Chapter 7 – Part 5

Ricardo and Glenn had dark circles under their eyes from not having slept at all. Marsden didn’t defend himself, prepared to die at any moment, and Olivia fumed with rage, ready to kill him at any time.

The sorcerer was temporarily imprisoned in a cell Olivia had prepared under Bay’s supervision. Hellebore approved of the arrangement, noting that the changeling was more unruly than the Emperor himself.

“So, Sir Ricardo, couldn’t you have stopped the Duke better?”

“My master is quite stubborn too. Sigh, but it’s still my fault.”

The two men sat side by side on chairs in the prison corridor, repeatedly wiping their faces. Their faces showed deep concern, having been caught between the two fiercely opposing individuals.

“You know, right? With the Marchioness temper… no, personality right now, there’s no way even I can stop her. Especially since the one person who could have made her angry.”

“It’s a bit strange to ask at my age, but what do you think will happen next?”

Ricardo and Glenn both looked towards a certain room.

“What’s certain is that we must never let our guard down. A war could break out in that room at any moment.”

* * *

Marsden and Olivia sat facing each other in Olivia’s office, which doubled as the prison warden’s office.

The atmosphere was as tense as Glenn and Ricardo had described, like the brink of war, though in reality, it was as if the war had already started.

“……”

“……”

Olivia sighed, and Marsden stared at the floor, as if he knew he was guilty. Olivia’s chest felt even tighter at his seemingly resigned demeanor.

Marsden, who had opened the door, had also caught and knocked out Olivia’s knight. When she learned of Marsden’s whereabouts, she had a lot she wanted to say to him. Perhaps, she thought, she wouldn’t just end it with words but would land a punch or two.

However, sitting across from him with her mind settled, not a single word came out.

“How’s your body?”

But it was Olivia who spoke first. Her voice came out in a relatively normal tone, thanks to her having calmed down a bit.

“I’m fine. I received good treatment.”

“Of course you did. Given the side effects of magic, this isn’t your first time, is it?”

“……”

Marsden didn’t respond. Olivia tapped the desk.

‘Why do I feel so upset?’

Naturally, she was angry. She didn’t want to forgive him, and she never wanted to see his face again. She felt like slapping him, kicking him in the shin, and burying him in a remote mountain.

“I have one question first.”

Olivia took a deep breath and looked at Marsden.

“How long has it been like this?”

It was a brief question, but Marsden seemed to understand. A bitter smile spread across his face.

“It’s been quite a while. To be honest, I can’t pinpoint exactly when, but I think it started when you became the head of the family and joined the war. From that day on, my condition started to deteriorate.”

Marsden looked straight into Olivia’s eyes, as if confessing.

“You might not remember, but I remember you from when you were a baby. I’ve loved you in many ways without even knowing what form it took.”

There was a gentle warmth in Marsden’s eyes. Olivia deliberately avoided that gaze.

“When I became your guardian, I was about 10 or 11 years old, and around that time, I lost my parents, brother, and sister. Maybe that’s why I accepted the position of guardian.”

“Can a 10-year-old really be a guardian?”

“If I didn’t, I felt the Palmer family wouldn’t leave you alone.”

Indeed, when Olivia was left alone, she was only about three or four years old.

“Even so, I can’t escape responsibility. Even though I was young, I couldn’t stop you from being abused.”

“Well, you couldn’t be there 24/7. As an outsider, it would have been hard to gather evidence.”

Olivia accepted the past calmly. But Marsden was different.

“Still, I really blame myself. Even if I was young, as your guardian, I should have protected you. But I was…”

Marsden’ face twisted as if in pain.

“I was immersed in the shock of losing my family, so maybe I ignored your suffering. I thought I should find out belatedly, so…”

“So you accepted the position as my tutor.”

“Yes.”

Marsden unbuttoned the top of his shirt, revealing the bandages wrapped around his body.

“Even for me, as an outsider, I had to investigate thoroughly. Naturally, seeing you often made me love you. The problem is…”

“That it lead to overprotection?”

Marsden confirmed with silence. Olivia narrowed her eyes and glared at Marsden.

“I was so afraid I’d go mad every time you went to war. Accompanying you would have been external interference, and besides that, I had to fulfill the family’s mission of exterminating sorcerers. The bigger fear was…”

Marsden paused to catch his breath and continued.

“That they found out you were my weakness.”

“……”

“I left you. I was away from the empire for over a year. You begged and begged me not to face it alone, but I couldn’t take you into that hell. Knowing you were enduring another hell.”

Marsden looked at Olivia as if pleading.

“I… really have no one but you left.”

“……”

“But when I came back, you announced your engagement to Gael Abyss, and even after Abyss got involved with Lady Bartram, I didn’t know what to do and just hovered around you. Then you… disappeared like that.”

Marsden’ cheek twitched as if enduring pain.

“Buddy, I’ll keep doing this. Even if you tell me not to, even if you tell me to be honest, I’ll hide things and deceive you under the selfish guise of protecting you. I won’t be your enemy, but I won’t be a complete ally either.”

Marsden laughed as if he were about to cry.

“Aren’t you sick of this pattern, Buddy? You scold me, I confess all my sins like in front of a priest, you forgive me again, and I stick to you like nothing happened. This whole process repeats over and over.”

Marsden stood up and walked towards Olivia. Then, placing his hand on the armrest of her chair, he trapped her in his embrace.

“I’ll keep doing this, Buddy.”

Marsden repeated the same words, then slowly knelt on the floor. It made him look like he was indeed a condemned man.

“I’ll accept your decision.”

Olivia was exasperated. She turned her body sideways towards him, crossing her legs.

“Even if I say I never want to see you again?”

“I’d still hover around you until I die… but if that’s what you want, I won’t appear in front of you.”

Olivia stood up from her chair and knelt facing him. The fact that he seemed to have anticipated even this situation annoyed her.

That annoyance turned into a sudden impulse.

“……!”

Olivia grabbed Marsden’s collar and kissed him. As she teased his cold lips, Marsden responded desperately, clutching her tightly. His large hand pulled at her pale neck, and their breaths intertwined deeply.

Marsden seemed to think this was the end.

“Ha…”

Leaving a heated aftertaste, Olivia pulled back. Marsden’s eyes reddened as if tears were about to fall.

As he had said, this man would continue to act this way in the future. He wouldn’t be entirely selfish, nor entirely honest.

This made Olivia even angrier, filled her with pity, and stirred an unending affection. She worried about him to the point of madness, wanting to confirm his warmth and to tease him.

Though she achieved both goals, a bitter taste lingered in her mouth.

“You know, Marsden, the reason you’re in so much pain isn’t because of a curse, but because of the side effects, right? The curse the sorcerer placed on you was nothing compared to this.”

Olivia traced Marsden’s lips, glistening with saliva, with her fingertip.

“You became a monster to catch a monster. And you distanced yourself from me, fearing I might become a monster too.”

“…Buddy.”

Marsden’s complexion turned pale as if sensing something ominous.

“Teach me magic too.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Then should I learn it on my own? Should you kill me if I do?”

“Please!”

Marsden shook his head desperately, almost begging. He planted his large hands on the floor.

“Buddy, no. Anything but that… please…”

“You said you’d accept any decision.”

“Then, something with minimal side effects…”

“No, I want you to teach me what you’ve been doing.”

Olivia smiled brightly.

She recalled the wounds of the captured sorcerer. That guy was formidable too, but he wasn’t as impressive as Marsden. His body wasn’t as scarred as Marsden’s.

Something was there. Marsden had paid a terrible price, and Olivia instinctively knew it was because of her.

“The one who tried to kill me might be a sorcerer. Right? Marsden, you just said it. I’m your weakness.”

Marsden’s jaw tightened. Olivia lightly kissed his lips again. This fool couldn’t even avoid such mockery.

“There’s no harsher punishment for you than me holding myself hostage.”

Olivia burrowed into Marsden’s embrace, not forgetting to remove her gloves. She held Marsden’ hand tightly.

Then she unwound the bandages around his neck and licked the still-bleeding wounds.

“Ha…”

Olivia watched Marsden groan with delight.

“There’s something you overlooked. I have no intention of forgiving you for this. This is my sentence for you.”

She pressed her lips to his wounds as she spoke.

“In that sense, show me your bare body. I need to prepare myself since I’ll soon be like you.”

* * *