The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 41

The words, spoken with a cutting edge, made Kaysen’s blood boil. His lips twitched with frustration.

Emotional wounds? The Marquis had no choice but to follow Ryan because of his knowledge of the palace.

Recently, Kaysen had shared more genuine conversations with Leshuan. He thought he still had a chance…

Wait. As Kaysen continued to silently fume, he realized something.

Marceau’s demeanor today was completely different from usual. Her gaze toward him had changed as well.

Before, Marceau treated him as if he didn’t exist, only pretending to be kind when she thought he might be of some use.

This new attitude was unfamiliar, but oddly, it felt better this way. At least now, he wouldn’t have to watch nervously as she interacted with Leshuan.

But what unsettled him was the stark contrast between her current detached manner and her once warm demeanor, especially those cold, dark pupils.

Which one is the real Marceau? Has she truly changed, or was this her true nature all along?

The reason it bothered him so much was that her sudden change reminded him of his own childhood, a time when he had grown weary of people and wanted to abandon everything.

What if the mask he thought she would eventually reveal never existed in the first place?

‘It’s too early to make a judgment.’

It had been a while since he had last seen Marceau, and the impression she left today could have been a fleeting misperception.

He needed to be cautious. He couldn’t let Leshuan get hurt.

Kaysen, rebuilding his guard, continued to follow Darcy.

Being carried by Darcy was more comfortable than I had expected. I had assumed we would head straight to the sitting room or a guest room for a brief rest, but our walk had turned out to be quite lengthy.

We even passed by the door Darcy had broken earlier. The doorway, still not fully repaired, was surrounded by magic stones.

‘Even the palace uses a lot of magic stones.’

Amidst the scene, I noticed Marquis Etwar speaking with a magician.

The Marquis didn’t see me, but I could clearly see him.

I hadn’t noticed him at the ball earlier—clearly, he had been busy following Ryan’s or Kies’s orders.

That must have been how they managed to use Darcy and the magicians so effectively.

It explained why he hadn’t noticed his daughter’s condition. Or perhaps he just didn’t care.

But seriously, where are we going?

Surely, we’re not leaving the palace to return to the Etwar family’s estate?

"Darcy, you’re the guest of honor at tonight’s ball, so you need to return. You know that, right? We shouldn’t go too far."

The simple plan I had of resting in the sitting room with a maid was quickly falling apart.

Darcy shrugged at my words.

"We’re almost there. Besides, I already did my part as the guest of honor."

…He did leave quite an impression.

Since we were almost there, it didn’t seem like we were heading to the Etwar estate… Could we be going to Darcy’s quarters in the palace?

But why is Kaysen still with us?

I furrowed my brow, giving Kaysen a pointed look, and he spoke up in defense.

"I’m only going this way because it’s on my route. Where are you going… Your Highness, don’t tell me you’re going to…?"

Kaysen’s voice trailed off in shock as he realized something.

"Yeah. That’s why I didn’t want you to come along."

Darcy sighed, sounding uneasy. What’s going on…?

"Darcy, where are we going?"

"To the residence of Roberta, the royal physician."

"But Roberta is attending to Lady Leshuan right now!"

"Since it’s because of her that you’re hurt, of course we have to go. What if your ankle gets worse?"

Darcy retorted irritably to Kaysen’s words.

Kaysen fell silent. It was true that my injury was indirectly caused by Leshuan.

However, seeing the royal physician seemed like an overreaction.

Before I knew it, we were approaching a small annex of the palace.

The path through the garden branched off in several directions.

I needed a good reason to stop Darcy’s overprotectiveness, something that would shift his focus elsewhere.

"Darcy, I really just need some rest."

"We’re almost there. It won’t take long."

Darcy’s firm response left no room for argument, and he eventually carried me to the small cottage where the royal physician resided.

"But what if the physician isn’t here?"

"Then we’ll find out. She usually leaves a note if she’s gone."

Darcy explained, surprisingly familiar with Roberta’s habits. Perhaps it was because he had been treated by her many times after getting injured in battles fought on Kies’s behalf.

The area around the small cottage felt like a completely different world from the palace. The air was filled with the scent of herbs, and there was a vast field of them nearby.

"Wow…."

The closer we got to the small house, the more anxious Kaysen seemed.

If I had been alone, he might have stopped me, but with Darcy by my side, I felt secure.

Kaysen sighed and quickly said to us,

"I’ll go in first. I really hope Lady Leshuan is resting peacefully."

It seemed he was afraid of what Darcy might say, as he hurried ahead. But before he could even reach the door, it opened.

A dignified elderly woman with elegant white hair stepped out.

Her face was lined with age, yet her eyes were sharp, and her posture was as straight as someone much younger. She was undoubtedly the royal physician, Roberta.

"…Is that Roberta?"

"Yes."

Aging gracefully must look like this. As I admired her, I suddenly sensed something odd about the situation.

Roberta, who was speaking with Kaysen, didn’t look like she was in the middle of tending to a patient. She glanced at me briefly and walked over with a calm demeanor.

…But Leshuan seemed to be in serious condition earlier, so why didn’t Roberta come?

Soon, Kaysen hurried back to us, his face reflecting his confusion.

"Your Highness, Lady Leshuan was never brought here."

An odd silence followed.

"A servant did come by earlier, but they left shortly afterward."

It was clear that Ryan or the Marquis had sent the servant, either to bring Roberta or to inform her. But why send the servant away afterward?

Did they return to the estate?

No, given how pale and cold Leshuan was, she needed urgent care.

"In any case, it’s nice to meet you, Your Highness. Welcome."

Despite the odd circumstances, Roberta greeted Darcy with a polite bow.

When she lifted her head, a kind smile graced her face.

Darcy gazed at her for a moment before whispering to me,

"Let’s get your ankle checked first. We’re here anyway."

And so, with unanswered questions about Leshuan lingering, we entered Roberta’s cottage.

The first room of the small, three-room house was neatly arranged with various tools and herbs, ready to treat patients.

Finally released from Darcy’s arms, I sat down on a bed.

"Let’s take a look at your ankle."

As Roberta spoke, Darcy gently pushed Kaysen out the door, nearly causing him to stumble.

"I’ll step out too."

"…There’s no need. It’s just an ankle."

"Then I’ll stay."

It was endearing how Darcy quickly agreed after initially trying to leave with Kaysen.

He must have wanted to see for himself how bad my injury was.

When Roberta lifted the hem of my dress, my ankle, red and swollen, was revealed. I hadn’t realized how bad it was while being carried, but it looked worse than I thought.

"It’s good we came."

"Yes."

The Marquis clearly cared deeply for Leshuan and would have done his best to ensure she received proper treatment, just like Darcy was doing for me now.

"Oh dear, you’ve twisted it. Fortunately, it’s not too severe. I hope it wasn’t too painful getting here."

"…I didn’t walk on my own."

I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed, and Roberta chuckled softly. She seemed to be recalling how I had been cradled in Darcy’s arms.

"I’ll apply some herbal ointment. After five minutes, you should be able to walk without much pain."

Roberta stood and ground some herbs, then gently rubbed the paste around my ankle.

"It feels cool…."

The slightly chilled sensation was comforting. I wiggled my toes experimentally, noticing that the pain had already lessened.

"I’ll give you some extra herbs to take with you."

She handed me a small vial filled with the ointment. I bowed my head slightly in thanks.

"Since you’re here, let me check for any other injuries. May I ask what happened?"

She truly was a professional.

Roberta carefully examined me, asking about the circumstances of my injury and pressing lightly on different parts of my body to check for other pains. Her thoroughness impressed me.

But it also deepened the mystery.

Given her meticulous care, it didn’t make sense that Leshuan hadn’t been brought here.

‘Where on earth could she have gone?’