The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 56

“Of course, this isn't something you can decide on your own. But I thought it would be easier to discuss a contract with the magicians if I rescued you and brought you to them.”

I detailed the reasons behind my actions.

“If you can't make the decision, at least arrange a meeting with the villagers.”

I pressed the issue calmly, which also served to ease the burden of responsibility on Ethan.

I couldn’t let him bear the entire weight of the decision alone.

Finally, Ethan nodded, though he added a condition.

“Don't bring him along.”

It was clear he was referring to Darcy.

“We’ll decide that later.”

Naturally, I didn’t agree to Ethan’s terms right away.

Regardless of how the magicians perceived Darcy, they needed to understand what circumstances he had been in and why he had acted as he did.

It wouldn’t be fair otherwise—after all, this wasn’t entirely Darcy’s will, and he too had been a mere pawn in a larger game.

For the sake of the life he should have led, which was taken from him so unjustly.

Ethan frowned, displeased with my response, but he couldn’t refuse.

‘He must realize what a good opportunity this is.’

I smiled slightly as I watched Ethan open and close his mouth, struggling for words.

“Then it seems we have an agreement.”

I turned around. Darcy was leaning against the wall, waiting for our conversation to end. I beckoned him over.

“Darcy, let’s take him with us.”

“Alright.”

Even though Ethan and I were standing in the same direction, Darcy fixed his gaze on me and approached quickly.

Then, he pulled out a key.

‘…Huh? Where did he get the key?’

I didn’t remember bringing a key.

“I picked it up while you were talking.”

Darcy answered lightly. Was it really that easy to grab a key?

Ethan shot Darcy a piercing look, similar to the one before.

To diffuse the suddenly tense atmosphere, I spoke up.

“Darcy is quite handsome, isn't he?”

“Huh….”

Ethan, who was about to say something, shut his mouth when our eyes met. Darcy, who was blinking beside me, stifled a laugh.

There was no sign of any presence around us. The atmosphere was as eerie as if no one else existed.

Anyone, even a fool, could sense something under these conditions.

‘Darcy must have used his ability.’

At some point, before we came to this place, Darcy had already taken care of the situation. It was typical of him to finish things before anyone even had a chance to notice.

‘Ethan is a magician too.’

Although he had agreed to a sort of deal with me, I couldn’t be certain he would follow through. I knew all too well how dangerous it was to view the situation too optimistically.

I extended my hand to Ethan.

“…What?”

“Take it. We don’t know what might happen. You don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you… Let’s agree not to harm each other.”

If he held my hand, he wouldn’t be able to act rashly.

Ethan scowled but reluctantly took my hand.

I could feel Darcy’s persistent gaze on the back of my head. When I turned, I saw him standing with his arms crossed, staring intently at the hands I had clasped with Ethan’s.

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Darcy, who had come closer to me, whispered in a voice so low that only I could hear it, not even loud enough for Ethan to catch.

“My hand is empty too, you know.”

“But I trust you, so it doesn’t matter.”

Darcy raised an eyebrow at my response and muttered.

“This is one of those times when you really don’t have to trust me so much.”

…Who asks to hold hands like that?

I chuckled softly. For someone who worked so hard to control his emotions, the fact that he ended up expressing dissatisfaction over me holding Ethan’s hand was amusing.

His petty jealousy made me feel giddy.

‘I’ll hold his hand later.’

I made a mental note, knowing it wasn’t appropriate to show too much affection in front of Ethan. Instead, I poked Darcy’s hand a few times.

And so began our stealthy escape from the prison.

…It was almost too quick to even call it a plan.

Darcy navigated the dark paths of the cave as if it were his own home.

Retracing our steps, I noticed a man at the entrance who hadn’t been there before, lying unconscious.

Darcy casually placed the key back onto the man’s belt. We then stepped outside. Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

‘It feels like we’re on a picnic or something.’

It was all too easy. And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

Ethan looked around in a daze.

“This was way too easy.”

“That’s because Darcy is an exceptional magician. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to get in there either.”

Ethan pretended not to hear me, likely because he didn’t want to acknowledge Darcy’s help.

We continued walking down the path.

“Where are we going now?”

“We’re leaving the island.”

“Then shouldn’t we head to the port?”

Ethan tilted his head, confused, as we headed toward a beach far from the port.

Teleportation using the ring was limited to the specific location designated by Darcy. To leave the island, we needed to return to the beach where we had first arrived.

I was anxious that Ethan might suddenly change his mind.

People were like that, after all. When circumstances shifted, they often discarded promises for their own benefit.

…This was something Marceau Etwar had learned from experience.

I gripped Ethan’s hand firmly and explained the plan.

“Ethan, you need to take me back to the magicians’ residence.”

“Then shouldn’t we head to the port?”

“No, we don’t need to pass through the port.”

Soon, we arrived back at the beach where we had landed early this morning.

The night sky was adorned with a river of stars, creating a mystical atmosphere. Just like in the morning, there was no sign of people.

Standing in place, Darcy briefly explained the situation to Ethan.

“We’re heading straight to the capital from here.”

“…Using magic?”

Ethan asked in disbelief.

“It's more like a magic tool doing the work rather than pure magic.”

“A magic tool?”

I hesitated for a moment before taking off the ring on my hand. Even though I knew it wasn’t the time to dwell on such things, I disliked the idea of intruding on the memories that Darcy and I had shared.

But I also knew this wasn’t the situation to show such emotions.

“Put this on.”

The curiosity in his eyes as a magician seemed to outweigh his earlier wariness.

Darcy approached Ethan.

“W-what’s going on!”

“You need this to teleport. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not going to happen.”

Darcy spoke with a calm, expressionless face, hitting the nail on the head. Ethan’s face flushed red.

“How can I not be suspicious when I know what you’ve done? It would be stranger if I wasn’t!”

“I never said you shouldn’t be suspicious. I only corrected what you were thinking.”

“Ugh!”

Ethan seemed frustrated but didn’t act impulsively. Despite his mistrust of Darcy, he was still capable of distinguishing right from wrong.

Darcy was the person who knew this teleportation magic best, and he was also the one who had created the ring as a magical tool, so he had to be present each time to guide the teleportation.

We concluded that Ethan should go first, as we needed to teleport twice. While it would be easy to find Ethan at my estate, it would be much more difficult on this island.

Darcy was not happy about the idea of leaving me alone, even for a moment, but I reassured him that I would be fine.

Was he still worried? Darcy’s eyes lingered on me as he stood with Ethan. I waved to him, trying to ease his concern.

“See you soon.”

“Yeah.”

Darcy responded reluctantly before vanishing from sight.

“What are you plotting?”

The place they teleported to was Marceau’s room, the same room where they had set out from earlier that morning.

Before Ethan even had a chance to look around, he snapped at Darcy with hostility.

He despised receiving any kindness from this man. But he also knew that without Darcy’s help, he wouldn’t have been able to escape the Emperor’s notice.

There’s no such thing as kindness without a price. At some point, Darcy would reveal his true intentions.

Therefore, before Darcy could show his cruel side again, Ethan needed to find a way to secure a new place for himself. This was why he had hidden on the island.

If he could just find a way for the islanders to remain hidden from the Emperor’s gaze, he wouldn’t have to rely on Darcy’s strange kindness any longer.

…But he had been discovered. Not only that, but he had also ended up accepting Darcy’s help.

This was a great humiliation for Ethan.

So now, he had to uncover Darcy’s true motives.