Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Unexpected Guest
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People nodded and smiled as if they'd been waiting for this.
"We'll be looking forward to it."
"Me too."
"I want to know first."
Lady Werhna was no exception. I was glad to see everyone so taken with Darsi, but she was the outlier.
I clenched my fist tight to steady myself.
What could I even do about Lady Werhna? She was the one clinging to me right now, anyway.
"It's just that preparing will take some time... so I might end up spending a lot more time in the mansion. Just know it's not for the same reason as last time."
I'd even prepared a perfect excuse, just like the one I used when I went to meet the mages.
By telling everyone like this, at least no weird rumors would spread later.
The tea party was finally winding down. I was utterly drained.
"I didn't realize it'd be this exhausting."
The unexpected one-on-one with Lady Werhna had sucked all the energy out of me.
Sudden events are the worst for an introvert...
'But I'll get to rest soon!'
Clinging to that hope, I downed another cup of coffee. The caffeine jolted my eyes wide open.
"Lady Marso."
I turned to see a servant bowing in greeting. The one who'd come to me explained the situation.
"You have a visitor."
"A visitor?"
"They said to tell you it's a pleasant guest."
"A pleasant guest right now..."
Honestly, only one person came to mind. There was only one person who could come and go from my mansion at this hour without any prior notice.
[Darsi.]
I wasn't the only one thinking it. Lady Werhna, who'd overheard the servant beside me, rested her chin on her hand and shot me a knowing glance.
"Is it that gentleman we were just talking about? I didn't expect him to come so soon."
Part of me wanted to just send Darsi away. But that impulse didn't last.
Maybe it was the exhaustion, but I missed seeing his face.
Those sharp eyes peeking through silver hair. Those multicolored irises that mesmerized anyone who looked into them—I wanted to talk with him.
His sudden visits didn't always bring joy, but Darsi was different. Whenever he showed up, the delight always came before the surprise.
I thought back to the play we'd watched together. The way he'd appeared just as we were talking with Ryan before entering the ballroom. Our trip together, too.
'I want to call him here.'
I wanted him to come right here, with Lady Werhna and everyone else watching.
'I wish they all knew how close we are.'
I'd decided to go at his pace, but surely I could indulge in a little greed like this?
I decided to summon Darsi.
"Let him in."
There were a few things that felt a bit off for Darsi. He hadn't outright said it was him—instead calling himself a "guest." And the fact that he'd suddenly shown up, even though he never liked meeting people when he was with me.
But I chalked it up to the awkward atmosphere from our last meeting.
So, in other words, I was playing it like I had no idea who the guest was.
"...This is unexpected."
Lady Werhna's voice, unable to hide her genuine shock, rang in my ears along with the other ladies around us.
I cursed inwardly.
"Marso Etwar."
No, why are you here?
"I have something to tell you on my way back."
There stood Ryan, boldly showing his face.
Ryan knew Resuan was avoiding him. He also knew it had coincidentally started right after she'd visited Marso's mansion.
'Marso did exactly what I wanted...'
He'd heard through Letisia that Marso had pushed Resuan away, just as she'd always wanted.
He figured she just needed time to adjust. He knew Resuan had relied on Marso, knowingly or not. His kindhearted lover had liked that woman from the start.
It was heartbreaking to see her talking about that woman so innocently, oblivious to her dark intentions.
Resuan was far too naive. As someone experienced in high society since childhood—and as her loving prospective fiancé—he had a duty to protect her.
Dragging Marso Etwar down to a position where she couldn't torment Resuan was part of that duty.
He'd been anxious at first. What if Resuan got upset that he was tearing down and mistreating the person she cared for?
Resuan was so kind, after all.
But Resuan hadn't said a word. Ryan was satisfied with that.
'They're destined to drift apart anyway.'
Marso and Resuan weren't that close.
Ryan was caught up in the thrill of doing something for the one he loved. He took her silence as tacit approval.
'That's right.'
She was kind to everyone, so the shock of someone leaving her must have been new.
Her avoidance was just a phase. Resuan would soon find her way back to him.
That's what Ryan believed.
Until he heard she was spending time with Knight Commander Kaisen while avoiding him.
He was the only one suited for Resuan.
Even his generous patience was starting to wear thin.
When the more desperate one is the one who bends.
Ryan requested a meeting with Resuan separately from his talk with Count Epekle.
After dodging his invitations a few times, she finally agreed.
His mood lifted a bit on the day he went to see her.
It had soured after telling Emperor Kies that Darsi was a mage, only to get scolded instead.
'What does that make me, then!'
Kies had no intention of admitting his mistake in having a child with a mage.
Ryan had prepared gifts, even accounting for the days he hadn't seen Resuan.
A necklace, bracelet, and brooch made with magic crystals. She needed them to get by in life. He believed even accessories like these would help.
"Hello, Your Highness the Prince."
Resuan, greeting him, was as beautiful as ever.
Ryan couldn't tear his eyes from her as he asked how she was. Resuan smiled and exchanged polite small talk.
Then the topic that came up caught him off guard.
"I heard you spoke with Lady Etwar, Your Highness."
"...That's right."
He didn't like that it was the first thing she brought up after so long apart. He couldn't understand why their conversation had to be about Marso.
But not wanting to start off on a sour note, Ryan stayed quiet.
"Your Highness, I've been grateful for all your help so far."
"I'd do anything for you."
"But please don't anymore."
"...What?"
Ryan's shock made him repeat her words.
First Marso Etwar, who didn't love him. Now Resuan telling him not to help her. Lately, his life was full of things that made no sense.
"Letting Your Highness handle my problems was the wrong thing to do."
Resuan, who usually smiled happily without delving into deep topics when they were together, pressed on with this grim subject.
"I think I realized too late that it's like leaving a rotting flower to wither."
Resuan had changed. And it was obvious who was at the center of that change.
Ryan muttered through gritted teeth.
"...What did Marso Etwar say to you?"
Marso Etwar had been nothing but an obstacle since they'd met in childhood, right up to now.
"Lady Marso didn't say anything special."
"You can speak freely, Resuan."
"It's true. Her absence just made me realize a lot of things."
Was she saying Resuan had been the one in the wrong all this time? It fit for the villainess who'd always been quick to point out Resuan's faults.
Ryan comforted her.
"My opinion hasn't changed. You didn't do anything wrong."
"No, Your Highness. I'm not perfect. No human is."
But today, Resuan was truly different.
"But I believe it's the duty of a person to acknowledge it, accept it, repent, and move forward."
There was no hesitation in the way she looked at him.
An unthinkable fear crept up slowly.
The absurd idea that Resuan might resent him for cold-shouldering and criticizing Marso Etwar suddenly felt like it could become reality.
Ryan spoke urgently.
"Just because Marso Etwar seems different for a moment doesn't mean her true nature has changed. That kind of thinking is dangerous."
It felt like an excuse. But he couldn't stop the words once they'd started.
"You can't forget that the time she spent tormenting you was longer than this changed phase. You and I had every reason to treat her that way."
"...So you're admitting she's changed, Your Highness."
He was at a loss for words. But on that point, he had no idea what to say.
How could he forget?
The image of Marso Etwar looking at him and declaring she didn't love him.
"That was a slip of the tongue."
"You thought Lady Marso had changed."
"...Her actions still stand."
Ryan swallowed his irritation and grumbled.
The image of Marso's face in his mind intensified his emotions.
She stood at the opposite pole from Resuan, who made him a better, more rational person.
Conversations with Marso never went right. They always spiraled to the end.
Resuan stared at Ryan, whose brows were deeply furrowed. Her observant gaze picked up on things even he himself denied.
"...Why won't Your Highness admit the truth?"
['I'm' the one not admitting the truth?]
Ryan couldn't comprehend what Resuan was saying.
It was a denial he'd repeated endlessly.
Even seeing Marso Etwar changed, he kept repeating the same brainwashing words.
The Marso Etwar he knew hadn't changed.
"Your Highness, do you truly feel nothing for Lady Marso?"
Lightning-like realization flashed through his mind.
['How could I...']
No, that was just his own wish.