The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 73

As I slowly recalled my memories, I thought of a person Ethan had mentioned once.

A magician.

Kapu.

The name matched one of the wizards Ethan had talked about and the name Marquis Ephekl had kept in his safe. A chill ran down my spine.

“Is this really just a coincidence?”

It was fortunate that Leshan had brought the scrap of paper. If it bore a signature, we could verify it by comparing the handwriting. I could ask Ethan.

But aside from that, I still had questions for Leshan.

“Leshan, there’s something else I’d like to ask you.”

“Yes, anything.”

Knowing that her family was planning to attack ours, Leshan was much more cooperative.

“You collapsed during the ball, right? Do you remember what happened when you woke up?”

“Yes, my grandfather was by my side. After that, I met Prince Ryan.”

“Wasn’t your condition quite severe?”

“I don’t remember well, but I believe I collapsed because of heart pain.”

As I listened to her, I murmured, “But why wasn’t there a doctor?”

“…”

“Leshan, you never mentioned a doctor during your story.”

“I thought they might have left before I woke up.”

“No, I checked with the palace physician. He didn’t see you that day.”

Leshan blinked, and after a long silence, her face showed confusion.

“...Then how did I recover?”

I looked around at the others.

“Leshan, I believe that the reason Marquis Ephekl is so desperate to secure a deal with Ryan for the magic stone mine has something to do with you.”

“My grandfather did mention it was for my sake, but I thought he was just saying that…”

Leshan’s expression darkened.

“…I don’t know how magic stones and I are connected.”

“I don’t know either. But there is someone who might be able to help us with this clue.”

I subtly glanced at Darcy. He stood up before I could even ask.

“I’ll be right back.”

“…Bring him here.”

Darcy left the room briefly and soon returned with Ethan.

“What’s the rush? We could’ve discussed this later!” Ethan grumbled as he stepped into the room. He hesitated upon seeing Leshan and Kaysen sitting on the sofa.

“What’s going on here?”

“This won’t take long, Ethan. Leshan, may I borrow that scrap of paper?”

“Yes.”

Leshan handed me the note. It was scrawled with the name “Kapu Shuaisen” in crooked handwriting.

“I remembered you mentioning this name. Do you recognize the handwriting?”

I passed the paper to Ethan. He frowned at first, but his eyes slowly widened in shock.

Ethan’s hand trembled as he held the paper, his gaze fixing on Leshan with an intensity that was almost frightening.

His eyes blazed with fury.

“Why do you have Uncle Kapu’s signature?”

Ethan’s voice was filled with anger.

The coincidence was undeniable.

The signature on the scrap of paper found in Marquis Ephekl’s safe matched the handwriting of a man Ethan once knew, Kapu.

Kapu, who had left the village to improve the image of magicians.

He had disappeared afterward, and now it seemed he had some connection with Marquis Ephekl.

“When did this Kapu disappear?”

“Six years ago.”

“Leshan, do you remember anything from six years ago?”

“…Six years ago was when I first met my grandfather, so I don’t know much…”

She had only just entered the Marquis’s household then, so she wouldn’t be fully aware of what was happening around Marquis Ephekl. The mystery deepened.

One thing was certain: Leshan was connected to all of this. Her health and the magic stones were indeed linked.

“Then offering magic stones might be a very tempting option for him.”

I began drafting a proposal in my mind, a contract that Marquis Ephekl would find hard to resist.

Even if I couldn’t acquire the magic stone mine, the chance to protect Leshan’s health might be enough to sway him.

The clock chimed, marking the hour. It was nearly 2 AM. Only then did I realize how exhausted I was.

“…Shall we call it a day? It’s late.”

Kaysen stood up, and Leshan followed suit.

“Leshan, please sit down.”

“Pardon? But…”

“I can’t send you back to Kaysen’s estate. Stay here.”

“Then I’ll stay in a guest room…”

“If we prepare a guest room, word might spread that you’re here. Stay in my room.”

Leshan blinked at me in surprise, then finally smiled brightly. Her face flushed like a blooming spring flower.

It was the smile I used to love seeing when I was by her side.

She was the kind of person who knew how to be grateful when kindness was shown, and that was why I couldn’t let go of her for a year. I knew she wasn’t entirely bad.

Humans are complex beings with many facets.

“Kaysen, you can escort her since you two need to talk.”

Having overheard our conversation earlier, Kaysen offered to guide Leshan and led her out of the room.

Ethan followed them out as well.

Soon, Darcy and I were alone in the room.

The room fell into a deep silence. Darcy, who had been sitting beside me, stood up. When the warmth of his presence faded, I felt an unexpected sense of emptiness.

As I recalled the moment of my first and only confession, my face flushed involuntarily.

Darcy, who had been staring at my embarrassed expression for a long time, finally spoke firmly.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

“Marceau. I can’t put my feelings for you into words. No matter what you say, the emotions you feel and my dark, twisted emotions are fundamentally different.”

The love he had experienced and the love I knew were completely different.

“But that doesn’t change the truth.”

Darcy nodded and smiled at my words. The smile that peeked through his white hair was serene and genuine.

“I’m not trying to deny it.”

“…”

“Marceau.”

He called my name softly, reaching out to brush the hair that had fallen across my face behind my ear.

“You are my life and my air. Everywhere I live, you exist.”

…How beautiful was his confession, even as he denied his feelings of love.

“I cannot live without you.”

How romantic.

I reflected on his words. They felt closer to poetry than a simple confession of love, and they brought a warm smile to my face.

Darcy, who had been staring at my smiling face for a long time, lowered his gaze.

“I never intended to have such selfish desires, nor did I ever plan to acknowledge these emotions.”

“…”

“Until you shook my world.”

“Because I wanted you to realize it.”

At first, I thought his awkwardness around people might have caused him to misinterpret the nature of our relationship.

But how could I continue to ignore someone who always thought of me, who treated me as special?

“You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

Darcy’s gaze grew intense, his usual playful expression replaced with something darker. There was a hint of malice in his eyes, similar to the look he had when dealing with Ryan.

“Nor do you realize how unscrupulous my actions are.”

He considered finding his own happiness a selfish act.

“I’m the one being unscrupulous, dragging out the situation you’ve tried to deny.”

“No, even if you hadn’t, I would have had to face it eventually.”

How could I not, being by your side?

“This is the life you gave me. That’s why I tried to live it with as much value and meaning as possible. I wanted to atone for my mistakes and live in repentance, but…”

He touched my cheek. The warmth of my still-flushed cheek transferred to his hand. His hand was as warm as my face.

Was the sound I heard my heartbeat, or his?

“But after hearing your words… I want to say that I feel the same, even if it means ignoring everything else.”

His voice grew clearer.

“Because the love you spoke of is different from anything I’ve ever known.”

His hand, which had been caressing my cheek, slowly moved down to my lips, hovering as if to touch them before retreating.

I felt a pang of disappointment at the loss of his touch.

Darcy always managed to hold himself back at the last moment.

“But I think it’s only fair to give you one last chance.”

“You’ve already given me enough chances.”

“This is your last chance to walk away, before you know everything about me.”

Darcy whispered softly.