The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 30

Even Pitoll, who worked among handsome people in the theater, was impressed by Darcy’s appearance. His face darkened as he seemed to realize something.

“C-could he be the prince…?”

It seemed Pitoll had finally figured out Darcy’s identity. He immediately bowed deeply. The people around us also started murmuring in recognition.

But Darcy didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he looked somewhat pleased, though that might just have been my imagination since there was no real reason for him to be in a good mood.

“Please, rise.”

Darcy helped Pitoll up.

“I’m looking forward to the play.”

He smiled, and the crowd around us let out collective gasps. Even those who had grown accustomed to Ryan’s appearance found Darcy’s looks to be on a different level.

The same was true for me.

Even though he wore a similar smile and spoke in a similar tone to when we first met, there was now an undeniable elegance about him that made him feel distant, almost unreachable.

A vague unease stirred within me, but it was quelled by the warmth in my hand. The sensation reassured me that he was still the same person beside me, not a distant figure.

Darcy came to a halt.

Standing next to him, I noticed the person who was bowing in front of him. It was Ridro.

It had been a while since I last saw him. Come to think of it, it had become oddly difficult to see him lately, despite him being a lead in the play.

Just as I was about to greet Ridro with a nod, Darcy stepped in front of me, blocking my view.

Ridro and Darcy stood facing each other.

…What was this about?

Glancing from behind Darcy, I could see that Ridro’s face was filled with fear.

Our eyes met, and Ridro gave me an awkward smile before quickly walking past me.

Had Ridro and Darcy met before?

Puzzled by the unexpected interaction, I stepped forward to face Darcy.

There was something between them that I didn’t know about.

“Did something happen between you and Ridro?”

“Something did.”

But Darcy didn’t answer directly. He just shrugged, as if it wasn’t important.

“I just gave him some advice.”

His nonchalant attitude didn’t reassure me, but since I had no proof of anything else, I decided to let it go for now.

We made our way to a private box on the second floor of the theater. There were glasses that could be used like magnifying glasses prepared in front of us.

I was grateful that Pitoll had given me this seat. The atmosphere was already buzzing with noise, and sitting right in front of the stage would have been overwhelming.

I might not have been able to focus on the play at all.

I turned my head and froze. I had just realized who was sitting in the box next to ours.

“…Reshuan.”

There she was, unmistakably Reshuan, sitting there with a face even more gaunt than when I last saw her.

Staring vacantly into the air, Reshuan flinched and stood up at the sound of my voice. Her still bright eyes reminded me of our last encounter.

It wasn’t a pleasant memory, so I narrowed my eyes, but Reshuan bowed her head first.

“I didn’t expect to sit so close to you, Marceau. I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional.”

Her apology was straightforward, without any flowery language, and unlike before, she didn’t say she wanted to get along.

Reshuan quietly sat back down. I saw Kaicen entering behind her.

…This was unexpected. I had assumed she would come with Ryan to an event like this.

Had my actions somehow influenced her mindset, causing her to change as well? Now that I had cut off ties with Reshuan, I couldn’t be sure.

Kaicen looked surprised to see me and then glanced at Darcy, who was standing beside me.

Darcy nodded slightly at him. Kaicen responded with a polite bow.

It seemed they knew each other.

“How do you two know each other?”

Kaicen was the commander of the knights, and Darcy was a hidden prince. Could this be another part of the story I didn’t know?

“We fought together on the battlefield.”

“…The battlefield?”

“Marceau, do you think all of Kyes’s achievements were his alone?”

“If his achievements weren’t his… then… my god.”

Kaicen had been born a slave and had to accomplish many feats to rise to the position of knight commander. Naturally, this meant he had been involved in countless battles.

The Emperor Kyes was known for almost always leading his troops into battle.

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He had never lost.

Or so everyone thought. It was widely believed that Emperor Kyes had never been defeated in any battle.

But that assumption was wrong.

He wasn’t the one fighting in the first place.

“….”

I was stunned by this unexpected revelation.

Even though Darcy was a mage, he had to deal with other mages.

Perhaps the guilt from that was one of the reasons he wanted to leave. I couldn’t help but wonder.

Even though Darcy’s eyes were partially closed in a smile, they somehow looked like they were crying.

Sitting beside Darcy, I placed my hand on his that rested on the armrest. Just as his warmth had calmed me earlier, I hoped mine would do the same for him.

“Darcy, when we watch the play, let’s focus on it, okay?”

I wiggled my fingers over his hand as I spoke.

He chuckled in response.

When I turned my head reflexively, I saw Darcy resting his chin on his hand, nodding.

“With you next to me, how could I think of anything else?”

His gentle voice wrapped around my ears just as the lights in the theater went out.

The play had begun.

As I expected, Pitoll was a genius.

The play masterfully blended secrets of birth, conflicts with in-laws, and sibling rivalry into a comedic masterpiece.

Despite the dark themes, the play was presented in a way that wasn’t too heavy, drawing the audience in more and more.

There was even a scene where someone was slapped, and using flour dough, as I had suggested, turned out to be a brilliant move. Since there was no kimchi here.

It was a joke the nobles couldn’t help but laugh at.

Most of the characters in the play were commoners and mages, ensuring the nobles wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

The atmosphere remained lively.

As soon as the play ended, all the nobles applauded. There were even quite a few calling for an encore.

As for me.

‘This is going to be a hit.’

I could already tell that people would flock to see this play even after today.

Pitoll then came onto the stage to start his final bow.

He began to talk about the people who had helped him get this far, reminding me of an award ceremony. If there were a screenplay award here like at the Oscars, he might have won it.

Among the people he named was me.

“And I offer my infinite gratitude to Lady Marceau Etvar, who made this play possible.”

Pitoll looked straight at me as he clapped. The theater was once again filled with applause.

After the applause died down, Pitoll spoke for the last time.

“And one day… I hope the world will come to know of the grace Lady Marceau has bestowed upon us, which has allowed our troupe to flourish.”

It was a perfect ending.

Though it was a bit sudden, Pitoll’s words didn’t surprise me.

I had monitored the performances through my magical tools, adding detailed expressions as they developed.

I knew there were those who regretted that they couldn’t use such convenient magical tools like mine.

The shared experience of using the same tools creates bonds. Most actors are friends with other actors.

Some might have been frustrated that they couldn’t share this knowledge with other troupes because of the contract they had with me.

Today, Pitoll and the troupe showed their careful consideration by giving all the glory to me while also taking care of the other actors. They had done everything they could.

It was proof that they weren’t just selfish people.

I felt as if the humanity I had lost while living among the nobility had returned.

If I had really intended to stay locked up in my room, I might have found the current situation unpleasant.

But I had decided to move forward again, and that’s why I was here.

People’s gazes were on me. It was uncertain if any of them genuinely appreciated the current situation.

But that didn’t matter to me.

The time I spent locked away, fed up with people, had turned into experience. I had become a more resilient person than before.

Of course, I couldn’t ignore the person still holding my hand as a reason for that.

“This isn’t bad, but I think your viewing room is much better.”

I laughed at Darcy’s comment comparing the theater to my home theater. No matter how good my viewing room was, it couldn’t compare to watching a live performance.

“I guess I’m still not used to people.”

Darcy muttered quietly, lowering his gaze. A man pretending to be weak didn’t suit him at all. He was more like a leopard hiding its ferocity than a rabbit.

Maybe he realized that his words weren’t having the intended effect. Darcy casually continued.

“I’d like to listen to music in your room….”

Darcy quickly leaned close to my ear and whispered.

“Would you grant me the honor of inviting me to your room?”