-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Mysterious Merchant
-----------------------------------------------------------------
He was a man whose beauty could easily surpass that of the male lead, Ryan, and the second male lead, Kaysen.
His face, framed by long, soft silver hair that seemed better cared for than my own, was, without exaggeration, the finest in the empire.
Despite the fierce impression given by his sharp, cat-like eyes, his warm, melodious voice offset it. The way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled also played a part.
*…I’d believe it if you told me he was the hidden male lead.* I stared blankly at the man before asking.
“A real merchant…? He’s too handsome to be an extra…”
Letty had said the merchant was a fallen noble. He was clearly of a lower station than me… but does it make sense for someone like this not to appear in the original story?
“A merchant, I’m afraid. What does ‘extra’ mean?”
The man, who had introduced himself as Darcy, tilted his head and asked.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
I’ll have to ask Letty later how she found this man.
Just as I was about to nod, mesmerized, my eyes shot open.
*I used formal speech without realizing it.*
Overwhelmed by his imposing presence, the formal words had slipped out on their own.
No, I have my dignity as a marquis’s daughter. Should I really be letting a merchant whose identity I don’t even know speak to me so informally?
I bravely lifted my head.
My eyes met his. Faced with his intense gaze and overwhelming aura, like that of a wild beast, my resolve crumbled in an instant.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes.”
The air of elegance he exuded was hard to see as that of a common person. Despite his somewhat rude manner of speaking, it suited him perfectly.
*…Is he some kind of hidden master?* If he doesn’t know who I am, the informal speech would make sense.
“Do you… know who I am?”
I asked, wondering if he truly didn’t know my identity.
“The only daughter of the Etoile marquisate. Marso Etoile. Am I wrong?”
Even the way he slightly furrowed his brow as if searching his memory was like a scene from a painting. It wasn't that he had a bad memory.
As I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Darcy chuckled and continued.
“I just can’t stand using honorifics with nobles. I hope you’ll understand if I sound a bit rude, Young Lady.”
“I-I see…”
The man suited informal speech so well that his sudden switch to formal language felt uncomfortable. Strangely, sweat trickled down my back.
The man lowered his gaze and muttered as if lamenting.
“We’re all just people in the end. I don’t know why everyone is so obsessed with status and position…”
An unknown depth flowed from him as he spoke. To call nobles people obsessed with status and position. It had been a while since I’d met someone with such a modern perspective.
The mindset of this man, whose actions were more aristocratic than anyone’s, was quite peculiar.
“I only came today because I was curious to hear someone was looking for a magic tool… If you don’t like it, you can kick me out right now.”
I found a strange commonality with this person I’d just met. My status as a marquis’s only daughter was just a title; the class-based society never suited me anyway, so I decided to be generous to the most beautiful man I had seen in a long time.
Because caring about what others think is just tiring.
“…You can just speak informally.”
I’ll answer his informal speech with my own.
“Thanks.”
As if he’d been waiting, the man switched back to informal speech. The satisfied curve of his eyes was like watching a well-fed cat.
“How did you get in here?”
“I used a magic tool I made. It’s a bracelet that allows for teleportation. I just finished making it and was testing it out.”
A bracelet with a purple jewel embedded in it sparkled on the man’s wrist. It was made using a magic stone. The delicate craftsmanship was as beautiful as if a jewelry designer had made it.
Teleportation, which was impossible without hiring a mage to draw a magic circle over a long period of time, he could do it this easily? My earlier intuition was right. This man was highly skilled.
I thought he was just a merchant, but the fact that he made this himself was even more interesting. His handsome face was just a bonus.
I should continue the conversation. We’re just going to have a business relationship anyway, so who cares about formal or informal speech. As long as he does his job well, that’s all that matters. I wasn’t that curious about what kind of person he was.
“You can create magic tools yourself?”
“That’s right. I sell them, too.”
Darcy’s eyes sparkled as he looked down at the bracelet he had made.
Seeing how well he knew these things, he did seem like a merchant…
After a moment of thought, I spoke with determination.
“I have a magic tool I’d like to commission. I’ll provide the magic stones.”
“How much is the pay?”
“Let’s make it five billion gold.”
To think a time would come when I, who used to tremble at spending a hundred thousand won in my modern life, would treat such a fortune so casually. And this was a low offer since I was providing the magic stones myself.
Darcy nodded readily.
“Alright. But what kind of magic tool would a noble—and the only daughter of House Etoile, at that—want to create?”
It seemed Darcy was more curious about my intentions. It made sense. In a world where everyone looked down on magic tools, for the daughter of the renowned House Etoile to be seeking out a magic tool merchant…
But it’s all for the sake of my hermit lifestyle!
I held out a drawing I had made myself.
“A video recorder and player.”
My first project for holing myself up in my room was…
…to build a movie theater.
“Oh, and this is just the beginning. I have many other things in mind.”
Darcy’s previously indifferent face lit up, and his eyes began to sparkle.
***
Having completed a fruitful outing for the first time in a while, Darcy activated the spatial teleportation magic tool. In an instant, his vision shifted.
He was in the bathroom of a shabby, ruin-like palace.
He peeked through the curtains he had drawn beforehand. Guards were surveying the area.
Their movements, as if determined not to miss a thing, were almost laughable. And yet, they couldn’t even catch the person in question sneaking out of the palace and back.
The way they occasionally let him out for a walk to ease their own guilt also seemed ridiculous to him.
*Well, thanks to that, I did discover something interesting.*
In any case, that’s how he heard the rumor that the daughter of House Etoile was looking for a magic tool merchant.
If not for that rumor, he was planning to go deal with Prince Ryan to get magic stones, or to sneak into House Epekel, where that woman he supposedly cherishes, Reshuan, resided.
Ah, the second option was far more appealing, considering the relationship between Ryan and him.
But the time and effort required for that were too great.
Seducing one naive woman who knows nothing of the world is easier than sneaking into a heavily guarded palace. Especially for someone like Darcy, who knew he had a handsome face.
The woman he met in person seemed momentarily captivated by his face, but she didn’t forget her place.
In truth, it was uncertain whether the teleportation would succeed today. This place was designed to make drawing magic circles absolutely impossible.
His eyes narrowed as he recalled his first impression of Marso Etoile.
The rumors said she was a vain, reckless fool who knew nothing but how to run wild.
He didn’t believe rumors, but he knew that nobles were hostile toward magic tools and mages. So he figured that Etoile, a noble, was interested in magic tools on a whim.
He was even prepared to hold a knife to her throat or cut off a finger to threaten her into getting what he wanted.
*…But I never thought she’d be genuinely interested in creating magic tools.*
Her reason for wanting to create this strange magic tool was peculiar from the start. To laze around comfortably inside her house, she said. While some people can’t leave even if they want to.
Then again, maybe that’s why he was interested.
Darcy checked the bag full of magic stones. This should be more than enough for his research.
In fact, what was important to him wasn’t the money, but the magic stones. During their deal, Darcy had added other conditions.
Their meetings would always be one-on-one, just the two of them. No one else could know about him. If anyone found out, the deal would be off immediately.
The only daughter of House Etoile must have been desperate enough to seek out a mage who could make magic tools. Marso even seemed captivated after seeing his skills.
In a way, it was natural. Few welcomed magic tools, and even fewer mages were willing to dabble in them. Someone like Darcy was a rarity.
*I should stop thinking for now.*
Darcy undressed and submerged himself in the already-cold bathwater. Cold water was perfect for cooling the stray thoughts in his head.
He tossed a small bead onto the clothes he had just been wearing. It was a magic tool that created fire.
The clothes burned on the bathroom floor with a crackling sound. He watched the scene with a blank expression.
“Ah, I should take this out too.”
Blinking, Darcy removed the eye-color-changing device he had placed in his right eye.
This magic tool, which settled over the eye like a thin film, was something he’d made out of disgust for the gazes of the soldiers, nobles, and even fellow mages who always trembled before him.
Darcy’s reflection appeared in the mirror placed diagonally from the tub. The man’s right eye shone red. The color, contrasting with the blue of his left eye, was reminiscent of good and evil.
Darcy blinked, then irritably swept his hair back.
He passed through the door connecting the bathroom to the bedroom.
After shoving the magic stones he received today under the bed, Darcy took out an incense candle from a drawer. For him, whose daily life consisted of being cooped up in his room, this was almost his only pleasure. As he bent down slightly, his firm, bare skin was revealed.
*Ssss.*
He used the fire-starting magic tool to light the incense candle, and hazy smoke began to rise.
Darcy perched on the sofa and inhaled the fragrance with a languid expression. The bitter taste that filled his mouth reminded him that he was alive.
*Hoo,* he exhaled, and the smoke enveloped his vision. He looked languid, almost debauched, but the gaze from his lowered eyes was so sharp it was chilling.
Darcy held the paper Marso had given him earlier. His head tilted.
“A recorder and player, huh.”
The schematics he received today were far more intuitive and innovative than he’d expected. ‘Innovative’ was the perfect word for it. He had no idea what she planned to use it for, but this research seemed like it would be more enjoyable than he thought.
Getting involved in the fight for the throne was a headache, and enduring this life forever was dreadful. In that sense, this research was a good opportunity to get the magic stones he needed and to pass his tedious time.
He glanced down at the bracelet on his wrist. He had succeeded in short-distance teleportation with this magic tool, but escaping to another country was a different story.
*Knock, knock.* The sound of a knock echoed on the door.
“Yeah, come in.”
Darcy replied shamelessly, his expression feigning as if he had never left.
The attendant glanced at the paper in his hand before presenting a tray. It held his meal.
“Your Highness, you were in the bathroom for quite a while today.”
“Being watched all the time is suffocating. I need to enjoy my time alone, don’t I? If you’re a man, I’m sure you understand why.”
As he continued with a deadpan expression, the attendant’s face turned red.
With a nod of his head, the attendant silently withdrew. *Hoo.* Darcy exhaled again.
The smoke filled Darcy’s vision like a dense fog. His eyes flashed.
