Living a Scheming Marriage with a Mad Villain - Chapter 16

When I turned my head, I saw Reus approaching right behind me.

Unlike his usual cold expression, he was wearing a very gentle smile.

“Loelle.”

Reus naturally took my hand and led me to a corner.

Though I pretended not to notice, I could feel everyone in the room glancing at us.

Feeling awkward, I fidgeted with my neck, and Reus spoke in a quiet voice, only loud enough for me to hear.

“I received a reply from Ivelle.”

“Ah….”

‘..From the look on his face, it seems there’s no need to ask what the reply was.’

If it’s a noble family with a daughter in the Empire, there’s no family that would refuse the Duke’s proposal, especially since he’s a powerful figure in the Empire.

Even if it’s someone like Peria, who wishes for my unhappiness, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse, as evidenced by the situation.

“More importantly could you try to stop her?”

“Stop her from doing what?”

“Shanette. At this rate, she might end up ordering three wedding dresses.”

“If it’s about that, I don’t think there’s a need to stop her.”

“I don’t need three wedding dresses, Your Grace.”

Reus stared at me for a moment and then spoke calmly.

“Then let’s do this. I like the dress you’re wearing right now, so let’s buy this one.”

Maybe it was because he saved my life, or perhaps because of the contract we made, but Reus seemed to have become a little friendlier toward me.

It was only a second ago that I thought that, but Reus suddenly spoke.

“Instead, go over there and deliver the message yourself.”

“What?”

“The words I just said.”

“Eh? Why would I say what you just said to them?”

“Of course, I’d prefer you use my name, not my title.”

“Anyway, aren’t we lovers now?”

In my mind, calling a character from a novel casually and calling the Duke of the Empire casually were two entirely different things.

Even though I remembered my past life, I had been born and raised in this world.

And pretending to love Reus in front of others was.

“Is it that hard?”

“Huh?”

“The title, I mean.”

“It’s not easy to change it suddenly…”

“You find it easy to call me ‘hey,’ but hard to call me Reus. I really don’t understand your standards.”

“That was a mistake! I won’t make that mistake again, Your Grace—.”

If I couldn’t call him by name, at least I should stop saying ‘Your Grace’…

As if he expected this, Reus kindly turned my body around.

“Think of it as practice to get used to it. Go ahead.”

Reluctantly, I approached Shanette and Celeste.

“Hmm? You can talk a little more!”

“No, we’ve talked enough. We’ve talked, but…”

“Ah, did His Grace say he didn’t like the dress?”

As I hesitated to answer, Celeste couldn’t hide her disappointment.

The dress I was wearing was the most carefully crafted one among the wedding dresses Celeste had brought.

The dress was embroidered with tiny jewels all over it, making it shimmer with a subtle glow with every movement, and the larger, more expensive jewels were intricately placed on the bodice, making it look like a work of art.

So, Celeste would surely have been very disappointed by my hesitation.

‘But what am I supposed to do! I can’t do it…!’

“If you don’t like it, we can bring another one in a few days.”

“Celeste, it’s not like that!”

“You can be honest with me. Lady Ivelle.”

Celeste, who seemed utterly deflated, spoke with concern, fearing a misunderstanding.

“It’s not that! Re, Reus said that this dress is his favorite.”

“Oh my…!”

It couldn’t have been a more familiar title. Celeste seemed to think so too, as she kept praising me, saying how beautiful it was.

“If that’s the case, you should’ve said so sooner! Why are you so shy?”

“Heh…”

Just then, Reus, who I didn’t notice had come near, wrapped his arm around my shoulder and spoke to Celeste.

“Yes, I did say that, but in truth, I don’t think it’s possible to choose just one.”

“Eh…? D-Duke… I mean, Reus…!”

“Therefore, you can leave all the dresses you brought here.”

I looked at him with a somewhat resentful gaze, but Reus simply smiled back.

Shanette said she still had some things to discuss with Celeste, so she went down to the dining hall first with Reus.

“You’re saying something different now, Your… I mean… Reus.”

“Well, I don’t remember lying.”

“But you definitely said you would only buy that one dress!”

“I said I would buy that dress, but I didn’t say I would only buy that one.”

So, Reus had intended to buy all the dresses from the start.

When I gave him a displeased look, Reus continued.

“Our marriage is a bit sudden, so it would be better to have some kind of reasonable excuse to convince the people.”

“That’s true…”

“Before the employees in the dress shop officially announce our wedding, they’ll spread rumors. Including that you’re staying here and that I’ve fallen for you.”

“Even so, I don’t think spending unnecessary money like this is necessary.”

“Loelle. Sometimes exaggerated rumors can be helpful when spread by word of mouth. So, think of this as an investment.”

“This was my unilateral decision, so you don’t need to worry too much about it.”

Reus was right. It wasn’t something we had discussed together, nor had he explained it to me, so I didn’t need to worry too much.

But even though I didn’t care about the money.

“I just feel bad for Shanette. She’s so genuinely happy for us, and I feel like I’m deceiving her.”

“We’re already deceiving her.”

Once again, he made a point, and I couldn’t help but shoot him a side glance.

“You don’t have to point it out so precisely. I just feel uncomfortable about it.”

“Loelle.”

“Yes Reus.”

Satisfied with my response, Reus continued.

“You know that marriages between nobles are usually family contracts, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“So, it’s not that complicated. It’s just that the contract’s subject is no longer the family, but the individuals.”

“I understand.”

“If it bothers you, you can blame me for everything. After all, I’m the one who held onto someone who didn’t want to get married.”

“No, I don’t think like that! I listened and accepted the proposal, after all.”

Reus stared at me in silence for a while.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay going alone? If you keep being this soft, I’m worried about sending you by yourself.”

In a few days, I’ll be leaving the Duke’s estate to return to the Ivelle Count’s house.

That day also happened to be the day my father would be coming home after a long time, so I planned to visit him, deliver the news about the marriage, and also talk to him about the Forest of Quietude.

Originally, I was supposed to go with Reus, but he suddenly had an urgent schedule, so I decided to go alone first.

“You could stay here for another week and then go together.”

“I’m fine. Besides, it’s my home. There’s no need to worry, I won’t make any mistakes.”

I said that, but honestly, I didn’t want to go back to the Ivelle Count’s house alone.

‘What will Peria do I have no idea.’

But with the annulment still unresolved and the marriage announcement made without consulting her, I couldn’t wait too long. If I did, I might make Peria so angry that I couldn’t turn back.

So, even if I had to go alone, I needed to return to Ivelle as soon as possible to explain everything.

Two days quickly passed, and the day finally came for me to return to the Ivelle Count’s house.

According to Reus, the rumors about our upcoming wedding had already spread perfectly throughout the central social circles.

The focus of the rumors, as Reus intended, was on our dramatic love story.

It was said that Reus had been in love with me for a long time, that he had successfully convinced me to marry him, and how serious he was about the marriage and how much money he had spent.

Apparently, the fact that the Ersian Marquess and Ivelle Count had officially sent an annulment notice had perfectly fueled the rumors, making them even more exaggerated.

Thanks to that, now, whether they liked it or not, no one could easily cancel this marriage.

Peria, who would be afraid of the social rumors, and who was only kind in public, would surely be more willing to accept it.

So, now, the only thing left was to calm Peria down and get her approval.

“Sigh….”

While rubbing my cold fingertips, the carriage slowly came to a stop, signaling that we had arrived at the Ivelle Count’s house.

Leaving behind my anxious and uneasy heart, I slowly stepped out of the carriage toward the Count’s estate. Then, not far away, I saw Peria quickly approaching me.

“Loelle!”

“Ah, Mother….”

Her voice was so loud that I tensed up, but Peria didn’t seem as angry as I had expected.

In fact, she looked rather happy.

“Was the journey not too hard?”

“Uh… no, it was fine.”

“Let’s go inside. Your father is already here and waiting for you.”

Her words were clearly directed at me, but her tone was unexpectedly kind, as if she were trying to be gentle with me.

‘Why?’

I wondered if she was trying to be mindful of the Duke’s knights nearby, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Peria genuinely seemed happy.

She gently guided me forward, wrapping her arm around my shoulder in a comforting gesture.

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