Chapter 26

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Confrontation
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Ryan had never imagined he would feel guilty toward Marso Etoile.

The moment Letty’s identity was revealed, Ryan saw a kind of despair on Marso Etoile’s face he had never seen before.

He’d even thought she might argue about morality and fight him. He had been prepared to confront her with all his might.

That was, until Marso stared at him with a blank expression and stepped aside.

It was something that woman should have been incapable of.

She was a subhuman creature who had tormented Reshuan solely for his attention.

A person’s true nature doesn’t change. Just because she’d changed her attitude for a year didn’t mean the person he’d always known had vanished.

He thought she would finally reveal her true instincts. But he was wrong.

Her navy hair, like the evening sky, rippled. Her eyes, colored with hatred for him, trembled.

For a moment, he thought she might cry.

…And he felt a sliver of guilt at the thought. The idea that he might have been truly wrong began to surface.

*This can't be right.*

It was an unfamiliar experience. A feeling he never thought he would have for Marso.

After all, the reason he had felt no guilt while continuously tormenting Marso and lying to Reshuan was purely because Marso was a villain.

The reason he’d planted Letty in the marquis’s household was the same.

Marso had to be the villainess.

“…”

Ryan, tightening his grip on Letty, widened his eyes.

That wicked woman must have done something to him.

He couldn't waste any more time.

Ryan walked past Marso. His steps were as firm as ever, as if nothing had changed.

Until his head turned back.

Ryan’s gaze unconsciously followed Marso’s retreating figure.

Then his eyes met with Darcy, who was standing next to Marso.

A more intense hatred than before filled his eyes. Darcy, staring at him with a cold gaze, moved his lips. Though he was far away, Ryan could clearly see what he was saying.

*See you later, little brother.*

Ryan flinched and quickly turned his head away.

It was just a fleeting emotion. This, too, would pass.

Ryan believed so.

***

“Her condition isn't too serious. If we bandage it and she rests for a few days, it will heal cleanly.”

Perhaps because she had seen a doctor so quickly, Letty was going to be fine.

The immediate crisis seemed to be over, but Ryan’s mind was still in turmoil over the look on Marso’s face from earlier.

It was because of the fear that his judgment might have been wrong.

Ryan ruffled his hair and headed to his office. It was time to start preparing to become the Crown Prince.

*I need to meet the Emperor, too.*

If he hadn't killed Emperor Kies, he would have needed to meet with him and discuss Darcy's existence.

Who on earth he was, and how to deal with him.

He had never dreamed of competing for the position of Crown Prince. It had always been his. And it had to remain that way.

He wasn't an easy opponent, so he needed to find a perfect way to kill him. Magic was powerful, but everyone had a weakness.

…Ah, and.

*I also need to find out who neutralized the rumors.*

He’d been thinking it was strange that the nasty rumors about Marso hadn't been spreading for a long time.

Where should I start? Lost in thought, Ryan looked up at the sound of someone calling his name.

“…Kaysen?”

Kaysen, his rival for Reshuan’s love and the Captain of the Knights, was standing there.

After bowing his head in a polite greeting, Kaysen got straight to the point.

“Have you met Sir Darcy?”

Ryan momentarily doubted his ears. How could Kaysen know about a man he himself had just met today?

It was enough to make him suspect they were in on it together.

*The very act of mentioning that name in front of me is…*

A very ominous sign. And soon, it proved to be true.

As Ryan narrowed his eyes in annoyance, Kaysen replied in a calm voice.

“I believe he is the one fit for the throne.”

“…Are you saying you'll stand against me?”

Ryan growled. It wasn't surprising that Kaysen chose Darcy.

As the current Prince and future Crown Prince, Ryan was in a much better position to do things for Reshuan.

To a man who had started as a slave and only managed to rise to the rank of Captain of the Knights, Ryan must have been a thorn in his side.

“I know what you're thinking… but I am not that cowardly.”

Kaysen slowly shook his head. His gentle eyes firmly conveyed his opinion.

“I was simply thinking about what is right for this country.”

“You think a thug like that is fit for the throne?”

He was completely blind. Or perhaps he’d been brainwashed. Everyone must have been brainwashed by that man.

The reason he hadn't been brainwashed must be because some condition hadn't been met.

Already feeling wronged after his encounter with Darcy, a twisted Ryan sneered.

“Are you just saying that in a fit of anger because Reshuan didn't choose you?”

Not long ago, Reshuan had come to him in tears. She didn't tell him why she was crying, but Ryan was happy just that she had sought him out in her time of need.

He felt like he had finally been chosen.

That fact had circulated quietly among the nobles, and Kaysen was aware of it too.

“How dare you speak of Reshuan—”

At his words, Kaysen's eyes widened. He couldn't tolerate any insult to Reshuan.

Just as Kaysen was about to draw his sword, another voice cut in.

“No, he just realized sooner than you that I'm far superior.”

Darcy, who had placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder and muttered, punched Ryan in the cheek.

“Kuh—”

Ryan groaned and tumbled to the floor. He was genuinely surprised by the force of the blow.

It was a power equal to his own.

*…He wasn't just a mage who runs his mouth?*

Ryan, who had assumed he would naturally be superior in physical strength, had to revise his thinking.

Darcy narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice.

“Are you fucking crazy? What were you thinking, getting caught right in front of Marso?”

“Ridiculous. I left right away—”

Darcy cut Ryan off and cleaned his ear. Even the way he tilted his head, looking bored, was like a masterpiece painting.

“To think you still don't get it. How pathetic.”

There were no servants around. This, too, must have been Darcy's doing.

Darcy approached the rising Ryan and shoved his head.

“What's in here? Air?”

Kaysen watched the two with a blank expression, then bowed his head in a polite greeting. Meanwhile, Kaysen was confused.

…Marso? He tilted his head at the unexpected name. What did he mean, getting caught in front of Marso?

He knew she was the only person and motivation that kept Darcy, who had no interest in anyone else besides his revenge and reclaiming the throne, here, but the name was too familiar.

Kaysen's face turned deathly pale.

Could that Marso be…

“Sir Darcy. The person you just mentioned… surely it's not…”

That ‘Marso’?

“Is there another Marso besides the one from House Etoile?”

“…You said you were becoming Crown Prince for her sake, didn't you?”

At the questioning tone, Darcy readily nodded.

“Yeah. As a prince, I should use my power to grant her whatever she wants, right?”

“What if what she wants is evil—”

“Marso wouldn't want something like that in the first place. And if she did, she'd have a good reason.”

His mind was in chaos. The Marso that Kaysen knew and the Marso that Darcy knew were clearly two different people.

Or maybe there really was another person with that name.

Or could such a cold-hearted person become so soft?

Listening to them, Ryan was utterly dumbfounded. *Hey, I'm still here, you know?*

“Do you really think you can become the Crown Prince? It's a noble and meaningful position! Someone who can pledge loyalty to the prosperity and peace of the Empire…”

Unable to stand the continuing bullshit, Darcy pulled out the gun tucked at his waist and pistol-whipped him in the temple.

And he whispered in Ryan's ear.

“Then you're even less qualified. Because the person who had to sacrifice his own kind and obey for the sake of the Empire's peace and prosperity is standing right in front of you.”

As he said those words, the faces of the mages who had been captured as prisoners before him flashed in his mind.

It was something he did to survive, but the fact that he had fought against his fellow mages was a brand Darcy would have to bear for the rest of his life.

Perhaps he had tried to leave because he knew that if he stayed in the Empire for revenge, he would one day have to face them. He was afraid to confront the sin he had buried in a corner of his heart.

When he lit incense and zoned out, he felt as if everything would disappear.

But even if it meant facing all of that, he didn't want to see Marso become unhappy.

Because he saw a reflection of himself in Marso, who seemed so different yet so similar.

If he couldn't be happy, he wanted Marso to be happy, at least.

Was this pity, or a sense of kinship?

One thing was certain. This was not love.

It couldn't be the emotion his mother had felt, the one that had tied him to his father's side before she left.

Because this, unlike the love his mother had, was sacred and beautiful.

The corner of his mouth turned bitter.

Darcy grabbed Ryan by the collar, threw him into the office, and slowly turned his gaze.

He had become well-versed in the rumors circulating in high society and the imperial palace over the past few days, but he didn't believe everything he heard.

…Which was why it was still a mystery why he had lost his composure so completely when he heard the rumors about Marso's lover.

He had an ironclad rule of not judging someone until he had met and experienced them for himself, even while gathering rumors.

So he had to know.

“Kaysen Hopen.”

“…Yes.”

“It seems you have something to say about Marso.”

About Ryan and Kaysen's actions toward Marso.

And about the Reshuan they claimed to be protecting.