Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 104

“No matter how much you hate me, you still shouldn’t skip meals. Even your doctor said that—”

“I still don’t want to.”

This time, the silence lasted quite a while.

“If it really makes you uncomfortable, I’ll leave. So please don’t get mad over something like this, Loelle.”

Seeing Reus look so downcast while trying to persuade me started to soften my heart a little.

But suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

That sad expression on such a handsome face—what if he’s doing it on purpose, knowing that it makes me weak?

‘Come to think of it… Haven’t I fallen for this every single time?’

I nearly fell for that face again.

“Even if you leave, I still won’t eat.”

“Lo…el…”

Reus tried to hold onto me, but I quickly pulled my hand away and hurried out of the dining room. I could feel his burning gaze on my back. I didn’t dare turn around, thinking I might see Reus looking heartbreakingly sad—and that might make me waver. So I never looked back.

‘I can get angry too, you know?’

Besides, my life is at stake!

Determined not to fall for Reus this time, I ignored his gaze and kept walking forward.

Originally, I planned to talk to Reus directly, but I changed my mind.

‘I don’t think I can escape right away anyway, not in this state.’

The servants, thinking I was trying to run away, were watching me like hawks. I could barely move freely within the Grand Duke’s estate.

And if Reus really cut off the route between Rochester and Veliata, then even if I miraculously made it to the port, it would be pointless.

So for now, I figured it’d be best to keep him on edge—to keep him too nervous to say anything weird.

‘If he’s nervous, at least he won’t try to act like nothing’s wrong.’

If I ever felt we could talk honestly, then I’d ask him the reason and try to find a compromise.

There’s still some time left before the one-year mark, so I shouldn’t be too hasty…

“No. This isn’t right.”

Now that I think about it, things are starting to resemble the original story, aren’t they? People are starting to act strange.

The direction is a little different, but… seeing how Reus is already starting to change, I don’t even want to imagine how bad it’ll be once we hit one year.

“Let’s just make sure I don’t mess anything up. Then I’ll find a chance and go to a city with a port.”

But if that’s the case, is running away to Veliata no longer an option?

I didn’t know the exact reason yet, but it was clear Reus had no intention of letting me go. Even if I did manage to escape, going to Veliata was out of the question.

‘Yeah… Finding me on that small island wouldn’t even be hard.’

As I thought about where Reus might have the hardest time finding me, a great idea suddenly hit me.

“Oh! I’m so dumb!”

Theron! I had Theron!

I finally remembered the bracelet Theron gave me on the cruise—to use when I was in danger. It had a teleportation spell that would bring him straight to me the moment it broke.

‘He said I could call him anytime I wanted to leave, so I’ll just summon him and ask for help.’

Still, even with a way out, one big problem remained.

‘But I need Reus to not be around to even try anything.’

Sharing a bedroom made it too risky—he could walk in at any moment. If I failed once, I’d never get another chance to use the same trick.

‘Right. I need to make sure I’m alone first.’

So that means…

Just then, the door opened and Reus walked into the bedroom.

He seemed to be trying to come in as late as possible. The way he paused when he saw I wasn’t asleep made it obvious.

But then, as if nothing happened, Reus pretended to act normal.

‘Wait, no. This isn’t normal.’

Usually, as soon as he entered the room, he’d come over, ask how I was, and hold my hand. But now he was doing everything he could to avoid eye contact.

He must really not want to talk about the Veliata trip. Not even a little.

‘So what’s the reason then…?’

Even thinking about it again, the whole situation was ridiculous. But figuring that out could wait. Right now, there was something I had to take care of first.

“I have something to say to you.”

“If it’s about Veliata, I’m really sorry but—”

“It’s not about that.”

Reus isn’t the only one who can break down someone’s guard. I lightly patted the bed next to me, telling him to sit down, with a small smile.

‘He’s suspicious.’

It was kind of funny how suspicious he was being. It’s not like I could overpower him or run away right this second.

“Hurry. It’s important.”

“If you’re not going to listen, then forget it. If you don’t hear it now, I won’t say it again…”

As I turned away, Reus quickly grabbed my arm. If he was going to give in that easily, why was he being so stubborn?

“What do you want to say?”

“Well…”

Now I wasn’t sure how to begin.

I got him to sit down, but now that it was time to talk, I didn’t know how to start.

As the silence dragged on, I could feel Reus growing nervous beside me. I figured overthinking it wouldn’t help, so I just said the first thing that came to mind.

“Let’s sleep in separate rooms.”

“No, I will be sleeping in a different room from now on.”

Come to think of it, I didn’t need his permission for this.

He broke the contract first, so I had no reason to be considerate. Besides, our contract never stated that we had to share the same room. It wasn’t even agreed on verbally.

I already knew where the other bedrooms were, so there was no reason to hesitate. I stood up, but Reus quickly pulled me back down faster than ever.

“Separate rooms? What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean? Just what I said.”

“But we’re still husband and wife—”

“-But we fought. Everyone knows, so no one would be surprised that we’re sleeping separately. Right?”

I tried to get up again, and Reus’s expression turned strangely hurt.

‘Who’s the one who should be feeling hurt right now?!’

Anyway, I thought I had finally gotten through this tough part… but then, Reus wouldn’t let go of my hand.

“Reus. I’m tired. I want to sleep. So—”

“No.”

His voice sounded almost like a child whining. And maybe I wasn’t imagining it—there was a bit of sadness in his already wounded-looking face.

“Loelle… Please, not that. Anything but that…”

What shocked me most was that he actually said “no.”

Reus used to be good at saying no directly, but lately he’d just subtly show he disliked something, avoiding it with vague answers or roundabout comments. It had been a while since he said it so plainly.

“Can’t we think about the separate rooms again? Just one more time?”

He gently played with our joined hands, his fingers fidgeting with anxious energy, not arrogance.

He couldn’t even meet my eyes. That pitiful face made me feel…

‘I almost gave in again.’

But I pulled myself together, knowing that if I caved here, I’d never get another chance to be alone.

“Then… then I don’t want this either!”

Reus was silent, his face filling with pain. We both said we didn’t want it, so why did my refusal hurt him so much?

But still, that was that. I had to meet Theron in secret.

“I told you clearly…”

I carefully tried to pull my hand away. Maybe he was too shocked, because it came loose more easily than I expected. I quickly made my way to the door before he could grab me again.

Reus sat frozen on the bed for a moment, then slowly followed me.

“Loelle, just one more—”

“Don’t follow me.”

“Please don’t go. I was wrong about everything—”

I took two steps back to avoid him getting closer.

“If you come any closer, I’ll run away right now.”

Even though I knew I’d get caught immediately…

Honestly, I wasn’t even confident I could survive a night outside in this chilly weather. So it was an empty threat.

But weirdly, these ridiculous threats worked really well on this man. Reus just stood there like he was under a spell.

Was it too much to use my own health as a threat? Maybe. But it’s my body. So really, what’s the problem?

“Don’t follow me, no matter what.”

And just like that, I managed to escape, leaving Reus standing there, moving only his lips without a sound. A few minutes later, the door handle rattled, but the door never opened.

Still, like I said, I had only cleared one major hurdle. The next morning, Reus knocked on the door earlier than usual, as if he’d been waiting for this moment all night.

‘I did manage to get a separate bedroom, but…’

Now what do I do about meals? I imagined how Reus would react if I said we should eat separately, even just for a while.

A dozen scenes played through my mind. My conclusion was—

‘I guess we’ll have to eat together.’

There was probably no benefit in eating together. But the unpredictable risks of not eating with him were too great.

When I carefully opened the door, Reus, who had already sensed I was coming, raised his arm to escort me.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should take it.

Support