Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 113

Reus barely swallowed his loud words and slowly lowered his shoulders, as if calming his emotions.

“Loelle… you must not meet the Emperor.”

“If you don’t want to, then just come with me. Since Reus will be with me at the palace, His Majesty won’t cause any trouble.”

“I hate the idea of you being in danger. Please… please think about it once more.”

“You know this is something you have to face at least once, Reus.”

Reus’s voice that followed sounded very gloomy.

“This is something I must face alone, Loelle…”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who expected it to end like this.

That day, Reus left early, so we couldn’t finish our conversation. I felt he needed some time to think, so I didn’t bring it up again immediately.

But Reus didn’t come to me unless there was something really necessary, probably because he was worried I might bring it up. Thanks to that, he came back to the bedroom quite late.

He could have stayed away completely, but maybe his conscience bothered him, so he returned, even if late. Tonight, too, Reus entered the bedroom past midnight.

For a few days, I stayed quiet without saying anything, but now it seemed time to talk about the Emperor again.

“Reus.”

Reus stopped immediately at my call just as he was heading to the bathroom.

“I’ll wash up first.”

His voice, filled with complicated feelings, disappeared with him toward the bathroom.

‘I’m not afraid of him either…’

But Reus excluded me from all problems more than necessary. If he hadn’t called Theron that day to ask why, he might have missed that the knight had visited the Duke’s castle.

‘Yes. No matter how I think about it, this is right.’

For Reus’s sake, and for mine.

Soon, Reus came out of the bathroom later than usual and slowly approached the bed. Maybe disappointed that I wasn’t asleep, he sighed deeply and then sat down beside me as if giving up.

After a moment, Reus, who moved his lips, finally brought up the Emperor.

“Are you still thinking the same?”

“Yes. I believe this is the right thing to do.”

“Can’t you think about it one last time?”

Instead of words, Reus pleaded by tightly holding my hand.

“Even if you ask like this…”

It was hard for me too, holding onto someone who said no and waiting for a fixed answer. I knew well that he was only stopping me because he worried about me. But the only thing I could say was this:

“I’m sorry.”

“No. I’m sorry for making you apologize, Loelle. It’s not your fault, but I dragged you into this…”

“Reus.”

I called the man who was about to blame himself again in front of me. Today, his usually cold blue eyes showed no hiding of emotions. His anxious gaze met mine more than ever before.

“Loelle. Then just promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t leave my side, not even for a moment, while we are at the palace.”

“All right. I will do that.”

Though I gave him the answer he wanted, Reus’s anxiety did not lessen at all.

Den decided to punish Reus’s rude behavior of going against his will. He planned to use the Plona Marquis family to kill the Duchess. But the Duchess did not die.

Since hearing that, Den’s mood had been unsettled.

It was already a miracle she survived, but not only did she survive, she fully recovered.

That meant Reus had regained his family’s power and had completely deceived him.

Still, Den wasn’t as angry about the Duchess surviving or Reus’s long-hidden lies as one might think.

What truly unsettled Den was that his prediction—that the Duchess’s death would be a big hardship for Reus—was betrayed. Reus had overcome the crisis too easily.

For a long time, Den thought Reus’s life was always easy.

Strangely, Den had thought this ever since Reus was born.

He didn’t like that Reus was born into the empire’s best family and received unconditional love from his parents. His tutors praised him as a genius and spoke highly of his future—even before it arrived. Not just that, everything Reus faced inside and outside the Duke’s castle seemed to bless his birth.

It was a perfect life that made one feel as if the whole world existed for him.

The flawless child’s life reminded Den of his twisted emotions, and Reus’s pure face reminded him of his own painful childhood—his completely opposite, ugly past.

Then one day, Rikassen died.

Although Den didn’t plan it this way, instead of his plan failing, Reus’s life was thrown into the mud.

Watching the shining past fade and the boy break apart brought Den an unprecedented pleasure. Den molded Reus’s life as he wished.

So the light of the world would never shine on him again.

But even if the Emperor tried to push Reus into a dead end, it was useless. The world still seemed to favor Reus. Even on battlefields where defeat was certain, Reus survived stubbornly—and even gained victories praised by all the empire’s people.

Every time that happened, Den’s twisted feelings remained, but he was fine.

After all, Reus was just his pet playing on his palm. To pity a poor dog who barks or whines was a luxury.

But Reus’s life got a new ray of sunshine.

Loelle Ivelle—the daughter of the one who caused the carriage accident. A very weak woman. Yet, she became Reus’s greatest weakness.

Den thought it would be easier to control Reus if he kept her close like a leash…

But the plan was completely wrong.

‘My eyes hidden in the Duke’s castle were all cut off. I need another way.’

The watchers the Emperor hid inside the Duke’s castle were all eliminated by Reus when Loelle collapsed. Starting with the maid Enni that Loelle and Millie had met before, then the servants, kitchen staff, even the stable master—no traitors hiding in the castle were left.

Because of that, no one could hear news from inside the castle anymore. Meanwhile, the social circle kept spreading stories of the couple’s happiness.

That the Duke rarely left the castle due to the Duchess’s worries, that their relationship grew stronger after that incident, and that they were an unbreakable couple like no other.

Because of this, the Emperor felt a kind of defeat for a while and focused only on making Reus suffer. Neglecting even state affairs, Den finally came up with a good plan.

He could no longer threaten the Duchess’s life, but Loelle was still Reus’s weakness. So if he couldn’t use that card himself or destroy it, he’d make sure no one else could have it.

‘I thought disappearing by death would be painful…’

Den thought it might be just as interesting to watch the one who gave everything but was abandoned by the one they loved.

With the servant’s voice, the door opened, and the Duke Rochester and his wife appeared. The Emperor greeted them with a brighter smile than ever. At this moment, he genuinely welcomed their visit.

“We greet His Majesty the Emperor.”

Reus was upset by the Emperor’s cheerful expression upon seeing the healthy Duchess. That look wasn’t hiding anything; it truly showed he was glad Loelle had recovered.

What on earth was the Emperor’s intention, looking so excited?

Reus’s thoughts were cut short by the Emperor’s high spirits.

“Well then, both of you, please sit.”

The Emperor was pleased by Reus’s anxious and awkward behavior, then shifted his attention boldly to Loelle.

“I’m so glad to see you recovered and able to meet the Duchess again. You look well, and it seems your illness is completely gone.”

“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”

“That’s a relief. I heard you were always weak.”

The slightly provocative tone made Reus openly show his deep disgust. The Emperor always mocked openly rather than pretended to be polite. Reus no longer hid his true feelings and openly showed hostility.

But the arrogant Emperor only smiled. Such behavior couldn’t affect his mood.

He was confident this was a fight Reus would lose.

“You must have worried a lot while she was sick. Lucky you had a trustworthy husband by your side.”

“Thanks to the Duke, I recovered a lot.”

“Yes, it must be more comfortable at the Duke’s castle than at the count’s.”

The Emperor said something subtly suggestive. This time, Reus moved as if to warn clearly. Then Loelle quickly grabbed Reus’s hand and smiled naturally.

“Yes, it’s where my husband is.”

Reus calming down at the Duchess’s touch was the funniest sight the Emperor had ever seen.

It was like a dog wagging its tail because the owner holding the leash had changed.

Unaware that he was destined to be abandoned.

“But I only invited the Duchess, yet you came together as a couple again today.”

The Emperor smiled and said.

“Reus, will you step aside for a moment? I have something urgent to say to my Duchess.”

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