The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 71

Each bullet was designed to fly with just the right amount of force.

I loaded a few adhesive rounds into the magazine.

As Darcy had instructed, I opened the bottom of the gun and inserted the specially crafted bullets. My nerves heightened as I did so.

After taking a deep breath, I aimed the gun at the dartboard hanging on one side.

With a steady breath, I pulled the trigger.

Bang.

A light sound accompanied the bullet hitting the right side of the dartboard.

‘…There’s really no recoil.’

I examined the dartboard up close, somewhat in disbelief. The bullet was embedded in it, sticky but unable to penetrate the board.

Although my hand had trembled a bit due to nerves, causing me to miss slightly, the magic stone gun was surprisingly easy to handle.

This practice would definitely prove useful.

Resolving to continue, I picked up the gun and resumed my stance. I spent the next hour focused on practice.

Afterward, I returned to my room and wrote a letter to Darcy, informing him that Leticia had visited and that I wanted to discuss it with him.

Darcy stared blankly at the ceiling, the letter from Marceau resting on the table.

Before reading the letter, he had been preoccupied with his research on magical devices and managing the list of nobles he needed to meet. But now, all those tasks seemed meaningless.

He couldn’t shake the words Marceau had spoken to him from his mind since the day they talked.

"Darcy, you can't always be the only person I trust."

Why? That question had filled his mind the moment he heard her say it.

‘But you’re allowed to.’

He genuinely wanted that. He wanted Marceau to desire him more, to possess him, to take everything he had and use it as she pleased.

He would stay by her side under the guise of being her close friend.

‘Once everything is over, you’ll leave… and then I’ll have the chance to live a different life.’

Yes, he intended to leave. He thought that once he saw Marceau happy, the feelings that had kept him by her side would fade.

He couldn’t let her marry Ryan.

But he was wrong.

‘What if someone else ends up by your side?’

The moment he imagined someone else by her side, a murderous impulse surged through him. The thought of brainwashing and driving away whoever it might be consumed him.

Marceau had been acting differently. Her strange distancing made him anxious, forcing him to rethink what he might have done wrong.

Hearing about Lady Wernar, he thought it might be for the best.

If their relationship was officially recognized, Marceau would feel at ease, and he wouldn’t have to witness someone else standing beside her.

But Marceau had neatly rejected his proposal and then confessed.

‘How could I not love someone who wants me to be happy?’

Her honest and straightforward confession embarrassed him for having avoided defining their relationship.

It was strange. The love he harbored felt so impure and tainted, yet the love Marceau showed was entirely different.

‘Marceau loves me.’

The first emotion he felt upon realizing this was pure joy and happiness.

It was an exhilarating thrill, making him wonder if he had ever felt this happy in his life.

‘But what if she knew you loved her too?’

But the monster within him resurfaced, whispering that Marceau loved him only because he hadn’t revealed all his emotions yet.

‘But Marceau wouldn’t abandon me.’

Even if she found out who he truly was, about everything he had done and all the feelings he had for her, she wouldn’t be able to leave him.

‘Love.’

He couldn’t simply ignore Marceau’s words.

He couldn’t forget the euphoria he felt when he realized that his feelings were reciprocated and that Marceau wanted him as well.

He had already sprouted desires when he imagined holding her hand, embracing her, and kissing her.

Along with this, a new question arose.

He had restrained himself all this time for Marceau’s sake.

But was it really for her? Or was it just because of his own fears?

The more he thought about Marceau’s confession, her smiling face, and her clear voice, the more these doubts surfaced.

‘Do I deserve to be happy?’

The longer he stayed by Marceau’s side, the more unexpected desires surfaced.

If he responded and they confirmed each other’s feelings, would his love for her remain constant? Would he be able to keep from disappointing her?

But surely Marceau had experienced similar fears.

After all, when they first met, wasn’t she already tired of dealing with people?

But she had still taken a step forward.

I couldn’t fully grasp how difficult that step must have been for her.

But even though he had said it should be easy for a close friend to do, it was clear that revealing her feelings had not been easy.

As Darcy thought of Marceau’s face, all the concerns he had been grappling with disappeared in an instant.

‘If what I’m feeling is the same as love, then I love you.’

Even if it was considered impure, the overwhelming emotions within him could no longer be denied. The feelings he had been suppressing were now rising to the surface.

He had endured as much as he could. He wanted to see Marceau, touch her, and be with her right now.

‘Let’s go see her.’

He needed to speak up, to express his emotions further.

In the end, Darcy’s selfishness won out. Although letting his emotions override his reason had never brought him joy before, this time felt different.

“Marceau.”

Did she know that just saying her name completely changed his mood?

Even though it was nearly midnight, Darcy knew Marceau would still be awake. She was a night owl.

Just then, a pounding sound echoed in Darcy’s ears. The hurried footsteps from afar suggested someone was running urgently. No one in the palace would make such a fuss unless…

‘Kaysen?’

As Darcy frowned, wondering what could have caused Kaysen such distress, the door swung open, and Kaysen burst in, panting heavily.

“What’s the matter?”

“...Lady Leshan has been confined.”

Darcy, who had just finished putting on his cloak, raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

It was a simple question born of pure curiosity.

Wasn’t it surprising?

The marquis, who doted on his granddaughter, always avoided doing anything that might cause her to resent him.

It must be due to his fear that Leshan might leave him, just as he lost his daughter.

“Because she witnessed Leticia, the leader of the merchant guild, talking with Marquis Ephekl and tried to intervene.”

“That’s not surprising.”

Marquis Ephekl wouldn’t have made such a decision lightly. Even if he adored his granddaughter, trying to stop him would have only backfired.

‘This aligns with what Marceau mentioned.’

Darcy recalled the letter Marceau had sent today, mentioning that Ryan and Marquis Ephekl were preparing to strike against the Etwar Marquisate.

Leticia was Ryan’s confidante, so it all fit together.

‘Well played.’

He couldn’t deny that Leticia had acted remarkably.

Her actions were deliberate, down to the timing of her appearance.

Having revealed everything about Ryan to Marceau, it was almost certain.

“So what?”

Darcy’s tone remained indifferent as he listened.

He had no interest in Leshan whatsoever, and Kaysen’s interruption on his way to see Marceau felt like an obstacle.

Kaysen bowed his head.

“Please help.”

“With what?”

“I want to help Lady Leshan escape from the estate.”

“Are you trying to play the prince in a fairy tale?”

What benefit could Darcy possibly gain from this?

And just because she was confined didn’t mean she was truly in a dire situation. She had plenty of comforts within those walls.

“She’s better off staying where she is. She’s a delicate flower in a greenhouse, after all.”

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Darcy had learned most of what had happened between Marceau and Leshan while associating with Marceau.

“Even if she escapes, she’ll still have to face Marquis Ephekl. Isn’t that exactly what Lady Leshan dislikes? Conflict with those close to her.”

Kaysen shook his head.

“Not anymore.”

He knew Leshan’s temperament well. She was kind and beautiful, but her fear of conflict was almost pathological.

But Leshan had changed.

Despite the shock she had experienced, she had moved forward.

“She said she wanted to tell Lady Marceau everything she heard.”

Kaysen winced, realizing that Marceau Etwar had been the catalyst for Leshan’s transformation.

Darcy raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and standing with a defiant posture, resembling a street thug. His hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

“And knowing that my actions are tied to someone else, why did you come to me?”