Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: You're Special to Me
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Darsi, who usually ignores other people's opinions, always asks for my thoughts.
I'm happy to be considered someone close to him, but sometimes I wonder where that line ends.
Just how far can I go right now?
"You don't like it?"
His question snapped me back to reality. Not wanting any misunderstandings, I hurriedly shook my head.
"Of course I'm fine with it."
After answering, I realized his gaze was still fixed on me.
As if he could read my mind, Darsi spoke slowly.
"You're special to me."
It was the kind of line you could believe was a confession.
"So I hope this feeling isn't love."
That was before I heard the next part.
His voice shifted in an instant, laced with unmistakable fear. What was he afraid of?
"I want to remain this kind of person to you forever."
Was he scared of how love changes people?
I still didn't know exactly what Darsi feared.
That was something Darsi and I had to figure out together.
"It's okay."
I whispered soothingly, like comforting a child terrified of a monster hiding in the closet.
"I don't want you to fear changing."
But I made my intentions clear enough to get through to him.
People can't stay the same forever.
"I've changed because of you."
It hasn't been that long since we met.
But experiences and turning points more important than time have helped me grow.
I welcomed this change. So I expressed it more actively.
"And I like this change."
Darsi shook his head.
"Not all changes are like that."
I hadn't expected him to be convinced in one go. If he were, we wouldn't be having this debate in the first place.
I didn't push further against his denial.
'I'll look for another opportunity.'
Our conversations wouldn't end today.
I knew this was Darsi's biggest wall.
The only barrier from someone who easily opened up to me about most things.
That's why I wanted to approach it carefully.
Trauma-hardened memories are hard to touch.
I hoped those memories would heal someday.
Like how spring brings new sprouts to land silent and dead through winter, I wished Darsi's heart could do the same.
Ryan had put in every effort, deploying people far and wide, but he still couldn't find the imperial treasure.
According to Emperor Kies, it was definitely somewhere in the palace treasury, yet even after searching it dozens of times, the necklace was nowhere to be seen.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, he received a reply to the letter he'd sent to Marso Etwar.
It was a clean, unequivocal rejection, leaving not a shred of lingering attachment.
'...She's really changed.'
Ryan let out a hollow laugh. Closing his eyes, memories flooded back of Marso insisting she'd changed over the past year, her actions matching her words vividly.
He had to admit it now.
But he didn't like that fact.
The girl from his childhood who had eyes only for him—Marso Etwar was supposed to always look only at him.
An ugly selfishness he couldn't even understand himself reared its head.
Trying to win Marso back wasn't solely for the emperor's sake.
'I wanted to.'
He wanted to turn those eyes back to him.
It was separate from his desire to have Resuan by his side.
'If only that guy had treated her well.'
Recalling how Darsi treated others, it didn't seem like he'd been affectionate.
He'd probably been as cold to her as he was to everyone else.
Maybe Marso Etwar had projected her own image onto Darsi's behavior...
'Just treat her a little better.'
She must have wounds from before, making her heart complicated. But if he made a bit of effort, she'd show her old self again.
One thing was settled. Ryan narrowed his eyes and set Marso's letter down on the desk.
Next, he had to think about...
"So, how do you plan to bring down Marquis Etwar?"
The plan was to topple Marquis Etwar. Ryan smiled at Marquis Epekle, who sat across from him and continued.
"First, I'll strip the current marquis of every magic crystal he has."
Marquis Etwar had always cooperated with palace deliveries. He bent just enough to make him easy to handle.
Ryan planned to use that to confiscate the magic crystals the current marquis had stockpiled.
'If necessary, even wage a territorial war...'
But there was no need to waste manpower.
"To seize the mines, we'll need justification. We have to create that justification carefully."
"You're saying to fabricate it."
Marquis Epekle smiled, catching Ryan's meaning.
"Magic tools using magic crystals have a bad reputation among the people. And yet... it seems the Etwar Marquis House has been using them."
Ryan recalled what Leticia had reported before. Who would've thought the words about reclusive Marso Etwar hiring a mage to make magic tools would prove so useful?
"That should be enough to draw public criticism."
"Even better if there are casualties or accidents from magic tools first."
Simply ransacking Marquis Etwar's estate wouldn't suffice. There was no solid justification for that.
But if unsavory accidents from poorly regarded magic tools happened too frequently to dismiss as coincidence?
It was base of him to dump all the dirty work on himself like this.
Marquis Epekle stared at Ryan with a sour expression, then glanced at the letter envelope from Marso Etwar on the table.
'He doesn't want her paired with Resuan, so he must pair her with someone else somehow.'
If Ryan truly didn't care, he wouldn't have left the letter out on the table like that.
'There seems to be something between that prince Darsi and Marso Etwar...'
They'd only met recently. That meant Ryan still had a shot if he tried.
And hadn't Marso harbored feelings for Ryan for a long time?
If Ryan stole her away, it'd be a chance for revenge against Darsi too.
He decided to prod at that point.
"Marso Etwar must be on your mind."
"Nonsense."
Resuan's match had to be someone who prioritized her above all else.
Ryan couldn't forgive even a moment where something else came before Resuan.
"Your Highness, if I may speak boldly—caring at all is the start of emotions. You should know that."
"I love Resuan."
"...Whether that's truly love is uncertain. You should think deeper on it, for your own future. Advice from an old man who's lived a long time."
Marquis Epekle rattled off nonsense tailored to Ryan's level, shaking his resolve.
He hoped his persuasion would push Ryan toward Marso instead of Resuan.
"..."
He couldn't read how effective his words were, but he knew a wind had started blowing in his heart.
Normally, Ryan would've dismissed it as drivel, but his mouth stayed firmly shut.
After his conversation with Ryan, Marquis Epekle returned to the estate, rubbing his tired eyes as he headed to his bedroom.
The time, well past midnight, was deliberately chosen to avoid Resuan's gaze.
But Resuan had noticed her grandfather's uncharacteristic outing and was waiting.
Spotting him returning through her bedroom window, Resuan let out a sigh of relief.
Her anxiety lingered, though.
'Grandfather's been strange since that last ball.'
There was something she couldn't quite pinpoint.
She remembered the subtle exchange of glances between Ryan and Marquis Epekle when she woke up.
But why would Ryan and her grandfather meet in secret like this?
What could her loving grandfather be hiding so carefully?
'Gambling, maybe?'
He wasn't one to enjoy games of chance usually, which worried her more.
Resuan didn't want to lose the only family she'd found so late.
And as always, she hated sudden changes.
'I'll ask him.'
In the end, Resuan decided to ask Marquis Epekle directly.
'If he refuses...'
If he did, she was prepared to tail him secretly.
He was her only family.
'I should contact Kaisen.'
Anticipating refusal, Resuan planned to ask about ways to follow him.
Kaisen was a friend who knew her well.
'...Friend.'
Marso Etwar's face flashed in her mind.
Resuan smiled bitterly.
An connection she'd let slip away herself. She owed her a life debt... but being unable to repay it directly felt pathetic.
'...Can I ever be friends with Marso again?'
She didn't dare think so.
She just hoped Marso's future was filled with luck.
It seemed best to go before Darsi's confinement ended, so we scheduled the trip as soon as possible.
I wondered how we'd get there, but Darsi brought the ring he'd planned to use when escaping.
"Doesn't it normally require a ton of magic crystals?"
The amount he brought was quite small. Maybe ten at most. A lot by other standards, but too few for me.
Even his salary from me had been more than this. And that salary was for his teleports, wasn't it?
"It's not the palace, where magic crystal use is strictly limited, so it'll be fine."
Darsi's words eased my concerns.
Since it was for escaping the palace, it must've required a lot.
...Then what about that time he smashed through the palace door?
'...Is the guy I saved actually some insane overpowered character?'