Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: A Clear Answer
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Kaisen knew that the moment he spoke, something major would happen.
"This is troublesome."
Darsi's eyes seemed to dart around sharply.
Kaisen took a deep breath and chose his words carefully.
"Tell me what you'd like to hear."
Darsi instantly saw through Kaisen's attempt to dodge the question and wiped the gun barrel on the edge of his cloak.
"You know better than I do."
"You're being deceived..."
"Wasn't it you who kept insulting her while comforting yourself that she deserved it?"
Having decided to stay here for the time being, Darsi had gathered every rumor about Marso that he hadn't bothered with before.
Kaisen was one of the sources in his information network.
The rumors about Marso were varied. But none of them were good.
"They say she's been like a completely different person for the past year."
No one wanted to know the Marso he had seen.
The stereotypes were so strong that it made sense why everyone wanted her shut away alone. No one tried to see the truth.
But Darsi knew well that people couldn't live alone.
'Humans are social creatures, after all.'
It was clear who had changed Marso's mindset.
Ryan was the main culprit, but Kaisen wasn't innocent either.
They had one excuse for ruining a person's life.
She deserved it.
"Who are you to judge others?"
"As a person..."
"You didn't even notice she'd changed and just saw what you wanted to see."
Most of the rumors claimed that Ryan and Kaisen had punished Marso for trying to harm Resuan.
But hearing what Marso had actually done before their "heroics" made the word "punish" seem excessive.
The rumors portraying Marso as a villain had simply justified everything.
Preconceptions blocked normal judgment. Ryan and Kaisen's love for Resuan had ultimately become harmful.
Love really couldn't be trusted, after all.
Darsi faced Kaisen with a sinister smile.
"So you have no shame in saying it."
"...Darsi. That's—"
"You're not going to spout the same nonsense as Ryan, that she deserved what she got, are you?"
Kaisen was at a loss for words.
"If you were, I'd kill you halfway too."
His emotionless expression was somehow more chilling.
"Speak quickly. Time's tight if I have to prepare for tomorrow."
Finally, Kaisen opened his mouth.
"...It's just that."
And at that moment, Darsi began dismantling Kaisen's preconceptions one by one.
...With a touch of helplessness.
It didn't matter that Kaisen was a renowned knight commander. Before Darsi, all he could do was nod.
Darsi said he'd return in a week, gave me some homework, and left.
He said he wouldn't leave until I was happy. And to find a way for that to happen.
It was a difficult task. How do you even define happiness?
"...It's not bad right now."
My self-imposed confinement had started because everything was exhausting, but I didn't mind my current life.
It wasn't extreme bliss, and though it hadn't been entirely by my choice...
People are creatures of adaptation, aren't they? Honestly, it was refreshing not having to see Resuan, Ryan, or Kaisen. Staying home meant no unnecessary suspicions, which was convenient.
I told Darsi that my current state was fine.
'Marso, people can't live alone.'
There was bite in the way he said it while slightly narrowing his eyes.
I couldn't argue "How would you know?" because I suspected he'd been trapped alone in that abandoned palace.
Finding magic he could use in a palace where it was forbidden probably wasn't just for escape.
Maybe he'd felt stifled by a life where he couldn't even talk properly to others.
'And you're just taking a break because the situation is exhausting. Nothing's actually resolved.'
Then he struck where it hurt.
My confinement had been my choice, but that choice stemmed from Ryan and Kaisen's schemes.
'I'll become crown prince and support you, so do whatever you want.'
Darsi's tone was confident, even though he hadn't claimed the prince's position yet. It was impossible not to believe him.
It was the leisure that came from self-assurance.
Because of that, for the first time since possessing this body, I started thinking about the things I wanted to do after shaking off that initial image.
Thanks to Darsi, my discarded humanity was starting to return.
Just recently, learning Leti was Ryan's spy had filled me with disillusionment toward the world, but being with him made it all feel like nothing had happened.
Having someone reliable was reassuring in itself.
Since it was something Darsi had assigned, I had no intention of brushing it off lightly. Staying here couldn't have been an easy choice for him, so I wanted to match his sincerity.
I recalled the memories from when I first became Marso.
'What did I want to do?'
With money to spare, after becoming good friends with Resuan, I wanted to travel, learn magic, start a business.
That's what this wealth was for.
But right after possessing, I focused on fixing everything. Back then, I thought I could at least alter the original story's events.
'At least that time wasn't for nothing.'
I'd grown tougher from the wounds I took during that period.
Yeah, I can't stay cooped up forever. It's not like I'll be exhausted for life.
Once these wounds heal and I regain some energy, I'll definitely run into Ryan again. Resuan too.
'It was a problem I'd have to face eventually, even without Darsi.'
As long as Darsi was the prince, I'd have solid backing.
So I'll do what I want.
But what exactly is that?
After pondering, I reached a clear answer.
'I want revenge on Ryan.'
Not some bloody, dramatic revenge like in the novel's heroines, but something to make his stomach ache.
In short, I wanted to succeed so spectacularly that it made him sick to look at me.
Ryan had said he never wanted to see my face again. Same here. He was no longer the male lead—just a lovesick idiot.
What was the most effective way to screw him over?
First things first: contradict what I'd said before. Instead of holing up at home forever, I'd go out.
I hadn't done anything wrong, really.
I'd planned to stay inside. Ryan was the one who dragged me out.
'I knew you'd say that.'
Even so, I could vividly hear Ryan's mocking voice. It was exactly the kind of thing he'd do.
But my thinking had changed now.
If I was a thorn in his side, I'd live up to expectations and become even more irritating.
'I can't end it here.'
I thought of the magic tools.
In the original story, they only gained a good image after Resuan and Ryan used them—they were like an unwon lottery ticket right now.
The possibilities were endless, and no one had taken interest in magic tools yet.
I'd originally planned to use them just for myself, but collaborating with mages to popularize them didn't sound bad.
There might be rough patches at first.
Convincing mages to make good tools wouldn't be easy, and quashing bad rumors about them would be tough.
But I'd already seen people use magic tools without resistance.
The theater troupe used them to monitor their acting, drawing people's attention.
I didn't know their secrets from the outside, but it was clear the source was my family's Etwar House.
Once their usefulness spread, popularity was only a matter of time.
Capturing a moment forever was romantic and mysterious. Even in a video-saturated modern world, people felt it—surely here too.
'And perfect timing with the stage all set.'
Pitol's ambitious play preparations were accelerating. Soon, the polished version of the script he'd shown me would premiere.
I had no doubt it would succeed.
With hidden backstories of the male and female leads, affairs, love triangles—or even quadrangles—this spicy drama would captivate audiences.
A chance to blow fresh wind into the nobles accustomed to bland fare.
'Perfect.'
I couldn't openly debut the magic tools yet. No countermeasures were in place.
Asking Darsi, who'd be busy as prince, to keep helping with production went against propriety.
With Leti no longer trustworthy... I'd have to find mages to make tools for me on my own.
'What kind of people?'
Mages were typically proud.
Shunned by society, they could only trust their own power.
A pride in being different from ordinary folk.
'I shouldn't prejudge before meeting them.'
Rumors needed caution, but aside from Darsi, I'd never met any mages, so it was too early to judge.
'I don't want to judge mages just by rumors like Darsi.'
Especially since I'd suffered from rumors and prejudices trapped in the villainess frame myself.
Alright, I can do this.
Just knowing Darsi was helping made strength surge through me. With him, he was a reliable ally.
It had been so long since thinking about what I could do felt this enjoyable.
I organized what to tell Darsi when he came next week and called for a maid.
To fire Leti.