"...Please don't be mad at me… I mean, you have every right to be mad, but…"
Theo's voice broke the silence again, heavy with guilt.
Wait, had Theo caught on to his forced smile? But why ask him not to be angry?
"The truth is… I cast a spell on you, Damien. A spell that lets me detect lies…"
…Huh?
"...Huh?" Damien blinked in disbelief.
Wait, what? A spell that detects lies?
Was there really such a convenient spell?
If a spell like that existed, catching criminals would be a piece of cake.
A cheat spell like that? You don't even hear about those in most fiction.
"No… no way…"
"…It's true. I'm really sorry…" Theo, still sitting on the floor, looked down in shame.
'You don't hear about it much,' which means… sometimes, you do.
"When… since when?" Damien asked, completely forgetting to maintain his usual formal tone in the face of this shocking revelation.
Not that there had been any point in being formal, considering everything.
"…Since the moment you said you were from Earth, back in the prison," Theo replied quietly.
"Since back then… this whole time?" Damien asked, stunned.
Theo nodded silently in response.
Wait, so all his efforts up until now…?
But then again, if Theo was telling the truth, the spell only detected lies, not thoughts. That meant Damien hadn't told any disastrous lies, at least. Even if Theo had realized that Damien wasn't as calm as he claimed to be, it would be natural to feel anxious in a situation like this.
As long as he didn't lie from now on, maybe he could salvage the situation.
"I'm sorry… It's true that saying I wasn't anxious was—"
"And also!" Theo interrupted, cutting off Damien's attempt at an excuse.
"And also… last night… I-I didn't mean to, but… I accidentally overheard… in the bedroom…"
Oh no.
Theo had overheard that? He had heard Damien crying his eyes out, begging to go home?
So that's why Theo had been acting strange… because of that.
Sure, he had been at his breaking point, but still… how could he have been so careless?
"I-I'm the one who should be apologizing…" Damien stammered, unsure of how to recover from the embarrassment.
There was no excuse he could offer anymore.
Now that he thought about it, despite being asked countless times about his health and discomforts, not once had anyone asked him directly, "Do you want to go home?"
"I should be the one apologizing. Even though you were feeling so anxious, I was too caught up in my own happiness… I don't know how I can ever make it up to you," Theo said, his voice heavy with guilt.
Despite Damien's lies, Theo wasn't angry. In fact, he was worried about Damien's feelings instead.
What a good person.
Sure, Theo had some quirks, but Damien now felt a pang of guilt for ever doubting him or trying to manipulate the situation. It didn't feel right.
"I'll do my best from now on to make sure you never feel anxious again. Please, forgive me," Theo continued, bowing his head.