Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Interested in Me?
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I furrowed my brow and barely managed to shake my head.
"No."
"Why?"
There's a saying about face value. Darsi's personality was foul.
Or rather than foul, it was unpredictable. Anyone he liked was bound to suffer in all sorts of ways. So I had no desire for Darsi to like me.
But how could I say that outright? I just needed to come up with some excuse.
I thought it over carefully before speaking.
"...Hmm, I just can't imagine you loving someone passionately like that."
Darsi hummed, resting his chin on his hand as he stared straight through me and muttered.
"I think so too."
I was dumbfounded.
"Then why'd you ask?"
"Good question."
Darsi immediately agreed with me before asking.
"Love isn't all that pleasant."
He narrowed his eyes at me.
"But hearing you say that... it sparks a bit of rivalry in me."
Don't ignite your fighting spirit in weird places!
"I don't want to, but... if I did, I think I could do it well."
His vague answer missed the point. I scowled.
"...What do you mean, 'do it well'?"
"I can't say that since I've never tried."
No, from his words, I realized there was a hidden reason beneath the surface.
One he wouldn't tell me.
"You don't believe me."
Darsi stepped right up to me and took my hand. The cold chill of his skin was just like him.
In his gentle grip, I had the illusion that I could never escape.
That I'd never be able to break free again.
Did he sense my mood? Darsi chuckled softly and released my hand right away.
"For all you know, once I latch on, I don't let go. It's just hard to find something worth latching onto."
Lost in thought, he muttered to himself before smirking self-deprecatingly.
"I've seen people in love before."
"..."
"They hold hands every day, embrace, leave kisses all over each other's bodies. They make it so no one else can even look."
There was hatred mixed into his words, as if drawn from personal experience.
"If I had to, I could do it too."
Looking into his darkly glistening eyes, I felt just a tiny bit sorry for whoever he might fall for in the future.
"But I'm not sure if that would be real love."
His chewed-over mutter carried disgust. He was smiling, but his mood was unmistakably low.
"You might be right. But you still haven't answered me, Marso."
His soft voice was angelic, but his demeanor was closer to a devil.
"Would you like it if I were interested in you?"
He asked again. He was persistent, waiting for my reply.
Darsi was definitely a character who broke the mold of the book.
'He's clearly never loved anyone in his life.'
Otherwise, how could he say something like he'd be good at it?
That only made me more curious about him.
'Is it because he hasn't met Resuan yet?'
This was a world that revolved around Resuan. All the men liked her.
Her gentle, lovable demeanor, laced with just enough openings, made her unforgettable.
Over the past year, I'd watched every man who approached me flow straight to Resuan.
It was the same for the other ladies too. One hundred percent. This time wouldn't be any different.
The book's core settings had never changed.
Darsi wouldn't shatter them either.
I calmed my churning heart.
'I can't have false hopes.'
So my answer was set.
As I pondered, I realized the contradiction.
No, why was I even bringing Resuan into this?
I should've just said no from the start.
...But that wasn't easy.
He was the only one who'd listened to my story and had a real conversation with me. I couldn't completely turn him away.
That's why I was seriously agonizing over even his idle words.
'Still, no.'
He's leaving anyway.
The moment I finished thinking and opened my mouth, Darsi waved his hand dismissively, as if his interest had waned.
"Forget it, you don't have to answer. See you in two weeks then."
All my carefully prepared response scattered into nothing. I was annoyed.
"Why do you even care?"
Darsi flinched at my words. He seemed shaken for a moment.
Something felt different from usual.
"Why do you want an answer from me so badly?"
"You haven't answered either, so neither will I."
He easily slipped out of the trap I'd set.
"See you later."
Darsi waved as he turned away. I could no longer see his expression.
It felt unresolved, but maybe it was better to stop before the conversation deepened further.
Watching his retreating back, instead of our debate on love, thoughts of his future whereabouts came to mind.
'Is he really going to die and never appear?'
He hadn't shown up in the main story so far, and what reason could there be for him not to appear later?
If he dies, why?
Maybe I was overthinking it. He might not die—just leave for another country, since he'd said he'd abandon everything.
My head grew complicated. Was I reading too much into it?
Eventually, I stopped agonizing.
'Let's do what I can right now.'
All I could do now was diligently gather magic crystals for whatever he had planned.
If I dug any deeper, Darsi wouldn't stay quiet.
I let out a bitter sigh.
'In the end, I went and got attached.'
I'd told myself not to expect anything from people, yet here I was worrying if he'd die.
But what could I do? My heart wouldn't let it go.
'Well, it's not like I'm hoping for more.'
Once this was over, I probably wouldn't see him again, so this much was fine.
I smiled faintly and headed to my bedroom.
"I'll head out at dawn on the 21st in two weeks to wipe out the mages stationed at the border. It'll take about a week, so guard the palace well. So that's where you've been hiding... you sly little rat."
"Just leave it to me. Everything will go according to Your Majesty's will."
Ryan knelt before Kies, the current emperor and ruler of the empire, bowing his head in respect.
Mercy had no place for mages. It was a fitting end for those hostile to the imperial family, always scheming for their own gain.
Ryan lifted his head and pleaded in a deep voice.
"Let me join the battle."
Clashes with mages happened frequently, leading to small-scale fights and suppressions. They were all to capture mages exploiting the citizens.
The mages fought back with their spells, while this side used magic tools and knight orders.
Fierce battles had erupted many times. Of course, the empire had never lost once. Its military might was overwhelming.
But Ryan hated battles without him. As the sole imperial prince and a citizen of the empire, he wanted the chance to punish them himself.
It made no sense for him—the future crown prince who would rule this nation—not to be involved in eliminating the imperial family's greatest headache.
"No, I'll handle this one myself."
But he'd never been allowed to fight.
"Isn't it dangerous, Your Majesty?"
"It's my duty. Don't make me repeat myself."
Emperor Kies always said the same thing. His turn hadn't come yet. Just wait a little longer.
"Understood."
Ryan nodded reluctantly. He couldn't defy the emperor.
He thought to himself: Then why summon me today? To just watch the situation unfold, as always?
"Once this is over, I'll grant you Sairon Palace. The crown prince investiture will be soon... and we should push forward your engagement around then."
"Sairon Palace..."
"The one in the west. It's about time we renovated it."
Kies stroked his chin beard and muttered. Ryan's body twitched.
Sairon Palace. The palace shrouded in eerie rumors that everyone who entered died—it was Kies's favorite place.
Though dilapidated, it was beautiful... That was just the rumor among the people; the truth was different. Ryan knew the facts.
The western palace had long been the site of Kies's mad massacres.
Slaves whose identities couldn't be confirmed were killed, and mages tortured.
Rumors especially swirled about mages being slaughtered. Kies particularly loathed them.
That was why Ryan had never set foot in Sairon Palace his whole life.
He lacked the power to stop the merciless killings, nor could he pretend to know. He had to bury what he knew.
'It's nothing to be proud of.'
But he always remembered. As prince, then crown prince, and finally emperor, he was determined to end this hereditary madness. Until then, he couldn't fall out of Kies's favor.
To Ryan, Kies was his biological father—and nothing more or less.
Ryan knew it down to his bones: Kies was ruthless enough to cast him aside anytime.
The only one Kies had ever loved was his concubine, Naije.
Ryan's mother and the empress, Emerald, had passed away, and Naije was the only concubine he'd secretly taken afterward.
Few knew of her existence, but those who did were powerless against her.
She had the emperor's favor.
The emperor doted on a woman whose origins no one knew.
They seemed happy.
Until Naije died.
That was around the time.
The time when Kies completely lost his mind.