Chapter 6 – Part 1

Olivia felt overwhelmed by the flood of thoughts in her mind, unsure of where to start. She knew that speaking kindly wouldn’t calm Marsden down. What should she do next?

Should she start by snapping at him, asking if he thought she was doing all this for her own sake? As she pondered, Marsden spoke first.

“Buddy, I don’t understand why you’re here.”

“……”

“You think Harry Palmer hired some sorcerer to curse me and meet secretly in this place, and that there would be evidence here? What kind of evidence were you expecting to find? Tell me, Buddy.”

Marsden stroked Olivia’s cheek with his thumb. The tender gesture nearly made her crumble.

The reason was simple. She believed the sorcerer had come here secretly to collect stones that were effective for curses, and that Harry Palmer had also sneaked into the forest to hand over additional materials needed for the curse. This meant there had to be a hideout or at least some trace left behind by the sorcerer. If the sorcerer wasn’t Gael Abyss, there would surely be evidence.

“Mas”

“Buddy, do you think a madman who agreed to curse the duke would leave evidence lying around?”

She thought it might be better to calm him down by sharing her thoughts and plans. But Marsden was faster. He wasn’t in a state to listen calmly.

“Marsden, listen to me!”

“Why do you always make people anxious?”

Olivia flinched. Marsden’s harsh words hit her again.

“Why do you make everyone around you suffer?”

“Is it your specialty to make people anxious? I can’t trust you with anything, can I?”

“Answer me. Why are you putting me through this? Didn’t you hear me the first time?”

“The more you act incompetently, the more obvious it is who will get hurt, isn’t it? The more you fail, the more the duke will suffer from cold, broken bones, and wounds. If you don’t want the duke to end up like that…”

Harry’s voice buzzed in her ears.

“I told you to act properly.”

Olivia felt something very important in her heart snap.

“Act properly?”

“I just meant to tell you not to do anything dangerous…”

“Who are you to tell me that?”

“……”

Olivia swatted Marsden’s hand away coldly. The small spark in her heart flared into a hotter fire.

“You think I’m doing this just for myself? I’m doing this because I don’t want you, already covered in scars, to get hurt anymore. Every time that madman gaslit me and hurt you, even though I can’t remember it, I still feel the pain. That’s why I’m doing this. In this horrible life, you’re the one person who treated me like a human being, and I don’t want you to suffer more.”

The anger and sorrow she’d been suppressing erupted simultaneously. Marsden’s eyes wavered violently.

“Buddy, I…”

“You used a spell to make someone love another man. What’s so great about that? But you at least admitted your mistake and apologized. That’s more than other scum would do. Still, it hurt so much that I struggled. I didn’t even ask you to bear it.”

Olivia rubbed her eyes with her palm. The wetness wasn’t from the rain.

“Why are you acting like this because I broke one promise?”

Marsden froze, all his authority gone. Only then did he seem to realize what he’d said and done. Olivia let out a bitter laugh.

“You were my teacher, my mentor, and now you’re saying you love me.”

“……”

“You’re no longer both my teacher and lover. Consider yourself removed from my heart.”

Olivia walked past the frozen Marsden, leaving the cabin and trudging away.

“Buddy!”

Marsden hurriedly chased after her, grabbing her. Despite thinking she’d walked quickly, he caught up in no time. Olivia shook her arm, annoyed, but Marsden held on as if his life depended on it.

“Buddy, I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“……”

“I should’ve asked if you were hurt first. I knew that was the right thing to do. But seeing the wound made me panic. I made a mistake.”

Marsden loosened his grip but didn’t let go.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken so rudely. I was wrong.”

It felt like she was looking down on him, even though he was the one being looked up to. Olivia sighed and looked at his handsome face, dripping with rain.

His cheeks had hollowed, and his cheekbones were more pronounced. His eyes were red and trembling, making him look even more fragile.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Just…”

Marsden gripped her thin wrist tightly with trembling hands.

“Just let me stay by your side.”

Marsden closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again. His resolve not to let her go was clear despite his fear.

Olivia hated people who acted thoughtlessly and then apologized. But she couldn’t bring herself to hate the person who came to find her despite being in pain.

“Your actions just now could make someone scared or hurt. I’m angry because you’re better than that, but you still did it.”

Olivia used her free hand to brush Marsden’s hair back, then gently stroked his cheek. Marsden’s lips trembled.

“Promise me one thing, Mas.”

“Okay.”

It was funny how he agreed without knowing what it was. This time, Olivia held Marsden’s cheeks with both hands.

“Your mission was to eradicate magic, right? And Harry Palmer used that magic to threaten me. He used you as a hostage. I think you probably hid your pain from me, so…”

Olivia took a deep breath and continued speaking.

“Never use magic again, even if it’s for healing.”

“Then…,” Marsden placed his hand over Olivia’s hand on his cheek.

“Will you let me stay by your side?”

Until he heard that answer, this man wouldn’t leave her side. She thought it might be okay, but being honest would be better if he would stick around like a leech anyway.

“Alright.”

For the first time since entering the forest, Olivia smiled genuinely.

“Don’t get hurt, okay? I’ll keep you close from now on.”

Marsden nodded and gently took Olivia’s hand from his cheek.

She expected him to suggest going inside. Instead, he cupped her cheeks with both hands, as if she was precious.

She could guess what he would do next. Curious about how it would feel, Olivia closed her eyes.

A soft touch landed on her lips. It was a brief, fleeting kiss, yet more intense than any other moment.

* * *

Embarrassment was something for her future self to deal with.

Marsden, whose nurturing side had intensified, personally heated water and filled the bathtub. Meanwhile, Olivia wrapped herself in a blanket Marsden had somehow found, under the curious gazes of Glenn and Ronae. Their glances seemed to say, ‘We saw you making a scene.’

‘Hmm, maybe I should have just died earlier.’

Olivia wished she could dig a hole and hide. If the rain stopped, she could wander around, but it was pouring harder than before, making that impossible. Maybe wandering the forest and dying would be better?

“Olivia, the bathwater is ready.”

Marsden peeked out of the bathroom with a fresh face.

‘Quiet down, you idiot.’

* * *

The biggest issue was that even if she took a bath, there were no clothes to wear. Everyone was in the same boat, drying themselves by the fire. Ronae, being pregnant, worried Olivia despite her embarrassment.

“You’re more considerate than your teacher. I’m touched, Buddy.”

So Olivia let Ronae take the warm bath first. Though it was uncomfortable to put on wet clothes again, Ronae gratefully accepted Olivia’s offer. Marsden looked at her with pride, which made her feel awkward.

Olivia then went upstairs with Marsden to the bedroom. Marsden personally stoked the fireplace and wrapped a blanket around her.

“I’ll stoke the fire and leave. Get comfortable.”

He seemed more relaxed than when they were fighting outside, but still looked exhausted. It made sense, considering he’d run here and fought with her despite not being in good health.

“Are there more bedrooms?”

“Plenty. Don’t worry and rest. You’ve been through a lot because of me.”

His voice was thick with guilt and apology. Olivia made a sound and patted the spot next to her.

“Come here. I have a question.”

“The bed will get wet.”

“Then should we talk without clothes on?”

“No.”

Marsden shivered. He seemed like a different person from the man who’d kissed her neck earlier, acting like a timid herbivore. He sighed and rubbed his face.

“Buddy, don’t joke about that, even in jest. Maintaining composure in that area is really hard.”

It didn’t seem like a lie. After all, he’d shown no restraint when they’d kissed earlier.

Maybe feeling bad about that, Marsden sat a little distance away, stubbornly staring at the fire to control himself. It was amusing.

“I said I reappeared after half a year.”

“Yeah.”

The firelight flickered, but Marsden’s expression was hard to read. Olivia subtly closed the distance.

“Where were you during that time?”

Marsden opened his mouth, then closed it. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk, but he seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

“…I was looking for you.”

Marsden turned his head to take in her face.

“Everyone else said you were dead, but I couldn’t believe it. Believing that meant giving up on my life, and that felt like giving up hope of finding you.”

His voice was low and calm, like a confession.

“I hurt you a lot. If magic hadn’t become so corrupted, maybe our family wouldn’t have been destroyed by it. Then I wouldn’t have lost them, and I wouldn’t have hurt you. There were many times I kept my distance, afraid you’d get hurt.”

Olivia took a quiet breath. She’d never thought deeply about why he was alone in the duke’s family. Guilt washed over her.

“Did you find the culprit?”