Chapter 45

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: A Necessary Precaution
-----------------------------------------------------------------

“But there's one thing you should know.”

Darcy hesitated as he handed me the necklace.

“What is it?”

“Ryan is looking for this.”

“I'm not surprised.”

With Darcy, who was supposed to have disappeared, still alive, Kies must have grown impatient again.

Since he was trying to drag Darcy down, he would naturally need a necklace that negated the threat of brainwashing.

It was a stroke of luck that this fell into our hands.

“Could you possibly make one?”

“It's a magic tool that blocks magic. Even if I made it myself, I couldn't guarantee the quality, and I don't know how long it would take.”

It wasn't known as a treasure for nothing. That meant he'd be searching for it even more desperately. The reason I had to have it became clear.

“This will help protect you from potential brainwashing… but it could also put you in danger.”

Darcy's warning was no threat to me. I clutched the necklace tightly.

“It's fine. In fact, it'll be a way to catch him off guard.”

Ryan would never expect me to have a treasure of the imperial family.

“He won't even imagine it's fallen into your hands.”

He'd assume Darcy had it, if anyone.

And since he couldn't just search the Etoile estate without cause, this was safer.

I spoke up to prevent any potential misunderstanding.

“I know you're not going to brainwash me.”

“…I wonder.”

Darcy trailed off slowly.

“In any case, I just think it's best that I have it.”

Darcy shrugged at my words.

“Because you're the only person I can show my weakness to.”

I didn't know exactly where his blind faith came from. But I felt a sense of responsibility, a desire to never betray that expectation and trust.

“So if I have this, does that make you invincible?”

“Not exactly… but it'll have Kies and Ryan shitting themselves.”

“‘Shitting themselves’ is the perfect way to put it.”

I chuckled, admiring the necklace. No matter where they searched, they'd never find this treasure.

“Wear the necklace. If you hide it under your clothes, no one will see it.”

“Really? Wouldn't it be better to hide it in the estate's treasury?”

“No, it's better to wear it.”

I tilted my head at Darcy's words.

The chain was quite long, so it could be hidden under most dresses, but did I really need to wear it?

It might be discovered. I didn't want to take that risk. For Darcy's sake.

“You never know when I might try to brainwash you.”

I was about to laugh it off as a joke.

Until I saw his face, completely devoid of humor.

“…”

His dark eyes looked as if they could cast a spell at any moment. But I wasn't scared. I knew he was deliberately exaggerating to frighten me.

Because I'm not afraid of Darcy.

“Darcy, if you're trying to scare me on purpose, it won't work.”

No matter what he showed me from now on, his true nature would always be the same to me.

The Darcy who first listened to my story, who truly saw me, would always exist within him. This was the infinite trust I could show someone I believed in.

I thought he would smile again.

But a shadow still lingered in the eyes that looked at me.

“I'm not kidding.”

He was looking at me, but he wasn't seeing me.

“What are you thinking of?”

“You don't know how things might change when I come to fully understand the feelings I have for you.”

“That's why you don't have to do it.”

“I can be crueler than you think.”

For a moment, I saw another side to him in that warning expression. His deep blue eyes felt like they could pull me into an abyss.

Is he testing me?

“Darcy, you wouldn't do that.”

The man I knew had never crossed the line.

Darcy tried to persuade me.

“What if that greed crosses the line? I can't guarantee I can completely control my feelings either.”

His eyes trembled. He was afraid.

Of what?

“Marso, people in love are rarely in their right minds.”

My mother was like that, too.

From Darcy's murmur, I realized the reason was his mother.

“I'm also quite honest with my desires when you're not looking.”

Darcy laughed self-deprecatingly. His words held many implications.

I let out a sigh.

“So, for my sake, please wear the necklace. Nothing bad will happen.”

What on earth happened between his mother and Kies?

I knew nothing of Kies's love life. He'd often taken women in after the previous empress, Ryan's mother, but that was all.

Because Emperor Kies had completely hidden Darcy's mother, and Darcy's very existence.

I wanted to ask today, but he seemed to need time to think.

“Please?”

“Alright.”

Pleading like that was cheating. His trembling eyes completely erased his usual sharp aura, making him look pitiful.

I glared at him with all my might. Of course, it was a futile protest that had no effect on Darcy.

If this was trauma born from experience, then it was right for me to take a step back.

In the end, I decided to do as Darcy said.

“I'm not doing this because I don't trust you.”

But that didn't mean I was just going to let it go.

“I'm doing it because you want me to. So you put the necklace on me yourself, Darcy.”

At my words, Darcy came and stood behind me.

I lowered my head slightly to make it easier for him to put on the necklace.

“It's because I become a strange sort of coward in front of you.”

His captivating voice held a magnetic power. An irresistible force.

“I'm not usually like this.”

His hand touched the nape of my neck. The heat from his much larger hand warmed the spot it touched, just like when he held my hand.

I felt his warm breath close by as his fingers brushed against my nape.

*What is this feeling?*

I took a sharp breath and clenched my fists.

The music playing in the background soon reached its climax, and my tension peaked along with it.

“There.”

With a voice that seemed to signal the end of the music, I let out a shallow breath.

*Thank goodness.*

I had no idea how fortunate it was that he couldn't see my expression.

After speaking as if I were sulking just a moment ago, why was I so flustered? Even I found it ridiculous.

But in front of Darcy, I lose my composure when I least expect it.

“Marso.”

The simple act of him calling my name made my heart race. I turned my head to hide it.

“Yes.”

Darcy looked into my eyes. A flicker of fire reflected in them. My face grew hot, as if scorched. The heat I felt on my cheeks conveyed my fluttering heart.

“…There's something I want to do to you right now.”

He hesitated. Something was stopping him. I didn't know if it was his conscience or his desire.

I know that this tension, this excitement, isn't just the feeling of friendship.

I could tell him to stop. Hadn't I thought it was too difficult to get close to anyone right now? That was one of the reasons I'd rejected Lidro so flatly.

I should refuse. Re…

“You told me to do whatever I wanted.”

But what came from my lips was an encouragement.

…I think I'm being a little too obvious.

Feeling my face turn beet red, I hastily added.

“I'll tell you if I don't like it.”

Darcy gazed at me steadily.

“The necklace looks good on you.”

He smiled faintly and slowly took my hand.

“…I wish the feelings I have for you were only noble and beautiful.”

Darcy came before me and knelt.

“This… is too sordid.”

What part of it? Which part? No matter what you did, I could never think of it as sordid.

He pressed his lips to the back of my hand.

The long, lingering kiss was reverent.

It felt as if he were branding me.

He held my hand tightly for a long while. After lifting his lips, he met my gaze. I barely stopped my eyes from drifting to his lips. My gaze wandered, lost.

A soft chuckle echoed.

“I'll let you go now.”

Darcy finally stood up and turned his back to me.

“Otherwise, I don't know what else I might do.”

His voice was distinctly deeper than before.

“Goodbye, Marso. The attendants will guide you once you're outside the palace.”

Darcy, completely composed unlike me, finished his farewell and turned away. He wouldn't show me his face.

As if there was a reason he had to.

*Is he trying to sort out his chaotic feelings, just like me?*

I needed time to gather my thoughts as well.

The back of my hand where Darcy's lips had touched was still hot.

I followed the attendant, looking up at the night sky.

“Wow…”

Seeing the stars beautifully embroidered across it felt like it cleared my mind.

A lot had happened at the first ball I'd attended in a long time, but it was fun.

…And I had my own gains to show for it.

*I wonder what Darcy is doing.*

Thinking of him brought back the memory of his lips pressing against the back of my hand.

…If just a touch on my hand is like this, what would it be like if he touched me somewhere else?

My face, which had cooled in the night air, felt like it was flushing all over again.

I hoped I wasn't the only one feeling this way.

***

Prince Darcy, the star of the ball, did not return to the hall.

Kies was displeased by this. He boasted that he would punish him later, but the nobles sensed something was off.

The newly appeared prince possessed something that had the emperor wrapped around his finger.

The nobles, who had previously had no choice but Ryan, began to divide.

Rumors even began to spread that Marso and Darcy, who had disappeared together, were clearly lovers.

On top of the fact that she had received a gift of restricted magic stones.

People sought to guess the reason why Marso, known for her long-standing one-sided love for Ryan, had finally ended things with him completely.

Thus, a new rumor was born.

They said the reason Marso broke things off with Ryan was because of Darcy.

Because he had a higher chance of ascending to the crown prince's throne.

They said there was something about Ryan that made him unsuitable to be crown prince.

What could it be?

The rumors that had been aimed at Marso changed course and began to flow once more.