The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 35

No, there’s a saying that one person’s trash is another’s treasure. Maybe that’s true in this case.

“It’s a shame the royal ball doesn’t happen more often, but…”

Given that it was a royal event, it would be convenient since all the people I needed to meet would be gathered there.

But Ryan’s presence was strong enough to ruin any convenience I might gain.

“There’s more than one ball,” I muttered to myself.

I decided to ignore Ryan’s nonsense. Of course, since the invitation was from the royal family, I worded my reply politely, but the essence was this:

“Why should I?”

My plan was that Ryan would be so irritated by the snarky response that he wouldn’t bother replying. But I was wrong.

Ryan was more persistent than I had anticipated.

The very next day, a second invitation arrived, as if he had been eagerly waiting for my refusal.

I wasn’t even sure the ink on my rejection letter had dried.

“Ah, I forgot to mention the reason for this ball. It’s to celebrate the emergence of the second prince, who has been causing quite a stir lately.”

In this belated explanation of the event, Ryan made it clear that he was aware of how close Darcy and I had become. The letter conveyed that he wanted both of us to attend the celebration, hinting at our supposed intimacy.

…It must be the aftereffects of us attending that play together.

‘It’s not like Darcy had much time to get close to anyone.’

From what I’d heard, that was the first time he had publicly revealed himself in such a setting.

…Honestly, I was happy to have been part of his first public appearance.

At any rate, this meant I could no longer avoid attending the ball.

Since it was an event to celebrate the prince, all the nobles were expected to attend, and I was no exception.

Besides, it wasn’t just any prince—it was Darcy. I wanted to be there to celebrate Darcy, who, like me, was beginning to spread his wings in public.

In the end, I decided to attend the ball.

The date of the ball was set surprisingly soon—barely a week away, as if it had been hastily arranged.

After returning from meeting Marceau, Darcy locked himself in his room. Although he had become a prince, he remained in the same place.

The palace was a place of loathing, yet it was also a part of his life. There was no other place in the palace that he knew as well, or where he had spent as much time.

He had chosen to stay in the palace out of a mix of love and hate. Despite the complex emotions that permeated the space, it still provided him with a sense of security. This was his space.

And that sense of security was necessary to sort out the turmoil in his heart.

Meanwhile, Kaicen, having completed his orders from Darcy, made his way to report to the prince’s office. But the office was empty.

It had been three days since Darcy, who had promised to find him, had disappeared. After searching the palace, Kaicen finally went to Darcy’s quarters as a last resort.

“I’m coming in.”

After a brief greeting, Kaicen entered the room. Fortunately, Darcy was there.

But that wasn’t all.

“…What are you doing?”

Kaicen was at a loss for words when he saw the state Darcy was in.

Darcy was slumped lazily in a chair, running his fingers through his hair as he lifted his head.

When he noticed Kaicen, he half-closed his eyes. A long silence followed, with thick smoke curling from the incense he had lit before Darcy finally spoke.

“Thinking.”

Kaicen looked at the prince with pity and mumbled.

“You must have a lot on your mind about your future as a prince.”

Kaicen assumed Darcy was reflecting on the upcoming ball. After all, even though Darcy didn’t seem to care much about public opinion, he couldn’t completely ignore it….

“No? Why would I?”

“Excuse me? Then what….”

“I don’t think that’s something you need to know.”

“….”

He was right, but it still stung. Listening to Darcy sometimes made Kaicen question whether they were truly comrades who had fought together.

The fact that Darcy was arguably the most beautiful man Kaicen had ever seen was one thing, but his casual, almost mocking tone and demeanor, which made it hard to believe he was of royal blood, was another.

He was the polar opposite of Ryan in every way.

Yet despite that, Kaicen had chosen to support him.

“Seeing as you’ve come this far, I assume you have something to report.”

It was the way Darcy’s entire demeanor shifted when the conversation turned to serious matters that made Kaicen stay.

The heterochromatic eyes that Darcy no longer bothered to hide glowed with different shades of intensity.

Rising from his slouched position, the man transformed from a carefree rogue into a noble prince.

As he slowly raised his head, Darcy gestured for Kaicen to proceed with his report.

“It went smoothly. Emperor Kyes and Prince Ryan have met. I couldn’t catch every word they said, but their intentions seem clear.”

Darcy had deliberately eased the Emperor’s guard, allowing him the opportunity to meet with Ryan.

And he had sent Kaicen to keep watch.

Magic was subtle. When Darcy had said he couldn’t kill him, that didn’t mean he couldn’t cause him suffering or bring about his downfall.

Darcy had no intention of making things easy.

He and Kaicen had worked together many times.

One of the reasons Kaicen had decided to become the commander of the royal knights was his reverence for the Emperor.

When Kaicen discovered that Darcy was his comrade, it had been a natural progression for him to approach Darcy.

Kaicen, who despised the current Emperor as much as Darcy did and harbored hostility toward Prince Ryan, was the perfect ally.

Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.

It wasn’t just about keeping watch.

Darcy was prepared to crush Kyes’s desperate hope.

Even if Kyes didn’t realize there were flaws in his plans, he would still try something.

‘And he’ll fall into despair.’

Darcy was ready to crush any attempt thoroughly and completely. It wouldn’t even be a challenge.

After all, this was what the Emperor had done to him all along.

Providing just enough of an escape route to give him a taste of hope before burying him alive.

Staying here until Marceau found her happiness was already a settled fact.

So why not play with Kyes in the meantime?

“Keep a close eye on everyone Ryan meets. Report everything.”

And as a bonus, Darcy would get the chance to make Ryan suffer—just as Ryan had tormented Marceau by using his title as prince.

Darcy hoped they would cling to hope, believing they could win against him.

It would make it all the more satisfying to crush them.

Darcy narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly.

‘I haven’t completely lost my mind yet.’

Whenever he thought of Marceau, the strategic mind that served him well in battle turned into a muddled mess. Her face dominated his thoughts, making it impossible to focus on anything else.

‘…I need to maintain my distance.’

He wanted Marceau to be happy, but he knew it wouldn’t be by his side. The love he had learned couldn’t bring happiness to anyone.

…Unless he were to devour her completely.

Realizing where his thoughts were headed, Darcy sighed and pressed a hand to his temple. The headache he thought had subsided returned.

He turned to Kaicen.

“Get in touch with all the mages connected to the royal family in secret. Arrange for a meeting with me.”

Darcy remembered the look in Kyes’s eyes as he examined the magical weapon Darcy had created. Fear and greed had mingled in those eyes.

‘It was a weapon he had never seen before.’

For a long time, Darcy had been Kyes’s puppet. This had given him ample opportunity to study the Emperor.

Kyes would undoubtedly try to replicate the magical tools Darcy had created, producing them en masse to try and overthrow him.

This was an instinct honed by years of experience.

“Keep tracking Ryan.”

Of course, since Kyes was confined, Ryan would handle all the matters for him.

This wasn’t something Darcy had learned through brainwashing. It was simply a future he had read with his insight.

Darcy opened a drawer and tossed something to Kaicen. Kaicen caught the cloak that came flying toward him with impressive speed.

“It’s a cloak embedded with magical tools. It will help you stay unnoticed while shadowing the prince.”

Kaicen’s eyes widened as he examined the cloak.

“Thank you.”

As Darcy said, the hem of the cloak was embedded with an array of magic stones.

Kaicen bowed his head in gratitude.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“I think there’s something we need to talk about later….”

The memory of the time he had beaten Ryan to a pulp made Kaicen shiver.

‘Surely not.’

But then again, they were comrades who had trusted each other in battle. He wouldn’t go that far just because of Marceau Etvar.

“We’ll be working together for a while, so maybe it’s better to get it out of the way now….”

Seeing Darcy muttering something incomprehensible, Kaicen hurriedly changed the subject.

“By the way, there’s a party next week to celebrate your status as prince. Is everything in order for it?”

“…A party?”

“Yes, all the nobles are expected to attend.”

“I’m just finding out about this now.”

Darcy realized just how distracted he had been and let out a hollow laugh.

‘I really have been out of it.’

“All the nobles….”

“Yes.”

Well, then I’ll have to prepare thoroughly.

Darcy whispered to himself as he rose from his seat.

Whatever complicated thoughts he had, one thing was clear: he needed to look his best in front of Marceau.