Chapter 05
“…Tired of it?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to meet anyone. I just want to lock myself away with my cat for the rest of my life. That sounds like the happiest thing ever.”
“…Do you even know what it means to lock yourself away?”
I was puzzled by his tone, like he had some authority on the subject.
What about you? As a merchant, you must be out and about all the time, so how would you know?
I pushed the question aside and answered his inquiry first.
“Yeah.”
Darcy’s eyes widened as he stared at me.
He leaned a little closer, looking like he wanted to talk to me more.
“So, what do you plan to do with this magical device?”
“I’m going to record operas and plays just to watch by myself. Not stepping outside even once.”
“Wait, are you really saying the only daughter of the Marquis of Etuard wants to lock herself up voluntarily?”
I felt a bit embarrassed by Darcy’s comment, especially since he seemed so intrigued by it.
I dodged the topic, trying to change the subject.
“…Yeah, so what about the item?”
Darcy chuckled at my response.
“Of course, I brought what you requested.”
His half-closed eyes gleamed dangerously.
He smiled and licked his lips.
“I always get things done well.”
His low voice felt like it was sticking to my ears.
“Show me your hands.”
He requested, and I extended both my hands.
I couldn’t be bothered to call out his rudeness.
Honestly, everything besides my confinement was just a hassle.
“You look nothing like I expected…”
Darcy murmured while resting his chin on his hand.
I almost turned away because his intense gaze was too handsome.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
I replied casually and turned my head slightly.
It was hard to keep eye contact without my heart racing.
“Here.”
Darcy placed something in my hands.
My skin felt warm as it touched his. I was surprised by the warmth of his hand, different from how he usually looked.
…Can I finally record video? And playback too?
As my heart raced with excitement, I was about to check the magical device when he spoke again.
“Let’s change our contract.”
What did he find unsatisfactory? I didn’t want to lose someone like him who made a magical device in such a short time…
I was thinking of some tempting conditions for him when he said,
“I’ve grown interested in this confinement lifestyle. Can you show me how it works?”
Darcy said with a bright smile, his face shining like he had a halo behind him.
***
Darcy was fed up with the confinement lifestyle.
The reason he planned to leave for another country instead of seeking revenge was to break free from this cycle.
The emperor, who only wanted to use him, and those around him who turned a blind eye to it.
Humans are incredibly selfish creatures.
So, the thought that someone could enjoy confinement never crossed his mind.
Sure, he knew there were all kinds of people in the world, but he thought the desire for freedom was a fundamental human instinct.
It was a bizarre taste, he thought.
“I’m just tired of meeting people.”
The expression on her face as she said that seemed oddly unfamiliar.
The face filled with unspoken struggles couldn’t possibly belong to the only daughter of the Marquis of Etuard, who had lived without lack.
It was strange to see her downcast eyes filled with a lonely light.
What a strange woman.
From her first request to her answer now, she always exceeded my expectations.
“Let’s change our contract.”
His reasoning was a bit blunt, almost impulsive, but he didn’t regret it.
He was curious about what she was thinking, discussing confinement in front of someone who had lived in the shadows for so long.
She looked cautious at his words.
“Why do you want to?”
“I spend too much time alone too.”
“But you’re a merchant?”
“I’m not as popular as you think.”
“…”
He looked skeptical, but that was the truth.
If he had been popular, he wouldn’t just be a hidden prince trying to escape to another country; he’d be living a brilliant life like the current Emperor, Ryan Stregern.
If he could just get through this birthday properly… it wasn’t an impossible dream.
He could challenge the fight for the imperial throne, but he didn’t want to endure a long wait for something like that, nor did he feel any attachment to it.
There was no fundamental reason to lay down roots here.
Thinking about wasted time made him reluctant to seek revenge.
Life is short.
He wanted to live the remaining time doing what he wanted.
…While atoning for what he had done.
Having lived under pressure for so long, he liked freedom and impulse, and his current choice stemmed from that.
He didn’t think this choice would change his life.
Darcy casually tried to persuade her.
“There aren’t many people who can make something like this.”
He said that knowing how genuine she was about the magical device.
Startled, She sighed and eventually led him to another room.
Of course, before moving, she made sure to keep the conditions of their contract by clearing the area of people.
Darcy followed her.
Although he had heard of the Marquis of Etuard, it was his first time exploring the mansion.
The mansion, which he was seeing for the first time, was just as grand as its reputation.
The chandeliers and murals were a clear display of wealth.
I wondered how much they had spent to decorate the place like a cinema. With that thought in mind, Darcy stared at the door intensely.
Marsau opened the door and guided him in.
“…This is the theater.”
As he looked around the room, Darcy raised an eyebrow. What was this?
“Surprisingly simple, isn’t it?”
Marsau chuckled awkwardly at Darcy’s reaction.
“This is more than just simple.”
Despite the sarcastic tone, Marsau didn’t argue. It was clear she knew that was true.
If she knew that, then why did she set it up like this? Confusing questions kept piling up.
As soon as they entered the room, Marsau placed the magical device on a drawer next to a plush bed that looked like a chair.
“It’s a shame there’s nothing recorded yet…”
“Since I didn’t have anything to record in advance.”
“Oh, that’s fine.”
Recording what’s in the room would just show me sniffing scented candles anyway.
Marsau activated the magical device.
An appropriately sized screen appeared on the wall in front of the bed.
Although nothing had been recorded yet, they were just displaying the screen.
“Wow, this is really amazing…”
“What, just this much?”
Darcy shrugged.
Making it had been kind of fun for him, too.
He was still looking around the room.
There were three beds, all facing the walls.
An old-fashioned gramophone caught the eye, but aside from that, the room was almost empty.
There were no drawers or wardrobes.
Wasn’t this room a bit too empty for anything?
“So you’re saying you’re going to be cooped up in here? What the hell are you going to do?”
“Oh, I’ll just lie around listening to music, usually.
I’ll be watching videos soon, too.
Reading books and eating good food.”
Darcy was left speechless.
“…You’re not going outside just to do that?”
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand the answer.
Marsau nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I had to ask out of curiosity; I was going to go crazy if I just went back like this.
“Why aren’t you going outside?”
“I like being alone.”
“…You like being alone?”
That was such a bizarre answer that I frowned, and Marsau rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
“Merchants probably have less time to be alone. Well, since you’re curious, I’ll let you experience it once. It’s surprisingly comfortable and nice. Here, try lying on the other bed.”
With the naive eyes he looked at me as if he thought I wouldn’t know what it was like to be stuck in a room all day, a strange rebelliousness rose up in me.
You’ve spent almost your entire life around people, so what right do you have to say that? If anyone knows what it’s like to be alone, it’s me.
‘Even I think this is ridiculously childish.’
I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat.
“You said you were curious, so I’ll show you.”
Marsau looked at him wide-eyed, as if wondering why he wasn’t following the suggestion.
Darcy lay down with a reluctant expression.
The bed turned out to be much more comfortable and of better quality than he expected.
“My favorite times are around midnight and dawn.”
Marsau pulled the curtains in the room. The curtains were thick enough that not a single ray of the bright sunlight outside could come in.
As the room darkened, the atmosphere shifted.
It felt like it was very late at night, or maybe early morning.
Marsau walked over to the gramophone.
“This is my favorite musician, Chopin.”
“I don’t know much about music.”
He absolutely hated jargon he didn’t understand.
He hadn’t been in a situation where he could be interested in that sort of thing.
Marsau smiled, saying it was fine.
“I don’t know much about merchants either. That’s natural.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
She played the music. It was a soft melody.
The performance of an unknown pianist flowed into his ears.
It was quiet.
The piano melody filled the room.
Marsau flopped down onto her bed and pulled the covers over herself. She closed her eyes.
“This is how you just lie there and space out. Listening to the songs.”
“…Is that all?”
“Yep. Sometimes I read books, too. Just spending time alone while lying down.”
“…This seems a lot different from what I imagined confinement would be like.”
Darcy got up quietly, drawn in by Marsau’s expression as he spoke.
He moved closer to Marsau, who was lying still.
The magic tool in his eye allowed him to see clearly even in the darkness.
Marsau lay there comfortably, staring at the ceiling.
He had a rather blank expression.
What could possibly be so scary? They say humans are the scariest animals, but someone like Marsau Etwar should be able to use people to her advantage, right? She had enough wealth and power for that.
“Why? You’re the only daughter of the Marquis Etuard, who has everything.”
“Just because I’m the only daughter doesn’t mean I’m not human, right?”
Darcy hesitated at the heavy words.
It was a similar look to before.
Maybe his silence was a silent signal that it was okay to keep talking, and Marsau’s mouth opened again.
“Relationships always flow differently than I expect. I need some time away from people to have my own space.”
After hearing about her life, Darcy immediately gave his opinion without holding back.
“You’re getting worn out because you’re worried about people. You could just live without thinking about it in the first place.”
But Marsau replied with a smile at his harsh criticism.
“I’m planning to live like that from now on.”
Her quick agreement was almost embarrassing for Darcy.
“…”
“I need to stop getting hurt now.”
The sincerity on her face was oddly captivating.
It made her seem strangely precarious.
He didn’t know how to comfort her.
Darcy just quietly observed Marsau, who was lying down listening to music, and asked,
“What do you want this time?”
“Oh, right. This time…”
It was then.
Marsau’s eyes began to sparkle like they had when they first met.
“I want a device that amplifies the screen to fill the wall when playing with this magic tool.”
“…The wall?”
“Yeah, the whole wall is going to be a screen.”
Her face lit up with excitement as she spoke.
The stark contrast…
It bothered him just a little.
