Chapter 63
Because of me?
Lucy understood Bartholomew’s words even less.
“You gave me courage.”
Bartholomew stepped closer to Lucy.
“I told you before. Duke Faraday deserved to die. I knew that, but I didn’t have the courage to reveal it. I was nothing more than a puppet, living exactly as he ordered.”
“……”
“But after meeting you, Lucy, I changed. I decided not to be used like a fool anymore.”
Bartholomew lowered his eyes.
“For the time I have left, I decided to live happily.”
He lifted his gaze and looked at Lucy again.
“As I always have—together with you.”
At the moment he spoke more seriously than ever—
Ding!
[The Aesthetic Skill has increased by 2.]
[The Aesthetic Skill has reached MAX level.]
[The “Gushing” stat has improved.]
[Gushing: 80 → Gushing: 100]
Lucy was stunned for a moment.
She never expected the Aesthetic Skill to reach max level in such a serious situation.
She almost felt annoyed that it had to happen right now.
But her frustration faded when another system message appeared.
[Because you have reached MAX level in the Aesthetic Skill, you can now use the item “Eye Drops of Truth.”]
Lucy remembered the Eye Drops of Truth.
She had obtained them while fishing and forgot about them because they seemed useless.
Lucy believed the Aesthetic Skill wasn’t just a pointless skill that raised her gushing stat.
The Bibliophile skill had seemed useless too, but it gave her access to the imperial underground library and revealed the truth about her mother’s false charges.
“Maybe the Aesthetic Skill is important too.”
As she thought that—
[Would you like to use the “Eye Drops of Truth”?]
[- Yes]
[- No]
Lucy chose “Yes.”
A new status window appeared next to Bartholomew.
[Name: Bartholomew Faraday]
[Age: 17]
[Status: Addicted]
Lucy blinked.
This status window was different from the other male leads.
There was no affection level, and the trait section only said “Addicted.”
“Addicted?”
As if reading her thoughts, another system window appeared.
[Bartholomew Faraday is currently in an addicted state.]
[He is under a dark magic curse and has a limited lifespan.]
[Because you used the “Eye Drops of Truth,” you can now see the curse surrounding him.]
Lucy looked at Bartholomew again.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
She could clearly feel a black aura surrounding him.
It wrapped around his body and climbed upward, like a snake.
As if warning that once it fully covered him, he would be in danger.
“Bartholomew is dying.”
Lucy was shocked.
She knew his body was weak, but deep down she believed it wasn’t a fatal illness.
She trusted him because he had said so.
“Bartholomew.”
Lucy called him in a worried voice.
“Is your body sick because of a curse?”
Bartholomew’s eyes widened slightly.
“If you don’t break this curse… will you die?”
Bartholomew stared at Lucy in silence.
Then, slowly, he opened his mouth.
“How did you know?”
Lucy felt despair.
His reaction was basically an admission.
Ding!
[First Hidden Quest Completed!]
[Discover the two secrets Bartholomew holds. (1/2)]
[You have discovered that Bartholomew has a limited lifespan due to a curse.]
[Help him escape the curse.]
[With your abilities, this is possible.]
[Tip: Actively use your items.]
With my abilities, it’s possible?
How could she possibly save Bartholomew?
But the moment Lucy learned that he was destined to die, she realized she couldn’t abandon him.
She didn’t want to see Bartholomew die.
“More importantly… dark magic?”
Who in the empire would use forbidden dark magic?
Especially after what happened to Lucy’s mother, dark magic had been even more strictly banned.
Suddenly, Lucy’s eyes widened.
“The one who cursed you with dark magic… was it Duke Faraday?”
Bartholomew nodded quietly.
“How could he do that to his own child?”
Lucy couldn’t believe Duke Faraday’s actions.
What could he possibly gain by cursing his own son?
Unlike Lucy, who was furious, Bartholomew only smiled faintly.
That smile said everything.
He clearly didn’t want to talk about Duke Faraday anymore.
What mattered to him now was Lucy.
How did Lucy know right away that he was under a dark magic curse?
“Lucy can have one secret she can’t tell me too.”
Bartholomew decided not to think deeply about it.
Since he didn’t have much time left, he didn’t want to waste it on meaningless things.
“Lucy.”
Bartholomew called her.
“Do you want to go out and have fun?”
Lucy frowned.
“You’re dying, and you want to go out and have fun?”
“That’s exactly why.”
Bartholomew continued calmly.
“Once I’m dead, I won’t be able to see you anymore.”
“……”
“I made these choices to spend more time with you.”
Lucy felt his words had two meanings.
I became the heir to be with you.
I gave up everything to be with you.
It was already decided that Bartholomew would become the heir of the Faraday family.
But the time he could enjoy that position was short.
Even so, he wanted to spend that precious time with her.
“No.”
“……So you don’t want to be with me anymore?”
Bartholomew asked in a lower voice.
His blue eyes darkened.
Lucy shook her head.
“No. I want to be with you for a long time.”
She grabbed his arm with both hands.
“Bartholomew. Let’s fix this curse.”
“……”
“Let’s cure it and make you healthy. Then we can spend much more time together.”
“……”
“So don’t give up.”
Bartholomew said nothing.
He only looked at Lucy quietly.
Then he smiled faintly.
“Alright.”
As always, he accepted Lucy’s suggestion.
As if it were a habit.
But Lucy was staring straight into his eyes, so she knew.
That answer was a lie.
Bartholomew didn’t believe he could be cured.
He just agreed because Lucy asked him to.
Lucy felt an emotion she couldn’t put into words.
Soon, she realized it was affection mixed with sadness.
Bartholomew, smiling while having given up on life, looked pitiful.
She wanted to give him hope.
“The system said I can do it.”
How could she save Bartholomew?
At that moment—
“Woof! Woof!”
Cerberus came running, barking fiercely.
He bared his teeth and growled at Bartholomew.
Seeing this, Bartholomew chuckled and looked at Lucy.
“Do you still think Cerberus likes me?”
Lucy didn’t answer.
She stared at Cerberus, then at Bartholomew.
Looking back and forth between them, Lucy’s eyes widened as something clicked.
“That’s right. Cerberus protects his master from evil power.”
Only then did she understand Cerberus’s behavior.
He had been wary of Bartholomew because he was cursed by dark magic.
“If Cerberus is with me, I’m safe from dark magic.”
Lucy needed to think of a way to use this to remove Bartholomew’s curse.
The system had said it clearly.
Use your items actively.
