ryan, who had been at a loss for words, tried to turn the tables on me.
The old me would have tried to answer him sweetly and continue the conversation, no matter what. Because he was someone I had to keep seeing.
Even after becoming the villainess everyone hated, I tried. I tried to reach out even when I was hurt, and I took the initiative to mend our relationship.
But the relationship had already soured.
I was hurt by Ryan, hurt by Kaysen, and hurt by Reshuan. And in the end, I was even betrayed by Leticia.
To hell with it all.
I stared at Ryan with empty eyes.
“Your Highness, cut the nonsense. You were the one who crossed the line first.”
Ryan flinched at my sharp tone and ran a hand through his hair in annoyance.
“Ha, so you finally show your true colors.”
“And you, Your Highness, are so blinded by love that you're resorting to criminal acts. You're no different from a common criminal.”
“If it's to protect her.”
His sense of duty was laughable. His arrogance, thinking that everything could be justified by claiming it was for someone else's sake, was insufferable.
“If you truly love Reshuan.”
I muttered, glaring straight at him.
“Don't cast aside the basic decency you should uphold as a human being.”
I had no desire to speak with Ryan any longer. I no longer wanted to try and persuade him.
I looked at Ryan with disgust before stepping slightly aside.
“Go.”
“…What?”
Ryan, who looked ready to continue the argument, muttered in a daze.
I couldn't keep them here for long. No matter how disappointed I was in Leticia, she was injured. I couldn't just stand by while someone was bleeding profusely.
It was the decent thing to do.
“It's in the same vein as me letting you go now, Your Highness.”
I looked him straight in the eye and reiterated what I had told him time and again.
“I am not the Marso who loved you, nor am I the one who tried to maintain a good relationship with you.”
“…”
“This is all true. And it won't change in the future.”
Ryan flinched at my words, as if he’d realized something.
But that was probably just my imagination. There was no reason for words I’d said before to suddenly sound different now.
As Ryan stared at me, his gaze wavered.
“No, you have to stay in the wrong.”
He muttered it as if trying to brainwash himself.
Clenching his jaw, Ryan supported Leticia and walked past me.
As I watched Ryan’s back and let out a heavy sigh, I heard my name being called again.
“Marso.”
The clear voice was like a comfort to my ears.
“You're not strange. I like you for who you are.”
Darcy approached, saying the words I wanted to hear.
“Are you hurt?”
A unique fragrance, similar to the last time, emanated from Darcy.
His concerned tone strangely made me smile. I shook my head.
“Of course I am.”
I was hurt because I cared for Leticia. If even she was gone, who was I supposed to trust?
“But I have a feeling that seeing me hurt like this is exactly what *he* wants.”
I didn't bother calling Ryan ‘the Prince’ in front of him.
That's right. I don't want to lose to him.
“Still, it's okay to be weak in front of me.”
Darcy's fingers gently brushed the corner of my eye. Only then did I realize my eyes had welled up with tears.
“You can trust me, you know.”
At his words, I finally laughed out loud.
But I couldn't easily answer him. The person closest to me had been Ryan's spy.
And the one who brought Darcy to me when I asked for a magician was Leticia.
Recalling how Darcy acted when he first met Ryan, it was unlikely Ryan had sent him, but it was still hard to dismiss my suspicions.
What if Leticia had conspired with someone other than Ryan?
Having already experienced the worst-case scenario, it was easy to imagine.
Could Darcy's warm words also be lies, deliberately crafted for my benefit?
To win my favor and extract information. Or to inflict even greater pain.
Before I possessed her, Marso had earned the resentment of countless people. It wouldn't be strange if one of them had planted someone by her side.
First, I had to assume the worst.
That was the only way to avoid being deceived again.
Seeing how he always asked for magic stones, his spending habits seemed quite extravagant.
I know how cunningly people in need of money can act. He could be the same.
But I want to trust Darcy. I wanted to believe in the person I had seen so far.
The memory of him speaking to me, his gaze fixed only on me, with a voice warmer than a spring breeze, was still vivid.
Finding comfort in Darcy and opening my heart to him felt like a natural step.
I caught the hand that was brushing my eye. Darcy paused but didn't pull his hand away.
I stared at him quietly.
I wanted to look him in the eyes as I spoke.
His silver hair, swept back, fluttered in a gentle breeze. It was the color of freshly fallen snow.
His sharp nose stood out from beneath his shimmering hair. Up close, his eyes were as clear as a stream.
I…
“What are you staring at?”
His lips parted. Darcy's gaze flickered down before settling gently on me.
I blinked, looking at his face, framed by his slightly lowered eyelashes. It was only a brief moment, but for me, that eye contact felt like an eternity.
The storm in my heart grew calm.
Yes, I decided to trust him.
“Because you're pretty.”
I answered with a smile. Startled by my words, Darcy's ears seemed to flush red.
“So, why did you come back? Did your plans go awry? If there's anything I can do to help, I will.”
Having regained my composure, I asked the question I still hadn't gotten an answer to.
“Ah, that.”
Darcy glanced around and spoke in a whisper.
“How about we talk in your movie theater instead of here?”
“That's a good idea.”
I was just thinking I wanted to get out of the palace and hole up in my theater anyway. Having a long conversation here was impossible, so this seemed like a better option.
My meal with Ryan might have ended in disaster… but the meal was over, and it seemed Ryan and Darcy's conversation was finished too.
I snuck a glance at Darcy, but he didn't seem to be hurt anywhere.
“Then I'll lead the way.”
I nodded obediently, and Darcy guided me. We left the Imperial Palace immediately.
***
I thought we would take a carriage, but that didn't seem to be the case. Darcy navigated the labyrinthine palace with ease. I'd been here a few times, but he moved through the still-unfamiliar space as if it were his own home.
Soon, he arrived at a palace that looked like a ruin and stopped in a front yard where all the grass had died.
In his gaze as he looked at the palace, I sensed a strange longing.
…Could this be the place where he used to live? I wanted to ask, but it seemed like a sensitive topic, so I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
“Your hand.”
Darcy held out his hand to me. What was this, was he training a dog…?
When I scrunched my face slightly, Darcy spoke with a wronged expression.
“Hey, we need to be in contact to use magic, you know? How can you look at me like that after all this time?”
“Oh, right.”
At his words, I sheepishly extended my hand. Our hands intertwined.
“The destination is the usual drawing room. And.”
Darcy paused and blinked. Suddenly, my vision shifted, and a headache set in. As I shook my head, Darcy chuckled and added.
“You're right. That place from before is where I used to live.”
“You really could become a fortune teller…”
I had no idea how he'd read my mind again.
To be able to travel from the palace to the manor so easily. Knowing the palace was protected by several layers of magic, I couldn't understand it.
…Is Darcy just that much of a genius?
I was about to leave the drawing room when I paused. I remembered that Darcy was hesitant to meet people.
“It's fine now.”
His answer came faster than I could turn my head to ask his opinion.
A completely different attitude from before. Could this be related to him leaving and then coming back?
Wanting to talk and also find some peace of mind, I opened the door.
The servants were startled to see me emerge from the drawing room with a man after having returned from the palace in an instant, but I didn't pay them much mind.
Gossip might spread about Darcy and me, but I didn't care.
Darcy and I headed to the movie theater.
The familiar wallpaper and sofa came into view, and my heart settled calmly. I rubbed my hands together in satisfaction and then made a solemn proposal.
“Alright, how about we talk while lying in bed?”
“Sure.”
At Darcy's ready agreement, I quickly lay down on the bed. I hadn't even changed my clothes, but it didn't matter. Some days were just like this.
I heard Darcy's footsteps, followed by the sound of his voice. There was also a clattering sound, as if he were fiddling with something.
Soon, a familiar melody reached my ears.
“Is this the one you like?”
Darcy, who claimed to know nothing about the piano, had found and played the song we had listened to together on our last day.
It was a song I had avoided for a while after he left. I was afraid that hearing it would bring back the memory of his departure.
Now, when I hear this song, I will remember the kindness he showed me today. And then, I will think of him.
“Yes, it is. Thank you.”
“It's nothing.”
Darcy spoke dismissively, and I heard him move again. He must be getting into bed now.
I stared blankly at the ceiling, giving him time to lie down.
A moment later, I heard a plop right beside me. Startled, I turned onto my side.
Darcy was already lying next to me, propped on his elbow and gazing at me.
He grinned and said nonchalantly.
“You said *we* should talk while lying in bed.”
