The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 45

"This will protect you from any potential mind control... but it might also put you in danger."

Darcy’s warning didn’t faze me. I gripped the necklace tightly.

"It’s fine. If anything, it’ll be an unexpected move."

Ryan would never expect that I would have the royal treasure.

"He won't even consider that it ended up in your hands."

Even if it existed, they would assume Darcy had it.

They wouldn’t dare search the Etwar Marquisate without a solid reason, so this side was safer.

I opened my mouth to clear up any possible misunderstanding.

"I know you wouldn’t try to mind-control me."

"…I suppose."

Darcy’s voice trailed off slowly.

"Anyway, I believe it’s best if I keep it."

Darcy shrugged at my words.

"You're the only person I can show my vulnerabilities to."

I wasn’t sure where his blind faith in me stemmed from, but I felt a strong sense of responsibility not to let down that trust and expectation.

"If I keep this, does that make you invincible?"

"Not exactly… but it will definitely put Kies and Ryan on edge."

"On edge, huh? That’s a fitting description."

I chuckled as I examined the necklace. No matter where they searched, they wouldn’t find this treasure.

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

"Shouldn’t I just hide it in the manor’s treasure vault?"

"No, it’s better if you wear it."

I tilted my head at Darcy’s insistence.

The necklace had a long enough chain to be hidden under most dresses, but was it really necessary for me to wear it?

What if it got discovered? I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks, especially for Darcy’s sake.

"You never know when I might try to mind-control you."

I was about to laugh it off as a joke.

Until I saw the seriousness in his face.

"…."

His deep eyes looked as if he could cast a spell on me at any moment. But I wasn’t afraid. I knew he was exaggerating to scare me on purpose.

I wasn’t afraid of Darcy.

"Darcy, if you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working."

No matter how he acted, his essence would always remain the same to me.

The Darcy who first listened to me and saw me for who I am would always be there inside him. This was an unshakeable trust I had in someone I believed in.

I thought he would smile again.

But the darkness in his eyes lingered.

"I’m not joking."

As he looked at me, it was as though he wasn’t truly seeing me.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I don’t know how things might change if I fully understand the feelings I have for you."

"That’s exactly why you won’t do it."

"I could be more ruthless than you think."

For a moment, his warning expression revealed a glimpse of something else. His piercing blue eyes seemed to draw me into a deep abyss.

Was he testing me?

"Darcy, you wouldn’t do that."

The Darcy I knew had never crossed the line.

Darcy tried to convince me.

"What if that desire crosses the line? I can’t promise that I’ll be able to fully control my emotions."

His eyes trembled. He was afraid.

Afraid of what?

"Marceau, people in love are usually out of their minds."

So was my mother.

I realized from Darcy’s murmur that the reason lay with his mother.

"I’m also quite honest about my desires when you’re not looking."

Darcy laughed self-deprecatingly. There was a lot behind those words.

I sighed.

"That’s why, for my sake, wear the necklace. Nothing bad will happen."

What on earth happened between his mother and Kies?

I didn’t know much about Kies’ romantic history. After the previous empress, who gave birth to Ryan, he had taken in various women, but that was all.

Emperor Kies had completely hidden both Darcy’s mother and Darcy’s existence.

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

"Hmm?"

"Alright."

It's unfair how he pleaded like that. The trembling eyes erased his usual sharp atmosphere, making him look pitiful.

I glared at him, but of course, it was a futile resistance against Darcy.

If it’s a trauma rooted in his experience, then it’s better for me to take a step back.

In the end, I decided to follow Darcy’s advice.

"This isn’t because I don’t trust you."

But I wasn’t going to let it slide without saying something.

"It’s because you want me to. So, you should be the one to put the necklace on me, Darcy."

Darcy moved behind me at my words.

I tilted my head slightly to make it easier for him to fasten the necklace.

"I become strangely timid around you."

His voice, which held me captive, had a bewitching power. An irresistible force.

"I’m not usually like this."

His hand touched the back of my neck. The heat from his much larger hand spread from where it touched, like when he held my hand.

The warmth of his breath and fingers brushing against my neck made me tense up.

‘What’s this about?’

I took a deep breath and clenched my fists.

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

"It’s done."

His voice, which seemed to mark the end of the music, allowed me to finally exhale.

‘Thank goodness.’

I was so relieved that he couldn’t see my expression.

How could I be so flustered after making such a fuss? I couldn’t believe it myself.

But I lose my composure in unexpected ways around Darcy.

"Marceau."

Just hearing him call my name made my heart race. I turned my head to hide it.

"Yes."

Darcy looked into my eyes. There was a faint light in his gaze. My face felt hot, as if it were burning. The warmth on my cheeks replaced any words I might have said.

"…There’s something I want to do right now."

He hesitated. Something held him back. I didn’t know if it was his conscience or his desire.

I knew the tension and excitement I felt weren’t just feelings of friendship.

I could tell him to stop. Hadn’t I decided that it was too difficult to get close to someone right now? That was one of the reasons I had rejected Riedro so quickly.

I could refuse. I should…

"You said I should try whatever I wanted."

But what slipped from my lips was an encouragement.

…It feels like I’m being too obvious.

Feeling my face flush, I hastily added,

"I’ll tell you if I don’t like it."

Darcy looked at me intently.

"The necklace suits you well."

He smiled faintly and slowly took my hand.

"…I wish the feelings I have for you were purely noble and beautiful."

Darcy moved in front of me and knelt down.

"But this… this is too unclean."

Where? What part? No matter what you do, I could never think of it as unclean.

He pressed his lips to the back of my hand.

The kiss was long and lingering, and it felt sacred.

It was as if he was marking me.

He held my hand for a long time. When he finally lifted his lips, our eyes met. I barely managed to stop my gaze from drifting to his lips. My eyes, having lost their destination, wandered aimlessly.

A quiet laugh echoed.

"I’ll let you go now."

Darcy stood up and turned his back to me.

"Otherwise, I don’t know what else I might do."

His voice, now noticeably calmer, was completely different from earlier.

"Goodbye, Marceau. When you leave the palace, the servants will guide you."

Darcy calmly bid me farewell, his back still turned. He didn’t show me his face.

As if there was a reason he had to hide it.

‘Is he also trying to sort out his confused emotions like I am?’

I needed time to sort out my thoughts too.

The back of my hand, where Darcy’s lips had touched, was still warm.

As I followed the servant, I looked up at the night sky.

"Wow…."

The stars were beautifully scattered across the sky, and it felt as if my heart had been cleared.

A lot had happened at the ball, which I attended for the first time in a long while, but I enjoyed it.

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…And I made some gains as well.

‘I wonder what Darcy is doing now.’

As I thought of him, I recalled the moment his lips pressed against the back of my hand.

…If just touching the back of my hand feels like this, what would it be like if he touched somewhere else?

The night air cooled my face, but now it was flushing again.

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

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

Kies was displeased by this. He thundered that he would punish Darcy later, but the nobles sensed a shift.

The newly appeared prince possessed something that allowed him to hold sway over the emperor.

The nobles, who previously only saw Ryan as an option, began to divide.

There were even rumors that Marceau and Darcy were in a romantic relationship since they disappeared together.

Including the fact that Marceau had received a gift of a magic stone, which was not widely distributed.

People speculated about why Marceau, who had long been rumored to have an unrequited love for Ryan, had finally ended things with him.

Thus, a new rumor began to circulate.

Marceau broke things off with Ryan because of Darcy.

Because Darcy had a higher chance of becoming the crown prince.

There was something about Ryan that made him unfit to be the crown prince.

What could it be?

The rumors that had once surrounded Marceau began to shift, and new ones started to spread.