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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: A Hidden Gift
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“How could your face ever be unsightly?”
Despite my playful words, Darcy didn’t look up right away. But I could see both of his ears, which he couldn't hide, turning a bright red.
His ears, peeking through his dazzling silver hair, were incredibly conspicuous.
If I'm finding this cute, I must be completely smitten.
He had no idea how captivating his own words usually were, so seeing him get flustered by mine was an unexpected sight.
When Darcy finally looked up, his expression was back to its usual composure.
A bit of a shame.
“If you really want to meet them, I can arrange it.”
Darcy muttered with an exhale.
“You said only mages know where they live.”
“That’s right. Although not *all* mages know about it.”
Huh? What do you mean by that?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Darcy began to tell me something significant.
He averted his gaze, leaning back against the sofa as he began to speak.
“You’ve heard the talk about mages disappearing recently, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That was my doing.”
“What?”
I was aghast.
This was Darcy's story.
He had been brainwashed, unable to defy Kies’s commands.
But Kies hadn’t ordered him to harm *all* the mages.
In fact, he’d even urged Darcy to let the rest go, keeping only the key figures.
This aligned with the information I’d found, and it answered the questions I’d had about Kies.
“Do you know why?”
“Kies never told me the reason.”
Unfortunately, Darcy knew nothing about that either.
In any case, Darcy found himself in the contradictory position of fighting the mages while also helping to ensure they weren't completely wiped out.
But he felt this was an even crueler fate, for it was a never-ending cycle of suffering.
Darcy couldn't side with the mages, but he couldn't stop what he was doing either.
The moment he did, he would die. He was weary of life, but he craved freedom just as fiercely.
Darcy wanted to ease his guilt.
He prepared a sanctuary for the mages, for the day he might finally be free.
And indeed, after his confrontation with Kies freed him from the brainwashing, Darcy immediately took the time to open that sanctuary.
He embedded it with magic stones and placed it in a forest frequented by the mages he had spared.
“…”
No wonder there were so few magic stones lying around the room. It wasn't like they'd run off, so I'd wondered where he'd used them…
“That’s incredible.”
I applauded, my praise genuine. I even felt a sense of respect for Darcy.
“I only did it out of guilt. None of this would have been necessary if I hadn't been involved in the first place.”
“There are plenty of people who wouldn't even do that much. Take Prince Ryan, for example—the one you ran into when you broke down the door today.”
At the mention of Ryan, Darcy ground his teeth.
I quickly changed the subject.
“That’s a relief. I was wondering how I would ever find them. But do they know you’re the one who created that place?”
Darcy shook his head firmly.
“If I revealed myself, they would never have used it. Hold on.”
Darcy rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
“They’d probably be more receptive if they thought you did it. It wouldn't even be a lie, since I used the magic stones you gave me.”
“You’re usually so bold. Why are you acting like this today?”
I hated how he so naturally excluded himself. At my words, Darcy just shook his head.
“It’s the reality of the situation. To them, I’m the enemy. And if you don’t approach it this way, you’ll never even get a chance to speak with them.”
Mages were a tight-knit community, but they had a strong tendency to avoid outsiders.
Especially high-ranking nobles. They largely believed most nobles were just like Kies.
“Everyone has their prejudices…”
To break through the mages' long-held prejudices, I needed something just as powerful.
I understood Darcy's consideration. It was also true that I wasn't eager to face the 'villainess' title again.
But.
“I understand what you’re saying, but I want to try first. Just tell me where it is. I’ll get ready.”
Darcy looked like he was about to say more, so to cut off any further argument, I raised my index finger to my lips and shushed him.
“Just trust me on this.”
I was sick of the challenge of breaking through prejudice, but I had to try again.
This time, I would be thoroughly prepared and show them who I really was.
I would hold on to the hope that it would be okay. That's the only way I could muster the courage.
Just as the past year had changed me, this challenge would, too. Whatever the outcome, I would learn something new.
I gazed at Darcy. He wasn't used to talking about the times he'd helped others. The parts of his life I didn't know must have been filled with a deep darkness.
I wanted to comfort him.
“You did a good thing.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle pat. I didn't quite have the nerve to pat his head.
“Even if it’s not right away, I’m going to tell the mages that you’re the one who created that sanctuary.”
I lowered my hand and declared to Darcy,
“Because you’re a good person.”
At my words, Darcy let out a small, helpless laugh. The faint smile lingering on his face made him look distinctly more at ease.
“As long as you think so, that’s all that matters.”
Darcy rose from the sofa and walked over to the bookshelf that took up one entire wall.
“Should I put on some music?”
“You have a phonograph?”
He gestured to his phonograph with a smile.
“I’m used to being alone, but it’s not so bad. Our taste in music might be a little different, though.”
“Oh?”
I went over to him and looked through the records. He was right; there were none of the calm nocturnes I owned. His collection was filled with concertos and sonatas, mostly of the intense and passionate variety.
It was a little surprising that Darcy was a fan of classical music.
“It feels like it speaks for the chaos churning inside me. I find it nice to listen to.”
Even though it wasn't my room, I felt comfortable. It was a completely different space, yet I felt a familiar air.
“What do you want to listen to?”
I turned the choice he'd offered me back to him.
“It’s your space. I want to hear something you like.”
“Alright.”
Darcy answered readily, choosing a piano sonata that began with a grand, somber chord in a minor key.
After a few more delicate chords, a fierce arpeggio followed.
The music stood in stark contrast to the gentle crackling of the fire. Darcy leaned against the wall near the phonograph, his expression languid as he lowered his gaze.
As his hand moved, Darcy reflexively started to open a drawer, then flinched.
“…Almost made a mistake.”
It seemed he'd been about to pull out a scented candle out of habit. The way he glanced at me was like a student admitting they'd done something wrong.
“It’s a nice-smelling candle, what’s the harm? You can light it.”
Scented candles were deeply intertwined with his life. If they brought him some peace of mind, I was all for it.
“It’s fine.”
But Darcy thought differently.
“I don’t mind that my daily routine is changing because of you.”
“…Then let’s not light the candle, but we can still set the mood.”
I picked up Robarta's incense burner from the table and pressed it into Darcy's hand.
I thought maybe just holding it would bring him some peace.
“…I think your hand is more calming.”
The warmth from Darcy's hand as it brushed against mine was searing. I looked up to see him sweep his hair back, a gesture that completely captivated me.
‘…He seems so unreal.’
Dressed up like that, you could tell me he was the Emperor and I'd believe it.
I feel like he could devour me at any moment. A strange alarm bell went off in my head.
‘Too close.’
The sudden realization made me flinch and step back. Or at least, I tried to, until Darcy gripped my hand tightly.
Darcy took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. Our hands were clasped together, tightly intertwined like the roots of a tree, and I could feel the heat radiating from his touch.
He whispered in a low voice,
“When you look at me like that, it makes me want to hold on to you.”
I winced, feeling as though he'd seen right through me. It had just been an instinctive reaction.
“What kind of look is that?”
“The way you’re looking at me right now.”
I laughed, trying to play it off. He quickly released my hand, but the warmth of his touch lingered.
He rested his chin on his hand again, staring at the incense burner Robarta had given me. He began to shake it back and forth.
“Why on earth would she give this to me—”
Suddenly, something fell out of the incense burner he was shaking.
“What’s this?”
To my surprise, it was a necklace that had fallen onto the carpet. A necklace, hidden inside an incense burner.
We were both startled by the unexpected object. It must have been possible because the gold chain was so thin.
Darcy picked up the necklace, and his expression hardened in an instant.
“Why this…”
Darcy stared at me, a look of bewilderment on his face. But all I saw was an ordinary necklace with a simple gold chain.
“What is it?”
“…An imperial treasure.”
The necklace wasn't just a necklace.
“It’s a magic tool. It prevents brainwashing from mages like me.”
“…How did Robarta get her hands on this?”
“I have no idea. Or why she gave it to me.”
But one thing was clear. Robarta knew exactly what was hidden inside this incense burner.
And she had passed it on for Darcy.
She hadn't been doing nothing, after all. Just possessing this item must have been a huge risk for her.
Darcy was the only living mage with the power of brainwashing. This necklace could completely neutralize his ability.
“Come to think of it, Kies stopped wearing a necklace at some point,”
Darcy muttered, searching through his childhood memories.
With Darcy firmly in his grasp, Kies had grown complacent. He knew that Darcy, whom he had controlled for so long, couldn't easily escape his influence.
Eventually, he must have stopped paying attention to the magic tool… and from the complacent Kies, Robarta had stolen the treasure.
“It must have been difficult to get it away from him so discreetly…”
Perhaps Robarta had been trying to do the best she could with the knowledge she had.
She couldn't help openly, but this was undeniably an act of goodwill.
“…And here I thought she was completely on Kies’s side,”
Darcy replied, looking a bit sheepish. Was he remembering his cold tone from earlier?
“You had every reason to think so, given your situation.”
Darcy was silent for a moment at my words, then nodded. Lost in thought, he rested his chin on his hand for another moment before taking my hand and uncurling my fingers.
“You should keep this.”
“…The imperial treasure?”
“It’s the last place anyone would look. No one would ever imagine you have it. And more importantly,”
His eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“It suits you.”
